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Valerie turned and strode toward the back of the rink again, seeing Rudolph perched on the Zamboni just beyond the wall. The man’s face was red and his expression unreadable as she got closer to him. But he was definitely refusing to so much as look at her.
For some reason, it made Valerie feel embarrassed as she walked past him, taking up her previous spot along the back wall as Shelley wrapped up and Rudolph drove onto the ice. Valerie didn’t know what she had done wrong, but it was clear that she’d done something. And she made a promise to herself to go find the man and make things right with him as soon as she could.
“You did amazing!”
A voice floated to her from a few feet away, snapping her out of her confusion about Rudolph. Valerie’s head snapped up, finding Clark standing there with a large smile and an even larger bouquet of roses and a teddy bear.
She stood, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug as he kissed her forehead.
“Thank you so much for being here,” she whispered, letting herself relax for a moment in his embrace.
His arms tightened around her, and she reveled in his warmth, soaking it up to help give her strength.
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” he said, his deep voice rumbling where her cheek was pressed to his chest.
“Still, it means more than you could know.”
He leaned down and kissed her, sending her stomach into a freefall just as the Zamboni trundled its way back toward them, the ice now smooth, glistening, and ready for the next performance. Valerie’s eyes tracked the movement of the massive machine and the man on top of it, before glancing back up at Clark.
“I’ll come out and watch the rest of the show with you from the seats in just a sec. Is that okay?”
A confused look fluttered across his handsome face, but he didn’t pepper her with questions. Instead, he just nodded before kissing her on the forehead once more and then walking back toward his seat. The moment Clark was out of view, she set the flowers and bear down by her bag and walked in the direction that Rudolph had disappeared in.
Valerie found him just as he was turning the machine off and climbing off of it. The old man must have heard her approach, because as soon as she rounded the corner his eyes were on her.
“Sorry,” he grunted a little awkwardly, his eyes darting down to the ground instead of at her. “But I’m a bit…”
“I’m sorry for whatever I did to you,” Valerie blurted, not meaning to cut him off but not wanting him to run off before she was able to apologize.
“What?” he asked, his dark brows knitting together as he cocked his head slightly.
Valerie let out a shaky breath. “I’ve noticed a bit of tension between us today, and I’m not entirely sure why. So I just wanted to say I’m sorry if I did something to offend you. I can’t say that I recall doing anything, but whatever it was, I assure you I…”
“It’s not that.” Rudolph was shaking his head.
The old man blew out a breath before walking over to lean against the nearby wall. He seemed to be struggling to find his words, and Valerie kept her distance as he took the time he needed to consider what he would say.
“I knew your mother,” he said after what felt like an eternity. “Paula. I knew her. I loved her. I…”
His voice broke, and Valerie watched as he reached into his pocket with a shaking hand, pulling out a picture and extending it to her. Her mind was reeling as she walked forward and took it, finding it to be a picture of a handsome young man with his arm slung over the shoulder of a much younger version of her mother.
“I don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head as she glanced from the picture to the man in front of her and back again.
So Rudolph began to explain. As more details about his love story with her mother came pouring out of him, her head started to ache. And by the time he finished, Valerie found that she didn’t know what to say. She felt overwhelmed with the information, and she needed a moment to process.
She glanced back at Rudolph and found that he was wearing an expression that matched her own, and she knew that neither of them were exactly ready to finish the conversation.
“Thank you for telling me,” Valerie said, finding her voice thick and raspy with emotion. “I just… I think I need a minute.”
She extended the picture back to him, and Rudolph took it, folding it back lovingly into his pocket as he nodded. He didn’t say anything else as Valerie turned and walked away, feeling more awkward than she ever had in her life as she made her way toward Clark.
The moment he saw her he knew that something was wrong, and he gave her a concerned look. Valerie could tell he wanted to ask her about it, but she just shook her head.
“Later,” she promised as she took the seat next to him.
Clark nodded and they both turned their attention toward the rink, where the next group of kids were coming out to take their positions.
Later,she promised herself. She’d think about it all later. And Valerie allowed herself to get distracted by the performance in front of her, and the steady warmth of the man at her side.
