Page 18 of Colorado Christmas Carol
“Are you good at this?” she asked Mellie.
“Not as good as Daddy thinks I should be.” She sighed. “He and Mommy used to skate all the time.”
They both sat down to put on their skates. Mellie noticed how meticulous Essa was about lacing up the skates; it was something a beginner might not even know how to do.
“At least these have toe stops,” Essa muttered, “but they’ve really been worn. I guess I’ll escape blisters. Some, anyway.” She laughed.
“You do know how to skate,” Mellie said enthusiastically.
“I might. Just don’t mention it to your dad, okay?”
“Okay!” Mellie agreed. It sounded like great fun, helping her new friend get one up on her dad. So few people ever did.
* * *
They went out onto the ice and were surprised to find Duke already there.
“I thought we might have to pick your friend up off the ice. Several times,” he murmured, waving the red flag at the bull.
Essa smiled. “You’re so kind . . . oops,” she said, and pretended to slip. She recovered her balance. “These things aren’t too stable, are they?” she asked. “Gosh, it’s a lot different from roller skates.”
“Yes, it is,” Duke replied with a very superior smile.
“Well, no time like the present to get started, right?” She leaned forward just a little, her legs in position. “Somebody want to give me a little push . . . ?”
Duke gave her barrier a gentle push. She skated around the rink, very fast, and because there were only a couple of people skating, and at the other end of the rink, she jumped at top speed, and went into a triple salchow, followed by a toe loop, and finally ending in the unique layback that had helped earn her the medal in district competition.
She skated off the ice, out of breath. “Wow, thanks for the push,” she told a wide-eyed, silent, blond man. “It sure helped!”
“That was awesome!” Mellie exclaimed. “How did you learn to do that?”
“Years of practice. I won a district competition medal about four years ago.”
“Why did you quit?” Duke asked.
“Both my parents died of a virus three years ago,” she said quietly. “I didn’t have the money to go into higher competitions. And I was too busy with . . . other matters.” She choked back tears.
“Any siblings?” he asked.
She shook her head, fighting for control. “Just me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, and it sounded genuine. “That would have been rough, both at once.”
She took a long breath. “It’s never easy, losing someone you love. It’s worse when there are two of them. But they went together.” She smiled sadly. “You almost never saw them apart, except when they were at work.”
“What did they do?” he asked.
“Dad was a deputy sheriff. Mom worked as a dispatcher for 911.”
“Well.” He actually sounded impressed.
“Dad always wanted to get a novel published. I helped him work on them, but he never did.” She looked up at Duke. “If I ever make it, it will be like he made it, too. If that makes any sense.”
“It does,” he told her, and for once, he wasn’t snarky.
“Aren’t you going to skate anymore?” Mellie asked Essa.
“I was just catching my breath.” She glanced at Duke. “I forgot to ask—can you skate?” she asked, and with a really snarky smile.
