afternoon.
“There’s a skating rink set up in the town square,” she mentioned, hoping that her tone came across more casual than eager. She was the Christmas lady, just as Georgie had said.
A Christmas lady with an undecorated and unlit tree in her living room. She couldn’t help it; until she knew where it came from, it didn’t really feel like hers. Still, she knew that she would decorate it soon. Perhaps even tonight, that was, if she wasn’t too tired from a few laps around the rink…
“They still do that?” Phil grinned fondly. “My grandfather took me one time. I’ll never forget it.”
“Of course they still do it,” Cora said. “It’s tradition.”
“Blue Harbor has a lot of those, I’m noticing,” he said, before quickly adding, “Not that I’m complaining.”
“My, my, we may just get you into the spirit of things after all,” Cora said, and without any further discussion, they walked toward the town square together.
The gazebo was wrapped in garland secured by bright red bows, and Mrs. Knorr was standing beside a makeshift booth, a pile of skates behind her.
“Cora, lovely to see you, dear,” she said warmly.
Cora knew that Mrs. Knorr had once been good friends with the Keatons, but she wasn’t sure if Mrs. Knorr had ever met Phil, or would even recognize him, given how many years it would seem it had been since he’d been back to town.
“This is Phil and Georgie Keaton,” she said by way of introduction.
Mrs. Knorr’s face lit up in recognition. “Phil Keaton! Why, I recognize you! Well, it’s been years of course. My husband and I often traveled the week you would come to town in the summer, as luck would have it. But you came for Christmas one year…”
Phil cleared his throat. “Yes. Once.”
Cora glanced at him, noticing the frown line between his eyebrows that had replaced the earlier light in his eyes. “Well, this is Georgie’s first Christmas here in Blue Harbor, and I think she’s eager to skate!”
Mrs. Knorr smiled at the little girl and collected their shoe sizes before handing over the skates.
“Be careful, Georgie,” Phil warned, as Georgie hurried onto the ice.
She turned and gave him a funny look. “I know how to skate, Dad. I’ve taken lessons before.”
Phil frowned as they watched Georgie skate off, sure on her feet, a smile on her face.
“I didn’t know she took lessons,” he said quietly.
Cora set a hand on his arm, hoping she wasn’t being overly familiar, and liking the sensation of his close proximity to her. “It can’t be easy living so far away from her most of the time.”
“No,” Phil said, closing his eyes briefly, “it’s not. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t notice a lot of these things even when we lived in the same house. I was just starting my company, and, well…”
“Starting a business takes a lot of time and effort. I understand, and I’m just running a holiday shop,” she said.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” he said. He looked at her for a minute. “Any business is an investment.”
Cora finished tying her laces and stood up. “For me it was an easy one. My mother left us each a small amount of money. There was no better use for my share than a shop dedicated to the season she loved most.”
Cora smiled, but Phil didn’t match it. He was looking out, over the ice, frowning.
Cora followed his gaze, wondering if Georgie had slipped or gotten hurt. But she was practicing a spin now, oblivious to the two adults making their way onto the slick surface.
Cora didn’t realize until her feet came out from under her that she was seriously out of practice. She whooped out loud and felt Phil’s steadying hands right before she could hit the hard ice.
“Thank you,” she said, laughing at herself to cover her embarrassment.
“I seem to have a way of catching you right before you fall,” he said, grinning at her as she righted herself.
True, very true. Only this time around, there wasn’t a sprig of mistletoe over their heads.
“Believe it or not, I’m a very good skater,” Cora said, when Georgie came over to see all the fuss.
“I suppose you have to be, right? Part of all those traditions.”
Was it just her, or did Phil’s eyes glimmer with amusement?
“That’s true, and there are plenty more traditions where that came from,” she said pertly, as she found her footing and began to glide alongside Georgie.
Phil made a good show of keeping up with them, but it