Perfect Illusion

Karen pulled the Lexus SUV over to the curb and put it in park. She triple checked the address against what she had saved in her phone, and only once she confirmed it did she text Charlotte that she was outside. The clock read almost 2:30 on the dot, which was later than she’d intended to get going, but then she should have expected it would take some time to get the sitter settled.

Karen glanced up from her phone to see Charlotte approaching and lifted one hand in a quick wave before checking the car was unlocked. “Hello!” she chirped as Charlotte opened the door. “I am so glad you were able to come on such short notice!” 

charlotte 📲 karen

karenfrompta​:

To Karen: Omg hey! Yes absolutely I’d love to join you, we can’t let that ticket go to waste and I’ve been meaning to check out Wood’s Edge

To Karen: What time this afternoon?

To Charlotte: Fantastic! They have some good wines, I’m interested in trying the rest of their line. 

A laugh slipped unbidden from Heather’s lips as she wobbled and almost fell out of her spin, but then managed to glide out. Ice skating again after all of this time made her feel like a kid again, skating laps around her dad at the rink outside the mall. She was giddy at still having most of the muscle memory for this, though the first few minutes had been a little stiff.

It would be a lot more fun though if there were less kids here. Like that gaggle of four or five kids she kept having to weave around. There they were now, so Heather swerved to the right, not going for any tricks while so close. Suddenly, one of the kids was very close, somehow having moved feet from his apparent path. She leaned forward to keep balance as her butt went back and she tried to contort her body around the oblivious child. Both managed to survive the almost collision, but Heather was so unbalanced she directed her momentum to the rail near a brunette woman. She leaned back against the barrier with a laugh. “Who let all of these children out here? They need a damn leash.”

For all her boredom, Karen still watched her children like a hawk, waving at Cora and her friend Kaitlyn every time they circled round. Therefore she was certainly paying attention when Levi’s friend Michael tripped over his own skate and wobbled out into the middle of the rink and right into the path of another skater who was moving far too quickly. She gasped, leaning forward against the barrier, too far away to do anything but watch as the woman narrowly spun to avoid crashing into him. Any relief at the near miss was short lived as the woman, now off balance, came barreling right towards her, and hit the rink wall next to her hard. Karen reached out automatically, putting a hand on the woman’s arm to help catch and steady her, her own heart still pounding at the near collision. “Goodness, are you alright?” she asked breathlessly, even as the woman began to laugh. Taking her hand off of her, Karen leaned back to standing normally, instead of half pitch over the rail, and shook her head. “That would be me, actually, although that was not my child. My children are better skaters than that. You were going incredibly fast, even though there are clearly children present. Someone could get hurt!” she exclaimed. 

“Thinking about your to-do list? Come on, it’s Christmastime and you’re at a skating rink!” Beatrice said, shaking her head. It simply wouldn’t do. “You’re not taking me from my skating, and besides, I’m sure you’re not that bad at it! I promise you, I wasn’t all that graceful at first, either. And you should have seen me when I first got out here today. I was regretting my choice in outfit, let me tell you.” Beatrice had opted to wear one of her wool skirts, with a pair of thick, lined leggings underneath, but as she’d fallen to the ice she’d wished she had something more substantial on. Of course, when she’d gotten dressed that morning she hadn’t known that she’d end up spending time on the ice. But still. It was the winter.

It took all of Karen’s self control to only chuckle instead of bark a laugh when the girl protested that she shouldn’t be thinking of how busy she was because it’s Christmas. “Hence the to-do list!” she exclaimed, keeping the polite smile on her face. Someday this young girl would learn what that meant, how different Christmas was as a parent, and then she’d understand, she thought to herself with a shake of her head. At the topic of skating, Karen waved the notion away with the hand not holding her hot chocolate. “Oh I do know how to skate. I’m from the Northeast, we went skating every year. And I taught my children to skate as well,” she added, gesturing to the ice where her children were certainly holding their own better than some others. “I’m just sitting this one out. I do agree you might have dressed a little warmer for the skating rink though,” Karen acquiesced, looking the girl up and down. “You must be freezing.” 

