“No!” Emmie put her hand in front of her mouth so Dasher wouldn’t see her laughing. “He didn’t?”
“Oh yes he did!” Ruby said and looked back at Dasher. “Didn’t you? You don’t like Rudolph, do you?”
Dasher did a sharp loud bark as he continued to stare at the mug Emmie was holding.
She quickly put it down. “Okay, got it,” Emmie said, half serious. “There must be some kind of reindeer rivalry we won’t know about.”
When Emmie and Ruby shared a laugh, Dasher barked again, but this time he was wagging his tail.
“So are you hungry?” Ruby asked Emmie.
“I am, and whatever I’ve been smelling for breakfast is making me even hungrier.”
Ruby looked pleased. “Then you’re in luck. I’ve just started making some waffles in case you wanted some, and I’m also freezing some for a dessert I always do at Christmas.”
Emmie gave Ruby a curious look. “A Christmas dessert with waffles? Sounds like my kind of dessert. What is it?”
“It’s really simple,” Ruby said. “My mom used to make it for my brothers and sisters and me. She would make regular waffles but then take three of the squares and stack them up, putting whipped cream and strawberries in between them, and then putting chocolate fudge and butterscotch sauce over the top, enough so they drip down the sides.”
Emmie’s mouth dropped open. “Wow! That sounds—”
“Decadent. I know,” Ruby said.
“I was going to say delicious!” Emmie said. “I definitely want to try that before I go.”
Ruby smiled back at her. “We can make that happen. I also do this version where I do eggnog waffles and a marshmallow mix for the filling.”
“Like a Christmas s’more,” Emmie said excitedly.
Ruby laughed. “Something like that. We’ll have to try a few versions out, and you can tell me what ones you like the best.”
“Deal!” Emmie said. As she sat down, she noticed a pretty crystal pitcher of what looked like syrup. She pointed to it. “I think that’s what I smelled from my room. Maple syrup, right?”
“That’s right,” Ruby said. “And it’s the real deal. It comes from New Brunswick, Canada. I have a best friend who lives there, Heather, and she has friends who have a maple tree farm. She always sends me a fresh batch of syrup every Thanksgiving, so I have it for the holidays.”
“Wow, that is something to be thankful for,” Emmie said. “I need a friend like that!”
“Well, you can have as much as you like while you’re here,” Ruby said. “I saw Sam last night and he told me how much he enjoyed the dinner. That was very nice of you to let him join you.”
Emmie shrugged it off. “I wasn’t going to let the guy starve, and he was right, I had to eat. I’m actually glad I did, because the meal you made was phenomenal. You should have a restaurant.”
“I did once,” Ruby said, “when I was much younger, but it was a lot of work and involved some really long hours. I was also working here at the inn, so when my parents passed away, it just made more sense for my husband and me to take over running the inn. I still get to do a little cooking with our breakfasts here and the occasional special dinners.”
“Well, I for one am very grateful for your talents,” Emmie said. “I don’t even think I’ll tell Grant he missed all his favorites. He’d be heartbroken.”
“We can always do another dinner for Grant.”
“Thank you. That’s very sweet, but it’s okay. I was up last night adding to our schedule, and we have every minute planned, and all our meals, too. So we should be in good shape,” Emmie said. “Although I’m sure if you have any cake left over, he’d love to try some. I can’t wait to see what he thinks about the Christmas twist I added.”
Emmie noticed the table was set only for her. “So Sam already ate?”
Ruby nodded. “He was up early. He’s already left.”
“Oh.” Emmie’s smile faded. She was surprised that she felt disappointed. She hadn’t expected him to leave so early. She had thought she’d have a chance to say goodbye.
“I’ll go get your waffles ready,” Ruby said. “I know you want to keep on schedule. I heard that alarm of yours go off already.”
