Page 15 of Capture The Moment

Chapter 5

Daisy announced Will’s arrival before the doorbell rang, barking excitedly and turning in spastic circles until Harper opened the door. She’d debated about putting Daisy in her crate beforehand, but then decided that leaving her out would be a good test to see whether Will liked dogs. She’d already decided she couldn’t date someone who didn’t.

“Hey, there,” Will said, giving Harper a sweet smile before bending down to scratch Daisy behind her ears. “And who do we have here?”

“This is Daisy,” Harper replied happily. Daisy seemed happy too as she pawed at Will’s pant leg, asking to be picked up. She never does that with Finn, Harper thought.

“Is it ok if I pick her up?”

“Sure, as long as you don’t mind a few dog hairs on your clothes.”

“Not at all. I grew up with dogs, so I’m used to it.”

Will scooped up Daisy and held her against his black leather jacket. Harper had been too distracted when he’d first come in to notice that he wore his Burberry scarf tucked inside his coat. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

“I’m all set to go,” she said, picking up the tote bag that held her ice skates, hat, and mittens.

“Here, let me carry that for you,” Will said before gently setting Daisy back down.

Harper handed him her tote bag, waved goodbye to Daisy, and followed him out the door.

Will gallantly opened the passenger door for her, set the tote bag in the back seat, and then slid into the driver’s seat. He’d already put on her seat heater, and the car was toasty warm. Maybe dating isn’t going to be so bad after all, she thought as they drove away. So far, Will had been the perfect gentleman, and the fact that Daisy liked him was a definite plus!

“So, you said you grew up with dogs. Does that mean you don’t have one now?”

“No. I’m not home enough to take care of one. Someday, though. So, when’s the last time you’ve been ice skating?”

“Oh, gosh. It must have been about two or three years ago, but I used to love it as a kid. Every year, my parents made an ice rink in our backyard, and my sister and I would skate until our hands and feet went numb.”

“I grew up on a lake, so I played ice hockey a lot. Still do occasionally.”

“You must be a pretty good skater, then.”

“I do ok.”

They chatted about a variety of other topics on the way to the ice rink, and any nerves Harper had leading up to today vanished. Once they reached the rink, he insisted on paying her way, another sweet gesture, and then they laced up their skates and headed out on the ice.

Harper bobbled a bit when she first stood up on her skates, but Will took hold of her elbow and kept a light grip on it until she felt steadier. After a few times around the rink, her confidence returned, and they skated side by side with ease, current pop music playing in the background. Somehow, gliding across the ice made her feel younger and lighter, like a weight had been lifted. It was almost like she was her old self again, the self she’d been before Blake had died.

“Having fun?” Will asked, his smile as big as hers.

“Yes!”

“Let me know when you want to take a break.”

“I will,” she said, and then she pushed herself to skate a little faster, challenging him to keep up with her. Don’t get too cocky, she thought as she swooped around the turn.

She recalled her and McKayla zipping around the ice rink in their backyard, pretending to be famous ice skaters. Their attempts at spinning and jumping usually resulted in them falling on their behinds, but they’d gotten back up and tried again. What she wouldn’t have given to be that young again, when life had been simple, unhurried, and unmarred by tragedy.

She was lost in thought when, suddenly, a little girl in front of them stumbled and fell, causing Will and Harper to have to veer out of the way. Will executed the move perfectly, but Harper turned too sharp, and the next thing she knew, she was flying across the ice on her side until she careened into the board.

Will, having looked back and seen it happen, hurriedly skated toward her, and kneeling on the ice, he asked, “Are you ok? Is anything broken?”

“Just my pride,” Harper said, attempting to stand up.

“Here. Let me help.”

Will held out his arms, and she clamped her wrists around them to help herself up. Once she was standing, she bobbled again and ended up giving him a mini chest bump. “Oops, sorry,” she said, feeling embarrassed about falling and then smashing her boobs against him.