Page 47 of Maid in Heaven

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” He tossed back the last swig of his drink. “So… where to after this?”

“You’ll see.” Ava smiled and tossed some money down on the table for the tab. She put on her coat and thick gloves. “Bundle up.”

“An ice rink?”

“Yup!” Ava’s high-heeled, impractical boots crunched into the driftagainst the building, choosing the grip of snow over the iceof the walkway.

“You should come over here and walk on this slick-ass sidewalk with meso I have an excuse to hold your hand,” Will hollered, arms jutting out for balance on the icy path.

She clomped through the snow like a newborn elk and snagged his hand mid-air,weaving her fingers through his. “You don’t have to have an excuse.”

“This is gonna berough.”

“Oh, come on,” Ava teased. “What’s a good date without a few injuries?”

Avadug in her purse and produced two five-dollar bills, placing them on the chilled wooden counterof the skate rental shack.

“What size?” the teenage girl asked.

“I need a pair of size nines,”Ava chirped.

Will stood up straight. “Can I get a size nine, too, please?”

Ava smirked. “I have the tact to saynothing.”

The attendant handed over two identical pairs of skates.

Will seemed unfazed. “Thanks.”

They carefully stepped over to an unoccupied bench to put on their footwear.

Ava chuckled. “I’m sorry, but I have never dated a guy with the same size feet as me.”

“Well, it can’t be easy being a girl with such big feet.”

“I don’t have big feet! You have small feet. Size nine istinyfor a man.”

“You know what they say about men with little feet?”

Ava only stared at him, lacing her skates.

“Littleshoes.” He laughed and stood on his skates like a wobbly giraffe. “Good Lord, I’ve never done this before. Please tell me you are good at this.”

“Yeah,” Ava said, tying the lace of the second skate into a knot. “I’m alright.”

“Good, because I need somebody to keep me from breaking both my legs at this!”

Ava made her way gracefully to the icewith no wobble to her stride. She turned back and extended a hand to him as she arrived at the gate. On quivering legs, he made his way toward her. He leaned out to clasp her hand and used it to steady himself.

“Look at you!Ms. Ice Castlesover here. You are justfullof surprises.”

“Why, thank you.”

“Promise me, Ava, if I die this way,you’lltell my daughterI died in, like, awaycooler way. Tell her I was eaten by a bobcat…or losta brawl. Somethingmanly.”

Ava led him slowly ontothe ice. Other skaters circled around as Will struggled to stay upright, grabbing onto the side rail for stability. Avaskatedbackward.

“Of course, you can skate backward. You make it look so easy!”

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