“I should probably—”
“Not yet.” Tasha didn’t want the conversation to end, but she needed to be there when the skaters left the ice at the end of the practice session. “You’re welcome to have one last look around. It’s part of your history, too.”
Kristen’s eyes widened. “Are they tearing down the rink?”
“A complete remodel. At least that’s what the new owners claim.”
“You don’t believe them?”
“Wishing Bay is becoming more popular with tourists. This property is prime real estate. The buyers might have said anything to get their offer accepted.”
Kristen’s lips slanted. “You never used to be this cynical.”
“Not cynical. Realistic.” Tasha was getting colder. “Come in for old times’ sake. It’ll only take a minute.”
Kristen took a step forward. “Wait. Are your parents here?”
“My mom is.”
“No, thanks.” The words flew out like a puck off a stick during a shootout. “I need to go.”
Kristen hated Tasha’s parents, who’d convinced Alek he had no room in his life or heart for anything but hockey.
“Still avoiding my mom?” Tasha asked.
“Your dad and Alek too. Eight years and counting, but I travel so much for the dress shop avoiding them around town hasn’t been a problem.”
Tasha hadn’t realized Kirsten had done that on purpose. The words “I’m sorry” sat perched on the tip of her tongue. She she’d done nothing wrong, so she remained silent.
Kristen pulled her hand out of her pocket. Her keys rattled against each other in her right hand. “Good luck wherever you land.”
Wherever was the key word. “Thanks.”
“Have a merry Christmas.”
“You, too.” Which went without saying because Phoebe McAllister would never let her three adult children have a bad holiday. “I’m hoping my Christmas won’t be a blue one.”
“Doing something special?”
“Going to Berry Lake.”
Kristen’s nose crinkled. “Where’s that?”
“Near Mount Adams.” Tasha recalled the photographs of the quaint storefronts and lake Serena Tremblay, and a successful life coach and the wife of Alek’s teammate Logan, had called her hometown a wonderful place to spend the holidays. “It’s a small town someone said I should visit.”
Kristen laughed. The sound still made Tasha smile. “You’ve always wanted a Hallmark movie kind of holiday.”
Tasha flinched. “I’m surprised you remembered.”
“Every December, you complained about build snowmen from sand, not snow.”
“I still do even though I’ve enjoyed the coastal Christmases spent here. But there’s no reason to spend the holidays in Wishing Bay this year, so now I can check off a white Christmas from the bucket list.”
“How long will you be there?”
“Until December thirty-first.”
“That long?”
