Page 45 of Find Me in the Rain

He sniffles and hesitates for a moment before saying, “Some kids pick on Erick and me.” His little voice shatters my heart.

“No one else’s opinion in this world matters but yours. What’s in here”—I poke his heart—“this is what’s important, okay?”

He doesn’t say anything, just throws his arms around my neck, sobbing into me. I absorb every tear of pain, feeling each one burn into my soul.

After he rids his body of all the pent-up sadness, I offer him the only thing I can think of to cheer him up. “Want to go ice skating?”

His mouth drops wide open, gasping. “Really?” he screams, not even two feet from me.

I laugh. “Yes. Let me call Char and Josh. I’m sure they’d love to go.”

And after I call Char, we soon meet up with them at the rink.

Oh my gosh, I haven’t been skating in years, not since Alec last took me.

We each get our skates, and I help lace Jack’s up. Char and Josh are already on the ice when we get off the ground.

To help give him some balance, I grab one of the walkers for Jack since he hasn’t been skating before.

“All right, buddy, careful first step here.” I position his hands on the bar as he takes his first step onto the ice.

He can barely contain the smile on his face. “Mom, look! I’m doing it!”

If by doing it, he means that he has both feet on the ice, then yes, he is indeed doing it.

Josh and Char skate up to us.

Josh goes to his other side. “Looking good, little man. Watch your mom. She’s practically a pro.”

“All right, Jack, watch my feet.”

We both pull to a stop before I take my first step forward, showing him how to push off.

“Transfer the weight from your right heel to your toes and push off, keeping your left foot straight. Like this.” I kick off with my right foot, showing him exactly what I said, riding the momentum out on my left foot. “See? Now, you try.”

Jack’s face is all business when he looks down to his feet. “Okay.”

He bends his knees, shifting his weight to his right foot and then transferring it back to his left as he pushes off.

We all clap for him.

“That was perfect. Now, do the same thing but with the other foot.”

He does as instructed and begins to transfer back and forth, back and forth. And after a few minutes, he is gliding on the ice all on his own.

Wow, he’s a natural.Can skating skills be genetic?

Char, Josh, and I follow closely behind him while he skates. After the first couple laps around the rink, he wants to ditch the walker.

I’m a little hesitant since it’s his first time out here, but he really is incredible. And I don’t want to hold him back.

“All right, buddy, if you fall, it’s okay. It might even hurt a little bit. But you will get up, dust it off, and try again.”

I grab the walker from him, and he does what he’s been practicing, kicking off and transferring his weight.

I don’t think he even needed the walker to start with. He’s absolutely brilliant. Like he was born to skate. I’m lost in awe that I barely even register Charlotte’s voice.

“Laura,” she says matter-of-factly, her tone a warning.