Eva tapped me non too gently on the arm. “Does she know who you are?”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want someone to date the Caleb Green I used to be. I want her to date me for who I am now.”
“That’s exactly what I meant. Does she know who you used to be? Because I don’t see her fawning over you or asking for your autograph. Kitty is treating you like any other person except that she held your hand as you both skated around the rink. She is intoyou, Caleb Green, citizen of Maple Ridge, music shop owner, and fantastic uncle to Abby. Don’t let your hangups over your groupies prevent you from a good thing,” Eva insisted.
I sighed. “You know you’re a real pain.”
“You’ve said that so many times over the years, it’s lost all meaning,” Eva tartly told me.
I watched Kitty gracefully leading a line of kids, all holding hands, in a weaving pattern over the ice.
She didn’t seem to care about who I used to be. Maybe Eva was right. Maybe Kitty just saw me as a person, who I really was.
“I might like her,” I softly admitted.
“What was that? You what?” Eva held a hand up to her ear.
“Are you hard of hearing? I said I might like her,” I repeated a little louder, even though I knew Eva had heard me perfectly well.
“I know you do,” Eva dryly stated. “You’re just too easy to tease.”
Anything I might have said in return was lost as Abby skated over, cheeks flushed, and eyes bright.
“Did you see?” she said, breathless. “I didn’t fall.”
“You did great,” I told her.
“Great? She was amazing!” Eva praised.
We watched as Lydia announced the winners of the ugly sweater contest. There were prizes for the kids, a few for the adults, and even Mr. Humphreys took home a gift certificate. Heshook Kitty’s hand repeatedly until she finally extracted it with a smile.
She looked happy, like this was exactly where she belonged.
As people began drifting off the ice, volunteers collected cones and took down the decorations. I powered everything down carefully, coiling cables and stacking equipment while the rink emptied.
Kitty approached once the crowd thinned, her clipboard tucked under her arm, her hair escaping its clip.
“That went better than I expected.” She glowed, smiling from the experience of things going right.
“It went really well,” I corrected. “Everyone had a good time.”
She laughed softly. “I’m exhausted.”
“You did a great job,” I said.
She hesitated, then nodded. “We all did. We make a great team.”
The words lingered between us.
“We do,” I softly admitted, wishing for things I wasn’t certain I was ready for.
Chapter Thirteen: Snowsculpting In the Park
Kitty
The snow sculpting area looked like something out of a postcard when I arrived. Large blocks of snow had already been carved into recognizable shapes, white dust hanging in the airlike glitter. The sound of tools hummed steadily as contestants shaped the hard snow how they wanted. Spectators clustered along the rope barriers with hot drinks in their hands, already pointing and debating what each sculpture might become.
I adjusted my scarf and took a breath that stung my lungs before pulling out my clipboard.
