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“Why don’t you tell me what’s got you in this state?”
“I wish I knew who sent the journals.”
“You have no idea who did?”
“Maybe I should call his sister.”
Bree hadn’t kept in touch with Zack’s family after the funeral. The conversation would be awkward, but maybe she’d get some closure.
Red pulled up to the town park.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Follow me.” They walked down a path that wandered into a heavily treed area.
Bree could hear voices and children’s laughter. Both grew louder the further they walked. The sidewalk made a turn, and the canopy of trees opened into an area crowded with children skating on an ice rink. Red walked over to the concession stand and ordered two hot chocolates and two pairs of skates.
“What size shoe do you wear?” he asked.
“Oh no, I’m not getting out there. I’ll wait right here for you.”
“Give me a size seven,” she heard him say to the teenager manning the counter. How had he known that was the size she wore?
Red sat down on the closest bench. “Come on. You know you want to.”
She didn’t want to, but Red was so good to her, how could she refuse to ice skate with him if that’s what he wanted to do?
For the next hour, they skated around and around the rink. Christmas music played from speakers on top of the concession stand, and the skaters sang along.
“Look who’s here,” he said, pointing to the skater coming on the ice, dressed as Santa Claus.
The children out on the rink skated over and crowded around him.
“I brought my daughter here every Christmas from the time she could walk.”
“I’m sorry, Red.”
He looked at her, brow furrowed. “What for?”
“Being a spoilsport.”
He smiled at her in the way her father probably would’ve, took her hand, and led her around the rink.
“That’s enough for me,” he said on their third lap.
“Me too. Thank you for bringing me here, Red.”
“My pleasure, Bree.”
“All that skating made me hungry,” he said once they were back in the truck and warm.
“I could eat.”
“What are you hungry for?”
“Anything, really. Whatever you feel like is fine with me.”
“Okay, then.” Red started the truck and drove out to the highway. “It isn’t too far from here.”
