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She shrugs. “Abby doesn’t seem to be your biggest fan, and my Big Sister, Shannon, warned me to stay away. So, I don’t know, you tell me.”
“Nothing I can think of. Shannon is with my friend, Jamie. She spends a lot of time at our house. She’s never acted weird with me. I guess Jamie told her some stories, and now she has it in her head that I’m not good enough for her Little Sister.”
“I think Jordan and Abby made it happen. A few days before the auction, I told my sister I wanted to be with you. But I wasn’t ready to tell you yet. I suppose she was giving me the push I needed.”
“I guess I owe her one.”
Our dinner arrives, cutting off our conversation. Jemma moans when she sinks her teeth into the delicious gnocchi served in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce. My taste buds awaken with each bite of the cheesy potato dumplings.
With her mouth full of food, she points her fork at her plate. “This is so good. Oh, my God. It’s better than sex.”
I laugh. “Not better than sex with me.”
She shakes her head. “You’re so cocky.”
“Nah, just confident.”
After dessert, I wonder how Jemma will feel about the next part of our date. We don’t have much time, maybe an hour before we have to clear the ice.
I slide my chair out from the table. “Do you know how to skate?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never done it before.”
“It’s like roller skating but on blades instead of wheels.
“Never roller skated.”
I stand, my hand outstretched to her. “Just hold on to me, and I’ll do all the work.”
“What if I fall?” She scans the rink, a worried expression crossing her face. “Looks like it would hurt.”
“It will, which is why I will never let you fall.”
Peeking up at me beneath her long lashes, she places her hand in mine, the trust between us slowly rebuilding.
I help her across the ice and over to the penalty box, where my dad said he would leave our skates.
“I guessed your size,” I say, as we step into the box. “I hope they fit.”
Jemma sits on the bench, and I bend down on one knee in front of her, sliding her heel from her foot.
Her beautiful laughter fills the air. “I feel like Cinderella right now. Except instead of a glass slipper, you’re fitting me for skates.”
I smirk, slipping socks onto each of her feet.
She squirms as my fingers brush her skin.
“Perfect fit,” I say.
Jemma stares down at the skates as I lace them up for her. “You guessed right.”
She has no idea I had Jamie do some recon for me. He asked Shannon to check Jemma’s shoe size. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise by having to ask her an odd question like that.
Once I’m laced up, I lead Jemma onto the ice, keeping her close to my side, our fingers threaded together. She grips my hand for dear life, her fear shaking through me.
“I can’t believe you’ve never skated before. I thought that was something everyone from Pennsylvania has done at least once.”
“When I was a kid, the creek in the woods behind my family’s farm would ice over. I would glide from one side to the other with my friends, but I never did it wearing skates.”
“The city must be a shock to you after growing up on a farm.”
“It was at first. I’m getting used to it now. Sometimes, I miss the comforts of home and knowing where everything is.”
“You never told me what you were running away from when you came to Strick U?”
She clutches my hand even tighter. “My ex.” Noting my confusion, she adds, “He asked me to marry him. We’ve been friends since we were kids and started dating in high school. But I wasn’t ready to settle down and have a family with him.”
“I don’t blame you. Who’s ready for that at our age?”
“Exactly. I think he proposed because he thought after all the years we’d been together that it was the logical next step. But…”
“If he’d waited until after you finished college, would you have said yes?”
“No, I don’t think it would have made a difference. It wasn’t until that day that I realized I had never really experienced life outside of Lancaster or apart from Corey. I felt like my chest was caving in when he got down on one knee in front of me. I thought he was kidding around… until he showed me the ring. It felt real once I saw it, like everything in my life was about to change. But I didn’t see it as a good thing.”
“There’s no way to say this without sounding like a selfish bastard, but I’m happy you walked away.”
She smiles. “Me, too.”
We make a few more revolutions around the rink before I spot Murph, who’s flagging me down, motioning our time’s up. I had completely lost track of time, too distracted by Jemma.
