Page 49 of Sweet Surrender

The twins ran off for the rink, laughing and shoving each other a little in their excitement.

She swallowed, feeling horribly awkward as she realized she was walking alone with Zane.

“I…” he began after a moment, but seemed to think better of whatever he was about to say. “Thanks again for coming by yesterday.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure,” she told him, feeling relieved. “Your family was so kind to me. You’re really lucky to have everyone around.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Normally.”

“Normally?” she asked, smiling.

“I know you get it,” he said, smiling back, but still not meeting her eyes. “You come from a big family, too.”

“I do,” she said, nodding and letting her eyes trail the boys, as his were doing. “It’s the best. But no one knows our weak spots like our siblings. I thought getting out from under mine would be good for me. But I miss them so much.”

He nodded, finally glancing down at her. There was compassion in his eyes that made her stomach twist.

“Dad, Dad, Dad, we’re getting skates,” Nick yelled.

“Oh boy,” Zane said. “Excuse me a minute.”

He jogged ahead, and she smiled and followed at her own pace.

The town was really hopping today. From where they stood, she could see the line at the ice cream shop, and the children gathered outside the toy store on the corner of Maple and Bear Avenue, gazing through the plate glass window at the beautiful treasures inside.

“Put them on my tab please, Joe,” Zane was saying to the older man with the white mustache at the rink who was handing the boys their skates. “Hers too.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she said right away.

“It’s my pleasure,” he told her. “Go on, let him know your size.”

She hadn’t really planned on skating, only on watching and asking some questions. But there were already people behind them, and she didn’t want to make a scene, so she told the man her size and he handed her a pretty pair of pale blue skates.

She joined the boys on a bench to put them on.

“Yours look new, Miss Hawthorne,” Cal told her softly.

“Yeah,” Nick added, sounding a little scandalized. “Mine are really old.”

“Maybe Old Joe Inglenook thinks she’s pretty,” Zane said, then quickly began removing his shoes.

Becca and the boys froze for a second.

“Doyouthink she’s pretty, Dad?” Cal asked.

Becca felt her cheeks heat like they were on fire, and she pretended not to hear, focusing all her attention on getting her skates on.

“Of course he thinks she’s pretty,” Nick said quickly. “Sheispretty.”

Thank you, Nick,she thought to herself, still busying herself with her skates.

“She’s got the prettiest skates of all of us,” Zane said. “That’s for sure.”

“The fastest, too,” she teased, popping up now that the awkward moment had passed.

“No way,” Nick said. “Mine are probably faster.”

“Why?” she asked him.

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