Page 48 of Sweet Trouble
“This isn’t a big city,” Posey said wisely. “You see everything.”
“It is a small town,” Jillian agreed.
“I like to think that means we have all we need here,” Tripp said. “And not much that we don’t need.”
“I like things I don’t need,” Posey said thoughtfully. “Like toys.”
“Oh, you definitelyneedtoys,” Tripp told her, earning him a giggle from both girls. “And we do have a very nice toy store. The man who helped you get on the Ferris wheel owns it.”
“Really?” Jillian asked.
“Oh yes,” Tripp said. “You should check it out. He’s got everything you can imagine. I wish it had been there when we were kids.”
“Can we go today?” Posey asked eagerly, practically hanging on Jillian’s arm. “Can we go right now?”
“No,” Mari said firmly before Jillian could answer. “Because the surprise is next.”
“Oh, yeah,” Posey said, straightening up. “The surprise.”
Jillian didn’t know for sure what Tripp had in mind, but she was guessing that it had something to do with his family’s ice cream shop. Maybe he was going to surprise them with a nice treat.
But instead of heading in that direction, they crossed to the other side of Maple Street at the corner with Bear Avenue.
“Okay, guys,” Tripp said, stopping as soon as they reached the edge of the park. “Are you ready for Mari to tell you what your surprise is?”
“Yes,” Posey said. “Yes, yes,yes.”
“It’sice skating,” Mari squealed. “We’re going to goice-skating.”
Posey laughed and jumped up and down.
“You girls have never been ice skating before,” Jillian reminded them.
“But they’ve got you to teach them,” Tripp said. “And me.”
Jillian nodded. She had never been good at ice skating, but Tripp was a hockey player, and now a coach. The girls would be in good hands. And this was another perfect example of how much easier having two adults in the mix made things. She never would have tried to take them both on theice on her own.
“Only if you want to,” Tripp added. “If you’re not ready yet, it’s okay. The ice will be here all winter.”
She glanced over at the pop-up skating rink. It was a perfectly safe place to learn to skate. There was a time when the kids in Sugarville Grove all skated on Little Bear Lake when it froze over. But that hadn’t been allowed in years.
“It sounds really nice to me,” she said. “If you girls think so?”
“Yes,”both girls yelled at once.
“You have to be very careful though,” she told them. “And do exactly as you’re told.”
The girls agreed and they were true to their word all through renting skates and listening to Tripp explain exactly what they were going to do when they got out onto the ice.
They made it all the way to the entrance to the rink without a hitch.
“I’m scared,” Mari said suddenly, just before they stepped onto the ice.
Tripp had been leading the way, and Mari was right behind him.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” Tripp said gently, bending down to Mari and looking her right in the eyes.
Jillian noticed that Mari’s shoulders relaxed right away. Tripp’s easy confidence and calm tone had that effect on people. It was nice.
