She shook her head. “I don’t want him to know yet. Not that it’s really up to me. I imagine you’ll have to tell him at some point.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s going to be awkward.” He felt like he should tell her more, about why he hadn’t hung out with Derek while Tara was around, about how his busyness had been an excuse, a protest of sorts out of loyalty to Jody. But he held his tongue. He’d been working off completely different information at the time. Maybe if he’d gotten to know Tara back then he would have felt differently. Maybe he would have been happy for them. But then, would he have still given Derek the same advice in the end? The guilt over that was going to trail him forever.
“Are you two ready to order?”
He looked up to see the waitress staring at him expectantly. Right. Food.
***
Dinner was fantastic. Tara had never thought the cute little sushi rolls gliding around on plates carried by the wait staff could fill a person up, but now she knew firsthand. Luke had ordered well. There hadn’t been anything strange-looking on her plate, and even the eel sauce on top had been delicious.
“Are you ready to go skate?” he asked. “Or do you want to do something else since you and Jill are going tomorrow?”
“Let’s go skate.” Tara slid out of the booth and put her coat back on.
It was snowing again outside, leaving a light dusting on all the cars and turning to slush in the street.
“Do you want to drive over in my car?” Luke asked. “I could bring you back here to your car when we’re done.”
“Sure.”
Tara followed him over to his sedan, and he opened the passenger side door for her before getting in and starting the car. They both stared at the heating vents, waiting for them to do their thing, and then looked at each other and laughed. Hopefully the exercise they were about to do would warm them up.
The parking lot of the skating place was fairly full, and Luke drove down two rows before he found a spot. “Do you have gloves?” he asked before they got out.
“Yep.” She rubbed her hands together in front of the heating vents one last time before pulling her favorite pair of gloves out of her coat pockets.
He ran around to get her door and then put his arm around her as they walked up to the front entrance and she snuggled in, needing the warmth, but also, loving the feeling of his arm around her and the scent of him. First dates were supposed to be awkward, but this felt like… the beginning of something very good.
After they got their skates, they found a bench to sit on and change shoes.
“Full disclosure. I haven’t done this since high school. It should come back to me, right? Like riding a bike?” Luke grinned. “I actually considered padding my pants.”
Tara laughed. “Ha! Me, too. I’ve fallen enough times to know how badly it hurts.”
“We’ll start a trend. Pillow pants.”
“Oh yes, get me a pair of those. Stat.” She fanned her face until Luke, who was looking at her like she was crazy, snorted. There was just something so freeing about one-upping him in silliness. Derek had not been a fan of silly. She’d felt like she had to tone it down around him. More and more, she was able to see the good in not marrying him, and not just the loss. Not that it lessened what she’d felt for him, but it made it easier to put it in the past where it belonged.
Luke stood and reached out his gloved hands. She took them and let him tug her to her feet. It felt weird to walk around in skates, and they laughed as they penguin-walked over to the side of the rink.
They stepped out onto the ice together and she put a tentative foot forward, trying to remember how to glide back and forth in a stride somewhere between baby steps and almost doing the splits. Luke gave her space while she figured out her balance, but once they both got moving, he took her hand, helping her weave around the slower skaters and the teenagers purposely weaving in and out.
After a while their speed increased, along with Tara’s confidence. The crowds had thinned out a little, and they laughed as they tried to race each other on the straight sections, occasionally using the fence as a landing pad.
They started up a race again, and Tara gave a little shriek when a guy in front of her suddenly fell to his knees. She needed to slow down before she ran right over him. Luke’s arms came around her and pulled her to the right, but then they both started to lose their balance, and they clung to each other as they tumbled together. Luke turned at the last second to take the brunt of the fall, with Tara on top of him.
He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. “See, this is why we need pillow pants. I’m a walking infomercial.”
“Are you okay?” Tara asked, trying not to laugh.
“My hip will probably predict the weather after this, but yeah, nothing’s broken.”
“Just your dignity.”
He smiled. “Just my dignity.”
She helped him to his feet and wrapped her arm around his waist, being careful not to press too hard into his sore hip. The bell sounded, letting them know it was time for the Zamboni to smooth the ice.
