Page 67 of Small Town, Big Storm

“No.”She frowns.“Ms.Murphy always says that mistakes are okay but we have to take re-response-responsibility for them.”

“Ms.Murphy is still around?”

“Yeah,” Holly says.“And she’s mom’s friend.”

“Wow.”His eyes dance as they come to mine and I know he’s thinking the same thing as I do on the regular: Ms.Murphy isn’t Clem, it’s her mom.Except, not anymore.

Clem’s mom died a few years back.

I wonder if he knows.

And part of me feels sad that he probably doesn’t.

“Well, Ms.Murphy”—more dancing gray eyes—“sounds smart.”

Holly nods sagely.“She is.”

Quiet falls between them as she sips her hot cocoa, and as I stand there, the rest of the world begins to creep back in—kids laughing and shrieking on the ice, food being made at the snack bar, the Zamboni making some concerning (but probably normal to my untrained ears) noises on the far side of the rink.

And the whispers.

I sense the looks we’re getting more than I hear the actual words, and for once, I find myself resenting the intrusion of Cedar Hollow.

Especially when Storm notices them too, and tension begins to slide back into his frame.

To his credit, he ignores it.“Thanks for apologizing,” he tells Holly quietly.“And I’m sorry I let you fall.”

“Apology accepted.”She grins, holds out her empty cup.“I love hot cocoa.”

Laughter bubbles up in my chest and I know Storm is fighting it too.

“Good to know.”He takes the empty cup, tosses it in the trash.“Have you had enough skating time?”he asks when he returns.“Or do you want to get back out there?”

Holly leaps to her feet—and hardly wobbles at all.“I want to skate more!”

“Awesome.”

Then the unthinkable happens.

Excitement fills every inch of my daughter?—

Okay, that’s not the unthinkable part.

Thathappens when she says, “You should come too, Mom!”

I open my mouth, preparing to say absolutely-the-fuck-not, but Storm is…

Well, he’s an asshole.

And sneaky one.

Because he’s suddenly holding up a pair of skates.

“Size seven, right?”

Nineteen

Storm