Celebrate in Good Hope (Good Hope #22)

Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Once the visit concluded, Boone suggested they grab lunch at the Ding-A-Ling bar down the street. A banner tied between two posts advertised whitefish tacos for ninety-nine cents.

Boone admitted he’d felt relieved when Theo had told him that the pain likely came from the ribs and wasn’t an issue with the splenectomy not healing correctly.

“I didn’t know you also broke a couple of ribs.” Roe sat across from him in the booth. She sipped the hot buttered rum, the drink special of the day.

Choosing to go the healthy route, Boone stuck with water. “Rib fractures usually go hand in hand with any hit hard enough to rupture your spleen.”

“I’m glad the doctor thinks you didn’t do any real damage.”

“I knew I hadn’t.” Not entirely true. He hadn’t thought he had, but knowing all was good made the difference. Boone could now let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“I can’t believe you knew Dr. Holbrook.”

“That was a surprise.” As was discovering that the man he’d once lined up against was a husband and father .

“Or that his wife is the one who’d painted all the murals,” Roe continued.

“She is extremely talented.” Boone leaned back in his seat.

Talking with Theo had brought Boone’s life with the Grizzlies into sharp focus. Right now, his teammates were hoping to win the remaining games on their schedule, capture the AFC title and reach the Super Bowl.

And he, who’d helped get them off to a great start, wouldn’t be a part of any of that.

Boone tried to relax. Here he was, sitting across from a beautiful, intelligent woman, and all he could do was wish he were back in Denver with his team.

“You were lucky.”

Boone pulled his thoughts back, realizing that the conversation had circled back to him. “Lucky?”

“That despite pushing yourself the way you do, you’re healing well.”

“That’s me, the lucky one.” Try as he might, Boone couldn’t quite keep the bitterness from his tone.

When her beautiful hazel eyes settled on him, he picked up his water glass and took a long drink. Then he felt compelled to fill the silence. “I realize I should feel lucky. Very few players go eight seasons without an injury. It’s just that I’m used to being active. Clearing the drive, chopping wood, even building a snowman—while that stuff helps still the restlessness, it’s not enough.”

With her eyes still on him, Roe cocked her head. “How are your incision and ribs feeling right now?”

“Why? What do you have in mind?” Leaning forward, he waggled his eyebrows in a cartoonish gesture that made her laugh.

“Nothing quite that physical.” Despite her dismissal of the idea, the look in his eyes had her heart shifting into overdrive. Still, Roe forced herself to steady. “Interested in taking a walk through a snow maze?”

While working at Muddy Boots, Roe had heard numerous customers raving about the snow maze that had been constructed at the edge of town. She had to admit she’d had her doubts about how wonderful it could be. This was a small community, and a maze of any magnitude would be a monumental undertaking.

She felt the idea of a snow maze would capture Boone’s interest, and she understood feeling restless and needing to be active.

Roe was actually looking forward to helping at the theater tomorrow afternoon and to—eventually, hopefully—serving on Fin’s committee. These activities would nourish her starved soul. While serving at Muddy Boots brought in money, Roe wanted more.

When she pulled into the parking lot of the Magnificent Maze, as it was advertised, Roe stared in disbelief at the endless walls of white that appeared to go on forever.

She turned to Boone. “This is amazing.”

“From where we sit, it’s impressive, I’ll give it that.”

She shot him a sideways glance.

“I’d rather be playing hockey or skiing.”

Roe said nothing. She wasn’t his jailer—heck, she barely knew the guy. If he didn’t want to take care of his body, that was his business. “If you don’t want to go through the maze, I can take you back to the cabin.”

A startled look crossed his face. “I thought you wanted to go through.”

“I’ll come back and go through it by myself.”

“I get it.”

“Get what? ”

“You’re saying, ‘Quit your whining, Boone. Life is only as much fun as you make it.’”

Roe couldn’t stop the tiny smile. “I don’t recall saying that.”

“You didn’t have to. I heard you loud and clear.” He gestured to the ticket booth. “We’re going to make this fun.”

If making it fun included a series of wrong turns that brought them back to a point in the middle of the maze that Roe was certain they’d been at before, well, they were having a ball.

Boone rubbed his chin. “I used to think that I had an excellent sense of direction. Emphasis on the past tense.”

Roe expelled a breath. “This is more challenging than I thought it’d be.”

“It’d be easier if there were other people here to follow.”

“The attendant said they were super busy this morning, but the pond hockey game at Rakes Farm is pulling people away this afternoon.”

“Once we find our way out of this maze, we should check it out.”

“Won’t that be hard?”

“You mean watching when I want to play?”

She nodded.

“Can’t say I wouldn’t rather be on the ice.” He shrugged. “But I try to make the best of any situation.”