Emmie glanced down to Dasher, who was sitting by her feet. “You probably mean you heard Dasher howling. He’s definitely not a fan. I’m sorry about that. The app was just telling me it was time to eat breakfast, and here I am, so we’re right on track. This app is the best.”
Ruby nodded. “Okay, then let’s keep you on track. I’ll be right back with the waffles. What about some strawberries and whipped cream?”
Emmie’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please. That sounds perfect.”
Chapter Sixteen
Thanks to her On Track app, Emmie made sure that even with her fabulous breakfast, she still got to the ice skating rink at ten in the morning, right on schedule. She’d actually arrived at nine-fifty, so technically she was ten minutes early. Emmie’s habit of always being on time or early was one of the reasons she was so successful running the community center. At the center there was always more work to do than the time to do it, so being organized was key.
When a gust of wind blew by, she shivered and checked the weather app on her phone and found out it was nineteen degrees, but it felt more like seven degrees with the wind chill. She zipped up her red ski jacket. She was ready. She was bundled up, wearing a Christmas sweater underneath her coat, and her silk long johns beneath her jeans that accented her slim figure and long legs. She was also looking festive in her red hat, scarf, and mittens.
Whenever she wore this ensemble, Denise always called her Miss Christmas, and she took that as a compliment. She had the same hat, scarf, and mitten set in emerald green; she’d bought them on sale after Christmas. Thinking about it now, she couldn’t believe that was almost ten years ago. Both sets were pretty worn out, but she liked that they were handmade by a friend of her mom’s, so until she found something she liked better, old or not, they would have to do. She was hoping to find something to buy at Christmas Point so she could have a memory of this time with Grant.
Before she left the inn, she’d tried to call him, but it went straight to voice mail. She figured he was probably at the gym, getting in one more workout before their vacation. She sent him a quick text saying that she couldn’t wait to see him. She hadn’t heard anything back from him yet, but told herself not to worry. She knew he was probably just rushing around doing everything he needed to before driving up there.
Lacing up her rental skates, she could feel her anticipation build as she watched other skaters glide by. She loved the way the rink was decorated for Christmas. Right in the middle of the rink, there was a giant Christmas tree that you could skate around. She noticed how a lot of the skaters were taking pictures and selfies by the tree. It was decorated with red lights and red and gold Christmas balls, with gold glittering garland wrapped around the entire tree. At the very top was a huge sparkling gold star.
Emmie could only imagine that if this tree was this beautiful now, how amazing it must look at night. She got out her phone, opened her On Track app, and added a trip to see the tree at night to her epic Christmas list of things to do with Grant.
After she put her phone away, she sat up straight and with a big smile on her face stood up. “Okay, let’s do this!” When her ankles buckled together, she quickly grabbed the railing. “Whoa! So maybe this isn’t as easy as I remember.” Concentrating on not doing an ice-rink face-plant, she kept a tight grip on the railing as she stepped out onto the ice.
She frowned, looking down at her feet. Mentally she was ready to skate, but when she let go of the railing, her weak ankles betrayed her. They buckled and wobbled. She quickly grabbed hold of the edge of the rink again.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked, staring down at her ankles. She couldn’t understand why her legs felt like Jell-O. She was in great shape. She ran almost every morning, either outside or in the gym, but a
pparently this wasn’t helping her skating skills.
She was jealous as she watched other people gracefully glide by. They all made it look so easy. Surely she could do this. She used to skate and thought getting on the ice again would be just like riding a bike.
She took a deep breath and got ready to try once more. As she let go of the edge and tentatively glided one foot forward, she thought she was doing great until she tried to slide her other foot forward and her knees knocked together. She lost her balance and went down hard on the ice, landing on her bottom, the one thing that didn’t have any extra padding on today. She sat there on the ice, both legs sticking out in front of her. She took a second to catch her breath.
“Okay, so it’s not like riding a bike,” she muttered as she tried to figure out the best way to stand back up without killing herself. At least with a bike, she thought, you had a helmet.
