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Her heart stuttered and hot emotion seared the space behind her eyes. Voice cracking, she brushed at a single tear before it could reach her cheek. “Thank you, Mathew.”
23
Tristan
Tristan would like to say it hadn’t bothered him when he returned to the booth with the pocketknives to find Dianna gone. He wanted to believe that she had just wandered off because he’d taken too long with Mathew. It was understandable that she wouldn’t want to sit around waiting.
But there was this teeny voice in his head that reminded him what it felt like to be abandoned by the person he loved. He’d loved Erika. She’d claimed to love him. But when things got hard, she left.
That wasn’t love.
Dianna had wandered far enough that Tristan knew in his gut that she was leaving. He would have called her on it right then and there, but with Mathew watching and having just told him he was in love with her, he felt like he was up against a wall.
Something was wrong. He didn’t know what it was, but he could feel it right down to his toes. Dianna had some form of discontent, and if he didn’t figure out what it was, then all of them might end up hurting.
He wrapped his skate laces around his fingers and pulled tight until his fingertips turned white. Right now he had the chance to collect his thoughts before he had to speak to her. It wasn’t healthy for him to be comparing her to Erika, so he needed to stop that way of thinking immediately. Dianna was different, with completely separate quirks and struggles. If he could just figure out what was bothering her, then their little picture-perfect Christmas could resume.
Tristan lifted his head and watched as Dianna and Mathew scuffled across the ice, skaters passing them and giving them a wide berth. Mathew hadn’t been ice-skating in a year or so, and he wasn’t as steady on his feet as he probably wanted to be. It was just as well that Dianna appeared to have a similar talent for moving across the ice.
At least they seemed to be getting along. The tension that had hung in the air since Mathew’s blow-up was worse than their first meeting.
Dianna smiled and said something to Mathew, who then responded. They still held hands as they skated. His heart warmed, breaking free from the concern and distress it had gone through when he couldn’t find her earlier.
He’d overreacted. Tristan could see that now. She wasn’t going anywhere. And if she had wanted to leave, she would have told him.
Tristan got to his feet, the skates digging into his ankles like they were supposed to. He glided across the ice with a grace that rivaled about half of the people skating. When he passed Dianna and turned around so he could watch her reaction as he skated backward, he wasn’t disappointed. Her mouth fell open slightly and she let out a laugh.
“You’ve been holding out on me,” she said.
He shrugged. “I like skating.”
“You never said you did.”
“Well, to be fair, I can’t do it very often. Between work, Mathew, and the changing seasons, it’s hard to make time for it.”
Her eyes swept over him from head to toe. “You’re obviously a natural. I guess I should have figured, seeing how Mathew is skating better than I am.” Dianna’s statement put a smile on Mathew’s face that stretched from ear to ear.
While everything seemed to have settled down on the surface, he couldn’t help but feel like this was the calm before the storm. Dianna caught him staring at her and she stared back just a moment longer than he expected. It unnerved him somewhat. Was she trying to tell him something?
He’d have to figure out a way to get her alone so they could have that discussion. Too many unknowns lingered in the air.
“Dad.”
Tristan jumped and glanced down at Mathew. “What, buddy?”
“Show Miss Dianna your tricks.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t think Dianna wants to see—”
“Yes, I do.”
He lifted his gaze, finding her staring at him once more. Was it in his imagination? Or did a whole conversation pass between them in that moment?
Yep. Definitely in his imagination.
Dianna’s smile was enough to make him throw aside his misgivings. “Alright. But just remember, you asked for it.” Tristan turned around and tightened his body, crouching as he picked up some speed. He could feel them watching him, and it only spurred him to push himself harder. Once he got to the appropriate velocity, he leapt into the air and spun around like a cyclone, completing a near-perfect double axel jump. He landed a little funny on his foot enough to send a sharp pain up his leg, then stumbled a few paces to keep himself from falling on his face.
Several spectators clapped. He nodded to them as he made his way back to where Dianna and Mathew waited. His ankle pulsed with the throbbing pain, but it wasn’t sprained or broken, and he’d be able to continue skating for a little while before it caused too much trouble.
