Page 53 of Mom Com

He smiles back. “I hear the pond just froze over.”

For a split second, a thrill runs through me. But as my wits return, the feeling sours. The truth is, I do want to go ice-skating; that sounds every kind of perfect. But not with Wilder and not like this.

“That’s it, Wilder,” I say, now truly flustered. “Enough with the thoughtful surprises.”

And he actually has the nerve to smile. “You always loved surprises.”

“I do! That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

I want to shake my fist at him. “Why on earth are you bringing me ice-skating at your parents’ house late at night—”

“It’s 8:18.”

“You know what I mean,” I say, getting progressively more worked up, the anxiety of the day seeping into my voice. “As much as I absolutely hate to agree with your girlfriend, don’t you think this is pushing things too far?”

“Kate’s not my girlfriend,” he says, his voice subdued as ever. “We broke up the day after the benefit.”

I stare at him blankly, not computing. I even open my mouth and close it again.

He waits.

“I’m sorry, did you just say you broke up?” I flip back through my interactions with them, with her, trying to make sense of it. “But your parents said it was your anniversary the other night at dinner.”

“They made an assumption, one I didn’t correct because I didn’t want to have that discussion in front of you and your mom.”

And now I feel like an absolute idiot. Not only do I sound like I care, but everything I previously thought is skewed by this new lens. “Are you sure she knows you’re broken up? Because it didn’t seem like it in the market.”

For the first time during this conversation, he appears put out. “While I don’t think it’s generous to reveal the details of our personal relationship, I will say that this isn’t the first time we’ve broken up, and the fact that she’s acting like the breakup isn’t real is likely due to the fact that we’ve gotten back together in the past.”

I’m not sure how to respond. I know some people have on-again-off-again relationships. And even though Kate is still highly questionable, it at least puts her jealousy in perspective. But then it occurs to me that he broke up with her the same day my mom read the will, and my heart starts pounding like a bass drum.

“Now,” he says when I don’t continue. “Would you like to go ice-skating with me?”

If I thought I was nervous before, it pales in comparison to my current state of jitters. My mind spins. Did he break up with Kate because he thought I was staying in Haverberry?

As the day winds down, I watch Wilder help our last customer at the booth, surprised that he actually stayed until evening. We had an hour or so of awkwardness this morning, but as the day progressed, we fell into a familiar rhythm, handing each other things before the other asked, and sharing treats from neighboring stalls after bathroom breaks. It felt weirdly normal.

“Why don’t you two go on and I’ll close up here,” my dad says, and I start to protest. “Nope. I insist. You made my day a breeze, and while I plan on paying you both handsomely for your efforts, I would also be very annoyed if you didn’t let me pack up.”

“I can give you a ride home if you want, Mads?” Wilder offers and I nod.

I kiss my dad on the cheek, and we pick our way through the closing market, saying our goodbyes to the other vendors. But as we leave the park, plodding along the sidewalk, we fall into companionable silence, like we’re both afraid to shatter the unspoken truce. Our winter boots crunch stray pieces of salt as we go.

“Today was fun,” he says, when we’re a full block away.

“It really was,” I agree.

“Maybe...” he hesitates, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. “Maybe I could come help out next weekend?”

I turn to him, shocked by how nervous he seems. “Sure,” I say in an easy tone. “I mean, if we can keep from fighting for that long.”

“I’d like to try,” he replies way too earnestly.

I sigh. “Me, too.” And for the second time in forty-eight hours, I feel like maybe that’s possible.

He smiles. “How would you feel about not going home right away? We could always sit in the square and watch the tree for a bit?”