"There's no need to patronize me. My ego isn't that fragile."
"Not patronizing you. I mean every word."
And I believe she does. Sam is wonderful.
She grins and waggles her eyebrows. "Wanna try a triple axel?"
"Depends. What is a triple axel?"
"A jump. You leap up and spin around three times fast while holding a specific position. I'm no expert, but I watch a lot of figure skating on TV."
"I see. Well, we should only do that if you want to pick up the pieces of my shattered bones afterward."
"You are such a pessimist."
"Are you going to do one of those axel whatsits?"
"Oh no, not me. I'd break my neck for sure."
I bump my shoulder into her. "Now who's a pessimist?"
"How about hot cocoa instead of a triple axel?"
"Now that's a sport I can handle."
She laughs. "Drinking cocoa is a sport?"
"Of course it is. The perfect sip is an art form."
I'm completely full of rubbish, but she doesn't care. That's one of the things I love most about her. Sam enjoys being silly and listening to me spout bollocks just to make her smile.
"Let's go back to your house," I say. "Had enough of exploring the town for one day."
"Sure thing. Just let me grab a few things from the grocery store."
We return our skates and walk down the main street—which might actually be called Main Street, but I'm not sure. Hand in hand, we stroll past the businesses that line the pavement and admire the window displays of various shops. This town is bigger than I expected, though it's no metropolis. I like that. Cockshire isn't a large place either, and I feel comfortable there.
"How do you like North Slipperton so far?" Sam asks as we amble past a sweets shop.
"It's lovely."
"Not too teeny for you?"
"Are you under the impression I live in a big city? I don't. Cockshire is a small village."
She stops us at a window display of handmade leather purses, but she looks at me instead of the items in the window. "Have you ever lived in a city?"
"I went to university in a city, but by the time I graduated, I'd had enough of that lifestyle. When I got a job working as a massage therapist in Cockshire, I realized country life is what I want."
"Me too. I used to live in Philadelphia, but I got sick of the city."
Another thing we have in common. The more I learn about her, the more I want to know. So I ask a bloody stupid question. "How do you find men to date when you live in the middle of nowhere?"
"I haven't dated anyone since I moved here. Told you last night I'm taking a break from that stuff."
Right. She did tell me that. Since it was during our attempt to have sex, I sort of forgot.
"Why are you taking a break from dating?" I ask. "I imagine the dating pool is rather small in North Slipperton, but there is online dating."