Page 25 of A Curvy Carol

“You ready?” I asked.

Whit gave me a nervous look. “Actually, I’ve never been ice-skating before,” he confessed sheepishly.

“Really?” I asked.

“Really,” he replied. “Not a lot of snow in Houston. We did go skiing one time in New Mexico, but my dad got hurt, so we never really did snow sports again after that.”

“Well,” I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the front counter. “You live in Garland now, so skating is practically a requirement.”

He followed along, still looking hesitant. “Carolynn, I’m going to make a fool of myself out there. That preschooler over there is going to be skating circles around me, I just know it.”

I glanced back. “You’re probably right,” I replied, which made even more color drain from his face. “But luckily, you’re in the presence of an expert.” I grabbed his arm again, trying not to think about how much I liked the contact. “Come on.”

14

WHIT

Iwatched Carolynn skate away gracefully.

The more I got to know her, the more impressed I was, especially watching her skate. She looked like a pro on the ice.

Meanwhile, I clung to the rail at the edge of the rink as if my life depended on it. Well, standing upright depended on it. I could hardly manage to stand much less move on the ice. I’d told her to go ahead while I got my footing, but the plan didn’t seem to be working. Besides, it was far more enjoyable to watch her in her element.

Carolynn did a large circle around the rink. As she went, she made a small jump and twirled, landing effortlessly and completing the spin. As she got closer to me, she came to a stop and began spinning quickly.

I had to admit how much I really liked her curves. There was something about the way she carried herself and how her hips swayed that drove me a little crazy.

Carolynn skated the rest of the way to me, and I noticed a familiar blush on her cheeks.

“You’re really good,” I said with a smile.

“Thanks,” she replied breathlessly. “Years and years of practice.”

I looked down at my skates as I hung on to the wall. “Yeah, I’m not sure there’s much hope for me, Christmas Carol.”

I felt and probably looked like a baby deer with long and awkward legs, trying to walk for the first time. Except fawns got skilled at walking much faster than me with skating.

“You’ll get the hang of it in no time,” Carolynn told me. “Come on. You won’t learn to skate by staying so close to the wall.”

She took my hand and led me toward the middle of the rink. I was painfully slow (and kind of scared), but Carolynn stuck beside me. She gave me tips and guided me until I was finally able to make a slow but mostly steady circle around the rink myself.

“Whoa,” I cried out in disbelief as I came to a stop. “I did it.”

“You know, part of being a Garlander is knowing your way around the ice. Some kids learn to skate before they learn to ride a bike around here,” she said with a grin. “So you’re going to have to practice.”

“Noted,” I replied, hanging on to the wall again, unsure if she was being sarcastic or for real about what she’d just said.

It was probably true. There were kids who had to be in preschool who were out here skating like little professionals. It made me that much more determined to do better—and really, not embarrass myself more in front of Carolynn.

I let go of the wall and continued practicing circles, doing my best to keep my balance while pushing up my speed.

Carolynn stayed near me, sprinkling in some encouragement along with some more guidance.

Just when I thought I was starting to get the hang of ice-skating, I lost my balance. But I shot out my arm and Carolynn grabbed it, steadying me. Her hand slid down to my hand and continued hanging on. I didn’t let go either.

I looked at her with a sheepish grin. “Thanks,” I said.

She smiled. “No problem.”

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