Page 16 of Christmas on Ice
“Mr. Tiggerman!” she wailed. It wasn’t until I heard her voice that I realized she was upset.
“What is it?” I asked, crouching down to be eye level with her. “Are you okay?”
“No!” She gripped the straps of her backpack. “Daddy made me leave the Honnoh-ween party at school early!”
I glanced over to where Kami and Sutton were having a heated discussion. “I’m sorry about that. I’m sure he had a good reason.”
“He said … he said … he forgoted. He has a meeting and heforgottedit. And we left before I got candy!”
Her little face wrinkled into a scrunch that I knew from experience with my niece preceded a full-on meltdown.
Maybe I could stop it.
I doubted that, but it was worth a shot.
I stretched out my hand and held her mittened fingers. “Do you like cherries?”
She sniffed and her lower lip shook, but she nodded.
“Okay. Let me have your backpack.” I slid it off of her and set it on the floor. “I’m going to lift you up onto the stool, okay?”
She nodded and swiped at her eyes. I admired her effort to try to keep the tears in. “You can cry if you want to, Ryleigh,” I said softly. “It’s okay to be sad.”
I lifted her into the seat of the stool I’d just vacated as she started to cry. Reaching over the counter, I took a napkin from the service side of the bar and used it to swipe a bunch of maraschino cherries, which I placed in front of her.
“All for you,” I said, leaning on the bar next to her.
Her lips twitched and formed into a slow, unsteady smile. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” I drawled.
She giggled. “Grandpa Silly says that.”
“Grandpa Silly?”
“My grandfather.” Kami appeared on the other side of Ryleigh, visibly flustered. “He earned that nickname and wears it proudly.”
“Sounds like my kind of guy,” I said. I studied Kami’s face. Her jaw muscles were twitching much the same as Ryleigh’s had a few moments ago. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head and beckoned me behind the bar, speaking low so Ryleigh wouldn’t overhear. “He was supposed to take her trick-or-treating! What am I going to tell her?”
Her stricken face knocked my heart straight into my gut. I dared to reach out and tip her chin up. Anguished watery eyes stared back at me, and I was even more determined to help her salvage Halloween for her little girl. “You tell her Mr. Tiggerman is going to take her.”
Her lips parted in surprise, and her gaze darted to Ryleigh, who was staring at my phone like it was candy. I stretched to grab it and slid it into my pocket.
“You would do that for me?” Our eyes locked again, and I wondered if she felt the heat between us.
I would do so much more for her if she’d let me. Hopefully in time.
“Yeah. Ryleigh’s a great kid. And we can tag along with Rurik and Craig’s families. She knows their kids, right?”
“She does. Their daughters are in her class at school. Natasha and Ava are her besties.” Her eyes twinkled as the plan formed. “And they’ll all be here for Eat-Before-You-Treat.” She nodded. “Okay. That’s good. Very, very, good. Thank you, Trask.” She launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist and holding on tight.
I held her and closed my eyes. “It’s my pleasure.” My voice croaked.
A squeal from Ryleigh broke the tension. “Silly Tiggerman!”
Reluctantly, I left Kami behind the bar and went back to Ryleigh, bending down to chat with her. “How much did you overhear, Tinker Bell?”
