Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Before I can reply, she dashes through the opening in the short fence surrounding the skating area, swaying with ease and confidence in her black skates. Halfway across the pavement, she executes a little hop and twist, turning to roll away backwards as she blows me a kiss.
“Dirty rotten liar,” I mutter. “She really is the bad girl.”
“Oh yeah, she totally is,” a woman in a flowered snowsuit and adorable red braids says as she rolls to a stop beside me. “I was coming to warn you to be careful. I’m pretty sure she’s the one who put tacks in my skates.” She extends her hand. “I’m Millie.”
My eyes widen as I take it. “Caroline. Wow, are you sure? That’s awful. You should say something to the production team.”
Millie shakes her head. “Nah, it’s okay. It might not have been her. Even if it was, I’m not afraid of a little dirty competition. My inn is haunted, and I just spent nine months battling the town select board for permission to build an additional guesthouse fifteen feet from the road instead of seventeen feet. I’m accustomed to violence at this point.”
I shudder. “Select boards. What a nightmare.”
“Utter nightmare,” she agrees. “I’d rather be awoken every night by a drunk ghost pirate scratching his hook across my bedroom door than sit through another meeting with people who get horny for red tape.”
“Same,” I agree with a laugh, glancing at her cute yellow skates. “How are you on wheels? I’m probably going to be dangerous, so you’ll want to stay as far away from me as possible.”
“First time on skates in a while?”
“First time ever,” I say. “I’ve done my fair share of ice skating, but roller skating is a whole new ballgame.”
Millie perks up, her warm brown eyes sharpening on mine. “Okay, then you’ll want to get your wheels tightened. Have you done that?”
I shake my head.
“Here, I can do it for you,” she says, pulling a tool from the pocket of her snowsuit. “I tightened mine for a little more stability on the turns. It’s a pretty small area out there, so I’m betting our challenge will be more focused on control than speed.”
“Really?” I ask as she kneels down in front of me. “You don’t mind?”
“Not at all,” she says, inserting the tool into the center of a wheel on one side.
I nibble my lip. “You’re not trying to sabotage me, are you?”
She looks up, grinning. “No, I’m just bossy and like helping people. I have five little sisters. But staying a tad bit suspicious of everyone is a good idea.” She glances back down, making more swift adjustments. “There. Try them now. You should feel steadier.”
I push cautiously away from the railing, smiling as I roll onto the rink at a much more reasonable speed than my earlier careen from the benches to the edge of the filming area. “Thank you!” I beam at Millie over my shoulder. “You’re a lifesaver. I owe you one.”
She smiles as she stands, tucking her tool back into her pocket. “No worries.”
“No, seriously,” I say when she rolls up beside me. “I’ve got your back. If you need anything I can provide, just ask.”
Millie’s eyes brighten. “Are we forming an alliance?”
I laugh. “Sure, why not?”
“Oh, good. I’ve always wanted to form an alliance. And to visit Vermont. Are the roads really paved with maple syrup and the mountains full of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream?”
“Pretty much. And cows. We have a lot of cows.”
“Contestants this way! Gather up, we’re ready to start the first challenge!” Ainsley shouts from across the pavement, where she and Leo stand by two sparkling Christmas trees.
Between the trees, a thick red line marks the start of our race…or whatever we’re up to out here.
Millie exhales a shaky breath. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I scoot across the rink behind her, feeling more confident with every push of my skates. I’m not going to win any speed records with my wheels tightened, but I feel so much more in control. My ice-skating balancing instincts kick in, and I manage to make it to the starting line without falling flat on my ass.
I’m comforted by the awkward, halting progress of the two men in the competition. Neither Eduardo nor Dirk seems very confident on wheels, either. Jenna is by far the front-runner, followed by Millie. I’m somewhere in the middle, which is fine with me.
After all, to stay in the competition, I just have to make sure I’m not last.
And if I am the first to be sent home, that might not be so bad, either.
The energy between Leo and me is dangerous. When he turned to me earlier, after I called him a cranky romantic, I was positive he was going to kiss me. If he had, I wouldn’t have pushed him away. We’re a lit match and a bucket of kerosene that have no business being within five feet of each other.