“Need some help?”
When Emmie looked up, she was stunned to see Sam standing above her. He was smiling and holding out his hand. “Here, grab my hand.”
“I thought you left this morning,” Emmie said as she tried to swing her legs around so she could stand up more easily. “That’s what Ruby said.”
“So you were asking about me?” Sam teased.
She gave him a look. “No. Well, okay, yes, but only because I figured you’d be there for breakfast. I couldn’t imagine you passing up waffles.”
As he bent down to grab her arm and her other hand, he smiled that irresistible smile and looked into her eyes. “I didn’t. I ate three.”
Emmie laughed as he expertly helped her up. “I knew it.” She was almost standing when her left foot slipped. She would have gone down again if Sam hadn’t held on tight and brought her closer to him.
For a moment, their bodies were touching. They were heart to heart.
“Are you okay?” Sam asked.
When he looked into her eyes, Emmie’s heart raced. Embarrassed, she tried to put some distance between them but almost fell again.
“Whoa.” Sam held her up. “Just take your time.”
Emmie laughed. “I don’t think all the time in the world is going to help me. I’m so sorry. I don’t want to end up dragging you down with me.”
Sam laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m good.”
Emmie gave him an apologetic smile. “Thanks. I really don’t remember skating being this hard.”
“So you’ve skated before?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, when I was ten,” Emmie said.
A young skater whooshed by and did an impressive spin.
Emmie nodded toward the spinning skater. “Just like that.”
Sam looked impressed. “Really?”
Emmie laughed. “No, never.”
They both shared a laugh.
Sam held out his hand. “Okay, let’s give this a try. We’ll start off really slow.”
Emmie looked skeptical. She didn’t take his hand. “You know, I was thinking I might just sit this one out and watch.”
“But then how are you going to get a picture with the tree?” Sam motioned toward the tree and offered her his hand again.
Emmie was torn. She really wanted to get closer to that amazing tree, but she also wanted to protect her body and ego from any more bruises.
Sam gave her a look. “Really? You’re going to pass up an opportunity to see the tree. It’s pretty cool. Up close you can see there are all these handmade pinecone ornaments that I was told children who live here and all over the region have made just for this tree.”
Emmie looked surprised. “Really? I can’t see them.”
“Exactly,” Sam said and again held out his hand to her. When she hesitated, he leaned in and gently took her hand. “I got you. Don’t worry. Trust me.”
Emmie laughed. “I don’t even know you beyond the fact that you stole my boyfriend’s scavenger hunt.”
“After you stole my Christmas Spirit Wreath.”
“Exactly what I’m talking about,” Emmie said. “We’re strangers, and we’re thieves. That is not a good combo.”
Sam laughed. “Maybe that’s a great combo. Sounds like a TV series.”
Now it was Emmie’s turn to laugh. She glanced again at the tree, then back to Sam’s hand holding hers. “Okay, I’ll try.”
“Excellent,” Sam said. “Now, we’ll just take it slow. Hold on to my arm for balance and just glide one foot in front of the other. You don’t have to pick up your feet. Keep the blades on the ice.”
“Easy for you to say,” Emmie said underneath her breath. But by holding on to him for balance, she was able to make a little progress, and slowly they were making their way to the tree. “I think I’m starting to remember. At least my ankles aren’t knocking together anymore.”
“See, I told you. You just needed a great teacher,” Sam said.
Emmie shook her head and laughed. “You really have quite some ego, don’t you?”
Sam stood up straighter with his shoulders back and head held high. “So you’re saying I’m not a great teacher. Are you or are you not almost to the tree without breaking any bones?”
Emmie couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, it is easier holding on to someone. I’ll give you that.”
“Thank you,” Sam said. “I’ll take it. Look! We’re almost there.”
