Cadence of Cranberries - Valerie Comer Page 0,62

Julia that. Wouldn’t that be fun? “But we’ve both moved on. There’s nothing to repair with my ex, though I’m working on my girls.”

Wade nodded, his gaze quizzical.

Charlie glanced up the metal steps to West Main then turned back to Wade. “You know everyone around here?”

The guy chuckled. “Pretty much. It’s a tight-knit neighborhood.”

“How about Winnie Santoro?”

And Wade’s eyebrows lifted right into his stocking cap. “You’re Charlie the coffee guy.”

Was that a good thing to be known for, or not?

Chapter Twenty-Three

“But I don’t want to go ice-skating. It’s cold out there.” And no Charlie to keep her warm.

“Oh, come on.” Gabriella swept her hair into a ponytail. “You’re always saying we should do more stuff as a family. Now that we want to go skating with you, you’re trying to bail?”

“We could do something else. Like bowling, maybe.”

“Anyone seen my vest I got for Christmas?” yelled Landon from the basement.

“Have you looked in the hall closet?” Gabby hollered back, sounding so much like a mini-Winnie that she stifled a grin.

Winnie was outnumbered, but why did her kids insist on the one thing she and Charlie had done as a date? Had they forgotten? Or maybe in their teenage minds, it wasn’t significant. The Skate Ribbon was one of the few wintry activities they could do within a short drive, other than tobogganing in a nearby park. Skating would definitely be easier on her body than hurtling down a steep slope on a spinning inner tube and crashing into who-knew-what at the bottom. Easier on her emotions? Not so much.

“Fine!” She threw up her hands. “I’ll come, but don’t nag me if I spend half my time sipping hot chocolate by the fire pit.”

Gabby rolled her eyes. “Get changed, Mom. Britt and Ava are meeting us there in half an hour.”

They really were conspiring against her. She should be thankful they cared for her this much and wanted to hang out with her. She should... but at the moment, she wanted some alone time to think and pray over the mess with Charlie. Not happening tonight.

Winnie changed into a warm sweater and thick leggings. By the time she was ready, her three teens had gathered by the back door, with Landon twirling the keys to the van. Why argue? They were determined and united.

A few minutes later, Landon parked in a packed lot near the Skate Ribbon. Winnie headed toward the ticket counter, but Gabby rested her hand on Winnie’s arm. “We’ve got this.”

“Okay?” Things were getting curiouser and curiouser, but she could go along with it. Gabby put in a lot of hours at the bakery around her college schedule, while Landon worked seasonally for Bridgeview Backyards, his cousins’ organic box program. Both of them had money stashed away, and Britt and Ava had full-time jobs. If the kids wanted to treat, be her guest.

“Hi, Aunt Winnie.” Ava slung an arm over her shoulders from one side while Brittany did the same from the other. The two of them guided her between other parked cars toward the Skate Ribbon. Gabby and Landon returned with everyone’s wristbands, and they headed over to lace up their skates.

Winnie frowned as she caught sight of a young couple on the other side. That sure looked like Dominic and Katri but, of course, it wasn’t. They were in Seattle. “You kids are acting strange.”

Except for Gabby looking up from her phone. Always texting, that girl. “What do you mean?”

Winnie finished tying her laces and crossed her arms. “Tell me what’s going on.”

The kids glanced between themselves. Gabby tapped a bit more, then tucked her phone away. She grinned at her mother, looking more Cheshire Cat and less human. “Let’s go.”

“Gabriella Maria Santoro.”

“Ooh, the whole moniker.” Landon elbowed his sister. “Got your skates done up, Mom?”

Maybe it wasn’t Dominic over there, but her kids were definitely up to something. Winnie stood and stomped her skates a couple of times. “Sure. Let’s go.”

Landon held out his elbow to her, and she blinked as she took it. A Senior in high school and turning into a gentleman. How had that happened? You’d be proud of him, Al. But this time, the thought wasn’t filled with pain, just reality.

They’d done one loop of the Ribbon when they caught up to the young couple she’d seen in the lace-up area. The jackets… the grin… she knew.

“Dominic!” Winnie gasped her son’s name as she angled toward the boards.

“May I cut in?” Charlie’s voice.

Winnie toed to a stop, and another skater dodged