Page 78 of Wilder

Amelia and Layla skated to the edge of the ice where Lexi indicated. Lexi waited for Wilder to get into position with his hockey stick, then she started the music. After setting her phone on the boards, she waited for him to complete his moves before joining him.

The girls were clapping and cheering from the sidelines, and when Lexi and Wilder finished, they exclaimed how much they loved the program.

For the next forty-five minutes, they rehearsed with the girls. Since it wasn’t a very complicated program, they picked it up quickly and had a lot of fun with it.

As eight-forty-five neared, Wilder said, “Are you okay with the girls until Blake comes to pick them up? He should be here around nine.”

Lexi smiled as she nodded. “We’ll be fine.”

Wilder put his skates in his bag. “Would you mind if I came back after I’m done for the day?”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

“I could bring you supper.”

“That would be nice.”

“Text me what you want, and I’ll pick it up.”

“Okay.”

Wilder was glad she’d agreed. He hadn’t been sure how she’d be now that her old life was back in play.

After threatening the girls to be on their best behavior, Wilder said goodbye to the trio, then left for the ski shop. He wished he could stick around, but he was needed for what was likely to be a very busy day on the slopes.

It was just after six when he got back to the rink with food for him and Lexi. He was glad that he was able to get food at the restaurants at a very reduced price because otherwise he wouldn’t be able to afford it.

When he walked into the building, he noticed there were more people there than he’d ever seen in the rink. There were a few on the ice, but most of them were seated at the tables around the ice.

A fire was glowing in the large stone fireplace set in the far corner of the space. It took some of the chill out of the air thecloser someone sat to it, but it wasn’t strong enough to make the area nice and cozy.

He glanced around for Lexi and spotted her on the ice. Before heading in that direction, he took the bag of food to her office and dropped it off.

It didn’t look like she was working with anyone, so Wilder approached the boards. The sound system was playing some upbeat pop music, and the people on the ice appeared to be couples. All teens or older.

“Hey there,” Lexi said as she skated to a stop in front of him, a smile on her face and her eyes sparkling.

“Hey.” Wilder smiled at her, glad that she seemed happy to see him. “Looks busy here tonight.”

“Yep. But not a lot of people are wanting to skate. I guess they just like the atmosphere here. I wouldn’t think this would be the favored destination since it’s colder here than in most buildings at the resort.”

“Can you take a break?” he asked. “I put the food in the office.”

“Yep. I’ll just let George know.”

She skated to the entrance to the ice, then grabbed her guards. After she had them on, she walked to the skate rental area and spoke to the man working there. Wilder waited for her, then they went to her office.

“This looks so good,” Lexi said as she opened the lid of the container that held her steak salad. “I’m starving.”

“Do you follow a special diet when you’re training?”

“I did last time,” she said. “But I had someone who prepared all my food for me, so I didn’t have to think about it. I’m not sure what to do this time around.”

“What was the prepared food?”

“My dad hired a nutritionist to work with a chef, and she gave the chef all the details on what each meal should contain. I don’t have that this time around.”

“It’s too bad my brother’s not here. He’s a chef.”

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