Page 77 of One Enchanted Evening

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.You’venever been on skates before.You’redoing awesome.”

Hetook her hands and started skating backwards again, going a little bit faster than before.Shestarted to pick up her feet a little, making uncertain strokes with her skates.Aftera couple of laps, she seemed to have found her balance.

Heskated around beside her, taking her hand in his.Shewobbled and flailed her arms, but then moved forward, hanging onto him.

“AmIdoing it?” she asked, pushing forward with small strokes. “AmIskating?”

“Yeah, sweetheart.You’redoing it.”

Shelooked over at him with a wide smile on her face, her eyes bright.Asmall laugh bubbled up out of her, her face lit up with joy.Andit was in that moment thatJackknew that he was totally, completely, irreversibly in love withRosalieCrawford.

Rosaliefelt as if she were floating on a cloud.Herlegs were sore from skating, and her face was nearly numb from whipping down the hill on a tube several times, but now that she had an apple cider and a warm sugar cookie bigger than her palm to munch on, she didn’t mind so much.Shestood withJacknear the bonfire, soaking up the warmth, letting it seep into her bones.Therewas something both cozy and invigorating about getting cold on purpose and then warming up.Itmade her want to do it again and again.

Thefestival flowed around her, music playing from the ice rink, people laughing and talking.They’dstopped to chat withBeckett, who was working at thePourDecisionsbooth near the fire, doling out hot chocolate and apple cider and flirting with every single woman that walked by.He’deven jokingly tried to flirt withRosalieuntilJackhad given him a murderous look and he’d backed off.

Chloeand her friends ran by and waved, on their way for another slide down the hill, and a manRosalierecognized asJack’solder brotherAdamapproached the fire, his arm over the shoulders of a very pretty woman in her late thirties.

“Hey,” saidJack, tipping his chin at his brother. “Ithink you two have met, at the hotel?” he asked, his eyes bouncing back and forth betweenRosalieandAdam. “Thisis my older brotherAdam, and his girlfriendHazel.”

“You’rethe ones writing a book together,” saidRosalie, and they both grinned. “Rosalie.Niceto formally meet you.”

Theyshook hands and fell into easy conversation, talking about the festival, the town,AdamandHazel’sbook, the new puppy they’d just adopted.SomethinginRosalie’schest twisted at the way they looked at each other, love and joy radiating outward, but not in an over the top, gushing way.Inan easy, natural way, as though they couldn’t do anything else but love each other.

“Howmuch longer are you staying in town?” askedHazel, sipping at the hot chocolateAdamhad just delivered to her.

“Oh, well.Um.I’mnot entirely sure, to be honest.It’ssort of up toCarrieand how much longer she decides to stay,Iguess.”Shefrowned.Shehad the feeling as though parts of herself were very much out of alignment, rubbing against each other in a jarring way instead of fitting neatly together.

Jackrubbed a hand in circles on her back. “Evenstill, the city’s not that far,” he said. “Ifyou go back.”

Reliefthat he was willing to keep seeing her even if she went back to the city gathered in her belly, soothing her.Butshe could hear the question in his voice.Didshe have to go back?Didshe want to go back?

Whatif she stayed?

Whatif everything she’d ever needed, everything she’d ever wanted, even while refusing to believe it could happen, was right here inGossamerFallswithJack?

Somethingwas expanding in her chest.Somethingthat made it hard to breathe or think.Somethingthat made her see her future in a very different light.

“Heyguys,” said a masculine voice from behind them, and they all turned.Anextremely handsome man was making his way towards them, the firelight catching on his light brown curls and long eyelashes, the shadows emphasizing the slight cleft in his chin and his full lips.

“Indy!” saidRosalieas the woman from the tourist office appeared just behind the handsome man.

“Rosalie!” she said, bounding forward and giving her a brief hug. “Whatdo you think of our little festival?”ShelovedIndy’spride and enthusiasm for the town.Shehadn’t fully understood it that first day she’d arrived inGossamerFalls, but she got it now.Thisplace was special.

Magical, even.

“It’samazing.IthinkI’vebeen doing winter wrong for my entire life.”

Everyonelaughed, and thenJackslid an arm over her shoulders. “Rosalie, this is my younger brotherOliver.Andyou knowIndy.”

Asif she could read the question inRosalie’smind,Indysaid, “OliverandIhave been best friends since kindergarten.”

“Wow.Sincekindergarten?” she asked.Shecouldn’t imagine being friends with someone for so long, for so much of her life.Thenagain, she’d changed schools so often that she hadn’t had the chance to make those lasting connections.

Butmaybe it wasn’t too late to put down roots, to make a life, to have real friends.Todo something meaningful.Forso long she’d thought that she had to do something big and special for her life to have meaning.Tobe the best, to make the most money, to work the hardest.Toalign herself with celebrities and fame.Butnow, she was realizing that while money and success were nice, they could also be a little empty.Thinkingabout the past couple of weeks here inGossamerFalls, her heart felt more full than it ever had in her life.Aquiet, cozy life filled with love and happiness and comfort wasn’t small or insignificant.Ithad meaning, too, maybe even deeper than what she’d been chasing.

“Yep,” saidOliver, rocking back on his heels. “Oneof the other boys in class was picking on me becauseI’daccidentally spilled juice on myself and it looked likeI’dhad an accident.Indycame over and rubbed his face in the sandbox until he promised to leave me alone.We’vebeen friends ever since.”

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