Page 79 of The One

“Make sure I don’t run in front of the kids and knock them down. I mean I won’t, but I want to. This is so silly.”

“Not silly if it’s something you always wanted and are just doing now. You’re old.”

She slapped his arm. Not that he felt anything with the layers they both had on. “Not old. You’re older than me.”

“You’re right. I am. And we shouldn’t wait around for life to pass us by to do things.”

She tilted her head at him. “You say that a lot.”

“Don’t you think it?”

He had to watch it. He realized he did say it. But he’d been honest that he’d lost so much of his life with time spent at work.

Now he had the money and the freedom and more time on his hands with a job he loved. A woman on his arm that he enjoyed being with and wanted more time with.

He was damn well going to take advantage of it all now.

“I do,” she said. “So I should make comments about it.”

The employee started to talk on a megaphone. They listened and then were told to go.

“It’s our turn,” he said. “Don’t knock over the kids.”

She laughed. “I won’t. I want to and it’s mean, but I won’t. One day I’m going to bring my kids here. I know it.”

“It’d be fun,” he said. “If they like the snow. I never did.”

“Really?” she asked. “I would have never known that.”

“Wiseass,” he said.

They got to the top and waited their turn. Then they went into a lane next to each other and put their tube down, their butts in the center, and grabbed the handles.

Some were running and diving or flopping on it, but Rick was going down like this the first time.

Both of them inched up some and then took off, slowly gaining speed until the wind was slapping him in the face, his grin was a mile wide and he was holding on for dear life as he started to twist and spin and face the other direction.

Gillian was spinning too and laughing so loud he heard her.

His heavier weight had him going faster than her and crossing the bottom first where they both went up and then down a little ramp that slowed them.

“Oh my God,” she squealed. “That was the best thing ever. Let’s do it again.”

“After I check to make sure my pants aren’t wet,” he said.

“What happened,” she asked. “Did your snow pants rip?”

“No,” he said. “I want to make sure I didn’t piss myself.”

She burst out laughing, then grabbed his hand and pulled him along. “Come on. I want to get as many trips in as I can in the hour.”

He got pulled beside her just like he wanted to be.

“My body hurts,” Gillian said two hours later. They were halfway back to Colonie and sitting in a small restaurant. They managed to snag the table by the fireplace that was lit and his body was just starting to warm up.

“Mine too,” he said. “But this beer is going down smooth.”

“So is my wine,” she said. “Let’s splurge on our dinner. We worked up an appetite. Don’t think of anything healthy. Just look at the menu and get what looks yummy to you.”

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