Page 48 of The Christmas Lodge
Lacy choked back a laugh at the name. “Right, Rudolph. Didn’t you tell me he’s an insanely grumpy old man? What if he catches us?”
“Well, his houseisright next to the rink,” Derek told her cheerfully, enjoying her dismay as her eyes popped wide open. “But seriously, it’ll be fine. The secret way is on the side furthest from his house and we’ll skate by moonlight. He’ll never know we were there.”
“I don’t know…”
“Come on, Preston, you’ve got to live it up before you’re back in the boring city. No place knows how to party like a small town.” When that wasn’t working, he gave her one last tease. “Or are you chicken?”
Lacy narrowed her eyes and smirked. “Never. Lead the way, Morse.”
Taking her hand once more, Derek led the way down the narrow alley that snaked behind the rink, leading her to a rusty old door that sat beside the dumpster. He turned the handle, jiggled it a little, then yanked up hard as he pulled back. With a groan, the door gave way and opened. Derek glanced at Lacy, pleased to see her eyes widen in surprise, as though she hadn’t really believed he could get them into the rink. He’d had plenty of experience sneaking into the rink and had perfected the steps to open the rusty door over the years.
Once inside, Derek led her through the dim interior to the skate rental booth and they helped themselves to skates. Whispering and laughing quietly, the two took off their shoes and laced on their skates, hobbling over to the waiting ice. Moonlight from a few small skylights overhead guided them as they pushed off onto the ice. Immediately, Lacy began windmilling to keep her balance, her feet sliding in opposite directions. Holding back a laugh, Derek extended his arm for support just in time. Lacy grabbed onto it, only just staying upright.
“It’s been a while since I skated,” Lacy said with a laugh.
“Has it? I never would’ve guessed,” Derek replied innocently, which set Lacy off again, her tinkling laugh filling the quiet rink.
Holding her hand, Derek guided Lacy around the rink. Soon enough, she found her rhythm and began skating with less shakiness. When he deemed her safe enough to skate alone, Derek skated backward ahead of her.
“I dare you to race me,” he challenged, cocking an eyebrow.
“What are we, eleven?”
“Quit stalling, Preston.”
“Oh, you’re on. First one to the other wall wins.”
Derek skated so he was beside her. “On your mark, get set…”
“Go!” Lacy shouted, already skating before the words had left her lips.
“Cheater!” Derek called, barely able to speak through his laughter.
He pushed off to catch up to her as she blazed erratically forward. He reached for her swinging arms and grabbed one of them to pull her back, but he lost his balance just as he caught hold of her. His skates slid out from under him and he wrapped his arms around her to cushion their fall just in time, twisting as he fell so that she landed on top of him instead of on the ice. For a moment, the wind was knocked out of him, but he stopped being aware of that almost immediately. Instead, he was keenly aware of Lacy laying in his arms, her face only inches from his.
Electricity sizzled between them and that magnetism that always pulled them together returned in full force. Without taking the time to think about whether it was a good idea or not, Derek lifted one hand to cup the nape of her neck, feeling as though he were pulled by a force stronger than his own will. Her lips, soft and beautiful, parted slightly as her eyes fluttered closed and she bridged the gap between them until her lips brushed his. Derek kissed her back, savoring the sweetness of the kiss.
Suddenly, a blinding spotlight landed on them, making them break apart in confusion. “What are you doing in my rink?” a grumpy voice hollered.
“Come on!” Derek cried, pulling Lacy to her feet.
They scrambled off the ice, untying their skates as Rudolph ran toward them. In stocking feet, they simply grabbed their shoes and raced toward the back door, hearing his slower footfalls thudding behind them. Outside, Derek picked Lacy up so she wouldn’t have to run in the snow and sprinted down the sidewalk. Rudolph slowed, too old and tired to keep up with them. A few blocks later they lost him, and Derek collapsed into a snowbank, relinquishing his hold on Lacy. The two flopped in the snow, laughing until their sides ached at their narrow escape.
Derek rolled to his side to look at Lacy, breathing in the sight of her hair laying in the snow all wild and free, her head tipped back as she laughed. It was just about the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and it made all the hilarity evaporate from him in an instant. One hand on her cheek, he lowered his head and kissed her softly one last time, but this time felt more final. When they broke apart, he rested his head on her forehead for a few moments, searching inside for the joy they’d been swept away in only minutes before. It still lingered there, but it mingled with the bittersweet knowledge that Lacy would be leaving in the morning. And then again, this time for good, after the Christmas party.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Lacy had thought she would be glad to arrive back at her St. Louis apartment, but as she walked inside she felt nothing but a sense of loneliness. It felt dark and lonely after her cozy room at the inn and, although it was tastefully decorated, it felt rather soulless and aloof to her now. She dropped her keys into the bowl that rested on the credenza in the foyer, looking around and rubbing her upper arms as though chilled, even though the apartment was warm. “Home, sweet home,” she murmured, and her voice sounded too loud in the utter stillness enveloping her.
Shrugging off her coat and pushing her suitcase to the side with one foot, she decided then and there to jump into the task awaiting her. Chest tight, she hurried to her bedroom and dug through her stash of jewelry. There, buried beneath accessories she hadn’t worn in years, rested the old key necklace from her grandfather. She disentangled it from another necklace, picking at the knot in the chain until the two slid apart and held it in the palm of her hand almost reverently, studying the delicate swirls in the metalwork on the key. It had a reassuring weight as it rested in her hand, and she felt the tension in her chest ease ever so slightly. Even though the box was still back in Snowy Pine Ridge, she decided on a whim to put the necklace on once more, clasping it behind her neck and letting it settle to rest by her heart beneath her blouse.
Feeling a little stronger now, she pulled in a deep breath. It was time for the next task—looking through the box of her mother’s leftover things. Making her way to her storage closet, she grunted as she pushed aside heavy boxes until she found the one she was looking for. She blew off a layer of dust before picking it up, and the dust cloud made her sneeze. Once again, the sound was startlingly loud in her silent apartment, and she keenly felt the loss of the people she’d become close to in Snowy Pine Ridge. Especially Derek.
Memories of their date and the kiss at the end of it made her cheeks warm and she pressed her hands to her cheeks until they cooled beneath her fingers once more. That kiss had been more than breathtaking, but even more than the attraction she felt toward Derek, she simply missed his friendship.
I wish he was here right now, she realized.I wish he was here to hold my hand and sit beside me so I didn’t have to do this alone.
He would know the right things to say and he would know how to bring a smile to her face even amidst all of the emotions that looking through her mother’s things would bring to the surface. She debated calling him for a moment, but she shoved the thought aside. This was something she needed to do alone.
