right ankle and elevated it so she could rest the skate blade between her knees. “This is how my dad used to tie my skates for me when I was little,” she explained. She unlaced Allison’s skate laces and retied the shoddy work. “You’ve got to get the laces really tight, especially around your ankles.”
Allison grunted slightly when Reagan pulled the laces tighter. “Are you trying to cut off the circulation to my feet?”
“Do you want to flop around on the ice like a fish out of wa ter, or do you want my help?” Reagan challenged. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Allison’s other foot and retied the laces on that skate as well.
With both feet back on the ground, Allison flexed her toes, coaxing the blood back into her tiny appendages. “I don’t think magic shoelaces will keep me from falling on my butt,” she stated sourly.
Reagan laughed. “That’s why you’ve got me to help you out,” she reassured.
“Sure,” Allison rolled her eyes. “Help me fall again, you mean.”
“That was just once,” Reagan protested with a soft laugh. “I won’t let you fall again, I promise.”
Allison sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why am I doing this again?”
“Because you don’t want me to have to skate all by myself,” Reagan lightly pouted. Her bottom lip made an appearance, signaling the end of Allison’s protesting.
“Fine.”
With the help of Reagan, the normally graceful girl stumbled back onto the ice. Once again, she clung to the hockey boards on the perimeter like an amateur swimmer staying afloat in a pool.
“Here,” R eagan stated with a smile. “Do what I do.”
Allison hesitantly allowed Reagan to wretch her grip from the sideboards. She held onto one of Allison’s gloved hands and carefully pulled her towards the center of the rink.
“Hey,” Allison remarked, allowing herself to pick up speed. “I think I’m starting to get the hang of this.” Her legs felt more solid, but she was still unsure about letting herself go too fast.
“I kne w you’d be a natural at this,” Reagan noted with a crisp nod. “You’re good at everything.”
Allison gingerly turned on her skates, causing her to slow down. “Do you always put people up on such a high pedestal?”
Reagan wasn’t quite sure what she was asking or what the right answer was, so she merely shrugged.
Allison started to skate towards Reagan, but her toe-pick caught on a divot in the ice and she started to fall. Her arms flailed comically at her sides as she tried to latch onto something to catch herself, but it only resulted in her plopping down hard on her backside.
R eagan tried to not laugh as she stared down at Allison. “Okay, so maybe you’re not good at everything. ”
Allison groaned and rubbed at her tailbone. Falling on the ice felt like wiping out on concrete, only you got wet.
“Don’t worry about it . It just proves that you’re human after all.” Reagan suddenly lost her balance and fell onto the ice surface, joining the other woman. She groaned unhappily. “I did that on purpose.”
“Uh huh.”
Reagan rolled onto her stomach and stared intently. “This is fun. Thank you for giving it a chance.”
“It’s really not a big deal. I told you, it’s all part of the new Allison Hoge.”
“I think I’m really starting to like this new Hoge,” Reagan smiled back. “What do you want to do with the rest of the day?”
Reagan’s words echoed in Allison’s head. “What time’s your train?”
R eagan’s features scrunched together as she tried to remember. “Not until 6pm, I think. I could take a later train, but the 6 o’clock gets me back to New York at a respectable hour.” It would have been more time and money efficient to stay Friday night through Sunday afternoon, instead of Saturday morning through Sunday evening, but she’d made the decision to make this initial visit as short as possible without
Allison grunted slightly when Reagan pulled the laces tighter. “Are you trying to cut off the circulation to my feet?”
“Do you want to flop around on the ice like a fish out of wa ter, or do you want my help?” Reagan challenged. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Allison’s other foot and retied the laces on that skate as well.
With both feet back on the ground, Allison flexed her toes, coaxing the blood back into her tiny appendages. “I don’t think magic shoelaces will keep me from falling on my butt,” she stated sourly.
Reagan laughed. “That’s why you’ve got me to help you out,” she reassured.
“Sure,” Allison rolled her eyes. “Help me fall again, you mean.”
“That was just once,” Reagan protested with a soft laugh. “I won’t let you fall again, I promise.”
Allison sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why am I doing this again?”
“Because you don’t want me to have to skate all by myself,” Reagan lightly pouted. Her bottom lip made an appearance, signaling the end of Allison’s protesting.
“Fine.”
With the help of Reagan, the normally graceful girl stumbled back onto the ice. Once again, she clung to the hockey boards on the perimeter like an amateur swimmer staying afloat in a pool.
“Here,” R eagan stated with a smile. “Do what I do.”
Allison hesitantly allowed Reagan to wretch her grip from the sideboards. She held onto one of Allison’s gloved hands and carefully pulled her towards the center of the rink.
“Hey,” Allison remarked, allowing herself to pick up speed. “I think I’m starting to get the hang of this.” Her legs felt more solid, but she was still unsure about letting herself go too fast.
“I kne w you’d be a natural at this,” Reagan noted with a crisp nod. “You’re good at everything.”
Allison gingerly turned on her skates, causing her to slow down. “Do you always put people up on such a high pedestal?”
Reagan wasn’t quite sure what she was asking or what the right answer was, so she merely shrugged.
Allison started to skate towards Reagan, but her toe-pick caught on a divot in the ice and she started to fall. Her arms flailed comically at her sides as she tried to latch onto something to catch herself, but it only resulted in her plopping down hard on her backside.
R eagan tried to not laugh as she stared down at Allison. “Okay, so maybe you’re not good at everything. ”
Allison groaned and rubbed at her tailbone. Falling on the ice felt like wiping out on concrete, only you got wet.
“Don’t worry about it . It just proves that you’re human after all.” Reagan suddenly lost her balance and fell onto the ice surface, joining the other woman. She groaned unhappily. “I did that on purpose.”
“Uh huh.”
Reagan rolled onto her stomach and stared intently. “This is fun. Thank you for giving it a chance.”
“It’s really not a big deal. I told you, it’s all part of the new Allison Hoge.”
“I think I’m really starting to like this new Hoge,” Reagan smiled back. “What do you want to do with the rest of the day?”
Reagan’s words echoed in Allison’s head. “What time’s your train?”
R eagan’s features scrunched together as she tried to remember. “Not until 6pm, I think. I could take a later train, but the 6 o’clock gets me back to New York at a respectable hour.” It would have been more time and money efficient to stay Friday night through Sunday afternoon, instead of Saturday morning through Sunday evening, but she’d made the decision to make this initial visit as short as possible without
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