Page 46 of UnLucky Christmas
I notice Chad is back on the wall, except now there’s an employee talking to him. He waves when he sees us getting on the ice.
“Hey. Just getting some tips over here,” he calls. I can see he’s getting frustrated, but I admire that he’s still willing to give it his all. I probably would’ve given up already and ordered a drink.
“You’re doing great,” Janelle tells him.
We take off onto the ice, and I start talking first.
“Go ahead and say it,” I tell her. “You know you want to.”
“Grant is so into you,” she insists. “He could barely keep his eyes off you.”
I sigh.
“Luckily, I don’t think anyone else is paying attention,” she continues. “I don’t even think Macy knows. If she does, she’s doing an excellent job pretending not to.”
“Yeah, I don’t think she does either,” I say as I move behind her to avoid someone who fell on the ice. “She really has her heart set on me and Chad getting together.”
She twists her mouth to the side. “Chad is nice and funny. I could see you with him too.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“But…”she pauses.“You and Grant have some serious chemistry. You really need to figure this out before you move forward with Chad.”
When I look ahead, I see Chad moving a few inches along the wall before he starts flailing his arms. At the same time Macy and Grant skate by, weaving back and forth between each other. They look like a brother and sister professional duo. And I think this is the first time I really notice the family resemblance.
“So, are we going to have hot cocoa later?” Janelle asks. “That could get a bit complicated.”
Admittedly, I don’t know what to do. This whole situation has grown messier than I could’ve ever imagined. The kiss I shared with Grant has thrown me.
“I need to talk to Macy.”
The rest of our group has made their way back onto the ice. Except for Chad. The poor guy is still leaning against the wall.
“Hey, you,” I call as I approach him.
He drops his head. “I’m sorry, Whitney. I think it’s time for me to hang up my skates.”
I wave my hand. “Don’t worry about it. You gave it your best shot. Don’t feel bad.”
“I really wanted tonight to be fun.”
“I had fun,” I say with a cautious smile.
“Great, I’m glad I could help with that,” he exclaims. “And I hope you’re going back to Macy and Austin’s.”
I hesitate for a few seconds. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Grant skating around with Macy and Austin.
“Yeah, I’ll probably stop by.”
“Then I’ll see you there,” he says. “You should go skate for a while. I’m getting out of these things before I sprain or break something.” He reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze.
I wait a few seconds as he moves off the ice. I’m not sure what to do next, so I skate. I skate past my friends and glide around the rink while I gather my thoughts. It doesn’t take long for Macy to catch up to me.
“Okay, you need to tell the truth,” I demand. “Are you and your brother secretly professionals because you’re fantastic?”
She laughs. “No, but our parents used to take us skating all the time. We had a lot of practice.”
Ah, that makes sense. Grant glides in between us.