Roe looked at him askance, and he laughed. “Most of the time, anyway,” he added.

“Well, why don’t you start by helping us figure a way out of this maze?”

When they arrived at Rakes Farm, the game on the ice was in full swing. Roe was surprised to see not only benches surrounding the pond, but also a hut serving hot cocoa and coffee.

The benches were full, so they stood and watched the game .

“Are these players all from Good Hope?” Roe asked a woman who stood beside her, holding the hand of a boy who looked about four and was intently watching the game.

“My brother is that one.” The child pointed to the group wearing red ski caps.

It was impossible for Roe to pick out the brother.

“They’re all part of the Chill Billies team.” The woman studied Roe for a moment. “Are you a tourist? I don’t recall seeing you before.”

“I’m temporarily staying at the Slattery cabin and working at Muddy?—”

“You must be Roe Carson.” The woman offered a warm smile. “Peyton told my husband all about you.”

“Your husband?” Roe slanted a sideways glance at Boone, not wanting to ignore him, but when she found him intently watching the game, she fixed her full attention on the woman.

“Liam Gallagher. He’s a psychologist with Connections mental health clinic.” The woman dropped the hand of the small boy and extended her gloved hand to Roe. “I’m Chelsea. And this little guy is our son, Zeke.”

“It’s nice to meet both of you.”

Chelsea’s curious gaze slid to Boone.

Roe gave a little tug on his sleeve. “Boone, this is Chelsea Gallagher and her son, Zeke. Her other son is out on the ice.”

Boone turned his attention from the action on the ice. “Which one is your boy?”

“Ric is the tall one with the blue ski coat and red hat.” Chelsea gestured to a boy whom Roe recognized from the diner.

“I saw him at Muddy Boots,” Roe told Chelsea. “With two redheaded twins.”

“Callum and Connor Brody.” Chelsea smiled. “I hope all the boys were behaving themselves.”

“Absolutely,” Roe said without hesitation.

“Good. We talk a lot about manners, but you never know. ”

“I have three brothers,” Roe confided. “I understand.”

“Your boy is a good player.” Boone’s gaze returned to the action. “Not only does he have excellent skating skills, he has situational awareness.”

Roe wasn’t sure what situational awareness was, but Chelsea appeared to know.

“His first love is lacrosse,” Chelsea advised.

“The skills he learned in lacrosse likely help him on the ice.”

“Do you skate?” Chelsea asked Boone.

“I do, but I had surgery several weeks ago, so I’m sidelined for the season.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Chelsea made a face. “That has to be hard.”

“No fun at all,” he agreed but didn’t elaborate.

“Is your son in high school?” Roe asked. “Or home from college?”

“Age-wise, he should be a junior in high school, but he and his sister are on track to graduate in May.” At Roe’s curious glance, Chelsea added, “Ric and Emily are twins. They can’t wait to go off to college. Me, I can’t help wishing they’d be at home just a little while longer.”

Roe glanced down at Zeke. “You’ll still have one in the house.”

“We will.” Chelsea put a hand on Zeke’s shoulder. “Thank goodness.”

The flash of envy that sliced through Roe took her by surprise. She’d never thought much about having children. She was fairly sure she wanted them, just not now. Especially since, in her mind, love came first, then marriage, then children. She realized she was a bit of a traditionalist in that regard, but she couldn’t help how she felt.

A whistle sounded. Immediately, cheering, whistles and clapping filled the air.

Chelsea turned to Roe. “It was nice meeting you. I hope our paths cross again. ”

Then she was gone, keeping her son’s hand gripped tightly in hers while weaving her way through the crowd.

As she and Boone walked to their car, the blond girl they’d seen behind the counter at Blooms Bake Shop handed them a flyer.

Roe studied it as she continued to walk.

“What is it?” Boone asked.

“It’s advertising a Christmas tree lot that is giving twenty percent of its sales today to the Giving Tree.”

“What’s a giving tree?” Boone must have spoken louder than he’d intended, or maybe the older woman standing beside him, sporting a braid coiled like a snake on the top of her head, had eagle ears.

“The Giving Tree started out as a Christmas gift project sponsored by the Rotary,” the woman explained. “I’m Etta, by the way. Etta Hawley.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Etta.” Roe would have introduced herself, but the woman continued without taking a breath.

“Over the years, the Giving Tree expanded into a year-round neighbor-helping-neighbor fund. It’s a way of extending a hand to those in the community who may have fallen on hard times.”

“That’s a wonderful idea.” Roe couldn’t recall any of the communities where she’d lived having such a program.

“All that to say, if you need a Christmas tree or wreath,” Etta pointed to the flyer, “do it today and help a neighbor out.”