Page 40 of A Christmas Spark
He glared at her, but there was no animosity in it. “You said it was like riding a bike.”
“Hm.” Mabel frowned. “Are you also bad at riding bikes?”
George’s glare intensified, and a giggle burst from Mabel’s lips. Agiggle. She sounded so delighted and girlish that he felt like he was on the verge of laughing too, no matter how sore his backside was now.
“I hated them when I was a kid, honestly,” he said, taking a breath. “Alright. Let’s try again.”
He saw a flicker of relief on Mabel’s face, like maybe she’d thought he was going to give up on the whole thing. “Here,” Mabel offered. “Take my arm. I can help you balance until you get the hang of it.”
“You’re really good at this,” he admitted, right before he tried to take a step again, and felt his feet start to slide. This time, Mabel was ready for him. She steadied her arm through his, balancing him before he could fall.
“Don’t lift your feet,” she cautioned. “Let them glide. I know it feels counterintuitive, but it works. I promise.”
It took a little swallowing of his pride, but George went slow, letting Mabel steady him as he got the hang of it. And the truth was, he didn’t mind being so close to her. She smelled nice, like something sweet and a little floral, like a backyard garden. And she was patient. She was a good teacher, he realized, by the time they’d made it halfway around the rink.
“That’s it,” Mabel encouraged. “You’re getting the hang of it.”
George wasn’t sure about that, but he had to admit that it was getting slightly easier. His feet weren’t trying to escape from under him quite as aggressively, and he was starting to find something thatpossiblycould be called a rhythm.
They continued their slow circuit of the rink, and George found himself relaxing despite his better judgment. He was starting to enjoy himself. Spontaneously, on a Sunday afternoon.Who would have thought?
He knew it was the company, more than anything else. He thought of how easily the jokes had flowed between them before, how comfortable the conversation was. How he could picture himself doing this again, when he’d never considered ice skating even once before today.
Truth was, he wasn’t just considering this. He caught himself thinking about what else he and Mabel could do on a day like today. Maybe a bike ride on the trails, if she really was into thatkind of thing. A picnic—he cut off that train of thought abruptly, realizing just how romantic that all sounded. Bike rides and picnics weren’t something he’d do with a friend that pranked him sometimes and he felt obliged to prank in return, or who he found tolerably pleasant to be around.
Another of those jolts of alarm ran through him. Was he developing feelings for Mabel Stewart?
He had a hunch that he might be.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Have you found anything yet?” Vanessa called over to Imogen as she flicked through a rack of dresses, glancing to look for her friend before looking back at a second rack that had slightly fancier options. They’d returned to the mall to look for dresses for the town Christmas party, and Vanessa wasn’t sure what to get. She hadn’t dressed up in ages, and while it was exciting, she was also a little nervous. She wanted Jackson to love whatever she picked out.
She paused at an emerald green velvet dress with elbow-length sleeves and a flirty circle skirt. The color was Christmassy, and it would bring out her eyes… and she could pair it with a nice coat, tights, and heeled boots for a perfect Christmas look. It was a strong contender, she thought, plucking it from the rack as she kept looking.
The Christmas party wasn’t all that far off, and she knew she’d waited until the last minute to shop. She and Imogen both had. Things had just been sobusy, and now…
She paused, catching sight of a rack of silly Christmas shirts near the checkout line. To her surprise, she saw that the first shirt hanging up was the one she’d seen when she and Imogen had come to shop for Katie—the shirt with ‘Overload ofChristmas Spirit’ printed on it and an arrow pointing upward. That one had been at an ornament shop, but…
There was one here. Vanessa bit her lip.That’s a sign, right? Surely it’s a sign.Jacksonneededthat shirt. It wouldn’t have popped up again, otherwise. Obviously he was meant to have it.
She knew she was rationalizing. They’d promised each other no gifts. She’d been over this again and again in her head, every time she’d found something perfect for him. It felt like the worst kind of irony—she’d had no idea what to get him when the conversation had first come up, and once they’d agreed not to exchange gifts, she couldn’t stop seeing things she knew he’d love.
She could just picture him at the diner, wearing it under one of his flannels, pouring coffee. It was such a clear image that she found herself walking toward the rack, reaching for the shirt.
She’d found so many perfect things for him. This shirt. The cooking timer. The limited edition box set. This one was the best one, if she was going to get him something, surely. It was a gag gift, at best. Nothing serious.
They had promised, but…
She tossed the shirt over her arm, heading up to the register with it and the green dress. Imogen was already up there, with a pretty ice-blue sweater dress that Vanessa knew would be perfect on her.
“You’re going to look gorgeous,” she said, nodding at the dress.Lincoln will love it, if he sees you in it,she thought, but kept it to herself. Imogen had been dodging comments about him anytime it came up, and Vanessa didn’t want to upset her.
“Yours is gorgeous too—is that the Jackson shirt?” Imogen’s eyes went wide, and Vanessa waved her free hand.
“It’s just a silly thing. A gag gift, really. It doesn’t break our deal at all.” But even as she said it, she wasn’t sure if she wouldhave put it back anyway, even if it was a serious gift. It was too perfect. And he clearly was meant to have it.
She just couldn’t resist.
