‘I do. It’s an art and tattoo studio.’
‘I’d love to pick your brains. I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo for a while but I haven’t been able to find the right design.’
The distraction worked, and the three of us ambled off to the kitchen, leaving Mae to work her magic with Ray.
27
MAE
‘I’m a little rusty,’ I warned him, lacing up the ice skates that Jonah had surprised me with at the end of a half-hour drive that ended at the most picturesque little pond I’d ever seen. It was like something off a postcard. An actual winter wonderland. Nestled in a little dip between two ridges, it was almost perfectly circular in shape, under a quarter mile across. The outside of it was blanketed with snow, but a perfect little oval had been cleared in the center of the pond, and blade marks scoured the surface of the ice. I got to my feet, using the branch off a nearby spruce for support.
Seeing my dubious expression, Jonah reassured me. ‘Don’t worry, it’s frozen solid,’ he said. ‘This place ices over pretty quickly every winter and stays that way for months. We used to come out here all the time when we were teenagers,’ he said. ‘Clearly people are still using it.’
He held on to my hand as we made our way across the surface of the pond to where the smoother ice was, then let go to tighten one of his own boots. I took a careful step, holding my arms outstretched for balance, feeling myself wobble.
‘You won’t laugh at me if I fall over, right?’ I joked.
‘No promises. But you won’t fall. It’s like riding a bike.’
‘Ice skating isnothinglike riding a bike,’ I disagreed, feeling my feet trying to head in different directions. ‘And if you think it is, you’re doing it wrong.’
He laughed. ‘Just find your center of gravity, put one foot in front of the other and glide.’
‘You make it sound so easy.’
‘Well it’s not rocket science.’
‘Look at you go,’ he said a few minutes later. ‘You’re a pro at this.’
I risked a sideways glance. ‘Liar.’
He laughed.
He was right though. It didn’t take long for my body to remember how this went, and a few minutes later I was skating loops around the pond. I certainly wouldn’t be winning an Olympic gold medal any time soon, but at least I was on my feet. I was even enjoying it, once I got over the fear of falling.
‘Maybe,’ he replied, skating just behind me. It was both a comfort and a distraction to know he was so close. ‘I hadn’t really thought about it. Truth is, my original plan for today was to take you out on the boat. There’s been talk around town of a pod of whales moving up and down the bay the last few days. I wanted to see if we could find them.’
‘Are you serious?’ I nearly fell over in my excitement and he reached out an arm to steady me. ‘I would have loved that,’ I squealed. ‘Whale watching is on my bucket list.’
‘You have a bucket list?’
‘Not an actual, physical one,’ I admitted. ‘But I’ve compiled a mental one, over the years. Hasn’t everyone? It’s just things I’d like to do and see. Places I’d like to go.’ I pulled a face. ‘You know, if money and work commitments didn’t exist.’
‘Of course. Work is so inconvenient to life.’
‘Right?’
‘So, whale watching is on this mental list of yours?’
‘Sure is. Right near the top. Why couldn’t we go?’
‘Weather isn’t looking great this afternoon,’ he said regretfully. ‘There’s a cold front coming in off the ocean, bringing rain with it. It’s not much fun being out on the boat when the sea’s rough, believe me.’
‘Considering I get motion sickness, I appreciate you thinking of me. Although I’m bummed we don’t get to see the whales.’
‘Not today, but there’ll be other opportunities.’
‘Promise?’
