Page 44 of With This Ring
The chorus of hecklers sounded again, while a woman added, “She told you!”
Dakota started to skate backward, away from him. “How about it, Hudson Garrity? Are you going to race me, or are you too chicken?”
“Come on, Hud,” Brice yelled. “You gotta represent us guys.”
“Yeah, Hud,” someone else yelled. “Show her how it’s done.”
Kayleigh clapped and started a chant. “Race! Race! Race!”
“Okay, okay.” Hudson held his hands up in surrender, and everyone cheered.
Dakota grinned, and his heart felt light. For a moment it was as if he’d gone back in time. She was the funny, flirty, outgoing woman he’d fallen in love with when he was a teenager. And this rink had been his home away from home. Being back here sent an exhilaration through him that surprised him.
Brice spoke into the microphone. “Hudson and Dakota, you two line up. Remember, two laps: one forward, one backward.”
He took his place beside her on the line, and she crouched down, looking ready to sprint into action.
“Ready?” Kayleigh asked, holding up the checkered flag.
Hudson and Dakota glanced at each other and nodded.
“May the best skater win,” Kayleigh said.
Dakota turned her focus straight ahead.
Hudson crouched, and his heart began to pound again.
“Ready... ,” Kayleigh and Gigi yelled. “Set... go!” Kayleigh dropped the flag, signaling the start of the race.
Hudson took off just as Dakota leapt into action. They skated together toward the first curve and both took it via crossovers before picking up speed on the back stretch.
When they came through the next set of curves, Dakota moved ahead of him, but Hudson worked to catch up on the straightaway. They hit the line together, then both spun into their backward skate positions.
Hudson craned his neck to look over his shoulder, skating the scissors move as fast as he could but transitioning to crossovers on the turns. Dakota scooted ahead of him, and he tried his best to gain on her on the straightaway once again.
When she slowed on the curves, he caught up to her, and they headed neck and neck down the second straightway as the crowd went wild. As they came to the finish line, they each sped up.
When they crossed the finish line together, Hudson faltered and overcorrected. He righted himself, gliding to the left, and just before running into her, he held out his arms.
“Whoa!” Dakota cried, reaching for and taking hold of his hands. Her skin was warm, and his pulse rocketed from a mixture of exertion and something more potent. “Steady there, Hud,” she said. She continued to grasp his hands, which flabbergasted him. “That was fun. Just like old times, right?”
She grinned, and Hudson felt something warm unfurl inside him.
“Right,” he said, “just like when you beat me at nearly every race.”
Then, to his surprise, she laughed. He hadn’t realized until that very moment how much he’d missed that sound. Every muscle in Hudson’s back and neck loosened as he laughed along with her.
“Well, folks, that was exciting, wasn’t it?” Brice called over the rink’s loudspeakers. “And believe it or not, we don’t have a winner.”
“What?” Dakota pivoted, and Hudson released her hands.
“It was a tie,” Brice explained.
Kayleigh and Gigi skated over to them, and while Gigi held up a trophy, Kayleigh carried an envelope. They placed both in Dakota’s hands.
“We have gift certificates for the snack bar, two bring-a-friend-to-skate coupons, and a trophy,” Kayleigh said. “But you’re going to have to decide between yourselves who gets what.”
“Thanks to everyone for participating. Now—back to the general skate.” Brice waved toward the DJ booth.