Page 51 of Snowflakes and Ice Skates

“Don’t worry. There’s still plenty of time before midnight.”

I sighed but nodded. “I’m just anxious.”

“I know. Just try to have fun.” She walked away, talking to the other yoga women while I debated where to go. Just then, there was another knock at the door.

Without getting too excited, I moved to open it. “Hey!” I force a cheerful voice even though it was Hayden and another guy. He looked young like Hayden, with short hair parted and slicked to the side and a sprinkling of acne.

“Hi, Taylor,” Hayden greeted me as they walked in and set their coats aside while looking around. Hayden turned to me and nodded toward his friend. “This is my roommate, Cameron.”

I offer him my hand. “Hi, Cameron, thanks for coming.”

He shook my hand briefly before stepping away. “Thanks for inviting us.”

“There are food and drinks over there.” I pointed to the counter. “And some of the people from your team are already here.”

I gestured toward the group of guys in the corner near the windows, but Hayden’s eyes were stuck on Cora. Oh boy.

Cameron acknowledged me before following Hayden across the room to his target. I watched Cora notice him and smile. It was the same flirty one from when we had lunch with them. Her attraction to him surprised me, but I understood: some connections were just unexplainable.

I was secretly rooting for Hayden. He seemed like a really nice guy, and Cora deserved one of those. Not that the printer guy wasn’t. I was sure he was fine too.

I blew out a breath and went back to considering my options. Should I go introduce myself to the guys hanging around Travis and the other guy from work? Milly and Christy seemed lost in their own world, dancing in circles to the music.

I glanced at the clock. It had only been fifteen minutes since I’d been rescued from Christopher. I needed a distraction. Maybe the food needed to be refilled. I started toward the kitchen, but there was another knock at the door, so I pivoted and opened it.

“Matt!” I smiled and let him inside, along with his wife, Hetti. I’d met her a few times when she’d come in to have lunch with Matt. “Good to see you, Hetti.”

“You too. Thanks for inviting us.” He looked around as he slid off his coat. “Is your man here?”

I widened my eyes at Matt, but he just laughed. “I couldn’t tell him. It’s an epic story.”

I shook my head and turned back to Hetti. “No, he’s not here yet.”

They shared a look, and I wanted to ask them what it meant, but I didn’t want to be teased.

“Don’t worry. He’ll be here,” Matt assures me.

I tried to smile but it fell short. “I hope so.”

Hetti stepped forward and gave me a side hug. “We’ll keep you occupied until he gets here.”

I accepted the diversion and followed them to the living room where they joined Milly and Christy in dancing. I hesitated at first until Hetti grabbed my hands and forced me to move.

After a few minutes, the four of them had me bent over laughing. We were taking turns out doing each other with the most ridiculous dance moves we can imagine.

I hear laughter behind us and turn to see Lane and his friend Mitch watching us. I felt my cheeks heat as I stepped back and smiled at them. “Hi, guys.”

Lane’s eyes sparkled with laughter. “Looks like you guys are having fun.”

I nodded, trying to remain calm while pushing down the tumbling of my stomach. He was really here. I looked over my shoulder before turning back. “Feel free to jump in.”

Mitch looked hesitant, but to my utter astonishment, Lane accepted my challenge and moved into the center of our circle, where he began doing a horrible attempt at the Charleston while also raising the roof.

I burst out laughing. “Oh no! Make it stop!”

Lane focused on me as he broke out the sprinkler move. That pushed me over the edge, and I ended up wiping tears from my eyes. I turned to Mitch and pointed at his friend. “Please tell me this isn’t normal.”

Mitch chuckled and shook his head. “This is the most I’ve ever seen him dance, so it might be the best he has.”