Page 47 of Wilder

“Are you going to be here for Christmas?” Wilder asked. “Or will you be with your mom?”

“I’m not sure,” Lexi said. “We never really made a big deal out of Christmas, though we always celebrated. It fell in the middle of the competition season, so I couldn’t take too much time off. I’m sure my mom will want me with her, but I don’t know if that’s what I’ll do.”

“Well, if you’re hanging around here, you’d be welcome to join us for our Christmas celebrations.”

“Isn’t Christmas usually for family?”

“Sure, it’s mainly family, but we’ve always included people who might not have anywhere else to go. Or if they’re a close friend to someone in the family.”

Lexi could only imagine how chaotic a celebration like Christmas would be with so many people present. Her Christmases with her folks had been very low key, and it had been the one day of the year that she hadn’t skated at all. They’d opened presents they’d bought for each other and had a dinner that was tasty but nothing too elaborate, since she was in competition mode and training, so she’d needed to watch her diet.

Her mom had tried to create traditions for them at Christmas, but the only one that had stuck had been the two of them attending a Nutcracker ballet performance at some point during December.

Thankfully, she had a bit of time to see how things went before committing to anything.

“Well, here we are,” Wilder announced as he pulled to a stop in front of her building.

“Thank you again for a fun afternoon,” Lexi said. “It was a nice break.”

Wilder smiled at her. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“Sounds good.” Lexi pushed open the door. “Have a good evening.”

As she stepped into the foyer of her building, she glanced out the window in time to see Wilder’s car pull away. Smiling, she made her way to the elevator and pushed the button.

As the elevator doors slid open, the man she’d met earlier stepped out. Seeing her, he smiled.

“Alexandra, we meet again.”

“Hello, Colin.”

He was the first neighbor in the apartment building she’d met, mainly because he’d taken the initiative and introduced himself.

“You’ve been out for several hours,” he said, which made her feel a little put off. “I hope you were having fun.”

“I was.” She didn’t volunteer anything more because it felt like he was fishing, and she wasn’t going to give him any information. “And now I need to get a few more things done before bed. Morning comes early.”

“That it does,” he agreed with a nod. Walking backward, he smiled again and said, “See you around.”

She nodded, then stepped into the elevator. Not wanting him to change his mind and join her, Lexi jabbed the button to close the doors, then hit the button for her floor.

Once the door had closed completely, Lexi exhaled in relief. The guy had been super friendly when he’d introduced himself earlier. And he was even friendlier this time around. That didn’t make her feel very comfortable.

She hoped he didn’t become a problem. That would be the last thing she needed in her life. Plus, she didn’t want to have to move. Something told her that apartments of the quality in that building weren’t plentiful in Serenity.

Back in her apartment, Lexi put her soups into the freezer, then went to the bedroom and changed into her favorite pajamas. Now that she was on her own, she relaxed, allowing the smile she’d been feeling all day to come out fully.

It had been agreatday. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed something that wasn’t related to skating. The time spent with Wilder had been a reminder that there was more to life than training and ice skating.

And with the distraction of the day, she had also not dwelled on whatever was happening with the Christmas program. It had been a nice break from that.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t be ignored forever. Sooner or later, it had to be dealt with. She could only hope that Kayleigh or Hudson had spoken with Alexander that day and gotten some answers for her.

After the relaxing day she’d just had, she didn’t feel as overwhelmed by whatever was to come. Somehow, she knew that Wilder wouldn’t abandon her to deal with it on her own. And she didn’t think Kayleigh and Hudson would either.

It felt weird to trust someone who wasn’t her parents, a coach, or Mik. Hopefully, they didn’t end up betraying that trust the way everyone but her mother had.

CHAPTER TWELVE

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