Page 20 of Grinch Girl

“Hold the light over here,” I whispered, pointing at a series of pipes.

Nate angled the beam exactly where I needed it. “What will you do?”

I reread the article on my phone and then squinted at the compressor. “Between the pipes in here and the ones that go under the rink, there should be a tiny expansion valve.” I ducked and moved forward a few feet. “Aha! There!” I pointed and Nate swung the beam to highlight the small valve.

“What are you going to do to it?” he whispered, sounding utterly fascinated.

Despite the fact that I was breathing in dust and spiderwebs, I chortled and rubbed my hands together gleefully. “Close it. I’m not positive, but I’m hoping that’ll mess with the pressure. It’s supposed to be in the mid-forties today. If the refrigerant temp doesn’t drop as a result of the pressure, the skating surface might not remain solid ice.”

“Diabolical,” he breathed, but it sounded like a very intense compliment. Especially with his dark eyes burning on my face like that.

I hurried a few steps forward, weirdly warm for the cold morning. “Meh. It’s minor sabotage at best. All they’ll have to do to fix it is turn the valve back on.” I turned the valve off quicklyand efficiently. “Depending on Terry’s monitoring equipment and/or staff time arrival, they’ll either notice the change in pressure and temperature right away and come fix it or it’ll still be broken near opening time.”

Sabotage complete, I started to lead us out. “So let’s hope Terry is cheap enough that he didn’t splurge on good equipment or a robust staffing model. The rink can’t open if their surface is slush.”

Nate paused, so I slowed, too, peering out the cracked shed door to make sure that the coast was still clear.

“What if we hedged our bet?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Is this Terry mechanically inclined himself?” Nate wondered. “Is he the sort of person who receives notice that something isn’t right with the ice rink and so he would come straight in here and say, ‘Ah, the valve is off’?”

I snorted at the image. “No. Terry wouldn’t be able to explain the basics of refrigeration if there was a gun to his head. I doubt he’s ever stepped foot in this shed.”

“Just as I suspected.” He cringed. “Embarrassingly, a man after my own heart.” He held up his phone. “Do you know who he would call? Are there many different vendors in the area who would service professional ice rinks?”

Oh.Now I knew where he was heading.Brilliant.“There are really only two in a practical radius,” I said, a giggle bubbling in my chest.

A flash of those white teeth. “Falworth is opening a skating rink for the first time tonight. Wouldn’t it be completely normal for you to have a multifaceted safety inspection? Maybe reserve time this afternoon with both places to ensure opening night is a smooth success?”

I nodded, eyes wide and mock-serious. “Very reasonable indeed.”

The giggle escaped my chest after all as I called Carol and explained what was needed. To her credit, she asked no questions. There was just a long pause and then a considered: “Thatdoessound like a good idea, Jane. Safety first!”

“Safety first,” I repeated solemnly. Then, as an afterthought: “Have Jim give both of the guys an open bar tab after their appointments as a thanks for the last-minute scheduling.”

“It’s important to treat vendors well,” she agreed, and now I could hear the giggle in her throat. A full night of free beer would be difficult to walk away from if one or both of the vendors got a panicked call from the rink on Wontana.

I hung up the phone, still chuckling to myself. Nate was still staring at me, a small smile on his lips. “What?”

He shrugged, eyes glinting. “I’m just admiring your general sneakiness.”

“Right back at you,” I volleyed. I’d forgotten how good a little shared mischief felt; I hadn’t had a partner in crime in years.

We stepped out of the shed into the thankfully still-empty parking lot. Well, empty except for Bella, who was examining both of our cars as though Nate and I might have been hiding in the trunks. “Oh, there you are!”

She looked between us and the shed, her eyes narrowing on my still-giddy face. I was disconcerted again. She coulddefinitelystill read my facial expressions as well as I could read hers. “Oh God. Do I even want to know?”

“You do not,” Nate said, stepping away from me to pull her to the car by her forearm. “You promised, Bella. Can we please get in a few hours of work now?”

She shrugged and got in the driver’s side. Nate paused to look at me before opening the passenger door. “See you tonight. J-Bird.”

I gave him the finger and got in my car.

Chapter Seven

Wednesday, December 3—Single Bells—Date 1—Opening Night of the Christmas Village

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