“Head up, chin up,” he reminds me.
I turn my attention back to him and continue three more shaky steps on my own. He stops recording and catches me in his arms. “That’s it! You did it! You just skated on your own. Great job, Dr. B!”
He hugs me tightly. I catch a hint of his citrusy cologne. The fabric of his fleece zip-up is soft against my cheek as I rest my head on his chest. My pulse slows, no longer beating like I’m participating in a hundred-meter sprint. We’re down to the speed of a long-distance runner. “I’m proud of you. I know how scared you were.”
Hearing the pride in his voice encourages me to snuggle tighter into him. “Now would be a great time for a selfie,” I suggest, pleased I’ve bought a few more seconds of being in his arms.
“You’re right! Hang on.” Maintaining a one-arm hug on me, he holds out his phone, so our cheesy grins are in the frame. There’s no doubt these smiles are genuine. “On three. One, two, and three.” He quickly reviews it, then shows it to me. “What do you think?”
His expressive brown eyes shimmer like pieces of highly polished chocolates. He’s so close, we look like we’re about to kiss. It’s my favorite picture he’s taken of us so far. My breath hitches. “It’s good. You have proof I’d pass a toddler skating class.”
“You did better than a toddler, trust me.” He releases me. “You actually did better than some of our beginner adults too. See for yourself.” He plays the video clip of my first steps on my own.
I blink a few times in surprise. My steps don’t look as wobbly or clunky as I imagined them to be. On this screen is a woman who appears to know what she’s doing. I let out a low whistle. “You had your work cut out for you, Fernando, but dang, I look good.”
He clicks the device off. “Do you think you’re up for trying a little more?”
It’s an internal tug of war. The old Ava is screaming “no” at the top of her lungs. But the new, more confident Ava is clampingher hands over the old Ava’s mouth, urging me to give it a go. She mouths“trust him”to me, as I have all throughout this trip.
“Yeah, I am. Let’s do it.”
As we near the end of our session, I marvel at the transformation Fernando has worked on me. For the first time in my life, I’m skating next to a person instead of a wall, confident enough to have a conversation.
It’s given me the chance to enjoy the music, lights, and decorations. For instance, I never would’ve realized that there’s a petting zoo, Papá Noel meet and greet, and an arts-and-crafts table for families near the skate rental stand.
“You’ve really gotten the hang of it,” Fernando says as we take a slow, leisurely lap around the rink.
“It’s all thanks to you. I’ll admit it, you’re an excellent coach.”
“Gracias, but I can’t take all the credit. You’re the one who has to put my words into action.” He moves closer to me. Our shoulders are nearly touching. “I know how hard it was for you to trust yourself. But I’m glad you did. You’re a natural skater, Ava. You learned more in three hours than some people do in two weeks.”
His words send a wave of pleasure through my body. “I’m proud of me too.”
“Is there any way I could talk you into skating with me when we’re back home?”
“I’m open to it.” My brain conjures an image of the two of us inside an empty rink, spending a quiet afternoon together as some soft classical music plays in the background. He whispers how proud he is of me into my ear and plants a series of slow, trailing kisses up my neck. I sigh in contentment and glance at him. “How much do you charge for private lessons?”
“For you, they’d be free so long as you agreed to my terms.”
“Whichwould be . . .?”
“Coffee and dessert with you either before or after the lesson.” He winks.
Goosebumps form on my arm. Is he flirting with me? Is he also feeling the attraction that’s grown between us since this trip began? How do I respond to him? Should I be equally as flirty back? “Yes, dummy,”the new Ava inside me shouts. I lock eyes with him. “You drive a hard bargain, but it’s a date.”
As the words leave my lips, Fernando’s head jerks to the left. His eyes widen and he comes to an abrupt stop. The color drains from his face as if he’s seen a ghost.
As I try and stop to see what’s going on, I realize I can’t. Stopping isn’t something we’ve covered yet. The only way I know how is to grab Fernando or onto the wall. Unfortunately, the wall finds me first and I go flying over it.
Chapter Sixteen
It takes me several moments to catch my breath. OK, I didn’t exactly fly. I took more of a Humpty Dumpty-like tumble. I close my eyes. This has to be one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.
It’s even worse than the time I was in middle school and didn’t realize my skirt had been tucked into my underwear the entirety of our lunch period. My face gets hot reliving that misery too. It may be in the past, but it still leaves a scar. It took half the year for me to live it down. At least here in Spain, nobody except Fernando knows who I am. Once we leave Madrid, this will all be forgotten.
I blow out air. Speaking of Fernando, I hope he’s okay. Nothing seems to faze him. Whatever caused him to go into shock like a deer in headlights must’ve been serious. A cold shiver shoots down my spine.
As I open my eyes, I’m face-to-face with a pair of yellow eyes in thin black slits, appraising me with curiosity. My breath hitches.Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah,a goat cries, then licks my face. It’s cold, wet, and rough, like the texture of sandpaper.
