A small smile crossed her face. "Saturday. Four o'clock? The sunset makes the ice beautiful."
"I'll be there."
As I drove home that night, I couldn't shake the warm feeling in my chest. Wednesday dinners had become the highlight of my week, and now I'd get to spend a Saturday afternoon with them too.
Strange how quickly they'd both worked their way into my life.
Strange how much I wanted them to stay there.
Palisade
Saturday arrived with perfect skating weather. It was cold enough to keep the ice solid, but warm enough to make the afternoon pleasant. Casey had been bouncing off the walls all morning, asking every five minutes if it was time to go yet.
"He said four o'clock, honey," I reminded her for what felt like the hundredth time. "We still have two hours."
"But what if he forgets?" Casey worried, clutching her skates to her chest.
"He won't forget." I said it with more confidence than I felt. I was nervous, too. This felt different from the Wednesday dinners. More… intentional. Like we were crossing some invisible line fromcommunity service supervisor and her daughterto something else entirely.
We arrived at Lake Chambeau at ten minutes to four. The frozen lake stretched before us, surface gleaming in the afternoon sun. A few families dotted the ice in the distance, but this end of the lake was relatively quiet.
A handwritten sign near the shore caught my eye.
CAUTION: The warm spell has weakened the ice past the marker buoys. Stay within the designated safe zone.
I frowned, scanning the lake. Orange buoys marked a large oval area near the shore, which was the safe zone. Beyond that, the ice looked the same, but appearances could be deceiving.
"Stay close to shore today, okay, Casey?" I said, pointing to the buoys. "The sign says the ice is thinner out there."
"I know, Mom," Casey said, already scanning the parking lot for Easton's car. "I'm not a baby."
"I know you're not. Just reminding you."
"Mom, I see his car!" Casey pointed to the parking area where Easton's SUV was pulling in.
My stomach did an unexpected flip.Get it together, Palisade.
Easton stepped out of his vehicle, carrying his skates and wearing jeans with a Shadow Wolves hoodie. When he spotted us, his face lit up. A smile curled his lips, and he looked younger with those eyes bright and shining, reflecting the sunset. He made my breath catch.
"Right on time," I called out, trying to sound casual.
"Wouldn't miss it." He walked over, and Casey immediately grabbed his hand.
"Uncle Easton! I've been practicing my crossovers all week like you taught me!"
"Have you now?" He grinned down at her. "Well, I definitely need to see those."
We found a bench near the ice to put on our skates. Casey chattered the entire time, telling Easton about her week at school, her latest homework assignment, and how she'd practiced passing with her grandfather.
"Your mom skating, too?" Easton asked, glancing at me as I laced up my own skates.
"Thought I would," I said. "It's been a while, but I used to love it."
"She's really good," Casey announced proudly. "She taught me how to skate when I was three."
"Is that right?" Something warm flickered in Easton's eyes as he looked at me. "I'd like to see that."
Heat flushed my cheeks at his words. It was difficult keeping the smile off my face.
