Page 38 of Just One Chance

"That's my girl," he murmured softly so no one else could hear him.

His words made my insides warm. Knowing he had me, I moved one foot tentatively, and when I wobbled, he held me tight. Feeling more confident that he did in fact have me if I faltered, I took another step.

It looked awkward, like a new deer walking for the first time. But I kept going. "I feel like I'm just learning to walk."

"I suppose it's similar, except on ice instead of solid ground."

I chuckled, and when I looked up at him to gauge his reaction, I wobbled again.

He held me tight, maintaining my gaze. "You've got this."

I nodded toward a five-year-old who flew past us. "He's better than me."

"I bet those kids have been skating since they were toddlers. But they started out just like this."

"Hmph." I wasn't so sure about that. Every muscle in my body was pulled taut.

"You want to glide with your skates like this." He demonstrated the side-to-side motion, and I tried to mimic him.

It was hard, and at one point, I glided too much, and he steadied me. "You're getting it."

It did come easier the more I practiced the motion, and I was able to glide, just not as good as Boone. After one lap, I said, "We made it. Time for a break?"

He chuckled. "I thought you were made of tougher stuff than that, city girl."

I would have loved to sit down on a bench and sip more hot chocolate. But Boone was right. Since when did I give up? "Let's keep going."

"That's my girl," he repeated.

I was starting to love when he said that. Was he here as my reluctant tour guide, or was this an extension of our nights together? Was he starting to fall for me? Because that would be ridiculous. I was only in town for a short time, and my job might interfere with his dreams. We didn't have a future here or anywhere else.

His life was here, and mine was in Miami. I never considered leaving because I loved my home, and that's where my family and friends were.

"What are you thinking about? Your focus seems off."

"How crazy it is that I'm doing this when I was watching the ocean from my condo just last week." I loved my view. It was expensive but worth all the hard work.

"You own a condo on the water?"

"Yeah, I love it." I was so proud of myself for being able to buy something like that, and I got to enjoy it when I was home.

"And you just bought it?"

I nodded, keeping my gaze on the ice. "Yup."

"You must be itching to get back.

"My friend, Jodi, is staying there while I'm gone and sends me pictures every morning. It's not the same, but it's nice."

"She's a good friend."

I smiled. "She really is. I'll show you the view from my condo when we're sitting down and I'm not in danger of cracking my head open."

Boone chuckled. "That's probably a good idea."

We made a few more laps around the rink. With each pass, I felt more confident and even dropped his hand for the last one.

Eventually, he asked, "Do you want to take a break?"