Page 19 of Reluctantly Married

“Then this is going to be fun.” The devilish look was back, and he swatted at her playfully.

“Don’t get any ideas. I’m sure I’ll embarrass myself enough without your help.”

She turned to Dale. “Be sure to zoom in on him a lot.”

Dale steadied the camera as he chuckled. “You bet.”

When their skates were on, Megan hopped up. “Okay. Time to go out there. It’s not too hard, just try to get used to the wheels on your feet.”

Pushing himself up from the chair, he stood. Megan smiled at him and held out her arm. “Hang on to me.”

He grabbed hold and began walking across the floor. She was right, it wasn’t bad. The carpet helped keep him upright, and he only wobbled a little.

A short wall surrounded the skating area, with a swinging door to allow access. It was early enough in the day that the place wasn’t crowded. Megan held it open. He stepped on the hard wood floor … and his foot shot out from under him. He landed on his bum, one leg bent.

“Careful.” Megan leaned down to help him up. He was surprised she didn’t laugh at him. “The floor is slick.”

A teen with spiky red hair and black athletic shorts shoved past them. “What’s the matter, Grandpa? These skates too complex for you?”

His friend, a skinny blond with acne, guffawed.

“That was rude.” Megan frowned, staring after the teenagers.

Adam grabbed onto the wall and pulled himself up. “Do I look that old?”

Megan glanced around. “It’s mostly kids here right now. We probably look a hundred to them.”

He laughed. “Probably.”

“Come on, Grandpa. Let’s stop blocking the door.” She took his hand and led him onto the floor. Electricity zinged through him where their skin touched.

He successfully balanced for a few steps, although he was bent over kind of funny. “I don’t think I’m doing this right.”

“You just need to get used to the feeling. Try pushing yourself forward with one foot, while balancing on the other.”

“Ha! You’re kidding, right?”

The redhead and his friend skated past. “They really shouldn’t let people in here if they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Megan shot a glare at them. “That kid’s beginning to annoy me.”

“Ignore him.” Adam straightened as best he could, then pushed himself forward with one foot, as she suggested. He tottered a bit, but managed to stay upright. Hanging onto Megan’s hand helped.

“Hey, that was good. Try again.”

The next push didn’t go so well, and he jerked to compensate, letting go of Megan and landing once again on his behind, his arms and legs sprawled out. Some worker zoomed over and stopped the steady flow of young kids so he could get back on his feet.

He felt like Bambi on ice. “Why did I let you talk me into this?”

Megan giggled. “Because you knew it would make me feel better.”

He practiced for a while, Megan sticking with him. The redhead passed him again, and shouted, “Hey, Gramps, you’re going so slow, I think you’re moving backwards.” His friend doubled over and chortled. Megan seethed, but Adam cautioned her once again to ignore them. He was relieved when he saw them leave the rink and go toward the snack bar.

As he grew more confident, his pushes became harder and gave him more momentum. “You’re doing great,” she said over the music.

He found himself enjoying the activity, not only the skating but being close to Megan. The physical contact was making him feel like a kid with his first crush.

“Want to try it on your own?” Megan squeezed his hand.

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