On Thin Ice by Bernadette Marie Page A

nothing left to fix.
    If she tore apart what she and Christopher had just built, she’d fall apart. She’d miss him terribly, especially his friendship.
    Alan, on the other hand, wasn’t missed. She could say that without hesitation. She didn’t miss his voice, his face, or his knowledge on absolutely every subject there was. But she missed the presence of a person whose things were once mixed in with hers.
    Out of sentiment, she took her toothbrush from her overnight bag, and Christopher’s from his toiletry bag and laid them side by side next to the sink.
    That felt right.
    She returned in her pajamas with the extra blanket in hand. He had changed into flannel lounge pants and a San Diego T-shirt. There were bites already taken from the cheesecake.
    “Had to. Sorry.”
    She smiled warmly and snuggled in next to him. The scent of his cologne was still floating in her senses when she smelled it on him and had to move in closer.
    She moved her lips to his neck and placed a line of kisses to his ear and down his jaw. When a moan vibrated in his throat, she moved in closer to him, wrapping herself around him. His chest rose as he sucked in a breath, placed a soft kiss atop her head, and rolled her off him.
    “Rest, Wil. You’re going to need to sleep off the sake.”
    Disappointment and shock riddled her, but as his arm came around her and his body brushed up against hers, she let it go. He was right. The sake was already taking its toll on her as her eyelids grew heavy.
     
    The next morning the sun was brighter than she’d remembered. It wasn’t because she was in a fantastic mood. No, it was because those three sakes were still pounding in her head.
    She scanned a look over Christopher as they drove up the mountain back toward Aspen Creek. He was grinning.
    There wasn’t much conversation, verbally, but his eyes spoke volumes. He was undoubtedly keeping a secret from her.
    “Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking?”
    “No.” He let out a laugh. “If I told you, I’d have to show you. But you can tell me what you’re thinking.”
    “Well, you’ve been smiling since we left Denver. What are you smiling about?”
    He smiled again, this time broadly. “I just spent the night watching the woman I love sleep.”
    Malory swallowed hard. That wasn’t the answer she’d expected.
    Christopher tipped his head toward her. “Oh, I’ve pissed you off. Wil, what would my life be if I didn’t always piss you off?”
    Her brows furrowed. She didn’t want to be pissed off. She wanted to be happy to hear him say those words, but the last time he’d said them they hadn’t held up. Just as they hadn’t held up with Alan.
    “Can we talk about something else?” Malory gave it some thought. “Christmas pageant.”
    “Okay, what about it?”
    “How many skaters are there? Are any of them any good? Who do you think will win?”
    “Very specific.” He adjusted in his seat as they passed the sign welcoming visitors to Aspen Creek. “There are only six skaters. Yes, two of them are very good. And if I had to choose, I’d say seven-year-old Allison Smith will win.”
    “Six skaters?”
    “Yep.”
    Malory shifted in her seat. “That’s not enough. How is the rink supposed to make money with only six skaters?”
    “Sign of the times, honey.”
    “But what are you going to do?”
    “Well, Wil, what can I do? This is tradition and we hold up tradition.”
    Malory shook her head and shifted her stare out the window. Her mind was fixating on the woman I love statement. She pulled her focus to the pageant. If her dad had to sell the rink to Christopher because it was failing, and there were only six skaters in the biggest event of the year, how was it going to continue?
    Christopher pulled up in front of Malory’s house and put the truck in park. He laid a gentle hand on her thigh and she quickly turned back to him.
    “You’re famous. Can’t you do something with that?”
    He snorted out a laugh. “Well,