After the stresses and strains of the past couple weeks, I decided that Adam and I needed a little fun. The hunt for Rudy had left me exhausted and once the adrenaline had worn off I felt like I could’ve slept for a week. But sleep eluded me, because those kisses in the forest kept playing over and over in my head at all hours, never stopping. Between my need for sleep and my kiss-induced insomnia, I was a bit of a wreck.
Once we’d gotten Rudy safely locked into his stable, and with a promise from Joe that he would reinforce the gate so that even Houdini himself wouldn’t be able to escape, Adam had walked me home, where we had shared another kiss at my front door.
“So, do you want to show me what this town has to offer?” Adam had asked, playing the shy boy very well, his dimple seeming to get deeper every time he smiled.
“You mean, apart from runaway reindeer, a dog sled, carriage ride, and Santa’s actual village?” I’d teased.
“Yes, apart from those things. Seriously, if we were going on a date, where would you take me? I’m the new kid in town, don’t forget.”
“The new-old kid, you mean?”
He’d picked up a handful of snow and threw it at me. “I’m twenty-nine, so less of the old, if you don’t mind.”
I thought for a moment. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Yes, I am.” He put his hands behind his back and looked up at me from under his eyelashes. “Would you like to go out with me? Tomorrow night?”
Well, how could I refuse? With a chaste kiss on the cheek, I had closed my front door, with instructions to Adam to dress up for our date after work on Tuesday.
The next evening after work, Adam arrived at my house, carrying two takeout cups of hot chocolate and two cinnamon rolls. “Fresh from the oven. Or, so I’m told.” He took a sip of his drink, and then spent the next minute trying to talk through his scalded mouth. “Where are you taking me tonight?”
A photo that used to hang in Mr. Kline’s office had given me the idea of a young Adam, smiling broadly with a gap in his front teeth, holding his dad’s hand at the skating rink in town. I remembered Mr. Kline telling me about how he used to take his son there every Saturday morning, where they would spend a happy couple of hours gliding around the ice before sharing a hot chocolate and then going home. No matter how busy Mr. Kline had been, he never missed a Saturday morning with his son.
My front door had a habit of sticking when it was really cold, so I gave it an extra hard slam, dislodging a pile of snow, which had been sitting above the porch. Unluckily for Adam, he was standing right underneath it and the snow landed on his drink with a splash.
“Well, that’s one way of cooling it down,” I said, laughing as I took his arm and we headed to my car since I’d offered to drive. Following fresh snow last night, I was glad for the studded snow tires on my car as I carefully drove down the hill in the direction of town. Reaching behind the front seat, I handed Adam a bag, from which he pulled a pair of ice skates.
“Ta-da! I thought we’d go skating.”
He looked at me, wearing a big grin on his face. “Really? Snowflake Skating Rink is still there? I used to go with my dad all the time.”
As the car moved forward, I nodded. “Every Saturday without fail. I know.”
“Don’t tell me, you heard all about it?” he asked.
I made a mock-serious face. “Yep, and he told me how good you were, so I expect some slick moves from you, young man.”
Adam groaned. “I fear my skating skills may have been greatly exaggerated. I can stay upright, and that’s about it.”
I laughed. “We’ll see.”
Snowflake Skating Rink wasn’t huge, more than about ten people and it would be overcrowded, but it was big enough to at least pick up a decent speed on the ice. As Adam and I laced up our boots, he told me about the time he fell and knocked out his front teeth.
“Oh, so that’s why you were so gappy in that photo? I figured the tooth fairy had just saved herself a return trip and taken two together.”
He frowned. “Photo?”
“Yes, he kept it on the wall opposite his desk,” I said, realizing there was so much Adam didn’t know about his dad. “He said that photo always made him smile, because you were so proud of your ‘war wounds’ as he called it.” I stood up and held my hand out to Adam. “Come on, let’s see what you can do on these bad boys.”
Adam took my hand and we walked to the rink, where I took first one and then another tentative step. Clinging on to the side, I waited while he joined me, and then, once he’d found his legs, we were off. We skated around and around. Okay, I fell once, but having a sweet, handsome man help me up made me want to fall again.
Seriously, I hadn’t had that much fun in ages, and it was gratifying to see Adam relaxing, his face glowing from the cold and his eyes sparkling. He was a far more competent skater than me, and as he glided around I could see that same happy little boy in him, whose life had been torn apart by his parents’ divorce. My heart ached for him.
All eyes were on him as he relaxed into it. A group of women, who were worse at skating than I was, all stood still as they watched him go flying past them, adjusting their hair and smiling at him in the hope that he would notice them.
