Page 5

Brad

Winter came early to The Ridge, as the locals call it, and brought along with it frigid temperatures and snowfall.

It’s a good thing I thought to bring my heavy parka since it looks like my planned day of sitting by the fire and drafting letters for work has turned into an unplanned foray into the snow. The phone call from my boss has changed everything. Now that he’s found out I’ll be in Winter Ridge over the next several weeks, he’s asked me to check out a property that’s about to go up for sale.

Never thought Old Man Gerald would sell his ice-skating rink. It’s been in his family for decades. I guess The Ridge holds some surprises, after all.

It’s been years since I stepped foot near the rink. As I walk up the icy sidewalk towards the front doors, I take note of the dead bushes, the cracked asphalt, and the paint peeling on the outside of the building. The once-busy rink has few cars in the parking lot. My boss didn’t share his ideas for this property, but the condition of the outside doesn’t give me much hope that the inside is any better.

The front doors stick as I try to open them. If my suspicions are correct, it appears as though there may be some foundation issues. The fluorescent lights cast a sickly glow about the empty hall. I can’t see the rink from this spot, but I hear the sounds of skates hitting ice coming from deeper into the building.

“Ah, there you are,” says a booming voice, coming from the room to my right. “Welcome, Mr. Anders.”

I head over to the direction of the office and hold my hand out to shake his. “Gerald, you’ve known me since I was a baby. You can call me Brad.”

He grunts his agreement. “Well, I thought we were gonna be all official-like today. Anyway, come on into my office, Brad. Let’s talk business. I’m half on my deathbed. Don’t have time for pleasantries.”

I wait for Gerald to turn before I risk a smile. He’s been saying he’s on his deathbed for at least ten years. I’m pretty sure he’ll be around long after the rest of the town is gone.

Gerald settles into his seat behind his large desk and offers me the seat opposite.

“Thanks for meeting me on such short notice,” I tell him.

“Let’s just get down to the nitty-gritty and skip the small talk. I need to sell this place. I’ve tried to hold on as long as I can, but I’m getting old. I need to think about retirement. I was holding out for my kids to take it over, but they didn’t want anything to do with the place. I need someone that’s going to come in here and fix up the place, get it back to its former glory days.”

“Well, sir, I’m not sure what the company plans to do as far as revamping. We rarely take on projects of this size. As you are probably aware, my company usually takes on much larger properties. At this point, I’m just here to check things out and report back.”

Gerald crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair, a disgruntled look on his face. “So that hoity-toity place where you work thinks I’m small beans, huh?”

Well, damn. It didn’t take much to offend him. I remind myself to tread lightly around Gerald. His gruff exterior hides a mushy inside. He loves this place, and I won’t forget that again. Unfortunately, my company is not one to take on charity cases. If they want this property, it’s not because they want to dress it up and make it pretty and let the local folks enjoy it as a community rink again. No, they either want to bulldoze it or change it completely so that they can repackage and sell it to a higher bidder. Neither of those options will be okay for this proud owner.

“No, not at all. I’m just saying that I’m not privy to their plans. They just want me to check it out, go over some numbers, and see if this will be a viable business for us to take on. I’m sure you can understand they want to do their due diligence.”

“Hmph, I guess so.” He settles back in his chair and focuses his steely eyes on mine. “I’m just glad they sent you instead of some hot-shot idiot from the city. I know I can trust you to do what’s in the best interest of this rink.”

I nod my agreement, though I feel a bit sick inside. If my company buys out Gerald, I’ll have no say in what happens to the rink. I’m still a pretty low man on the totem pole for now. However, my boss hinted that this acquisition will do good things for my career, which makes me wonder why he’s so interested in this place.

“Do you mind if I have a look around?” I ask.

“Sure, sure, of course. Do whatever you need to do. I know you need to report back to those big-wigs.”

After shaking hands once more, I head out into the dank hall again. The flickering lights have me wondering if they might have electrical issues on top of the other problems. Whoever takes this place on is going to have one hell of a mess. The more I walk around, the more problems I see.

As I make my way towards the rink, I realize I haven’t stepped foot on an ice rink since I left town. I’m not a skater, but I used to come here all the time. At first, it was because my parents forced me to come watch my brother Todd. But then, it was to watch Winny. I could never get enough of watching her skate. She was magic on ice. She and my brother were an incredible sight when they skated together, which was most of the time. Even now, I feel a pang of jealousy when I think of them and the closeness they had. It’s hard to believe they no longer skate together.

The joyful shrieks of children have my attention turning to the ice. My eyes immediately lock on the center of the ice. My body goes rigid at the unexpected sight. There, surrounded by four giggling little girls, is a laughing Winny.

Her melodious voice rings out as she sings the Hokey Pokey and turns herself in a circle, pretending to almost fall. The little girls copy her moves and erupt in laughter as they lose their balance and tumble to the ground. Her eyes light up as she watches the girls and their silly antics. Winny is clearly enjoying herself.

After she helps them all to their feet, they make their way towards the exit. Her attention is on her students, but my focus is fully on her. The way she glides effortlessly on the ice has always had the power to enthrall me. The snug way her black leggings hug her slender hips brings back memories of the way my hands used to grip her tightly against me. And her thin red sweater emphasizes the outline of her small, pert breasts. Breasts that I used to hold and caress. She still has the same athletic body as before, yet something seems different now. She moves with a surety and maturity that I swear wasn’t there in the past.

I’m partially obscured by a large pole, and Winny’s attention is on her young students. She doesn’t notice me standing near the rink’s exit until she’s almost beside me. Even on ice skates, her petite five feet two-inch height barely reaches my chin.

“Hi, Winny.”

Her startled blue eyes shoot up to meet mine. I see the recognition flash in her gaze and then the immediate dismissal as she turns away without a word.

She leans down towards the girls and points towards the waiting area. “Okay, girls. I see your moms out there. You did such a fantastic job today. I’ll see you Friday for our next lesson!”