Page 51 of Grinch Girl

“Just awful,” he confirmed, brow wrinkling thoughtfully. “Maybe all that combined height is a liability. They’re too far from the ground or something.”

I picked up speed, skating quickly for the other side of the rink. I mixed in a few spins and forward swizzles. Then a waltz jump. Just for me. Certainly not to show off any sort ofcompetence.

To my surprise, Nate matched my speed easily, and his footwork was excellent. “You’re good,” I said after a moment.

“I played hockey growing up,” he explained. “None of my other siblings cared for it, so the rink was one of my very few personal spaces.”

I sped in front of him, bit my lip, and executed a perfect toe loop jump. When I landed, I grinned broadly. Yeah, I was showing off. Just like Diane.

“How are you such a good skater?” Nate asked. His pupils were dark in his eyes, and his voice was definitely raspy. Three cheers for competence.

“We used to be able to skate on the lake,” I said. In high school, I didn’t have the patience Bella did to study all night. I never wanted to ask Greta for the extra money to participate in school sports, but I always had way too much restless energy. “It was free and available all the time. When I was bored—and I was bored a lot—skating was what I did.”

We did another fast lap, laughing and breathless. I found myself grateful that most of the cameras were still focused on Diane and Tripp’s antics. Skating this way together was like being in a cocoon. No one could hear us, no one could keep up.

“What was your last boyfriend like?”

The question came out of nowhere, and if I hadn’t been so focused on my form, I would have slipped and fallen. “What?” I exclaimed.

Nate laughed, and it was tinged with embarrassment. “I can’t help it! My curiosity is raging. You had that harebrained idea to date Michael when it’s obvious you don’t suit, so I’m dying to know about the last man in your life.”

I put hands on my swiveling hips. “It’s not harebrained to want to date someone steady and kind, you know.” It felt funny to be defending myself on this point when Michael and I had just agreed we had zero chemistry. And it was pretty dang cute that Nate was curious about my exes. I just wished there was more to tell. “Haven’t dated anyone in a while,” I admitted. “Pretty slim pickings in Falworth, and my schedule with work and Greta didn’t leave a lot of time to pursue out-of-towners.”

I thought about mentioning my occasional trysts with tourists, but what if Nate thought I was lumping him in with that crowd? Maybe he was technically a tourist, but to me he was…different.

“Who doyoutypically date?” I volleyed back instead. “What was your last girlfriend like?” I eyed him, taking in his expensive parka and high-end watch. “I’m picturing a tall, sophisticatedwoman with flawless makeup and highlighted hair. Someone who wears heels to work and carries an expensive purse.”

“Awfully shallow analysis,” he chided. I did notice the flush, however, so I figured I wasn’t too wrong. But he was right too. I shouldn’t be categorizing on appearance. Kudos to her if she had good hair and a nice bag.

“I bet she was impressive,” I said quietly, finally getting to the root of my own insecurity.

Nate narrowed his eyes. “Are you implying that you’re not impressive in some way?” He let out an incredulous laugh. “Have I not been clear on this point? I’ve never been as impressed with anyone in my life as I’ve been by you.”

“Oh, knock it off,” I said, skating faster again.

“I will not,” he said, easily keeping pace with me. “I can recognize someone who’s been dealt a challenging hand, you know. Look at how you’ve survived. With humor intact. With kindness.” Oh, I was not used to compliments. I skated even faster, but he caught me, clasped my mittened hands to his for a squeeze. My heart clenched along with our fingers.

“Were you home last night?” Nate asked abruptly.

I blinked at him, slowing on the ice. “No. I was bartending at the resort. Why?”

His gaze slid away. “I tapped on your door.” Now he picked up his speed, outpacing me. “The light was on, but you didn’t answer.” He paused. “I thought you might have been avoiding me. That maybe you thought our moment had passed.”

“I leave the light on for Bruce. He gets anxious alone in the dark,” I explained, neatly ignoring the rest of his sentence. Because there was a question in it, and I didn’t know how to answer.

Did I want our moment to be over? Hell no. It wasn’t that simple though. No, I didn’t want whatever was flaring betweenus to be over. But more importantly? I didn’t want it to be amoment.

Which was a problem.

“I have to head back to the city for a few days,” Nate said. “I’m leaving in the morning. I have a few work things I want to handle in person.”

See?I said to myself.

“I’ll be back here on the twentieth,” he said. He swiveled around so that he skated backward while I skated toward him. I didn’t like it. Didn’t like the feeling of chasing him.

I slowed, widening the distance between us. On the other side of the rink, Bella and Michael climbed back onto the ice and clambered slowly toward us. Part of me wondered why they even bothered, but I already knew. They were consummate good guys and they followed the rules. The viewers had voted for certain pairings, and we needed to get footage.

Suddenly exhausted, I swallowed a yawn.Thirty minutes and I’m heading home.Michael wouldn’t mind an early evening, especially if it meant he could get out of his skates.

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