"Love 'em."
"Good. Let's eat." She led him to the dining room and went to get the food.
"You feeding an army?" he asked when he saw the two platters of food.
"No, just a hungry lion," she said with a laugh. "If there are any leftovers, they can be saved for later."
"Good point. I'm hungry for more than just food," he said with a pointed look.
"Later, lover boy. We have a full day ahead of us," was her cheeky reply.
They dug in and Yaeger groaned. "These are good," he said, pointing to the eggs. They were lightly seasoned.
"I'm glad you like them. They're my mama's recipe. She's always lightly seasoned her eggs."
"You don't talk about your family much. Are you close to them?"
"We're not close knit, but we're close enough mama wants to know when she's going to meet you."
"She knows about me?"
"Word travels fast in a small town."
"True, it does. Well then, I should meet her."
"I'll warn you now. She's going to give you the third degree."
He chuckled. "Duly noted. And your dad, where is he?"
"He lives in Massachusetts with his mate. He left when I was ten after he met his mate when she came through here on a summer tour. His leaving gutted my mama. She's never gotten over it."
"Damn, I'm sorry to hear that, darlin'. I can see why you have a hard time trusting men."
"Anyway, enough of that. Today is about enjoying ourselves." They finished breakfast, and she stored the leftovers in the fridge. "Let's go enjoy the festival," she said, looping her arm through his.
They left her house and headed into the heart of Thorne Bay. It was a bright, clear day, not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for a festival.
"Oh, they have ice skating. We should go," Frankie said once she saw the rink.
"I have never been ice skating before," Yaeger replied, one eyebrow cocked.
"You should try it. It's fun."
"What the hell, I'll give it a shot. What's the worst that can happen? I fall on my ass."
Frankie squealed and dragged him over to the counter, where they exchanged their boots for skates. Once they were laced up, they headed onto the ice, where Yaeger did indeed fall on his ass. Repeatedly. After the fifth time, he called it quits.
"I give up. I'm just not meant to be on ice skates," he said with a laugh. "I think I've bruised my tailbone."
"Oh poor baby," Frankie said with a laugh of her own. "Thank you for trying. That's one thing my ex, Rick, would never do. If it was something he didn't know how to do, he wouldn't do it."
"That's no way to live. You never learn otherwise."
They made it back to the counter and traded their skates in. Then they walked around for a bit looking at booths.
"What's next, darlin'?" he asked after a while.
"How about we try the polar bear plunge?"
