Belle caught my eye across the room, concern flickering in her expression. I smiled, mouthedI’m okay, and slipped quietly toward the door.
Outside, the early evening light slanted through the trees, turning everything gold. I leaned against the brick wall and took a shaky breath, pressing a hand to my chest like I could steady my heart that way.
The door creaked open behind me.
“Hey,” a voice said gently.
I turned.
A man stood there, holding a paper cup, his expression open and kind. He was tall, with broad shoulders and that same slightly rumpled look of someone who’d rushed but didn’t mind it. It was him. The man from the roller derby.
“I saw you step out,” he said. “You okay?”
I nodded, wiping quickly at my cheeks. “Yeah. Just . . . a lot. It’s her first rehearsal.”
He smiled, understanding instantly. “My son’s been in the program for two years. The first rehearsal wrecked me, too.”
That made me laugh, even as my eyes stung again. “It’s overwhelming. In a good way.”
“The best kind,” he said, taking a sip of his drink. “I’m Alex, by the way.”
“Eleanor.”
He nodded toward the door. “They’re good in there, you know. They build each other up in ways most adults still haven’t figured out.”
“I noticed,” I said softly. “It’s . . . beautiful.”
“Yeah,” he said with a small smile. “That’s the right word for it.”
For a moment, we just stood there, two strangers with hearts cracked open by the same kind of love.
The muffled sound of laughter and song drifted through the door behind us, warm and alive.
And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel quite so alone.
"Well, I'm going to get back in there, but maybe I'll see you next week?"
A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. I have been dreading moving back here. Moving in with my mom and into the whole world I'd left behind, but maybe I could find my place here.
"Hopefully, it's really up to Ava."
He smirked and nodded. "I'm sure she'll fit right in," he said as he slipped back inside.
When all the singing and dancing were done, we were in the car as the parking lot emptied. Ava sat with her headphones on, expression unreadable.
"So, what do you think?"
She just shrugged, but there was a small glint in her eye.
"Do you want to come back next week?"
"Sure," she said before looking out the window.
I had to bite back the grin that wanted to spread across my face. I didn't want to spook her, but this felt like a first step. It was the same feeling I had when I happened upon the roller derby.
Part of me wondered what it would be like to be a part of that community as well. Then an image hit me. An image of a little girl with skinned knees and a pink helmet learning to skate in the park so she could be a part of a team someday.
I had to close my eyes. The feeling, this creative spark, hadn't been here since he'd passed. My editor had stopped calling because I'd told her I wasn't sure when I would be able to get another book for her. But I had an idea . . . and that was a start.
