“Wise choice.” Grinning, she grabbed his hand, and quickly pulled him through the crowd toward the site where the hot chocolate stand was always set up. More than a simple cup of cocoa in a Styrofoam cup, this place had a build your own station. It offered numerous flavors, types of chocolate, marshmallows, and the pièce de résistance, whip cream.
?
?Oh, this is much more than a cup of hot cocoa,” Keir said.
She laughed at the awe in his voice. “Now you begin to understand, my young padawan,” she joked.
As they waited in line, she dreamt up her concoction. Ten minutes later, her peppermint monstrosity was piled high with whipped cream, pumped full of flavor, and finished with shaved bits of peppermint candies.
Keir’s colossal caramel creation was drizzled with caramel and tiny pieces of Heath bar. “Okay, new Cincinnati tradition.”
She laughed. “We haven’t even had strudel yet.”
“If it’s half as good as this, I’ll be running two extra miles tomorrow,” he said.
They paused in front of the ice skating rink and watched.
“Do you skate?” he asked.
“Not well. I’m about as graceful as a bull in a china shop.”
He snickered. “I used to in a pond by my house when it got cold enough.”
“Don’t try to get me out there, because it’s not going to happen.”
“Noted. Does not ice skate.”
“Oh, no ... Does not skate period. It’s a horrible sight to witness and my arse always pays for it.”
He laughed. “Well, I could promise to rub it better.”
“I bet you could,” she muttered.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he said.
“Are you ever going to stop?”
“Of course, once you agree to a date.”
“You’re sure of yourself,” she countered.
“A bit. But more than that, I’m sure about us. We’d be good together. I think you keen that.”
She took a sip of her drink to avoid answering. They drifted into quiet as they observed the skaters on the ice.
“How do you like our fair city so far?” she asked.
“It’s very different, but not bad. People are friendly, and the ladies love the accent.”
She laughed. “Americans in general appear to be fascinated by us from across the pond.”
“To our benefit I think,” he said.
“I won’t disagree with you there. Of course my accent isn’t what it used to be.”
“It’s gotten thicker since you started hanging with me.”
“I can hear the pride in your voice right now,” she said.