Page 84 of Wilder

Lexi sat back, mulling over what Wilder had shared. She knew about the orphanages, but for some reason, it hadn’t resonated with her just how important the cause was to him.

Now she really wanted to spend more time with him, to learn more about the things he was truly passionate about. And it made her realize that she was very one dimensional with her passion for skating. It would always be something she was passionate about, but maybe it was time to expand her passions to more meaningful things.

“Thank you for sharing, Wilder,” the older man said. “I join him in urging you to pray for these orphanages and the people who work there, and, if you are able, to send some money their way. In fact, let’s take a moment to pray for them right now.”

Lexi bowed her head, then remembered that the service wasn’t live. Still, she remained that way, listening as the pastor prayed for the orphanages and their needs.

When the prayer was over, she shifted onto her side, moving the laptop onto the bed beside her so she could still see it.

“In everything, give thanks,” the pastor said as he gazed out at the congregation. “For this is thewill of Godin Christ Jesus concerning you. That is Thessalonians 5:18, and today, I want to talk about our thankfulness as Christians. I figured it was a good time for that, as we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving in a few days.”

Thanksgiving? Already?

Her dad had been even less interested in Thanksgiving than he’d been in Christmas. And because their Russian heritage hadn’t included celebrating Thanksgiving, her coaches hadn’t seen a reason not to go to the rink for at least a few hours on that day.

She’d be at the rink this year too.

As she listened to the sermon, Lexi felt convicted over how unthankful she’d been in her life. Because even in the midst of a horrible couple of years, she’d had a few reasons to be thankful.

Thanks to the money she’d saved from collaborations and endorsements, she hadn’t been left financially destitute. And while one parent had ended up behind bars, she’d still had her mom. During the worst time of their lives, the two of them had been a support for each other.

Even now, she had things to be thankful for. A nice rink to work at. The opportunity to coach. And people who were offering her friendships like she’d never experienced before.

And, of course, she was thankful for the opportunity to compete one more time.

When the pastor finished his sermon, the congregation sang another song before they were dismissed. Lexi watched to see if Wilder would reappear, but then the stream went to a static image and began to scroll announcements again.

Lexi reached out and closed the lid of the laptop, plunging the room into darkness. Rather than focusing on the downsides of her life right then, she took a moment to talk to God, thanking Him in a way she never had for the good in her life.

She resolved to be more thankful—more faithful—even as the weeks ahead promised to be difficult at times. As she fell asleep, she did so with a lighter heart than she’d had in… ever?

The next morning, Lexi was at the rink at her usual time, long before anyone else would be there. After she flicked on the lights, she stood staring out at the rink.

The ice sparkled, reminding her of George, and the way he took care of the ice, sharpened skates, and helped the people who wanted to rent skates. He always had a smile and a greeting for her. Knowing that she could have ended up with a much different type of co-worker, Lexi was thankful for him.

She was also thankful for Luke, who’d learned her favorite drink and made it whenever he saw her headed his way. And though she didn’t see Talya much, she was thankful for her as a co-worker so she could have two days a week off. She’d also been nice to Lexi whenever they had spoken.

Smiling, she headed for her office, where she took off her boots and outerwear, shoving her mitts into the pocket of her jacket before hanging it up. It had been below freezing that morning and had reached a cold even she found uncomfortable.

Once she was just in her skating workout clothes, along with the thin gloves she wore to ward off the cold while she trained, Lexi grabbed her skates and sat down to tug them on. After tying the laces, she picked up her phone and left the office.

Since she’d already worked out that morning, Lexi only needed to stretch a little before she got on the ice, even thoughshe’d been out in the cold. After taking a couple of smooth strokes, she alternated lifting one leg, then the other up behind her, holding onto her ankle to stretch out her quadriceps.

She’d completed a couple of laps and had done some spins, when, as she came out of one, she noticed Wilder standing at the boards. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was nearly eight. That meant that he had a bit of time before he started work at the ski shop.

Smiling, she stroked over to where he stood. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” he replied, giving her a warm smile in return. “How’s the ice?”

“It’s good. Just doing some spins and footwork. I don’t want to strain my legs too much in case Irina has a big day planned for us tomorrow. I’d rather not go into our first training session with legs that might be tired.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Not really. I just want to get going. We don’t have a lot of time to prepare, so I want us to just get to work.”

“Will it bother you if I stop by here in the morning to see how it’s going?”

“Won’t botherme,” she said with a laugh.

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