I sighed, but couldn’t help smiling. “Bossy woman,” I muttered.
“Motivationally assertive!” she called back.
A few minutes later, I found myself lacing up a pair of scuffed-up skates, trying not to think about how long it had been since my last attempt. The moment I stood, my knees wobbled like newborn deer legs.
Belle grinned. “You’ve got this. Just find your balance.”
“My balance left in 2014,” I said, clutching her arm.
She laughed and gave me a gentle push. “You’re fine. Just skate around the edge—slow and steady.”
Slow and steady lasted approximately twelve seconds.
The first few feet were almost graceful, if you squinted. Then the path dipped slightly, my wheels caught a pebble, and thenext thing I knew I was airborne—followed by a very undignifiedthud.
“Oh no,” Belle gasped between laughs, jogging over. “You okay?”
I groaned, staring up at the sky. “Define okay.”
“Can you move?”
“Technically.”
“Then you’re fine.” She tried to help me up, but I winced at the scrape on my knee. “Okay, maybe notfinefine,” she said, all amusement fading. “Let’s get you to the first aid tent.”
The tent had a few folding chairs and a table with first aid kits. A few kids were there with minor scrapes, chatting with a man in a volunteer shirt as he wrapped an ankle.
Belle guided me in. “Hey, doc, got another casualty for you.”
The man turned, and my stomach dropped.
It was him.
Alex.
He looked up, sunlight filtering through the tent and catching in his hair. Recognition flickered across his face, followed by a warm, crooked smile. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”
I blinked. “We’ve only met once.”
“Then we’re already establishing a pattern,” he said lightly, nodding toward my knee. “May I?”
Belle grinned between us. “I’ll, uh, go make sure Ava doesn’t join the derby prematurely.”
She winked and vanished.
Alex gently cleaned my scrape. “Does this hurt?”
“Only my pride,” I said, trying to ignore the way his touch made my pulse jump.
He smiled, eyes crinkling. “That’s a common injury at these things. Happens to the best of us.”
“I used to be good at this,” I muttered.
“I believe you,” he said. “Bodies remember. They just complain louder now.”
That made me laugh, even through the sting. “So what’s the verdict, doctor?”
“I think you’ll be fine,” he said after a moment, applying some ointment and a bandage. “Just a scrape. You’ll be right as rain soon enough.”
