Catch a Rising Star by Tracey Bateman

Author:Tracey Bateman [Bateman, Tracey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
ISBN: 9781410408242
Publisher: FaithWords
Published: 2007-07-17T04:00:00+00:00

13

I almost feel sorry for anyone who isn’t from New York. Rockefeller Center is the most magnificent place on earth. Well, except maybe Paris, or Rome. And then there’s the Taj Mahal. Oh, well, you know what I mean. It’s amazing and I love it.

David and the twins carry their own skates inside. “Where are yours?” Jenn asks with a haughty tone that sets my teeth on edge.

This is a test. I can tell by the way she’s staring and waiting for an answer. If I say I don’t have a pair of my own, she’ll have no respect for me. So I say what comes to the tip of my tongue. “I, um, didn’t have time to go home and get them. I’ll have to rent a pair, I suppose.”

“That’s yucky.” She wrinkles her deceptively adorable nose. And I can’t really fault her, can I? Because renting skates other feet have sweat in really isn’t all that appealing to me either.

Oh, here’s my out. “I think you’re right, Jenn. That isn’t very sanitary. I suppose I’d better sit out and watch the rest of you this time.” I glance at David and feign a look of regret. Now, that expression I have down pat. But why is he giving me that skeptical raised brow like he doesn’t believe I’m on the level?

“What?” I say.

“Nothing.” Okay, how come his look of innocence looks so real? Has he been taking acting lessons?

“I mean it. I’d skate if I’d brought my own skates.” And I do have some, buried away in Mom’s garage somewhere. “But I’m not going to wear rentals. Do you know how much bacteria collects in those things?”

His eyes go big. “No. How much?”

I smack him lightly on the arm. “Jerk.”

He tosses back his head and laughs. It’s the first time I’ve heard full-blown laughter from this man, and I must say, I’m charmed to my bones. “Come on,” he says, motioning toward an empty bench. “The kids and I will get our skates on, and you can watch our shoes.”

I make a face. “I knew I’d come in handy for something.”

It takes a full fifteen minutes for David to lace up Jenn’s skates, then Jeffy’s, and then get his own skates on. I’m amazed at his patience while faced with the children’s impatience. I watch his gentle hands as he lifts their feet and pats their thighs to let his children know when one skate is secure and he’s ready for the next. I’m mesmerized by this display of tender loving care. It’s so natural, as though he’s acting on instinct and doesn’t even have to try.

He looks up and catches me staring. I feel my cheeks warm, and he gives me a puzzled frown. I need to say something to break the tension. “I, um, you’re a great dad.”

Gentleness spreads over his face, and I catch my breath as his eyes trail downward to my mouth. He wants to kiss me! For saying he’s a good dad. David reaches out and squeezes my hand.

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