Page 38 of Icing on Top
“Fine,” Ben agreed begrudgingly. “But if he steps a single toe out of line, he will be fired.”
“That’s fair,” I replied, standing on my toes to kiss him softly. I checked the other two to ensure they had their anger in check. I could tell that they were pissed but didn’t want to upset me further, so they were managing it. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
“Any time, Nova. Every time,” Grant swore.
“Why don’t you put down that clipboard and come enjoy the festival you put together with us?” Linc suggested.
“I don’t know. Something could go wrong.”
Ben snatched the clipboard from me and handed it to one of the volunteers passing by. “Here ya go, buddy. You’ve been promoted. If you can’t solve the problem, find someone else. Nova is officially off duty.”
“Ben!” I scolded.
“Sorry, Sugar. I realize that my mistake was framing it as a question. I meant it’s time to put the clipboard down and enjoy yourself.”
I glared at Lincoln but couldn’t hold it for long when he smiled that twinkling smile at me. At this point, I wasn’t sure who had who wrapped around their little finger, me or them.
“Fine. Let’s dive into the Christmas spirit,” I concede.
We hit the vendors first, and we made sure to buy something from each one to thank them for donating their time to the festival. When I dragged them to the ice skating rink, things got comical.
“I don’t know about this, Sugar,” Linc said as I glided onto the ice. Ben and Grant followed me easily, but Linc was still at the entrance.
“You have skated before, right?” I asked.
“Yeah, but I’m not very good,” he replied.
Grant and Ben snickered behind me. “That’s the understatement of the year,” Grant said.
“By not very good,” Ben added, “he means he falls down a lot.”
I skated back to him, poorly hiding my amusement. “You mean to tell me there’s something you aren’t good at?” I teased. “Come on,” I said, holding out my hands, “I’ll help you.”
He took my hands and gingerly stepped onto the ice. I began to skate backward, pulling him with me, and he was good for about ten seconds. Then his legs started flailing, and suddenly he was on his ass, pulling me down on top of him. Grant and Ben were laughing as they skated over to help us.
“What the hell happened?” I laughed. “You were doing so good!”
“Ice. Ice happened. Who the hell thought sticking knives on the bottom of your boots to slide around on ice was a good idea?” Linc complained.
“Someone with far better balance than you,” I replied as Ben helped me to my feet. Once I was up, he and Grant got Lincoln standing again. “Do you know how to roller skate?”
“Yeah. I’m good on wheels,” Linc replied.
“It’s practically the same thing!” Grant exclaimed.
“The hell it is. This is ice; ice is the devil,” Linc lamented dramatically.
I held my hands out to him again. “Boys, stick to his sides in case he tries to go down again. Linc, just do what you would if you were skating on wheels.”
It took some time, but by the time we called it quits, Linc managed to stay up and even did a couple of laps on his own. Once we were done skating, we headed over to the cookie-decorating tent to help the foster kids decorate cookies.
Seeing them with the kids did something to my insides. This was their true purpose in life: helping kids in need. Their patience and the way they coaxed smiles from each child were captivating, and they radiated how much they cared about the kids.
When we were done decorating cookies, I convinced them to take a picture with Santa with me.
“Is this necessary?” Grant grumbled.
“Yes. It’s the perfect way to remember the day. Besides, pictures with Santa are crucial. How else will you tell him what you want for Christmas?” I asked, poking him in the stomach as we waited in line.