He swooped towards me, showering me with powdered ice as he turned his blades to stop. “Come on, let me teach you.” He held out both hands, but I hesitated, not wanting to leave the safety of the railings. “Have faith, Faith.”
“Your one-liners get worse!” I held onto his hands, and as he expertly glided backwards, he pulled me along, counting aloud for me to move first one skate and then the other. As my confidence grew, I began to relax, almost too much because I got the front of my blade caught in the ice and tumbled forward, throwing Adam off balance so I landed in a very undignified heap on top of him. Winded momentarily, I laughed, before pushing myself onto my knees and holding a hand out to help him up.
“I thought you were going to look after me, not knock me down.” Adam stood and pulled me to my feet, his boot blocking mine to stop me from sliding, but when I stood he didn’t let go, he pulled me in close to him. “I think that fall was just a ploy to get up close and personal.”
“Don’t make me fall any more,” I said, as he pressed his lips to mine.
With the fall and other skater’s good-natured giggles still fresh in my mind, we decided to take a break. Adam led me off the ice and we found a table outside the Rinky Dink Café, which gave us great views of other skaters.
“Here, wrap your hands around this, it’ll warm you up.” He handed me a mug of mulled wine, the spiced steam making my mouth water before I’d even tasted it. “Thank you for this evening, Faith. I haven’t had this much fun since . . . well, in years.”
“Since you left Christmas Mountain?” I asked hopefully.
“It’s easy, being here with you.” He dropped a kiss on the end of my nose before taking another sip of his wine. “Life is simple and unhurried. I could get used to it.”
My heart leapt. “You don’t need money and fancy restaurants to have fun, Adam. When you strip away all the glitz and glamor, what does Manhattan have that Christmas Mountain doesn’t?” I asked, aware that I was making a pitch for him to stay after only a few kisses and one date. So not like me to fall this hard, this fast.
“My business is in Manhattan, Faith. And I need the cash from the sale of Silver Bells to…”
“To what, Adam?”
“Nothing. Are you ready to go again?” he nodded toward the rink.
“Not yet.” I put my hand on his arm, wanting him to open up to me. “What is it that you need the money for? If you’re in some kind of trouble—”
“No, of course not.” He shook his head, smiling at me. “Let’s not spoil the date by talking business, though.” He took my hand in his and brought it up to his mouth, blowing on my fingers to warm them up. In a way, it felt even more intimate than the way he’d held me on the ice.
“Adam, whatever it is, you can tell me.”
He turned to look at me, searching my face as if for answers. “Okay, I’m pulling the rug from under your feet, so the least you deserve is the truth.”
“Which is?”
“I’ve been given the opportunity to buy into the partnership at the PR firm. This is what I’ve been working so hard for and it’s finally paying off.”
I felt crushed. He didn’t have to sell Silver Bells, he wanted to, which was worse. If it was to save his business, for instance, I could understand that. Or if the money from the sale was to buy world peace, or to save the polar bears, I could’ve understood it. But to sell his father’s business, his father’s dream, just to expand on the job he already has and make more money? I mean, what good is so much money and success if you had no one to share it with, and no time to enjoy it?
“This is why I didn’t want to tell you right now,” he said, after the silence between us became uncomfortable. Then he tilted my face to his, his hand cupping my chin, his eyes full of concern. “When I made the decision to sell Silver Bells, it was an easy decision to make. I had distanced myself from what this place represents and was able to compartmentalize things. But now . . . things are more difficult. I hadn’t planned on enjoying my time here. I certainly hadn’t planned on getting to know you.”
I bit my bottom lip. “I’m sorry to complicate things for you.”
“Don’t say that.” He put his mulled wine down and turned his whole body to me so that we were facing each other. “I’m so happy that I met you. You’ve taught me to let go a little, to see things through a child’s eyes, to wonder at things, and you’ve taught me to believe in magic.”
I lifted my lashes. “Really?”
“You’re right, Faith. This place is magical.”
I wanted to be mad at him for wanting to live in New York, but I couldn’t. It was impossible to be mad at him, even though I would be losing the man I’d fallen for. I would miss him terribly when he left.
“I’m glad you finally understand,” I whispered.
“Let’s enjoy my last week here.” He dropped his forehead to mine. “I have to get this deal sealed when the buyer arrives. If this deal isn’t signed by December 24th, then I’ll lose the opportunity and the runner-up will sign on the dotted line instead.”
I didn’t know what else to say. Now that Adam had explained his reasoning, I could see that he really had no option but to sell, which meant that this Christmas would be my last at Silver Bells. Only a miracle could save it now.