Page 85 of Wilder

“Might bother them?”

“Might.”

“So should I stay away?”

“Nope. Feel free to come by. I’ve already told them you’re friends with the owner, so they can’t really complain.”

Wilder chuckled at that. “Friends might be stretching it. More like an acquaintance. Kayleigh and Hudson are closer tohim. I’m closer to his kids since they always want me to be on the slopes with them when they come.”

“Guess you’ll be seeing them in a few weeks then, since Alexander appears to be planning to spend Christmas here.”

“Yeah, he is, but he’ll have to come in early for the fundraiser, since we’re not going to schedule it that close to Christmas. It’s a busy time for people, so we’ll get a better turn-out if we have it early in the month.”

“I saw you telling people about it at church yesterday.”

Wilder’s brows lifted. “You watched the livestream?”

“Not when it was live,” she said. “I watched it last night when I got home.”

“The whole thing?” he asked.

“From start to finish.”

He smiled, his brown eyes showing his happiness. “Nice. Did you enjoy it?”

“It was a good service. Probably the first one I’ve ever actually chosen to sit through of my own volition.”

“What did you think of my presentation?”

Lexi stared at him, contemplating her response. “It was really good. You did a great job sharing about the orphanages and how people can help.”

“I was thankful that Pastor Kennedy was willing to give me the time to talk about it all.”

“How did the people there seem to react to what you shared?”

“I had several people tell me they planned to donate, and I had several more that asked how they could help with the fundraiser.”

“How is all that coming along?”

“It seems to be coming along well. My mom and Denise—Misha’s mom—have really stepped up to help out. With them taking charge, I think it will all work out just fine.”

“Sorry if me deciding to train again has messed things up.”

“It hasn’t. Not at all. No one else is putting their life or job on hold for this, so you shouldn’t have to, either.”

Lexi appreciated that sentiment, but she still wanted to make sure that she was pulling her weight for the fundraiser. “Oh. Did the Santa Claus outfit work?”

Wilder grinned. “It sure did. How about yours?”

“Yep. Mine fit too. I need to wear it on the ice at some point to make sure I can move okay in it.”

“Are you wearing a new outfit for your skating program?”

“Yes. Mik can keep his old costume, but I want a new one.”

She’d sent an email off to her costume designer, along with a sketch she’d made, to see if she could do a new costume in a short period of time. So far, she hadn’t heard back from her, which might mean she wasn’t interested in working with Lexi. But she really hoped that the designer’s lack of response was just because it had been the weekend.

If the woman wasn’t willing or able to help her out, Lexi wasn’t sure where she would go. There were other costumers that they’d worked with over the years, but the woman she’d contacted had been her favorite. Plus, she’d made the original costumes for this program, so she would still have the swatches from Mik’s outfit to match hers.

---