Ice Dancing Episode 30

Later, we came off and drank hot chocolate and watched the other skaters go by. Fiona and Lizzie were trying to show off. Shona couldn’t skate well enough to show off, but she was up for anything and didn’t seem to mind if she fell over.

A couple of boys came sliding over, carrying hockey magazines.

“Joe! Will you sign these, Joe?” they asked, nudging each other, giggling. He didn’t have a pen, but I found one in my bag. That started something and a whole group of kids beset him. Patiently he signed his name on everything from paper napkins to the back of a young girl’s hand.

“What happens when you want to wash it off ?” he asked her.

“I won’t wash it!” She went back on the ice, looking over her shoulder at him. And at me.

“Do you want to come back on?” he said. “I do but I don”t think my legs will carry me.”

“You’re not used to it. Maybe you should sit this one out. Otherwise you won’t be able to move in the morning.”

“I think you might be right.”

“We can come back again another time.” “Can we?”

“Sure,” he said. “Sure we can.” “Why don’t you go back on?” I said. “Do you want me to?”

“I’d like to see you skate again.” There was a pause. He squashed his empty cup flat. Then he got up and went back on to the ice, tossing the cup into the bin as he left.

Showing off

In the control box, someone had put on Too Lost In You, and lowered the lights just a little. It was strange. Other people were still skating, but he made them look clumsy. He skated gently and deftly around them and among them, not bothering them at all, making patterns on the ice in time to the music. He skated like a dream. He was showing off now. I knew fine he was showing off for me and everyone else, unable to resist the temptation of that music and those sexy words. After a while, people went to the side, just so they could watch him. The stewards stood with their arms folded, defensive and a bit jealous.

Players didn’t usually do this. They normally kept themselves to themselves. But here was Joe, putting on a display for free. It wasn’t done. And what Joe was doing, it wasn’t exactly dancing, but it was rhythmic and fluid and sometimes it was acrobatic.

A man sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said: “Now you know why they call him Sky Napier. Good, isn’t he?” And I nodded but he was more than good. He was utterly and completely beautiful out there on the ice.

Bright and enticing

The music was part of the magic, sensual and insistent. I could have watched him all day. A creature of ice and fire. Bright and enticing.

When the song finished he came off to scattered applause which he acknowledged with a little grin and a bow and a handclap of his own. He said he had to be getting back to the village. The girls were ready to leave as well. I had promised them fried chicken on the way home.

“Why didn’t you ask him to come for something to eat?” asked Shona, who was completely smitten.

“I think he had things to do.”

I tried to visualise myself sitting with Joe around a family sized bucket of chicken pieces, but my imagination failed me. Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to eat anything at all.

“Mu-u-um” said Fiona, stretching the word out so that it had lots of exasperated syllables. “How could you?”

“It was very nice of him,” I said. “Nice of him to give me a lesson.”

“I think you did great,” said Shona. “I think it was very brave of you.” “Wicked,” echoed Lizzie.

“But skating with him like that, and everyone watching. I thought I was going to die.” Still, Fiona had modified her disapproval slightly. Now she was looking at me with a sort of grudging admiration.

“Mind you. You did it. I can’t believe you really did it.” She grinned at me suddenly.

“I don’t think anyone even noticed me. Except you lot of course. They were probably too busy watching Joe.”

“My mum would never do anything like that,” said Shona, wistfully.

“You’re lucky,” said Fiona, her small white teeth tearing into her third piece of chicken. But she was still smiling, shaking her head at me across the plastic table top. “Just don’t do it again, mum. Please?” I didn’t see much of Annie until we went to our line dancing class the following week. When we stopped for a water break, we sat down together on the floor and leaned against the wall.

Word gets around

I could have watched him all day. A creature of ice and fire. Beautiful and enticing

“I’ve been hearing all sorts of things about you,” said Annie, nudging me.

“What have you been hearing?” I could feel myself blushing again.

“Just that you”ve been seen skating with a certain sexy hockey player.”

“Word certainly gets about.”

“Of course word gets about. You know what this place is like.”

“Who told you?”

“I think Lizzie must have told Dean. She said he was giving you skating lessons. And she said Fiona was absolutely mortified.”

“She was a bit. And it was only one lesson. Hardly even that.”

“I expect she was jealous. And maybe surprised at you.”

“She was that all right. Surprised and also proud of me in a strange way, though she didn’t want to admit it. She fancies him like mad. The attraction of the older man.” “Yes. Or the younger man.”

“Oh shut up, Annie. It was just a bit of fun.” I drank my water and mopped my sweaty forehead with a crumpled tissue. I suddenly felt exhausted. I could have crawled home and got straight into bed. “Was it?”

“Don’t look at me like that. You know what I mean. He’s a nice guy and a good teacher.”

“I’ll bet he is. He certainly looks fit.” “He is fit.”

“He’s got a lovely bum.”

“I haven’t looked at his bum!”

“Of course you have. Nice well developed thighs too. Skater’s thighs. You should ask him to come to the line dancing.”

“Oh God, Annie. Can you see him prancing about with us?”

“Not really, no. But he’d be a nice addition. We could do with some men,” she said wistfully. “Especially men like that.”

More on Monday

Ice Dancing by Catherine Czerkawska, Dyrock Publishing, £9.99 and Kindle E-reader from £2.99. For more of her books, including The Posy Ring and A Proper Person To Be Detained, see

saraband.net