While Helen, Joaquin, Lori, and Lady minded the table, Melissa and Jacob meandered to the skate rental booth to claim a pair each. The cold wooden bench was a surprising welcome to Helen’s rear. The constantly moving crowd surrounding them overwhelmed her senses, and it was a relief to simply sit and recenter herself.

Joaquin sat beside her, his warm presence a stalwart buttress against the throng to their backs. Helen stared ahead at the swirling flock of skaters inside the padded barriers of the rink. There was an order to the steady counter-clockwise circling compared to the chaos of the dissonant mass outside of the ice. It was entrancing.

“Oh, just look at all those people go,” said Joaquin. “I’m getting hungry just thinking about being that active.”

“Winter is the time for hibernation,” Helen snorted.

“Nonsense!” Lori interjected. “There are so many fun activities! Skiing, snowboarding …”

“Sure, if you have the money for it.”

“That does it. I’m gonna go look for some food,” said Joaquin with a smile. He stood up and freed his legs from the confines of the table and attached bench. Helen wondered if she should join him, but the thought of merging into the crowd again kept her at the table.

“We’ll be here!” Lori sang, languidly kicking her crossed leg.

Just as Joaquin melted into anonymity, Melissa and Jacob appeared with skates in hand.

“You guys doing okay?” Melissa asked.

“Just spiffy!” Her mother replied. She turned to Helen. “Why don’t you go rent some skates?”

“I guess I can.” Helen would hate to waste a free amenity like the ice rink. Well, it was free after the initial ticket price. She did really enjoy skating in years past. Her fingers drummed the table as she made her decision. “I do have a common shoe size, so it’s probably best to get my pair now.”

“Atta girl!” Lori smiled.

Helen sprang up and made a beeline to the rental booth. She wondered if Joaquin would have wanted her to claim a pair for him as well. But she didn’t even know his shoe size. Then she wondered if Lori and whoever else would be at the table upon her return would find it odd that she only had skates for herself and not her supposed boyfriend.

All these contingencies had her thinking of her contract again. Anxieties gnawed their way to the forefront of her mind. It was as airtight as she could fathomably make it with her limited knowledge of the law. But life liked throwing wrenches in people’s plans. Helen’s musings were cut short when a pierced teen at the counter asked her shoe size.

The ice skates clacked awkwardly in Helen’s hands as she wove around people to the table. Lady greeted her return with a lick to her hand. Plopping down on the bench opposite of Lori, Helen hoped her aunt failed to see the number of skates she carried. Her fears were put to rest when Lori rose from her seat, attention snatched by her daughter and son-in-law.

“Aw, look how cute they are!” Lori gushed. “They’re so sweet!”

Melissa and Jacob were skating together, Melissa’s back to Jacob’s chest. While she was a little wider than her husband, Jacob fit over her perfectly and grasped her around the shoulders. He leaned in to nuzzle his wife’s cheek as she giggled from the contact. Helen rolled her eyes.

Lori’s gaze snapped to her niece. “Well, now that you’re back, I’m going to grab some pie slices. An old couple passed by with quite the assortment!” She bent down toward Lady tethered to the bench. Puckering her lips, she cooed, “Don’t let anyone claim our table, Miss!” She glanced back at Helen before departing. “Did you want a slice, Helen?”

“I’m saving my dessert time for tonight!”

“All righty!” With a jingle of keys, Lori trotted off.

Helen considered changing into the rented skates. Once Lori came back, she would have an excuse from the stilted air between herself and her aunt. Then again, it was likely that Tom would return before then. And lord knew when Joaquin would be done getting food. Helen could abandon her aunt, but that would likely mean abandoning her uncle and date too.

Just then, a noisy group of teens came shuffling by. Unused to walking on the ground in skates, they teetered. A girl nearly fell and caught onto her boyfriend’s arm. An arm that was holding a cup of hot chocolate. Helen reeled to the side, but the steaming liquid had already launched vast and far. It lashed over Helen’s arm. She yelped.

“Oops, sorry!” the teen girl squeaked before she was rushed away by her boyfriend and companions. A few steps away, deep chortles shook the boys’ backs.

Helen stifled a cry.

Catching the last few seconds of action, Tom hurried his pace to the table despite carrying a tray of cider. However, he was graceful enough to deposit the tray on the table without spilling a drop. “Oh, Helen! Are you all right?”

She pulled up her sleeve. The hot chocolate had left her skin bright pink, but it wasn’t hot enough to burn at least. Helen quietly cursed as Lady padded over. Lady sniffed the soiled sweater, but refused to taste. She had standards.

“I’m so sorry, Helen.” Tom rubbed her back.

Helen then tore at her sweater, pulling it off as if the whole thing had been soaked. Down to a simple T-shirt, the cold air provided some relief to her raging body, a furnace currently fueled by anger. Helen wadded up her ruined sweater and threw it on the table.

“What happened?” Asked Joaquin as he arrived with a tray of food.

“Some teens spilled hot chocolate on me and were assholes about it!” Helen growled.

Joaquin set the tray down next to the clump of alpaca wool. He shrugged off his trucker jacket. “You can wear mine for now.”

Helen glanced up at him from beneath her bangs. Under his jacket, Joaquin wore a thin waffle-knit long-sleeve. She had to admit it hugged his body nicely. Her eyes dragged down his outstretched arm to the jacket held in his hand. It was several inches from her face and she noticed a faint pleasant smell. Helen wrapped her fingers around the springy fleece on the collar.

“Thank you.”