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even been the recipient. It was a side of her dad she hadn’t seen before.
    She watched Madison and Beckett skating hand in hand. Madison lost her footing. Beckett caught her by the elbow, and they spun awkwardly until they came to a standstill, laughing. Nearby, Dad’s arms windmilled before he steadied himself.
    “You think he suspects anything?” Layla asked.
    Murphy had loosened the knot and had her boot halfway laced. “Nope. Layla, you need to relax. Let’s just go out there and have fun, okay?” A second later he tied a bow and patted her skate.
    The music was nice—an upbeat Christmas tune. White lights twinkled from nearby pine trees, dancing in the breeze. And though it was snowing, it wasn’t all that cold. He held out her gloves, and she stuffed her hands inside them.
    He gave her a hand up. “Come on.”
    They skated side by side around the rink with a couple dozen others, mostly strangers. Layla was glad for that. The fewer people they knew, the better.
    Awhile later Beckett and Madison joined them. They talked about her progress on the house. Dad skated up to them, a little steadier now that he’d practiced.
    “How are the wedding plans going?” he asked Layla. “I don’t know how you’re finding time, what with staging the house and working at Cappy’s.”
    “Sometimes wedding planning seems like a full-time job,” Madison said.
    Guilt pricked Layla. She couldn’t wait for this night to end. “We’re keeping it very simple.”
    “And I’m helping with whatever she needs,” Murphy said.
    “Hey, man,” Beckett said. “You’re making me look bad.”
    Madison elbowed her fiancé, trading a mock scowl. “Yes,
some
people can’t make a simple phone call.”
    “I keep getting voice mail,” Beckett said.
    “Are you sure Christmas Eve’s a good idea?” Dad asked. “A lot of people have family plans.”
    “We want to keep it small anyway,” Layla said. So small no one would be there.
    “You don’t have a ring yet?” Dad must’ve noticed over dinner.
    Murphy turned backward and skated in front of Layla. He took her gloved hands, holding eye contact. “We haven’t found the right one yet, have we, baby?”
    Murphy’s cheeks were flushed, the tip of his nose red. Fog plumed in front of his face with each breath, and his blue eyes sparkled under the lighting. A fat flake landed on his eyelashes.
    Layla unconsciously reached out and wiped it away with her gloved thumb. The look in his eyes shifted. She couldn’t break away from his gaze. His hand tightened around hers. Suddenly she felt warm. Too many layers. She needed to ditch the scarf. Maybe the coat. What was wrong with her?
    “You guys are cute together,” Madison said.
    Layla tore her eyes from Murphy. Her cheeks went warm under his stare.
    “When did you realize you loved my girl, Seth?” Dad asked.
    Layla stiffened.
Change the subject.
Her thoughts spun for a topic and came up empty. Her eyes flew to Murphy.
    “It was at Cappy’s, actually,” Murphy said.
    Layla frowned at him. What was he doing?
    “At Cappy’s?” Madison said.
    “I was watching her work. She was waiting on the table next to mine, and the customer said something that made her laugh.” His eyes held her hostage. “I thought, I could listen to that sound for the rest of my life.”
    Layla’s breath caught. His breath plumed between them on an exhale. He’d been wasting his time on the sets. The guy should’ve had the lead role.
    “That’s sweet,” Madison said. Layla could feel her eyes on them.
    How was he doing this? Making stuff up off the cuff like that? Looking at her like she held his world in her hands? Wasn’t this getting to him at all? Dad was eating it all up, and it was lies—all of it.
    She had to get away from this—from them. “I … need a break. My ankles …” Layla pulled her hands from Murphy’s and skated toward the bench. She was shaking and wasn’t sure why. The stress of pretending? The look in Murphy’s