Once in a Full Moon (9 page)

Chapter Twelve
Skating Partner

T
hat night all I thought about was Brandon. I wondered what would have happened if Ivy hadn’t interrupted us. Would I have gotten to talk to him more? I didn’t know anything about him. Why did he move to Legend’s Run? Did he really live with his grandparents? And most important, now that I was apart from Nash, would he ever kiss me?

I imagined what that moment would have been like gazing up at him as the stars glimmered behind him. I’d ask about his wound and he’d assure me it was nothing, all the while knowing that he was hiding his pain from me. And while no one was watching, he’d lean into me and kiss me so intensely I’d feel dizzy.

* * *

It was time to officially thank Brandon. I’d been putting it off perhaps for the wrong reasons—Nash, school, or just being shy. Brandon hadn’t hesitated to save me, and I needed to move beyond any more hesitating in thanking him.

I didn’t know much about Brandon, but I knew he liked Jeeps and the WWF.

The next day, I scanned the internet for images of pro wrestlers. When I found one I thought was beefy enough, I printed it out and glued it to card stock. I folded the card and wrote inside,
Thanks for wrestling the wolves. You are a true hero.

I struggled with how to sign it. Sincerely? Best? Love? XOXO?

Just to be safe, I simply wrote
Celeste
. Before I put it in the envelope, I sprayed it with sweet perfume and stuck it into my purse.

I ran downstairs to check on the brownies I had baking in the oven. I took the hot dessert out and was sprinkling powdered sugar over it when Juliette and my mom entered the kitchen. It was cool to have my sister home for a few days, even if was just because my mom glowed having her two girls under her roof again.

“Why are you baking more desserts when we have pecan and pumpkin pies coming out of our ears?” Juliette said.

“Those smell delicious,” my mom said.

“Why are you doing that to me?” Juliette complained. “You know I’m on a diet.”

“You are always on a diet,” I said to my stick-thin sister.

“Well, I have a date,” she said, hugging my mom. “See you later.”

“In the middle of the day?” I charged.

“The university is having a fund-raiser. And I’m helping Dan out.”

“Who’s Dan?” I asked.

“I can’t keep them straight either,” my mom said as Juliette flew out the back door.

“Are you taking those to the nursing home?” she asked. “Are they for Mr. Worthington? You might want to get it approved first. I think the residents there are on a strict diet.”

“In that case, it sounds like Juliette is years ahead of her time,” I said, and followed my sister out the door.

“So much for having my girls home,” I heard my mom say as the door closed.

I wasn’t sure where Brandon lived, but I did know someone who might. Even though it was winter, snowflakes and cold temperatures didn’t keep the die-hard skaters from their outdoor skate.

I pulled into the lot and headed over to the ramps. Piles of snow lined the fences, but the ramps and rails were clear. Several skaters were flying down the half-pipe as if they were performing for a competition.

Hayley Phillips appeared as surprised to see me arrive as one could imagine.

“I didn’t know you skated,” she said. A few of the other skaters gathered around her.

I was only partially intimidated.

But it did look like fun. The skaters appeared as if nothing in the world mattered to them as each one sped down the ramps or did one-eighties at the top of them.

“Can you tell me where Brandon Maddox lives?” I asked. “It’s around here somewhere and I figured you might know.”

“Because we live in Riverside, you mean? We must all eat together and breed together?”

“No. Because I’ve seen you talking to him,” I said in a nonconfrontational tone. “That’s all.”

“I didn’t think your type would be seen in our parts,” she said.

“I don’t have a type.”

“What’s this about?”

“Something for school. Can you help me?” I asked sincerely.

Hayley popped her skateboard with her back foot and caught it with one hand.

“That was cool,” I said.

Hayley wasn’t softening or coughing up any information.

“Well, if you aren’t all alike, then why would you think we are, too?” I asked. “I guess you might not be so different from the snobs you think I hang out with.”

I began to leave.

“She was the one who had Nash invite Brandon to his party,” I heard one of the other skaters say. “She’s the one who stuck up for him.”

“Hey—” Hayley called.

I heard the sound of a skateboard rolling up behind me.

“Follow this road to the stop sign,” Hayley said. “Turn left. It’s the third house on the right. It has a private drive.”

I drove through Riverside and along a curvy side street. The homes were spread apart farther than on my street, with room for a few houses in between. When I saw a sign marked
PRIVATE DRIVE
, I knew it had to be Brandon’s. Nervously, I turned into it. The tree-lined road was narrow and bumpy and passed a frozen pond. The front yard was several acres long. The modest-looking house appeared historic—likely built when the town was founded, but recently restored. The white paint glistened against the black shutters. Patches of gray shingles poked through the snow-covered roof. A six-foot metal windmill gently spun with the chilly wind. Several wooden snowmen welcomed guests. A white railing enclosed the front porch, and a wooden swing made it seem cozy. I was hoping to leave the package on the front porch and disappear before I was spotted.

I didn’t plan on their dog. It barked so loudly from inside the house I thought it would alert all of Legend’s Run. At first I thought it was a wolf snapping at me from the front window, but as I approached the door, I realized it was a husky.

I gingerly placed the package and card on the porch. I didn’t dare knock, ring the bell, or holler. All I wanted to do was show my appreciation and run.

I tiptoed down the wooden steps. I snuck a look behind the house. There was land for miles. Between the front yard and the back, Brandon’s family must have owned all of Riverside. There was a huge backyard leading to a tree-filled hilltop, bird feeders of every type, a small guesthouse, and Brandon’s parked Jeep.

