Hold Tight

“I gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“And Madison?”

“Hmm?”

“Stop smelling the help.”

“Ha, ha!” I ended our call.

Isaac was probably right. I was making a mountain out of a molehill. I worked on my homework until Dad came back into the kitchen.

“So who gets the job?” I asked him.

“They’re both qualified.” Dad grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and took a seat across from me. “Caden has more overall experience, but Reed has a carpentry background. That might come in handy.”

“I’d go with Reed,” I said and closed the book I’d been reading. I felt ninety-five percent better about Caden after talking to Isaac, but there was still a tiny part of me that wasn’t sure I wanted him working with my dad. “Caden’s too young to have done everything he said he has.”

“Caden gave me references. Reed didn’t.”

“Reed looks like a hard worker.”

Dad chuckled and took a swig of beer.

“What?” I asked.

“You only like Reed because he’s a pretty boy.”

“That’s not true.” The part about me liking him, that is. Under the work clothes, Reed was definitely a pretty boy. “I have a boyfriend, remember?”

“Doesn’t mean you’ve become blind to other guys.”

“I’m so not having this conversation with you.” I got up and shoved my chair under the table, annoyed that he thought I’d judge a person by looks alone. If he wanted to know the truth, Caden was just as attractive as Reed. Only, Caden’s dark features and five o’clock shadow gave him a mysterious bad-boy appearance, whereas Reed’s baby blues and shy demeanor made him seem more like the boy next door.

Neither of them had the down to earth, boy-you-want-to-be-with quality Isaac had.

“You’re the one that’ll have to work with the guy,” I said. “So if you hire Caden and find out he doesn’t know the difference between a drywall screw and a wood screw, don’t complain to me.”

I left him to think about that.

Chapter 10 The Inquisition

Thursday after school, I slipped my lambswool turtleneck sweater over a thermal top, put on an extra pair of socks, and grabbed my pink ski jacket. It wasn’t until I dug through the pile of discarded clothes, shoes, and other miscellaneous items at the bottom of my closet and found the floor that I remembered Brea had the boots I was looking for.

Two sharp honks let me know Isaac was out front. I stepped into my sneakers, grabbed my ice skates, and hurried outside. Fifteen minutes later, we were at the open-air ice rink that had been erected in the heart of Gloucester.

It had snowed the night before, blanketing the grass with a light layer of powdery white fluff. The sun shone bright, warming the air and making high-thirties seem comfortable. The outdoor rink was already hopping with skaters. For the first time since I’d known Isaac, he didn’t emanate confidence.

“I’m not so sure about this,” he whined as he stumbled onto the ice. “If man was supposed to balance on thin blades, God wouldn’t have made our feet flat.”

We’d been outside for less than ten minutes, and his nose was as red as the daisies Brea had given me. He hugged the white safety wall with gloved hands. I glided by him, doing a basic upright spin before coming to a stop.

“Show off,” he mumbled.

I stifled my laughter and fixed his skullcap so that I could see his beautiful eyes better. Then I snaked under his arm to offer support. “I’ll help you.” When he kept one hand firmly planted on the wall, I added, “You’re going to have to let go.”

“Right.”

Frowning, he cautiously raised his fingers a few inches above the wooden barrier. I wrapped my arm around his waist and guided us forward. We’d gone maybe three feet when Isaac tried to take a step. A rapid stomp-stomp-stomp followed. Isaac grunted, his arms flailed, and then we were sprawled across the ice.

“What did I tell you,” he joked as he untangled his skate from mine.

I smiled. “Next time try skating and not walking.”

He pulled me closer so that I was practically sitting on his lap. “We could take off these ridiculous contraptions and go get a cup of hot chocolate.”

I gave him a peck on the lips. “Tempting, but we just got here. We might as well go once around the rink before we leave.”

At the rate we were moving, that might take an hour.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re determined to get me out there.”

“I haven’t been skating all year, and I really miss it.” In the past, Kaylee, Sarah, and I would hit the ice the first weekend they opened the skate park, but now that we each had boyfriends and I’d been stuck watching Chase all the time, our schedules hadn’t synced up. “It’s a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.”

“Of course you think it’s fun. You can stand on these things.” He kicked the heel of his blade into the ice, leaving a thin groove behind. “Did you take lessons?”

“I had a couple. My mom loved being out here. She got me my first pair of skates when I was seven. I think they’re still in my closet.” Actually, I knew they were. I’d found them when looking for my boots. “She said I was a natural and signed me up for skate lessons through the park district. Nothing serious, but I did learn a few tricks.”

“So you love skating because your mom loved it.”

“Yep.”

He sighed. “Fine. No more arguments from me.”

“Thank you.” I stood and held out my hand, but Isaac didn’t take it.

Instead, he yanked off his glove and ran his fingers over the long steel runner on his skates. I caught the scent of vanilla and spearmint. This time, when I pulled him to his feet, he didn’t wobble. We glided almost gracefully several times around the rink.

“You cheated and put a spell on your skates, didn’t you?” I asked. Not that I was complaining. The cool air caressing my cheeks felt exhilarating, and with Isaac able to stay on his feet, he enjoyed himself too.

Isaac grabbed my hand, pulling me forward to face him. With his free hand on the small of my back, we skated as one. He smirked moments before his eyes lit with mischief and his powers encompassed us. Spearmint kissed the crisp winter air. A squeal escaped my lips as we twirled, moving through the other skaters like we’d been doing it all our lives.

At the far side of the rink, we came to an elegant stop. Isaac’s strong arm held me in a low dip inches above the ice.

I giggled. “Okay, I forgive you for using witchcraft.”

“That’s really nice of you,” he teased. His mouth brushed mine, and I automatically drew in my powers. He pulled me out of the dip and lifted me to my toes as his chilly lips moved over mine. After a few seconds, he asked, “You ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah.” I nudged him with my arm. “Thanks for sticking it out.”

“It was my pleasure.” He gave me one of his crooked smiles and bumped my shoulder with his.

We followed the flow of skaters around the rink until we reached the exit.