“Not if they’re from Pittsburgh,” he pointed out as he pivoted in front of her. “It’s time you learned.” He took her hands, pulling her along as he skated backwards.
“You know I really don’t think this is a good idea.” Her legs stiffened, her butt jutted out, and she almost lost it in a spastic cartoon-like pirouette. But Fin had good reflexes. He pivoted, turned, and caught her under her shoulders so gracefully it felt like a choreographed dance.
“Nice save,” she breathed as he steadied her on her skates again.
“You should see me play,” he offered. “Season opener’s in Anchorage,” he said. “I’ll even get you a backstage pass IF you can stay out of trouble until October.”
Hailey wobbled dangerously but recovered with only a slight nudge. “Deal,” she said confidently, holding onto his hands. “You know, I think I’m getting the hang of this,” she smiled, slipping her hands through his until he held only her fingertips.
Then she let go altogether.
“Hey, look!” she exclaimed proudly. “I’m doing it—whoa!”
She faltered slightly, which threw her off balance, which caused her arms to circle like a windmill, and when she instinctively turned her foot out like an Irish dancer, her ankle crumpled with a wet-sounding CRACK! Down she went—like a flyswatter.
“Ouch,” she mumbled into the ice, and Fin skidded to a halt next to her. As she rolled over and pushed herself up to sit, her ankle flopped to the side.
“Dammit,” Fin said angrily.
“I’m sorry,” Hailey gushed as he scooped her up. “I was doing great, and then I lost my balance, but I totally had it, but then my ankle quit, and…” She twitched her foot. “—ouch—I think I hurt something.”
“Nonsense,” he said, skating her offthe ice. “You just wanted me to carry you, so you could feel my bulging pectorals.” It sounded like he was joking, but his voice had a scornful edge, and Hailey didn’t know what to say.
Setting her on a bench, Fin surveyed the damage.
“It’s not your fault,” he said throwing his hand up. “Your laces came loose.”
Hailey looked down. Not only had they come untied, but they’d uncrossed themselves from the hooks, draped themselves under her bootie, and retied themselves into a loose bow.
“This has poltergeist written all over it. You must’ve pissed one off, if it followed you here.”
When Fin pulled her skate off, her foot swelled past a comfortable fit-into-wellies size.
“I’m designing a new ghost trap—you know—one that actually traps ghosts,” she said quickly as Fin touched her foot. “—ouch—it’ll be my term project—ow—ow—ow—and I told the one in the library it would be the first to go.”
“That would do it,” he said woefully. “We should head back anyway.”
The ride home to Bear Towne became too quiet. Fin stared through the windshield with his elbow propped against his door, head resting on his fist. For forty very uncomfortable miles, he said nothing, so Hailey decided to break the silence.
“That was a fun day,” she said brightly.
He shot her a disgusted glance then turned his attention back to the road.
“You thought that was a date?” He asked in a way that told Hailey he sure didn’t.
It took her a second to realize he’d misheard her.
“No! No-no-no, I—”
“That was not a date, Hailey.”
“Oh, I…I didn’t—”
“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me. This wasnota date.”
Couldthis get any more awkward any faster? And more importantly, why wasn’t this a date? They’d spent the entire day together. And Fin wasn’t even remotely afraid of Asher. Whatever his malfunction, this was starting to feel like a rejection, so she mustered the best defense she could think of—denial.
“No, Fin, I… I know… I wasn’t—that never even crossed my mind,” she lied, trying not to seem as offended as she felt.