It was then I saw the sticker more closely. WWF—World
Wildlife
Fund—not World
Wrestling
Federation! Now I was truly embarrassed. Brandon liked animals in the wild, not the ones in the ring. What was I thinking?

The screen door squeaked opened. Brandon was trying to calm down his dog. I pretended not to notice and continued walking to my car when I heard the screen door close.

“Hey . . . Celeste?” Brandon called.

I did my best to pretend not to hear.

“Celeste!” he called again.

I had no choice but to turn around. It would have been rude not to.

Brandon caught up to me. He was handsome in his chestnut-colored thermal shirt and jeans. It appeared as if he’d been working in the house.

He held the tray of brownies in his hand. “What’s this for?”

“I just wanted to officially thank you—for that day in the woods. But it’s nothing really . . . just a small token.”

“No—this is great.” Brandon seemed so pleased with my gesture. “Thank you. Would you like to come in and have one?”

I wondered how many students Brandon had invited into his house since he’d arrived in Legend’s Run. Were his grandparents home? Perhaps I was the first and only one to visit him. His house seemed so different from mine—with so much more character and charm. I was sure it was highly decorated on the inside, and I was more than curious to see how he lived. However, I wanted to exit the enormous property before Brandon saw my silly wrestling card.

“Thank you anyway. I really have to go.”

“Always leaving me,” he teased.

I couldn’t help but break a smile. “I should be getting back home,” I told him.

“You can at least wait until I open the card.”

“That’s okay—”

Before I could retreat, he was trying to slit the top of the envelope but was struggling with his wounded hand.

I took the envelope, opened it, and handed it back to him.

“Thanks,” he said. His gaze lingered a bit on my face, then he read the card.

“Wow—this is so nice. You made it?”

I nodded, embarrassed.

“I don’t think anyone has ever made me a card before. Thank you!”

I pointed to the bumper sticker on his car. “I thought it was for World
Wrestling
Federation,” I confessed.

He laughed and then I did, too. There was something special about Brandon. His eyes were seductive.

There was a silence, and then I said, “Did you see a doctor?”

“Yes. I had to get stitches.”

“I’m so sorry—”

“No—don’t be sorry. That’s not why I told you.”

“I’ll have to bake you more brownies now.” We both laughed again.

“It’s fine. Really,” he said.

“That must have hurt.”

“Nah,” he said. “I’m a big boy.”

“I’m sorry about Nash—that he gives you a hard time.”

“Well, it’s nice to have someone stick up for me, especially someone as pretty as you.”

I blushed. So much so that I could feel my whole body redden.

“Wow—you have your own pond,” I said. “You can go ice-skating.”

He nodded, as if everyone had their own frozen pond. “Would you like to?”

“Like to what?”

“Skate? It’s very shallow, so it’s already frozen solid.”

“You skate?” I asked quizzically.

“I played ice hockey at school. When I was growing up I came here during winter break and I got to practice. It was really cool.”

“That does sound amazing.”

“So, would you like to try?”

“I have plans this weekend. . . .”

“I mean now.”

The thought of doing something spontaneously was unusual for me, to say the least.

“Now? I don’t have any skates.”

He sized up my boots.

“You might be able to use my grandmother’s.”

“She plays hockey?”

“No.” He smiled. “But she has a pair of figure skates hanging on the wall.”

“I wouldn’t want to use her decoration.”

“They aren’t plastic. They’re real. She used them herself. Besides, she’d insist.”

Before I could say no, Brandon was on his way into his house. A few moments later, he came out with two pairs of skates.

Brandon handed me a tiny vintage pair of worn white dainty leather skates. His were in sharp contrast—sturdy, bold, and black.

He wiped off snow from the bench of the picnic table with his glove and offered me a seat. We sat down and removed our boots.

“I think these are a little big,” I said, trying one on.

Brandon pulled my skate-wearing foot up onto his lap. “You just need to tighten them.”

I loved how Brandon took charge—not in a bossy or controlling way but in a confident manner. I sat back as he tugged on the laces. I was mesmerized that he was being so attentive to me. “Now the other,” he said.

“A girl could get used to this,” I said. I continued to stare at him until he was finished.

It had been a few years since I’d put on a pair of skates. I was shaky when we stood, but Brandon handled himself like a pro.

“It’s easy, just relax.” He threw his other glove onto the table and extended his hand. I grasped it in mine. Even though I had stretchy gloves on, I could feel the power and warmth from his grip. I wobbled on the grass until we reached the frozen pond. I was a bit nervous, imagining myself lying flat on my back within seconds.

Brandon smiled and helped me onto the ice. It took me several moments to balance. “It’s like riding a bike, right?” he said.

“Only on ice,” I said.

“Yes, I guess there is that,” he said.

“Now, let’s go.”

“We have to move, too?”

Brandon began to glide, taking me with him. My legs quaked underneath me. Brandon was as confident skating on frozen ice as he’d be if he was walking on the ground.

“You are thinking too much,” he said. “Let your mind and body relax.”

How could I not think? If I fell, I’d be smacking myself on a freezing pond, not to mention the embarrassment I’d feel in front of him.

“Here. Look into my eyes.” He took both of my hands and we faced each other. I stared up into his warm and brilliant gaze as he began to slowly skate backward, pulling me forward.

My legs became like Jell-O and I clenched his hands. I wanted to take off my gloves so I could feel his skin against mine, but I was afraid he’d feel how nervous I really was.