CHAPTER TWELVE

The evening was going too quickly.

Dylan wanted to slow down time and savor this wonderful time together. He could get used to doing things with Liza—even if it was buying a tree he didn’t particularly want. Just to see her smile, the way she was doing now, made it all worthwhile.

Ten minutes later, he paid for a tree, and it was tagged. They could pick it up later that evening. They resumed walking.

“Now that I have a Christmas tree,” Dylan said, “what am I supposed to decorate it with?”

“I hadn’t thought of that. Let me think it over.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Shouldn’t we have figured it out before we bought a tree?”

“Nah. You just have to trust me.” When she turned her head and smiled up at him, it was like the sun had suddenly risen and filled him with its radiant warmth.

He took her hand in his. It felt so natural for their hands to be clasped and their fingers intertwined. He’d never known anyone like Liza. And if he were a betting man, he’d lay odds that he’d never meet anyone as kind, caring, and fun to be with ever again.

“So, who are you going to spend Christmas with?” He knew she had a lot of friends, but he also knew she lived with her cousin. He wondered if she had more family nearby.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Elana, my cousin, invited me to spend it with her family, and so did Maryann. But I don’t know what I want to do.”

“I’m surprised you don’t have a boyfriend.” Now what in the world had he gone and said that for? He instantly knew the answer. Still, he was curious to know why she was single. Was it by choice? Or something else?

“I did. I tried one of those apps. I didn’t have any luck in the beginning. They were all duds. And then I met a guy I thought was nice. We dated for a while until I saw a text and photo on his phone from another woman.”

“He cheated on you?”

She nodded. “At least I found out earlier rather than later.” She glanced at him. “And what about you? Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

He knew it was only fair for her to ask. After all, he had started this line of questioning, but it still made him uncomfortable. Where did he even start?

“I had a girlfriend back in college. Her name was Diane. We’d dated since our freshman year. I was planning to propose to her after graduation, but then…” His voice faltered. After all of these years, the memory of her death still got to him. He swallowed hard. “Then she was in a head-on collision and died.”

“Oh. That’s so sad. I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged off her sympathy. “I eventually learned to live with it.”

First, he’d had to find his way through the darkness. At times, he’d felt utterly lost in the grief. How could someone be so young and vital one moment and simply gone the next? It made no sense. None whatsoever.

He stared into space as his mind was drawn back in time. “It wasn’t easy in the beginning. The accident happened my senior year of college. I stopped going to classes. I didn’t think I’d ever finish.”

At the time, he’d lost perspective. Everything had seemed so pointless when it could all be stolen away in a snap.

He cleared his throat. “But my mother never gave up on me. She got me the counseling I needed, and I finally returned to school.”

Liza squeezed his hand, letting him know she was there for him. “I can’t even imagine what you went through. I’m glad your mother was there for you.”

“Me too.”

“So, has there been anyone special since?”

“I’ve dated here and there. No one special.” That wasn’t quite true. His thoughts turned to one particular person.

“I think there was someone. What’s her name?”

He glanced over at Liza. “How did you know I was thinking of someone?”

She shrugged. “You had this look on your face like you’d remembered someone.”

“Her name was Jessica. She’s the daughter of one of my mother’s friends.”

“And what happened?”

“She moved to Seattle for a job before we had a chance to figure out if what we had was anything serious.”

“You sound like you think there would have been.”

“Maybe.” He couldn’t deny that he’d wondered many times what would have happened if Jessica hadn’t moved.

“Why didn’t you move with her?”

“Because my job was here. At the time, I thought I had a great job with a bright future. I didn’t want to give that up.”

“So she’s the one that got away?”

He ignored the question. “It was all a long time ago. I prefer to concentrate on the here and now.”

“Me too.” She smiled up at him.

Together they walked in companionable silence until they reached Union Square. It was bustling with people. Everyone was taking in the Christmas lights.

“We’re here,” he said. “I hope you like the surprise.”

“I do.” The smile that lit up her face attested to her happiness. “I haven’t visited here in a number of years. Thank you for bringing me. It reminds me of my childhood.”

“Good memories, I hope.”

She nodded. “Very good.”

He could feel a palpable energy running through the square. It perked him up more than any energy drink ever could. Or maybe that pep in his step was due to the lady next to him. He planned to drag out the evening as long as possible.

They visited the giant Christmas tree in the center of the square. They leaned together to take a selfie in front of it. The photo turned out so well he intended to print it and hang it on his refrigerator.

He turned to Liza. “Let’s go skating.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh, come on. You’re all about holiday activities. I think ice skating qualifies, right?”

