Page 42 of Holly, Jolly, and Oh So Naughty

I laugh so hard that my stomach aches, especially when James tries to climb back to his feet and immediately falls once more.

“Oh, my God,” I gasp, approaching him and crouching down. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Bruised ego,” James groans with a smile.

“You own your own skates but can’t even stand on the ice? Is this one of those rich people's things where you think you know what you are doing just because you spent a lot of money?”

“Uhm…” James groans as people skate past us, chuckling. “I bought these two days ago because I wanted to impress you.”

“Aww.” There’s something so sweet about that. “You’ve definitely impressed me, although maybe not in the way you planned.”

“I think so,” he groans. James sits up slowly, and I offer him my arm.

“Come on, I can help you.”

“Hurry up, silly!” Emma calls, skating around us. “I want to go!”

“Patience, Emma, remember?” I say gently, unable to stop giggling as James wobbles and flails like a baby deer on new legs. “Here, hold onto the barrier, and we’ll skate together slowly, okay?”

“I’m pathetic,” James groans, then he yelps and clutches at me.

It takes all my strength to keep us both upright between my peals of laughter.

“No, no, you’re just new,” I assure him. “Emma, why don’t you show him how it’s done?”

The next two hours are spent helping James find his ice legs, and it’s the most fun I’ve had in years. He has absolutely no concept of balance on the ice and falls so many times that he declares the ice to be his new home. Emma laughs herself hoarse and shows off how easy gliding is for her.

Not once does he let go of my hand. We skate along the barrier, and after an hour, James is bold enough to try free skating. However, he immediately loses control and goes down with a cry, pulling me down with him. I land on his chest, struggling for balance as we both giggle.

Being this close to him sends butterflies cascading through my gut, and when our eyes meet, the rest of the world fades away into nothing.

“Ow,” James groans, sounding very pained.

“This may be the best thing you’ve ever done,” I tease, his face an inch from mine. “I wonder what else you can’t do, hmm?”

James rolls his eyes. “You’re a menace.”

“Clearly.”

The moment ends when Emma arrives to help us to our feet, and we resume skating until the cold becomes too biting and our limbs ache from exertion. Getting James off the rink is just as comical as getting him on, but soon, we collapse down ontoone of the wooden picnic benches with hot chocolate and warm waffles to fuel us.

“Can we come back tomorrow?” Emma asks between mouthfuls of waffles.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow,” James groans. “I’m bruised everywhere.”

I immediately giggle. “Proud of your purchase?” I grin.

“Absolutely.” James smirks at me, and my stomach somersaults. I’m too tired to tell myself not to give in to him. Not today.

“Sorry, sweetie, I can’t bring you tomorrow because I have to work, but you can do fun things with Grandma and Grandpa!”

Emma stares at me, seemingly debating whether she wants to or not, and then she nods. “Okay,” she says, sipping her hot chocolate. “I can ask Grandpa to the dance!”

“About time,” I murmur quietly. He’s been waiting for weeks for her to ask, but it keeps slipping from her mind.

“Your grandpa is who you will ask?” James says, nonchalantly stabbing his waffle. “Why wouldn’t you ask Mark?”

I nearly choke on my drink as the thought of Mark sours the sweetness on my tongue. “What? Why on earth would she ask Mark?”

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