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“Are you sure?” Mindy asked. Valerie nodded again, and Mindy pulled open the front passenger door. “Thanks! This is Noah, by the way.”
The man dipped his chin in greeting as he slid into the back seat. “Nice to meet you. Thank you for the lift.”
“No problem. I’m assuming you’re a friend of Mindy’s?” Valerie asked as she began driving in the direction of the ice-skating rink that Rudolph Hutchins owned.
He and Mindy shared a look, and Valerie thought she caught sight of a slight flush on her friend’s cheeks.
“You could say that,” Noah murmured. “At least, I hope we are.”
“We are.” Mindy nodded, her blush deepening.
“What are you two meeting Shelley at the ice rink for?” Valerie asked. “Is she giving you a lesson or something?”
“Yes,” Mindy said quickly—almosttooquickly.
Suspicion began to percolate in her mind, and Valerie tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she commented, “I thought you already knew how to skate.”
Mindy’s eyes widened a bit, but she shook her head. “I do. I just want to get better. And Shelley offered me and Noah both lessons.”
“I see.” Valerie nodded, her suspicion morphing into certainty. “So, do you know what exactly caused all the road closures in town? I was on my way back home, and I couldn’t seem to get there.”
“Oh… uh,” Mindy fumbled, but Valerie didn’t give her a second longer to come up with a lie.
“Something is up. Clark planned a surprise welcome home party, didn’t he?” Valerie asked with a chuckle. Everything that she’d experienced since driving into the town limits was beginning to make sense as she put the pieces together in her mind.
Mindy’s shoulders deflated a little, her eyes darting sideways, and Valerie grinned.
“That’s it, isn’t it? He set up the road closures to try to lead me where he wanted me. Because there’s a party at the ice rink?”
“Well… maybe. But you have to promise to act surprised,” her friend said, smiling faintly at her.
“Good thing I’m an actress.”
Valerie cast a quick glance at Mindy, giving her a broad grin and hearing Noah chuckle from the back seat. She wanted to know more about this man who was hanging out with her friend, especially since Valerie had never seen him before. The two seemed pretty comfortable in each other’s presence, and she hadn’t missed the shared glances between the two. But as the ice rink and arcade came into view, she realized she didn’t have time to question either of them. She’d have to have a girls’ night with Mindy later and get the full scoop.
She expertly parked her car, noting that Clark’s truck was at the far end of the lot, partially hidden by the shadows of the building, and she guessed that he had hoped she wouldn’t see it.
“Remember,” Mindy said as she climbed out of the passenger seat, Noah sliding out to stand beside her. “Surprised.”
“You’ve got it.” Valerie laughed, giving a little salute as Mindy and her new friend rushed ahead of her into the building.
She took a moment to gather herself, getting in the right headspace to walk into the rink and pretend to be shocked that the people inside had gathered to celebrate her return to town. Once she was certain that her expression was perfectly neutral, she headed toward the main door of the building and stepped through it.
As the door closed behind her, she glanced around the space. She had expected to see her friends and Clark all crowded by the walls of the ice rink, calling out a loud congratulations, but the large room seemed empty. Even Mindy and Noah, who had disappeared inside less than a minute before Valerie, had disappeared.
The rink stood entirely empty, and Valerie strained her ears for any sound within the depths of the large building. The air around her was cold, and the ice in the rink looked freshly resurfaced, but there was no sign of a single soul. Valerie’s mind raced as she tried to figure out where everyone had gone.
“Rudolph?” she called, this time not having to fake the confusion in her tone.
“Valerie! Could you come help me with something?” The old man’s voice filtered out from the long hallway off to the right of the arcade that housed a couple party rooms, the bathrooms, and his office.
Valerie followed the sound, once again reminding herself to act shocked by the surprise party, but when she turned down the hallway, all of those thoughts faded from her mind.
Not a single overhead light was on in the hallway. Instead, a trail of candles lined the sides of the corridor, bathing it in soft, warm light. She took a step, looking closely at the floor and noticing that not only was the hallway lined with candles, but it had been scattered with red rose petals as well.
About halfway down the hall, one of the doors stood wide open. The light emanating from it was a little bit brighter than the light in the hallway, and it wasn’t flickering. That must be where they all were, and they must have turned the dimmers down on the lights.
“Wow. This is quite a romantic setting for—” Valerie began as she walked around the corner and into the room.
