“Yep.” She nodded. “Guess who?”
“Clementine?” She was the only skier I knew.
“Yes, and she’s amazing at it.”
“Of course she is.” That woman was a skilled skier, but part of me was nervous at the idea of an eighty-something-year-old woman being towed by a horse.
“Will you come and watch?”
I didn’t want to lie. I was already doing it to everyone in town, and now it was going to be Evie. Laughter erupted as Freddie did a handstand and Tabitha fed him a marshmallow while he was upside down. The little girl ran over to me and presented me with a s’more. “Here you go.”
“Thank you, it looks perfect.” It was hot and gooey and I finished it in two bites. “Ten out of ten.” I licked the melted chocolate off my fingers and held all of them up.
Lauren handed me a mug of hot chocolate. “I figured you might need some chocolate to wash down all that sugar.”
“Thank you.” I took a sip.
The fire crackled. The group of friends laughed and joked among each other. Evie stood next to me, and it almost felt like we belonged. Like we were a couple and had been living with this fun group of people since high school. I wanted to rest my arm on her shoulder and spend the rest of the day joking around with Freddie, Logan, Josh, Lauren, and Tabitha. They didn’t know me, yet they’d welcome me into their circle.
Someone or something tugged on the sleeve of my coat. “Shit.” Hot chocolate spilled out of my mug and dripped down my fingers onto the snow.
“Sorry, Nick.” I turned to see George, the kid I met at practice the other day. He had four other kids with him, all clutching the Chance Rapids Christmas Carnival magazine. “Hi, George, it’s okay.” I wiped my hand on my jeans, hoping that chocolate would come out in the wash.
“Hi, Nick. These are my friends. We were wondering if…”
The kid next to George held out the magazine. “Can you sign our books?”
“Only if you’ve got a pen.” I still couldn’t believe that this small-town celebrity thing was real. George took a Sharpie out of his pocket.
“I brought it in case some of the players were here today. We’re so excited for the game tomorrow. My dad said that you’re the best Bobcat goalie he’s ever seen. And that means something because he’s old.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “George’s dad is thirty-five.”
“Ancient.” I scribbled my name and jersey number in all of the programs.
“Thanks, Nick!” They took the magazines and disappeared into the crowd, probably on the hunt for more Bobcats.
“You made their day,” Evie said. “One of them was complaining that the jerseys with your name on them aren’t going to be ready in time for the game tomorrow. I bet they’ll be a big seller when they come in. I might even buy one.”
Evie wearing my jersey. I could see it. Number nine on her back, Tinsel across her shoulders, nothing underneath.
“Evie.” I slung my arm over her shoulder. “I’d love to come and watch you, Clementine, and Nutmeg win the contest on Monday. I’ll be there with cowbells to cheer you on.”
“How did you know there will be cowbells?”
“I may have looked up a few skijoring videos online. You’re going to be incredible at it.”
The kiss just happened. I didn’t think about it, and I don’tthink that she did either. The crowd disappeared as I crooked my elbow, bringing Evie’s lips to mine. It was as natural as walking and felt as good as catching a slap shot to win a game.
When the kiss was over, there was no cheering or smart-ass comments from the group. Charlotte smiled at us, but to everyone else, it wasn’t a big deal. It was as natural to them as it was to us. That’s the moment I knew that I wasn’t going to throw the game. I was kind of falling for Chance Rapids, and I was definitely falling for Evie.
“I need to get home.” My arm was still slung over her shoulders, and she’d wrapped hers around my back. “Rocky might have eaten all the furniture in the cabin by now.”
“Oh.” Beneath my arm, her body slumped.
“Would you like to come with me?”
TWENTY-TWO
