Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [17]
When they returned to the ice, he asked, “What’s up with Lil?”
“I’m not sure.” Katy glanced back at her friend and saw her tapping away at the buttons of her cell phone. Must be preoccupied over her new toy—the elder board had been divided over the issue of allowing its use. With disgust, Katy asked, “You have a cell phone?”
“Yep. Why?”
She shrugged and was saved from getting into a debate when her blade hit a root protrusion. She tripped and David caught her. But the minor incident left them skating face-to-face, with David skating backward.
“Here, put your palms flat against mine,” he urged. Then she forgot all about Lil. He even taught her to skate backward, and Katy felt more happy and carefree than she had in months. Within another half an hour, however, her ankles grew tired and her toes frigid. She glanced toward the bonfire, and David was instantly perceptive of her need. “Ready to go in?”
“I am.” She scanned the bank for Lil and found her talking to some tall, well-built guy who sent an odd flutter through her stomach. A warning flashed through her mind, and she looked closer. Her stomach clenched. Jake Byler? How on earth—at that instant, her world spun. Her skates tangled, too. David tripped and skidded on the knees of his jeans, pulling her down on top of him. With a grunt, her breath was forced from her lungs, and her elbow slammed the ice. When finally they quit sliding, she rolled over on her side with a groan.
She felt David scrambling out from beneath her, then leaning over her, his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” She tugged at her culottes, but only wanted to curl in a ball and escape the humiliation, escape Jake.
She stared into David’s concerned hazel eyes. He apologized, “I don’t know what happened.”
She did. She also knew she needed to get up before they drew even more attention than they already had. She saw his mouth quirk. “This isn’t funny,” she warned. “You get up first.” Surely his knees were bruised, if not cracked.
With a grimace and some clumsy movements, he was soon standing on his blades. Then he grabbed her under the arms and pulled her to her feet. All his concern was directed at her, and he even brushed awkwardly at her snowy coat.
“I’m fine,” she snapped, rubbing an aching elbow.
“Guess we should have quit sooner.” He draped a supportive arm around her waist, and they skated toward the bank.
Feeling guilty for snapping at him, she admitted, “It was my fault. I tripped you.” She drew in a quick breath. “Is he still over there talking to Lil?” As David glanced over his shoulder, she felt his body tense.
“So he’s what happened.”
“Sorry.”
“So you want to talk to them? Or shall we slink off to the car in our humiliation?”
“Definitely slink.”
“Sit down then, and let me help you with your skates.” She lowered herself to the log. With another grimace, David went down on his knees.
She placed her hand on his shoulder. “You’re in pain. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m fine. Now smile. Pretend to have fun.” He winked. “That’ll get him.”
She removed her hand. “I was having fun. Now I know why Lil was acting all weird on us. But until he ruined everything, I was having a blast.”
David grinned and squeezed her hand. “Me, too, Katy.”
A few minutes before the spill, Lil had explained to Jake Byler, “She doesn’t really like him, but David’s crazy about her.”
Burning with jealousy, Jake Byler glanced down at his cousin, then back out at the ice where David maneuvered Katy around like some ballerina. Her slim form and fine-boned features gave her a fragile appearance, but Jake knew from experience a man couldn’t force her to do anything, unless she allowed it. And it hurt to see the way she moved in sync with David. “Since when?”
“I didn’t notice until he asked her out. Now it’s obvious.”
The Miller guy was younger than Jake, and they’d never been close. They’d played some basketball and hockey together. David’s brothers were older than