Page 8 of Wilder

“Alexander… Alexandra… Was she named for him?”

“It’s possible. Alexander didn’t say.”

“What type of career did she have competing?”

“Pretty illustrious. They were national champions for a few years and had several medals at world championships and an Olympic gold. She and her partner had been favorites for the gold at the upcoming Olympics, which are next year, when everything fell apart.”

“So she wasn’t just a pretty face with lots of money. She had the talent.”

Kayleigh smiled at him. “You think she’s pretty?”

“You don’t?”

“Well, yes, I suppose sheisbeautiful.”

“I think anyone with eyes could see that. I’m sure it helped her career. Beauty and talent are always a deadly combination.” Recalling the comment Alexandra had made, Wilder asked, “Is she going to be giving the girls lessons?”

“Yep. Their first one is tomorrow. They’re very excited. Well, Layla is excited. Amelia’s a little nervous.”

“How do you think Charli and Blake are doing with all the changes in their lives?”

Kayleigh’s expression turned contemplative. “I think they’re doing okay. Charli’s struggling with being back to teaching full-time and away from the baby.”

“Yeah, she mentioned that.”

“But other than that, I think she and Blake have really stepped up and done what is necessary for their family. The girls seem to be thriving as well.”

Over the past couple of days, Wilder had enjoyed hanging out with Layla and Amelia. The latter was still a bit shy around him. Considering he hadn’t had much time to spend with her before he’d left in April, it wasn’t a surprise. Hopefully she followed Layla’s lead and warmed up to him because even though there was no blood tie between them, Wilder considered her a niece as much as Layla was.

“Are you coming to pizza night tonight?” Wilder asked.

Kayleigh shook her head. “With Hudson just getting home, I’ll be hanging out with him.”

“I think there’s a game at the high school this evening too, so some of us will probably be going to that.”

As much as Wilder enjoyed the freedom of navigating the world on his own, he also enjoyed the traditions and familiarity of being in Serenity. Hanging out with his family and going tothe basketball games that Jay coached were definitely at the top of the list of things he liked to do.

He wondered what Alexandra did with her time. Did she have any friends who had stayed with her after everything that had happened with her dad? Wilder hoped so, but he knew that not everyone was a friend who stuck with a person through the rough patches in life.

It was possible that with her intimidating personality, she didn’t have an easy time making friends. Or keeping them.

Good thing for Alexandra, if she needed a friend, Wilder would be happy to be one.

If he could just get past the walls it seemed like she’d erected with her intimidating personality.

CHAPTER THREE

Alexandra Corbyn stood with her arms on the top of the boards of the ice rink. Well, they weren’t really boards. They were nothing like she’d ever seen at any rink she’d been at.

The half wall encircling the rink was something transparent, though she didn’t think it was glass. Topping the transparent part were rustic looking pieces of wood that had been polished and matched end to end to form an oval. It really was a beautiful-looking place.

Most rinks she’d skated in had bleachers surrounding the ice, but this one had round tables with chairs ringing it. The walls of the building itself were made up of floor to ceiling windows with opaque blinds that could be lowered, depending on the position of the sun.

This rink—like many—had a place to get drinks and food. Only the menu didn’t offer hotdogs or bags of chips. No, it had complicated sandwiches, fancy soups, and pastry items.

It was definitely over-the-top for what a skating rink usually offered. But this skating rink catered to the rich who might want to grab a bite to eat in between laps around the rink. Or a parent who brought their kids to the rink but didn’t want to skate themselves.

And here she was, in charge of the place. Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

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