Page 47 of Lost on Ice
God, I’m so paranoid. I hate this so much.
“Do you run this way often?” I question.
Chuckling, he nods. “Yeah, it’s my regular route. Bit of a late start today, though. Work was busy. Anyway, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to say hi.”
“Enjoy the rest of your run.”
He gives me a little wave before turning and heading back to the jogging path. I watch him, carefully, and when he’s finally out of earshot — as are the kids — I snap my head over to Sophie. “Sophie, do you have any idea how the hell that guy is?”
“I assumed somebody you know…”
“His name’s Stuart. That’s all I know. But someone he knows me, and it’s giving me the creeps. Are you sure you’ve never seen him before?”
It’s a small town, and between the flower shop and her accounting firm, Sophie knows or is acquainted with most everyone. For her not to recognize the guy is a little odd.
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so.”
Before I can reply, a pain-filled cry fills the air. Sophie and I are immediately on our feet and rushing toward the kids. We find Lilah sitting on the ground, holding her knee and crying. Chase is standing over her with a look of frightened concern.
“What happened?” I ask in a calm voice, squatting next to her.
“She tripped and hit her knee,” Chase explains.
“Mommy!” Lilah wails, crawling into my arms and burying her face against my chest. “Owie!”
“Let me see, baby.” I adjust her in my lap so I can get a look at her knee. She’s torn her pants, and the exposed skin is scraped a little bit, but there’s no blood. It’s red, and I can already see a little swelling. “Can you move it?” I ask her.
She can, which is a relief. “Ouchie,” she sputters.
“I got you.” I have her stand up and put weight on it. She winces a bit but is able to be on the knee, no problem. Thankfully, it doesn’t appear to be anything serious. I dig into my purse, pull out my mini-first aid kit, and clean up the scrape. “Band-aid?” I ask, with a smile I know will cheer her up.
“Fairy one,” she says, brushing away a tear.
“You got it.” I slap one of her favorite fairy-themed bandaids over the wound. Kids always love band-aids. “You’re okay, sweetheart. We just need to ice it a bit. Should we go home?”
Sniffling, she nods and clings to my neck. I pick her up and give Sophie an apologetic, tired smile.
“We’re going to head out,” I tell her. “It’s about nap time anyway.”
“No worries. Let me know if you need anything.” She steps forward and kisses the top of Lilah’s head. “You’re such a big, brave girl! Mommy will take care of you.”
“See you later, Chase.” I give him a little smile and he moves to take Sophie’s hand.
“Bye, Lilah,” he says in a soft voice.
Lilah lifts one hand and waves at him, and he looks relieved as I turn and carry her away.
By the time Jake walks through the door of the apartment later that evening, Lilah is sitting on the couch, watching cartoons and swinging her legs against the cushions as she drinks from her sippy cup. Apart from the bright pink bandage on her knee, there’s no sign of her little accident from the playground. However, when he steps into the living room and sees her, he freezes.
“Hi, Yake!” she greets with a grin before turning her attention back to the TV.
His eyes land on her knee and go wide as he drops his duffel back on the floor.
“What happened?” he asks with a concerned frown, shrugging out of his coat. He rushes to Lilah and kneels next to the couch, shoving the sleeves of his hoodie up his arms before he grabs her calf and lifts her leg to inspect her knee, making her giggle. She pats his head.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Hey, princess.” He smiles up at her, but his shoulders are still tense. “Did you get a boo boo?”
