Cole?” Rebecca asked as she opened the door of her house the next afternoon.
“I promised you dinner.” Dark smudges shadowed her pretty eyes, and Cole’s heart tugged. Her tears tore at him.
“Are you kidding?” Rebecca frowned and stepped back as if he’d slapped her. “Under the circumstances, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Just hear me out.” Cole stepped forward, filling the doorway. Rebecca’s silver locket caught the light, and Cole knew now what the two hearts represented. He reached for it, grasping the hearts between his fingers. “The circumstances—this locket—are just the reason we need to go to dinner.”
“I’m not hungry, Cole.” She swatted his hand away and tucked the necklace beneath the collar of her blouse. “I couldn’t eat a bite.”
“I figured. That’s why I came early. We’re going skating first.” Cole stood his ground. “It’s good for the appetite. Grab a jacket and some mittens.”
“Cole—”
“And, if you still have your skates. Bring them, too.”
Tears suddenly pooled in Rebecca’s eyes. “Where’s Kimmy?”
“She’s with Patty and Derek.”
“Derek?”
“Patty’s husband.”
“Did you tell Patty what’s happened?”
“No. The doctor has put her on bed rest, and I don’t want her to worry about me. Any hint of this and she’d most likely ignore the doctor’s orders and be back on her feet. I won’t be responsible for that.”
The tears spilled over to stream down her pale cheeks. “I want to see Kimmy.”
“I know.”
“This isn’t fair, Cole.”
“For any of us.”
“But mostly for me.” She drew a breath, sniffling. “I didn’t consent to the adoption. I didn’t know…”
“Neither did I.” He was quiet a moment. “Kimmy’s birthday is tomorrow.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“Please, Becca.” He tucked a curl behind her ear and smoothed his knuckles across her cheek. “This is almost too much…let’s just get away from it for a bit; go back in time for a while, to when things weren’t so confused. I think we both need that right now.”
“I need much more than that, Cole.”
“I know, and that will come later. But, for now…”
“OK.” Rebecca’s gaze softened and she sighed. She smiled through drying tears as she stepped back from the doorway. “Come in while I get my jacket…and my skates.”
****
“I just can’t do this.” Rebecca plopped down on a wooden bench at rink side. “It doesn’t look the same. Nothing looks the same…or feels the same.”
“Those banners are the same.” Cole motioned to the rafters, where a row of crimson and gold banners hung. “They’ve been hanging nearly a decade, but I remember when the Hurricanes won that state title.”
“I do, too. You were in the net.”
“You came to watch?” Surprise flickered in his widened eyes.
“I wouldn’t have missed it.”
“Things don’t have to be the same, Becca. Different doesn’t mean worse.” He offered a lopsided grin, and the chill in Rebecca’s heart thawed just a little. “They can be better instead.”
“I don’t see how.”
“Take my hand.” He reached for hers, clad in hunter-green mittens that matched the scarf wrapped loosely at her neck. “Let me show you.”
Rebecca followed him to an opening in the boards. Without hesitation, he plunged right onto the ice and then turned to beckon her. “Come on, Bec. You can do it.”
She took a tentative step. The first push-off felt wobbly, the second a bit better. The third had her gaining speed and whizzing by Cole, gliding as though she’d never left. The wind in her hair, coupled with a string of deep, cool breaths, freed her.
“Wait for me!” Cole shouted as she executed a toe-loop and then slipped into a blinding spin. When she came out of it, Cole was waiting.
“You’re just as beautiful on the ice now as you were back then—more.”
She adjusted the scarf, her pulse stammering as she studied him
“I promised you dinner.” Dark smudges shadowed her pretty eyes, and Cole’s heart tugged. Her tears tore at him.
“Are you kidding?” Rebecca frowned and stepped back as if he’d slapped her. “Under the circumstances, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Just hear me out.” Cole stepped forward, filling the doorway. Rebecca’s silver locket caught the light, and Cole knew now what the two hearts represented. He reached for it, grasping the hearts between his fingers. “The circumstances—this locket—are just the reason we need to go to dinner.”
“I’m not hungry, Cole.” She swatted his hand away and tucked the necklace beneath the collar of her blouse. “I couldn’t eat a bite.”
“I figured. That’s why I came early. We’re going skating first.” Cole stood his ground. “It’s good for the appetite. Grab a jacket and some mittens.”
“Cole—”
“And, if you still have your skates. Bring them, too.”
Tears suddenly pooled in Rebecca’s eyes. “Where’s Kimmy?”
“She’s with Patty and Derek.”
“Derek?”
“Patty’s husband.”
“Did you tell Patty what’s happened?”
“No. The doctor has put her on bed rest, and I don’t want her to worry about me. Any hint of this and she’d most likely ignore the doctor’s orders and be back on her feet. I won’t be responsible for that.”
The tears spilled over to stream down her pale cheeks. “I want to see Kimmy.”
“I know.”
“This isn’t fair, Cole.”
“For any of us.”
“But mostly for me.” She drew a breath, sniffling. “I didn’t consent to the adoption. I didn’t know…”
“Neither did I.” He was quiet a moment. “Kimmy’s birthday is tomorrow.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“Please, Becca.” He tucked a curl behind her ear and smoothed his knuckles across her cheek. “This is almost too much…let’s just get away from it for a bit; go back in time for a while, to when things weren’t so confused. I think we both need that right now.”
“I need much more than that, Cole.”
“I know, and that will come later. But, for now…”
“OK.” Rebecca’s gaze softened and she sighed. She smiled through drying tears as she stepped back from the doorway. “Come in while I get my jacket…and my skates.”
****
“I just can’t do this.” Rebecca plopped down on a wooden bench at rink side. “It doesn’t look the same. Nothing looks the same…or feels the same.”
“Those banners are the same.” Cole motioned to the rafters, where a row of crimson and gold banners hung. “They’ve been hanging nearly a decade, but I remember when the Hurricanes won that state title.”
“I do, too. You were in the net.”
“You came to watch?” Surprise flickered in his widened eyes.
“I wouldn’t have missed it.”
“Things don’t have to be the same, Becca. Different doesn’t mean worse.” He offered a lopsided grin, and the chill in Rebecca’s heart thawed just a little. “They can be better instead.”
“I don’t see how.”
“Take my hand.” He reached for hers, clad in hunter-green mittens that matched the scarf wrapped loosely at her neck. “Let me show you.”
Rebecca followed him to an opening in the boards. Without hesitation, he plunged right onto the ice and then turned to beckon her. “Come on, Bec. You can do it.”
She took a tentative step. The first push-off felt wobbly, the second a bit better. The third had her gaining speed and whizzing by Cole, gliding as though she’d never left. The wind in her hair, coupled with a string of deep, cool breaths, freed her.
“Wait for me!” Cole shouted as she executed a toe-loop and then slipped into a blinding spin. When she came out of it, Cole was waiting.
“You’re just as beautiful on the ice now as you were back then—more.”
She adjusted the scarf, her pulse stammering as she studied him
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