“Yes, but no. I can’t.”

He stopped walking to turn to her. “Wait. Are you saying you don’t know how to ice skate?”

She hesitated. “Yes.”

He smiled. “Then it’s time you learned.”

“No-no. I don’t think so.” She vehemently shook her head.

He couldn’t help but smile. This woman who was fearless when it came to the curmudgeon, otherwise known as Mr. Marley, was scared when it came to sliding on some ice.

He gently tugged on her arm. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

She continued to shake her head. “That’s easy for you to say. You won’t be the one who falls.”

“I won’t let you fall.” He gazed deep into her eyes. He meant more than just ice skating. He would always be there for her.

She stopped trying to pull her hand away as she returned his gaze. “Do you promise?”

With his other hand, he swiped an X over his chest. “Cross my heart.”

She hesitated. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

He gave her hand a squeeze, and then they set off for the ice-skating rink next to the Christmas tree. He was so happy they’d gone there. It was the best time he’d had in a long time.

She couldn’t believe she’d agreed to this.

Why had she let him talk her into it?

With her skates laced, Liza was having second thoughts. There was no way she was going to be able to stand on those two thin blades. It just wasn’t going to happen.

“I can’t do this.” Admitting defeat wasn’t easy for her.

“Sure, you can.” Dylan held his hands out to her. “Just hold onto me, and I won’t let you fall.”

“I don’t even think you can hold me up. I’ll just take you down with me.”

“You worry too much. Just relax and enjoy gliding across the ice.”

“Or eating it,” she muttered.

He helped her to her feet. “See there’s the first step.”

She would have made a quippy comeback, but she was trying not to fall. Her ankles wobbled. She struggled to stay upright.

Out on the ice, Dylan skated backward while holding onto her. She couldn’t believe that not only could he skate, but he could skate backward. The showoff.

There were some wobbles—some gasps—and then there was a little bit of a glide. Had she actually done that? It was just one or two steps where she felt as though she were gliding over the ice, but it felt great.

“See. You’re doing it.” Dylan smiled at her. It was one of those big smiles that made his eyes twinkle and caused her stomach to feel like a hundred butterflies had been let loose in it.

“I am.” She took another step and glided along. A smile yanked at the corner of her lips. “I really am.”

“Maybe I should let you try this on your own.”

Immediately, her fingers tightened on his hands. “Don’t you dare!”

“You can do it.”

“No, I can’t.” There was a part of her that didn’t want to fall in front of all these people, and there was another part of her that didn’t want to give up her excuse to hold his hands.

“What if we compromise?”

“Compromise?” She wasn’t so sure she was going to like his suggestion.

“Let go of just one of my hands.”

“No.” She sustained her tight grip on both of his hands.

“You can do this, or I wouldn’t have suggested it.” His steady gaze held hers. “Trust me.”

She did trust him. It was her on ice skates that she didn’t trust to stay upright.

“Just one?” When he nodded, she drew in a deep breath. Maybe she could handle that. She was feeling a little more confident on the skates.

“Okay. Here we go.” He pulled his hand away.

She tightened her hold on his other hand. So far so good. Now mind you, they were moving slowly around the rink while others were passing them at a much faster pace. So, her good and everyone else’s good were two totally different things.

“See. You’re a natural,” Dylan said.

“I wouldn’t say that.” She glanced over at the young kids that were lapping her.

It only took that one little movement for her to forget what she was doing and loose her balance. Her ankles wobbled. And she felt herself falling…

An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her up. She landed against Dylan’s chest with an ompf! When she lifted her head to thank him, her gaze met his. They were so close now that she could feel the beat of his heart beneath her hand.

In that moment, she forgot she had almost fallen—that they were on an ice rink—all the reasons that kissing him was such a bad idea. Her gaze lowered to his lips. She would only have to lift up on her tiptoes and press her lips to his.

As she put that thought into action, her skates began to slip on the ice. She once more began to fall, and it took Dylan some fancy maneuvering to catch her.

He cleared his throat. “Maybe this should be the extent of our skating lesson for today.”

Disappointed she hadn’t stolen a kiss, she said, “I agree.”

He helped her over to a bench where they took off their skates. She wondered if he knew what she was attempting to do before she lost her balance. If he did, he didn’t act like it. It was best to pretend the moment of craziness hadn’t happened.

“Thank you for this evening,” she said. “I had a great time.”

“And now we have to go pick up the Christmas tree.”

“Oh, yes, we do.” Next, she would work on getting him some decorations. And she had the perfect idea.

“Even the ice skating?”

She hesitated. “Even it.”