Page 42 of A New Year In The Presidential Suite

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

LORI

Friday evening, Lori went to her sister’s house, taking her usual place in the guest room, where she had stayed when babysitting the girls over an extended period. Aurelia and her husband were taking a quick trip to Tucson, Arizona, for four days of rest and relaxation. Lori knew that as a doctor’s wife, Aurelia didn’t always get enough time with Gordon. He was the type of GP who even made house calls if his patients were desperate enough.

Aurelia had already stocked the refrigerator and freezer with anything Lori might need to keep the girls nourished. She noticed the two casseroles prepared for them and couldn’t help grinning. It was typical of her sister to do this. Lori ensured that the girls were active, and she and her nieces enjoyed ordering food to be brought in at the end of a busy day. By Sunday, however, a pre-prepared meal would be perfect.

The girls rushed into the kitchen. Sara, at nine, was an active, slender girl whose love of ballet was evident in the way she constantly tried to stand on her toes or twirl around. Lizbeth, a less graceful seven-year-old, was more of a tomboy who declared she was going to play football when she got a little bigger and stronger. Both girls had their mother’s dark hair and their father’s light blue eyes. Sara kept her hair in a long ponytail. Lizbeth’s soft, curling locks fell just to her shoulders and swung about when she moved her head.

“What are we going to do tonight?” asked Lizbeth, giving Lori a gap-toothed grin.

“I thought we’d go to the ice skating rink for some free skating and then get some pizza. Sound like fun?”

“Yes!” Lizbeth cried, jumping up and down.

“Skating and pizza?” said Sara. “Thanks, Aunt Lori.”

“I’m glad we all agree,” said Lori. “We can watch a movie when we get home, and then it’s off to bed for all of us.”

###

As she drove to the local ice skating rink, Lori listened to the girls’ chatter from the back seat. As the older sister, Sara liked to take charge, but Lizbeth held her ground. The interchange reminded Lori of how Aurelia and Flo used to argue for control. Being the youngest, Lori had always known her two older sisters were in charge. It made it easier for her to follow along until it was important to speak out.

“Aunt Lori, will you help me with my skates first?” asked Lizbeth.

“We’ll all need a little time to get our skates on. And when you need help, of course, I’ll be there.” Lori knew enough not to fall for the trap of first or second place.

They walked into the rink and confirmed the high school hockey team had ended their practice, which was why she’d chosen this time to come for a free-skating period.

The high school coach, a friend of Flo and Blake, waved at her, and she waved back. He’d tried to date her right after Nick’s death, and she’d turned him down. Now, he was happily married with a child on the way.

Lori helped the girls with their rental skates and then put her socks and skates on while they moved impatiently beside her.

“There! Done,” said Lori, standing up and moving toward the entrance to the rink.

The three of them went onto the ice at the same time. Lori held on as the girls wobbled beside her and then became more confident. Ice skating had always been a favorite sport of hers growing up. While she had no desire to compete professionally, at one point, she had a teacher who taught her some basic skills.

During the last couple of years, when she found herself going over and over Nick’s death in her mind, she’d discovered that skating was a way for her to let those disturbing thoughts go.

She made sure the girls were comfortable on their own and then took off skating in long, smooth strokes around the rink, going faster and faster until she leapt and spun in the air.

As she landed, the few people who shared the rink with her clapped, along with the girls.

Smiling shyly, Lori bobbed her head and continued skating to where the girls were clinging to the side.

“I want to do that someday,” said Sara.

“Not me. I want to play hockey,” Lizbeth said, pointing to a couple of the boys on the hockey team who’d stopped to watch Lori do her trick.

“Whichever one you choose will require a lot of practice,” said Lori. “C’mon, let’s have fun. Grab my hands, and we’ll do some more skating.”

A while later, they’d all had enough exercise and began taking off their skates in preparation for going out to dinner.

Lori knelt to help the girls get their skates off and was startled when a voice behind her said, “Hello. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

She turned to find Dawn smiling at her.

“Hi,” Lori said. “What are you doing here?”