Page 7 of Magically Generated
“Want to see the other sculpture?It’s a ten- or fifteen-minute walk from here, if you’re up for it.”Everett named the park.
Nora hadn’t realized the other snow sculpture was so close, and she did want to see it, even if dusk was falling.The days were so short at this time of year.But she wasn’t sure how enjoyable it would be to walk with Everett…and could she trust him?He wasn’t a stranger, but she didn’t know him well.
“All right,” she said, wrapping her hand around the keys in her pocket, just in case.
She let him lead the way, and they traversed slushy streets toward the second sculpture.Everett didn’t say much, but after they’d been walking for a few minutes, she felt herself relax.There was something comforting about the bulk of him next to her.
The second sculpture was smaller but more intricate than the first.It was also less crowded.There was one other couple taking photos, but otherwise—
Wait a second.Why was she thinking of them as a couple?
She wasn’t.They were a couple of people standing together in a park, that was all, not an actual couple.
“What do you think?”Everett asked.“Which one do you like better?”
Maybe it was her imagination, but there was something odd about his voice.Like he really cared about her answer, and she couldn’t understand why it would matter to him.
Yeah, it was probably her imagination.
Still, she considered the question seriously.“I’m not sure.They’re both good, and they do look like they were made by the same person.Well, designed by the same person—multiple people might have been involved in the actual construction.”
She could have sworn his lips twitched, but given the position of his scarf, it was hard to tell.
She pointed at one of the bears.“Do you play hockey?”
“No.I can skate, though not well.”
“My sister played as a kid, but I was never interested.”
Nora walked over to the bear and gently put her hand on its paw.It was nice to be able to touch it.She could see it was real with her own eyes, but still, the tactile confirmation was good.She was careful not to ruin anything; she wanted other people to be able to enjoy the bear.It had been sculpted a few days ago, and it was covered in the light dusting of snow that had fallen since then.
She and Everett walked away from the park together.
“You heading back to the apartment?”she asked.
“No, I’m going to have ice cream.”
“In this weather?”As far as winter days went, it wasn’t the worst, but it definitely wasn’t ice cream weather.She shivered just at the thought.
“It’s near Ossington Station.”He inclined his head to the north.“I’ll eat the ice cream indoors, of course.”
Still, it didn’t sound appealing to her.
“It’s a bakery,” he said.“They have other things to eat, plus hot chocolate and tea, if that’s more your speed.I mean, if you’re interested,” he added.“Not that you need to be.”
Hm.Drinking hot chocolate with him was tempting.Not that he, himself, was tempting, but the promise of a hot beverage sounded nice.And if it was near the subway station…
“Sure, why not,” she said.
Chapter 4
Itwasabitof a walk to the bakery.Nora stayed silent at first, but Everett apparently felt the need to make conversation.
“Have you lived in Toronto long?”he asked.
“Yeah, a long time,” she replied.
“Did you grow up here?”