Emmie looked up from where she’d been staring at her feet, making sure they were moving forward and not slipping all over the place, and saw that the giant Christmas tree in the middle of the rink was right in front of them. She was so close she could smell its fresh evergreen scent. She grabbed on the railing around the tree and looked all the way up until she could see the star.
“It’s magnificent,” she whispered, not realizing she’d said it out loud until Sam agreed.
“It sure is,” Sam said. He carefully took a little pinecone ornament off the tree. It was spray-painted gold and had red glitter on it. There was a red ribbon tied to it so you could hang it on the tree. “And see, these are the pinecone ornaments I was telling you about.” He handed the ornament to her. “Pretty cool, right?”
She held it up to the light and watched the glitter sparkle in the sun. “Very cool. I never met an ornament I didn’t like.”
Sam laughed. “That sounds like something my sister would say.”
They shared a smile.
When Emmie handed the pinecone back to Sam, he carefully put it back on the Christmas tree. For a moment, they just stood together admiring the tree until Emmie’s referee whistle alert went off on her phone.
Sam gave her a startled, disapproving look. “What in the world is that?”
Emmie hurried to turn it off. “Hey, don’t judge—”
Sam gave her a look. “Oh, I’m judging. That’s horrible. Was that someone calling?”
“No, that was my On Track app reminding me I have to start wrapping things up here, because Grant should be showing up soon.”
“You need a whistle to tell you that?” Sam laughed.
Emmie threw up her hands, exasperated. “How come no one knows this app and all of you keep giving me such a hard time? It’s one of the top-selling apps, especially around the holidays. It helps keep you on schedule. Grant and I both use it so we don’t miss anything.”
“Anything you’ve scheduled,” Sam said.
“Right. So?” Emmie shot him a questioning look.
Sam shrugged. “I’m just saying that if you’re so overscheduled and you need an app called Track Me—”
“On Track,” Emmie corrected.
“Okay, On Track,” Sam said. “Whatever it’s called. My point is, if you’re so overscheduled that you need an app to remind you what to do, then I think you’re missing a lot. You’re so tied to a schedule you’re missing the chance to be spontaneous and do whatever you want when you want.”
Emmie jumped in. “But I’m already doing what I want, and this way, the app helps me do as much as I can. So I’m actually doing more. Get it?”
Sam shook his
head. “No. I think you’re missing the whole point. Okay, for example, what happens if right now we passed a snowshoeing tour that was about to start—”
Emmie’s eyes grew wide. “Wait, is that a thing? I didn’t know they did tours. Is that happening?”
Sam laughed. “I don’t know. I’m just using it as an example. But if it was happening and it wasn’t on your schedule, you’d have to miss it if you were following your app. See what I mean?”
Emmie gave him a stubborn look. “No, because if it was happening, I would have researched it, and it would have been on my schedule, so I wouldn’t miss anything.”
Sam laughed and shook his head. “I’m not going to win this one, am I?”
Emmie gave him a smug look. “I didn’t know there was going to be a winner and loser, but if there is, then you’re right, I’m definitely going to be the winner.”
Sam laughed again. “Okay, I give up. For now.”
Emmie’s phone rang. Her eyes lit up when she saw it was Grant, and she answered immediately. “Grant! Hi, can you wait just a minute. I’m in the middle of an ice rink.”
“What?” Grant asked, confused.
“Just hold on,” Emmie said. She put the phone on mute and looked at Sam. “It’s probably safer if I take this off the ice.”
Sam immediately held out his arm and she gratefully took it.
“Ready?” Sam asked.
She nodded.
As Sam carefully guided her back to the edge of the rink, she was surprised at how much better she was skating. When they got to the entrance, he helped her off the ice.
“I’m going to go turn my skates in,” he said as he got off the ice, too.
“Okay, thanks,” Emmie said. She unmuted her phone. “Grant? Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” he said.
“Sorry about that. I’m off the ice now, I can talk. So are you almost here?” she asked hopefully.
“I’m working on it,” Grant answered.
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