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“Thank you!” She throws herself at me with such force I almost fall over but one of Jas’ guys catches me and steadies us.
“Thanks,” I mutter.
“Can I wear them now? Can I? Can I?”
“Of course baby,” I reply. I know new skates need breaking in, but she’s not going to be doing much skating, and she’s wearing thick socks so I’m sure she’ll be fine. I help her into her new skates and Rowan offers to return the original pair back to the rental for us.
“Mama these are amazing! Thank you so much! This is the best birthday ever!”
“You’re welcome baby. Now, let’s skate. I’ll show you how to turn if you like?”
“Yeah!” Ade claps and tries to jump up and down, wobbling like crazy until I take her arm to steady her. She giggles and together we step back onto the ice and begin to skate, hand in hand.
Aurora and her guys turn up, and she was definitely right about needing to bring them with her to help out on the ice. I don’t expect Ade to remember her, but her face lights up when she sees the doctor and she confidently skates over to say hello. I watch as the doctor introduces Ade to her mates, my little girl taking it all in her stride, chatting away a mile a minute to these total strangers. Normally my insides would twist up with worry watching Ade talk to strangers, but Aurora was right, I’m beginning to see what an amazing community Silver Springs can be if you let it, and like Aurora, this place is definitely beginning to feel like home.
Eventually Ade tires and I have to admit, I’m sort of sweating buckets. Keeping up with Ade on skates is hard. She tells me she’s starving, while eyeing Candela’s Cupcake Shop across the ice, so I doubt it’s hunger and more her sweet tooth has kicked back in. I honestly don’t know how a child of mine ended up with such a sweet tooth. I shake my head and follow Ade across the ice to the exit nearest Candela’s.
“Ade let’s grab cakes to go and we’ll go have them at the coffee shop. I need a drink,” I say, spying Triple E on the other side of the rink. I mean, obviously I’d rather go to Après Ski, but the bar is strictly over eighteens. Or twenty-ones. I don’t know, the whole thing confuses me.
Ade agrees and removes her skates, crossing to Candela’s in just her socks. I copy and follow, glad that we’re not the only ones doing that. Ade orders cupcakes for Jas, her guys, us and Sacha, and I try not to wince at the cost. I mean, they’re not expensive at all, but I’m used to just buying for Ade and me.
Once they’re boxed up and looking super cute and yummy, I lead Ade to Triple E, carrying our skates in hand and tiptoeing across the rubber matting in a desperate attempt to keep my socks dry.
“Mama, does this café belong to a vampire?” she asks way too loudly, staring at the shop’s logo. I hush her in case there are people listening and I usher her inside.
“Hi, welcome to Triple E, what can I get you?” The woman behind the counter asks. She’s wearing a dress with a fitted bodice and flared out skirt in a bright red to match her painted lips. She smiles at me, exposing just a hint of her fangs.
“Oh, erm I’ll have…”
“I want a signature peppermint mocha, please,” Ade announces.
“Let’s make mine the mocha and hers the cocoa version please,” I say hastily. I love my kid but there’s no way in hell she’s having caffeine, even the tiny amount in a mocha.
“Probably a good idea. Don’t want to get them hooked on coffee too early. Although, that might be a good thing. Coffee is the elixir of life.” The server laughs lightly and starts making the drinks.
“Let’s take them outside Ade. There’s some seating so we can keep an eye out for the others joining us, and can watch people skate.”
“Yeah! Good idea, Mama. I hope the foxy-tail lady comes back.”
“Shh, Ade.”
“Here you go!” The woman behind the fifties style countertop slides us our drinks, I pay, and we head outside to sit at one of the two tables. It gives us a good view of the rink as we sip our drinks and inhale the cupcakes. They really are that good.
“What do you want for dinner tonight, baby? Do you want to go somewhere or get takeout?”
“Can we go there?” Ade points across the rink to Hot Cider’s Snack Bar. It’s way closer to the cupcake shop and I curse myself for not seeing it sooner. Honestly, when I came here last week for that awful date I meant to check the place out a little more, but I was obviously distracted. If I’d paid more attention I’d know whether or not Hot Cider’s does food.
“I’ll check it out,” I promise her, pulling out my phone and texting Iclyn to get the details. Her reply comes back instantly.
Iclyn: No good for dinner, they only do popcorn and hard candies.
Me: Bit of a joke, calling it a snack bar then, wtf?!
Iclyn: I know. They’re crazy there. They don’t seem to realize that in Cocovia a snack means we’ll be ordering at least two courses.
Me: Lol! That’s why I love you. You just get the whole foreigner thing! Food was crazy important back home too :(
Iclyn: Turn that frown upside down! Go to Apre`s Ski, the guys tell me their dirty fries are to die for.
