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Clark pulled out her chair for her, motioning for her to sit down before he settled into the chair beside her. As they all filled their plates, Maureen began telling stories about when Clark was younger. The more that Clark’s parents talked to her, the more Valerie found that she liked them.
She liked the easy way they interacted with each other, watching as they shared pointed glances and finished each other’s sentences. It was plain as day that the two of them were still madly in love, and Valerie found herself wanting to emulate that one day.
They finished up the meal, which tasted as good as it looked, and then Maureen and Kenneth gave them both soft smiles.
“I know we said we wouldn’t,” Maureen began.
“But we got you both presents,” Kenneth finished, prompting Clark to chuckle and Valerie to smile.
“I should have known you’d break at least one rule,” Clark joked.
They were ushered back into the living room as Maureen pulled two presents out from under the tree.
“You truly didn’t need to get me anything,” Valerie said as she took the package that had been offered to her.
Maureen waved away the sentiment. “It’s Christmas and we wanted to.”
“Well, thank you, regardless.” Valerie began to peel back the wrapping paper at the same time that Clark did.
Both of them ended up unwrapping beautiful, argyle Christmas sweaters, and Valerie gasped at the sight of hers. It was cream with the print of reindeer along the top, and the material was soft as butter in her hands. She wanted to put it on immediately but figured that might be too much.
“Since it seems like you’re going to be staying for a while, we thought you might need something to keep you warm in Snowy Pine Ridge,” Kenneth explained, smiling at her.
She smiled at them all, looking between her and Clark’s matching sweaters and overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness that had gone into the gifts.
“I plan on staying for a good, long while.” Valerie beamed at all of them before meeting Clark’s gaze. “So it’s absolutely perfect.”
And she meant every single word.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
The day after New Year’s, Valerie stood in front of the ice rink, trying to pluck up the courage to walk in. Earlier that day she’d gone to look at an apartment, one that had a lot of promise and that she was contemplating signing a lease on. She’d also called and hired a packing and moving company, arranging the final details of having all of her belongings shipped to her from California.
But now, there was one thing left for her to do, and it was the most terrifying of all.
Valerie marched forward, grabbing hold of the door and giving it a tug. The sound of people laughing as they skated filled the air, as well as the noise and pinging of the arcade farther into the massive building. But Valerie didn’t care about any of that. Not as she walked through the space, looking for the man who owned it.
She spotted Shelley at the edge of the rink, watching the kids that were practicing their moves and she caught Shelley’s eye. The two women exchanged a quick wave, but Shelley somehow sensed that Valerie wasn’t there to see her.
“He’s in his office,” she called out, nodding her head toward the hallway to Valerie’s right. “The door all the way at the end.”
She didn’t know how Shelley knew that she’d come to see Rudolph, but Valerie was thankful that her friend didn’t seem to expect her to explain it. Instead, Shelley just turned her attention back to her students, and allowed Valerie to walk down the hallway toward her destination.
She hesitated outside of the office door, taking a big, deep breath and blowing it out before raising her fist to knock three times on the wooden surface.
“Come in,” a gruff voice called from behind the door, and Valerie did as she was told.
“Hi, Rudolph,” she said, working her hardest to make sure that her voice remained steady as she spoke.
At the sound of his name, his head shot up in surprise.
“I thought you’d be Shelley,” he muttered, blinking up at Valerie in confusion as she offered him a little smile.
“Well, I’m not. I actually wanted to talk to you if you have a moment?”
He nodded, pointing directly toward one of the seats opposite him at the desk, and she pulled one out and sat in it. The metal was cold, even though the fabric of her clothes, and the bite from it made her feel more alert than she had been when she’d first come in.
“I’m moving to Snowy Pine Ridge,” Valerie began.
