“Tell me about the dog.”
“His name is Higgins, and he’s potty trained. Sabine said he’s chill.”
The clicking of paws made Elias look over at Higgins. A blur of blue headed out the front door. His stomach dropped. “Grammy, I need to go.”
“Talk to you later, dear. I love you.”
He disconnected from the call. “Dog. Higgins. Stop.”
Pulse pounding, Elias raced out the door. His feet sank into the snow covering his front yard.
Higgins ran toward the end of Pinewood Lane. The blue leash dragged behind him like a malfunctioning kite tail.
The dog wouldn’t get far. Elias’s legs and strides would overtake the dog’s shorter legs soon.
His breath huffed. At least no cars. “Higgins!”
The dog didn’t slow but sped up.
So much for Higgins being smart and chill. The dog needed obedience lessons.
Or a new foster.
Elias picked up the pace, ignoring the stitch in his side and the burn in his thighs. He’d been away from the gym for too long if a brief run wore him out.
Higgins ran past the last cottage. He veered between the tall pine trees onto the path that led to the frozen lake. For a dog who’d only arrived, he seemed to know where he wanted to go.
Please don’t go on the ice.
It would be harder to catch the dog out there.
“Higgins.” Elias’s voice hung on the wind.
He cleared the trees to a snow-covered area known as Pinewood Beach in the summer. Higgins sat facing the lake at the edge, where a short ridge of snow had built up. He walked slowly so as not to spook the dog.
Movement caught Elias’s attention. He glanced past Higgins to the lake and squinted.
Someone was on the ice.
He did a double take.
A figure skater, wearing black—except for her skates and a multicolor beanie—glided across the ice. Her graceful movements with outstretched arms and fast spins reminded him of the ice show his grandmother dragged him to when he was twelve. He’d gotten snacks, which made the two hours pass quicker, but he would have rather watched the Mariners or Seahawks. That was well before the Volcanoes, an expansion hockey team, arrived in Seattle.
No music played, yet she skated as if performing for a packed arena. She…captivated Elias.
The skater must have tucked her hair inside the beanie, and he wanted to know what color her hair was. Eyes, too, but he stood too far away.
And then he remembered…
Higgins!
The dog sat facing the skater.
Elias took a slow, careful step and then another. The dog didn’t flinch.
Only another two feet to go. Snow crunched under his left foot. He inhaled sharply.
Higgins bolted across the ice directly in the path of…
