When Abby spotted the blue sign, she came to a stop.“We’re going ice skating?”
He smiled and nodded.“There isn’t any place to go sledding in the city, but I thought you might enjoy this.”
“Why is it called the Ribbon?”
“Because it’s not your normal skating rink.It’s a winding path that goes in a circular pattern.And this is the last week of the season that they’re open.”
Her gaze returned to the sign.“It says we need reservations.”
“Don’t worry.I’ve got this taken care of.Come on.”He gave her hand a gentle tug.
In no time at all, they had on skates and were making their way along the frozen, winding path.It was a sunny but cold afternoon.Even though it was Friday, there were still a number of people enjoying the day.
He glanced over at her.“You’re not too bad on skates.”
She shrugged.“I can do the basics, but don’t ask me to do anything fancy.”
He turned and began skating backward.“Like this?”
She smiled, a real smile that made her eyes twinkle.It was the first time she’d done that since she’d arrived.And it did him good.Maybe she had been as nervous as he was.Maybe after all, she really was happy to see him.
“How can you do that?”she asked.“I mean, when did you learn to skate?”
“I played hockey as a kid.When I was out on the ice, I didn’t have to deal with the disapproving looks or the whispered rumors.I was pretty good, if I do say so.The kids on the team ignored the rumors because they knew I could help them win.”
Concern shone in her eyes.“Who started rumors about you?”
“The small town I grew up in.”He hadn’t planned to tell her any of this, but it was necessary if he wanted her to understand why living in a small town was out of the question for him.
Not wanting to see the sympathy, or worse yet, the pity, in her eyes, he turned around.As they skated side-by-side, he said, “After my father died, my mother had a hard time making ends meet.We ended up moving to the”—he made air quotes—“wrong side of the town.”
He should stop there, but the bottled-up words came tumbling out one after the other.“We were judged harshly.Those old biddies always made my mother feel bad because my clothes were second hand.As I got older, I would run around with an older crowd.My mother wasn’t home much as she worked two, and sometimes three, jobs to keep a roof over our heads.”
Abby reached out and took his hand in hers.Her fingers laced with his.“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head, not wanting her to feel sorry for him.“My mother still lives in that town.I tried to get her to move, but she refused.She said her friends live there.So, I bought her a little house in the right part of town.It’s near her friends.I visit her at least once a month.And we talk all of the time.I’d move her to the city if she’d let me, but she stanchly refuses.She says she was born and raised in the small town, and that’s where she plans to remain.”
When he chanced a glance at Abby, he noticed she was smiling.
“I think your mother and I would make good friends.”
“You’ll get a chance to meet her.She’s coming to the wedding shower as well as the wedding.”When he saw the surprised look on Abby’s face, he said, “She’s very close with Reed.He calls her his second mother.”
“It’s great that you’re so close to your mother.And you’re able to take care of her.”
“I figure I owe her for my teenage years when I was getting into trouble at every turn.Nothing major but enough to live up to the bad reputation the town gossips had hung around my neck.”
She squeezed his hand.“I’m sorry you went through that.I can’t even imagine.”
He arched a brow.“Are you trying to tell me that the people in Bayberry are different than that?”
She nodded.“They are more likely to help someone than to give them a hard time.”
Her words held a note of truth, but still he had to think Bayberry was more like his hometown than she was willing to admit.No place could be that nice to live.And yet he had no examples that said otherwise.Even Reed expounded on the virtues of Bayberry.
“Maybe you just see what you want to see,” he said.
She glanced over at him.Her gaze searched his.“Your hometown really left a bad impression on you.”
