Free All of You by Jenni Wilder Page A

and a certain hockey
game.
    After breakfast, Tabitha and I cleaned up and
got ready for a day outside on the ice. I bundled myself and
Tabitha up in our warmest clothes, grabbed our skates, and drove
down to the same pond Lincoln and I had been to yesterday. It was
crowded again today since kids were still out of school for the
holiday, but most of the people were there to play hockey.
    We found a quieter spot away from the
makeshift rink, and Tabitha spent the day practicing spinning and
attempting tricks. I pulled out my phone and took pictures and
video to show Rebecca. I found a random stranger to take a picture
of Tabitha and me skating together and decided to send it to
Lincoln.
    “ You’re not the only one who’s good on the
ice. :)” I sent along with the picture. I looked at the time
and estimated he had probably just gotten to Denver. I figured he
was busy, so I put my phone away without waiting for a reply and
went back to skating with Tabitha.
    It was only hours later when we had gotten
too cold and had given up for the day and were back in my car
warming up that I checked my phone and saw the text.
    “ You look way better on skates than I do.
Someday I’ll have to see this in person. For now, stay warm.” Lincoln had replied to me, and my face broke out in a smile. I
couldn’t help but feel giddy, even if he was just a friend.
    “What are you looking at, Aunt Jilly?”
Tabitha said, breaking my fixation.
    “A text from Lincoln. Remember him from
yesterday?”
    “Yeah. He ate waffles with me. Can we have
waffles for supper, Aunt Jilly?”
    This child was obsessed with waffles! “No,
Tabby Cat. You had waffles for breakfast.”
    “So?” she said sweetly.
    “So I can make something other than waffles.
Or we can stop and get burgers to go and take them home.”
    “Can we watch a movie tonight?” she
asked.
    “Not tonight, Tabby Cat. We’re watching a
hockey game on TV tonight.”
    “That sounds boooooring.”
    I had to giggle at Tabitha’s reaction. “Well,
you don’t have to watch it. You can do whatever you want in the
house. But I’m watching hockey.”
    “Fiiiiiine,” Tabitha whined and ended the
conversation.
    Later that day after we had stopped for food,
I flipped to the cable guide and found the time slot for Lincoln’s
game and set the DVR to record. I had a half hour before the game
started, so Tabitha and I sat at the kitchen island and were eating
ice cream when Rebecca got home.
    “Mommy! We saved you a burger and fries!”
Tabitha announced after she hugged her mother hello.
    “Burgers and fries, Jillian?” Rebecca said
disapproving of my unhealthy dinner choice for her daughter.
    “Hey, it’s better than the waffles she wanted
to have. AGAIN,” I said, defending myself.
    “What did you do today, Tabby Cat?” Rebecca
asked her daughter. Tabitha told her mother about the ice-skating
and showed Rebecca the picture and video on my phone.
    “And tonight we have to watch a hockey game,”
Tabitha said in a disgruntled tone.
    “Ooh really??” she asked, looking at me and
smiling knowingly.
    “He asked me if I was going to watch—” I
started to say.
    “You talk to him?” Rebecca interrupted.
    I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “He
texted me,” I said.
    Rebecca was still holding my phone from
looking at the pictures, and she immediately brought up my text
messages and read through my conversation with Lincoln.
    “This is good stuff. I think he really likes
you,” she said, causing me to sigh.
    “Who likes her?” Tabitha asked.
    “Nobody,” I said. “Go find something else to
do if you’re done with your ice cream and don’t want to watch
hockey.”
    Tabitha scooted out of the room quickly, and
I went into the living room to watch the game with Rebecca
following behind me, still munching on her food.
     
    ~~~~~~~~
     
    “GOOOOOOAL!!!!!” The announcer screamed at me
through the television. “And with that goal, time runs out! Denver
wins over Chicago