I look back at my phone, the message still open, still waiting. And for once, as I start to type out a reply, I don’t brace for the ending before anything’s even begun. Instead, I do something that is very unlike me.
I flip the camera around, snap a quick selfie with a real smile on my face, and attach it before I can overthink myself out of it. My stomach flips the second it sends.
But I don’t regret it.
CHAPTER 19
VIVIAN
Isit on the porch step, one leg tucked under me, the other stretched out into the late afternoon sun like I’m trying to soak up as much warmth as possible before I willingly walk into a building designed to freeze people for fun.
Most folks are wrapped in jackets the size of living room rugs when they march through those doors, but not me. I’m wearing my favorite light pink tank top, light pants that are probably meant more for a stroll on the beach rather than a date on an ice rink, and a cute pair of sandals I’ve been dying to wear all summer.
And, sitting beside me, a very full tote bag that absolutely ruins the illusion that I’m low-maintenance. I glance down at it with no regrets. If I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that being unprepared is a personal attack waiting to happen. And when a man you want to impress asks you out and makes it a surprise, with the only hint being “ice,” well…you make a plan.
A car pulls up at the curb, and my stomach does a small, traitorous flip once I see Ty behind the wheel, smiling my way. Why do some boys have the innate ability to make my knees go weak with a mere grin?
I push to my feet, grab my bag, and head down the steps just as Ty leans over to push the passenger door open.
“Hey,” he says, easy, like this is normal. Like picking me up on a random weekday is a thing we do now.
“Hey.” I slide into the seat, dragging the bag in after me. It lands with a thud against my legs.
He glances down at it, then back at me, a teasing and slow grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.
“You have a giant bag with you.”
I buckle my seatbelt like I don’t hear the judgment.
“Do you think you’re moving into the rink?” he adds.
I turn my head, already halfway into my defense. “No. I just—” I gesture vaguely at the bag. “I’m making sure I have options. When you said we were headed for a date that involved ice, I decided that being underprepared was a very bad idea. Especially since I have no idea what this is going to be like.”
“It’s not that complicated, I promise,” he tosses out casually, pulling away from the curb.
“Have you ever ice skated before?”
I give him a look. “Yes. I’ve ice skated. I’ve roller skated. I’ve done all the skates.” A beat. “It’s just been a long time.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And,” I add, lifting my chin slightly, “again, options. I am a woman who requires those. What if we do something after we leave here and I need to be in hiking shoes? I should be prepared.”
He glances at me again, something amused and a little impressed flickering across his face. “You packed hiking shoes?”
“Just making a point.”
Ty shoots me a side-eyed look that makes me giggle, and we fall into a comfortable quiet after that, the kind that doesn’t feel like we forced it. The windows are down a crack, enough to let the warm air in, and the sun is starting its slow slide toward evening, casting everything in that soft, golden light that makes the world feel like it’s behaving itself for once.
It’s the perfect moment for me to steal a glance at him. His hands are steady on the wheel, his sleeves pushed up. He’s both focused and relaxed, and I’ll be…he looks mighty fine when he’s doing it, too.
He weaves along the streets in the direction of our destination and we talk easily about our days, about Emma and what she’s doing today with their mom, and about the teams—both the 14U Cardinals and the Dominion.
It’s not long before the familiar shape of The Birdcage comes into view, rising up like it owns the skyline.
I take it in, sitting up a little straighter as it clicks into place.
“Why are we here?”
