Page 67 of With This Ring
Shane skated to the end of the booth, nodded a hello to Dakota and Kayleigh, and slid a drink in front of Layla. “I turned around, and you were gone. I thought you’d left me.”
“You know I could never leave you.” Layla stood and kissed his cheek. “Join us. We were just talking about the wedding.”
Shane sat beside Kayleigh before sipping his own drink.
“I was going to ask their opinion of our cake,” Layla said.
Shane smiled. “I’m sure they’ll agree with me.”
“About the marble cake?” Kayleigh asked, and Shane nodded. “Who doesn’t like chocolate?”
Shane tilted his head. “For one, my uncle Larry doesn’t like chocolate.”
“Then he can have something else for dessert, right?” Layla asked Dakota.
“Sounds good to me.”
“Right,” Layla exclaimed. “The wedding will be about Shane and me, not his uncle Larry.”
Shane held his cup up, and Layla tapped hers to it. “I can’t wait,” he said.
“I can’t either,” Layla told him.
When the couple shared a warm look, Dakota found love for each other in their eyes. Then she felt a pang that took her back to her time with Hudson.
“Who wants to skate?” she asked, trying to table her feelings.
Layla held her hand up. “I do.” She scooted out of the booth, and Dakota followed.
***
Hudson paid the admission fee at the window and then slipped through the door into the rink. The delectable smell of pizza mixed with nachos and popcorn filled the air, along with a blaring pop music song and the buzz of conversations.
He had considered staying home tonight and going through his email, but he was anxious to get out of that big colonial. He moved through the crowd and past the party area, nodding to familiar faces until he reached the rental booth. After renting a pair of skates, he sank down onto a bench to pull them on.
“Hi, Hud,” Brice called when he and his daughter emergedfrom a door leading back to the offices. “You came back.” He smiled, and his little girl waved at Hudson.
“Good to see you,” Hud said, continuing to lace up his skate.
Gigi pulled on Brice’s arm and then pointed toward the rink. “Daddy, I see Mommy skating with Anissa and her mom. Can I go?”
“Yes. Just be careful.” Brice touched his little girl’s nose before she gracefully skated off like a mini professional. “It’s good to see you too, man.” He shook Hudson’s hand.
Hud glanced around the rink just as another pop song started, the bass reverberating off the walls. “It sure is hopping here tonight.”
Brice looked out toward the crowd. “Yes, it is.” Then he chuckled. “My folks and my brothers thought I was nuts when we bought this place, but honestly, I don’t have one single regret. It’s brought a lot of joy to my family and Flowering Grove.”
He pointed toward the rink. “My daughter loves to skate. Kay and I had a blast teaching her how, and she’s taken to it like a duck to water. I had worried she would eventually grow tired of coming here, but on rink days, she’s ready to leave the house before we are.” He folded his arms over his chest. “I also feel like we’ve helped build a sense of community here. I see many of the same faces every week, and watching everyone interact is rewarding.”
“I’m sure it is.” Hudson scanned the space. He felt the sense of community Brice spoke of, and it was something he hadn’t experienced since he’d left Flowering Grove seven years ago. Sure, he had friends up north. He had his work family and acquaintances. But it wasn’t the same as being in his hometown. All in that moment, he realized he missed feeling at home.
He wondered if his aunt had been right when she said he belonged in Flowering Grove. He tried to imagine moving back—buying a house and settling down.
Would he fit in after being gone for so long? Where would he work?
And then there was the issue of Dakota and their awkward encounters. On second thought, maybe coming back home sounded like an emotional nightmare.
“Hey, Brice,” a young woman who looked around seventeen called from the snack bar. “The register is acting up again. The screen is frozen.”