Page 71 of Snowflakes and Ice Skates

“Boulder.” She smiled.

“I didn’t know that. Are you going home for the holidays?”

She shook her head, “No, this is the first year my parents are empty nesters, so they booked a cruise, and my little brother is going with his best friend’s family to Costa Rica for the break.”

“Wow. That sounds amazing.”

She huffed, “For them.”

I glanced over to see a small smile tugging at her lips.

“Jealous?” I asked.

“Incredibly.” She chuckled. “It's the first year I won’t be with them, so I’m a little sad.”

“Well, most of us are staying. Chloe and Reese are hosting a big dinner on Christmas Eve, so you can come to that.”

She ducked her head. “I’m not sure I’m invited.”

“You’re friends with her and the team. Why wouldn’t you be?”

“She hasn't mentioned it to me.”

I wasn’t going to let her feel down. “She might not know you aren’t going home. You can be my date.”

She snapped her head to me. “Are you asking me on a third date when we haven't even finished our first?”

I hadn’t intended for that to happen, but it was true. I burst out laughing, “I guess so.”

“Really pressing your luck there, Lance. You’re confident this is going to go well.”

I held up my hand. “My whole intent was this lunch was for it to be the icebreaker. If we get all the awkwardness out of the way before the party, we can have a fun time together. By the time Christmas Eve rolls around, we’ll be so far into our relationship you won’t think twice about being my date again.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Awfully cocky of you.”

I smiled. “If only I was that confident. I’m surprised you even said yes once. I know better than to push my luck.”

She bit her lip, but her eyes betrayed her. I could see the smile she was failing to hold back.

“Why did you say yes?” I was genuinely curious. She’d turned me down so many times I never thought it would happen.

She tugged on the end of her braid. “You asked if I wanted to go with you, and I realized that I did. I know we’ll have fun together.”

That wasn’t all. I could tell she was holding something back. If she wasn’t going to admit to having a crush, I wasn’t going to push her. I’d just let that secret power my smiles for the next month or so.

“You’ve never said yes before.”

She nodded. “I never wanted to. It never felt genuine, almost like you were expecting me to say no. Like it was just this game we played. It wasn’t until you showed up and asked me, without an audience, that I felt like saying yes.”

Huh. She hadn’t taken me seriously. She wasn’t wrong about me expecting to be turned down, but that was only because I didn’t think I had a shot. I didn’t think she saw me as anything more than a Fury player or Jake’s friend.

So what had changed in me? The possibility that she might actually like me. That dash of courage, even if it was just a rumor, was enough for me to make a true effort. To take me, and her, seriously.

“Thanks for giving me a chance.” I smiled and pulled into the parking lot of Sprout.

Instead of opening the door, she remained frozen in her seat.

“Are you okay?” Did she change her mind?