 Dominic smiled in thanks for her moving over, and took the opportunity to slide a little closer to the red and gold ornament he had been admiring. “Yes, yes they are. I love the way they catch the light.” Just then a cloud shifted and the sun shone through, catching the collection of ornaments in a way that the colors intersected as they shown on the side of the booth. “Oh, that’s nice.” Huh, he wondered how young the woman’s children were. It was kinda odd to buy presents for teachers, but maybe the kids were in like kindergarten. “Do you buy the teachers presents every year?” The woman looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t place her.

Karen smiled triumphantly when the light caught the ornaments in such a way. She’d always known she had an eye for good craftsmanship, it was one of the things she always prided herself on, but it was always nice to see confirmation that she had been right. “I know, they are so beautiful. Such a perfect gift for anyone you may be looking for!” She looked closer at the man out of the corner of her eye and thought she recognized him as one of the Kingsleys. Or maybe the Hawthornes. Definitely one of the locals, though she thought he might have changed his hair from the last time she’d run into him. “I do, I’ve been buying them presents every year since they were in kindergarten.” She made a gesture in the air. “I know the class collects money for a group gift for the teachers too, but I always think it’s nice to do something more personalized, specifically from my family. After all, they do such important work making sure my children get their education.” Plus after the amount of times Karen was in touch with their teachers throughout the year, it just felt like they had every right to be on her christmas gift list as well.

Dominic wandered through the stalls of the German style outdoor market, admiring all of the crafts. It was impressive the skill that it took to make these things, and while he wasn’t exactly crafty he did enjoy having something technical to do with his hands. He’d already done the bulk of his Christmas shopping, but now he was looking for something unique to get his mother, or whatever caught his eye as perfect for one of his partners or sisters. He chuckled at the thought of his mother having to disrupt her perfect decor for whatever little trinket he got her. At the next stall someone was examining an interesting piece. Dominic came closer for a good look. “Wow, I was also looking for something like that. And it looks really well made.” He directed the second comment to the vendor with a smile.

Karen had finished her Christmas shopping three times already... and then thought of just one more person she really ought to get a gift for. By this point, she had learned to navigate the Christmas market with ease, knowing where to enter to skip the crowds around the food vendors, and instead immersed herself in the craft stalls. She had just stopped to admire some of the spun glass ornaments hanging in one of the stalls when she heard a voice over her shoulder. Stepping to the side to give him room, she turned and gave a smile. “Aren’t they beautiful? I’ve already bought two for my kids’ teachers!”

Beatrice was gliding around the ice, a smile on her face and laughter on her lips. There was something just so freeing about skating. Of course, she’d much rather be skating on a pond somewhere, this was still just as good. It was as she was finishing her lap that she noticed the woman standing on the side. She frowned, slowing down as she passed her. She didn’t look happy, and that just wouldn’t do. There were no frowns while skating. Not on her watch. She completed another lap and then came to a stop next to where she leaned against the side of the rink.

“Why the long face?”

Karen jumped slightly as one of the figures on the ice suddenly stopped right beside her. For a moment she thought the girl had stopped to speak to someone else, and it took her a moment to realize the question was directed at her. “Oh--me? Was I making a face?” Karen glanced around in surprise. “I didn’t even realize. I’m just watching my children skate and thinking about my to-do list,” she explained, plastering her practiced smile on her face. It wouldn’t do to sound like she was upset watching her children-- and she wasn’t, not really. She was just tired, and a little bit bored. She’d have to do better at masking her expression... “But thank you,” she continued. “For checking in on me! I don’t want to take you from your skating. You’re much more graceful at it than I am.”

“Oh,” she said automatically as she bounced back, before getting a better look at the person she’d crashed into and recognized the face. “Oh--Ronan-- I’m so sorry! I guess I should look before I merge into oncoming traffic.” 

@emotionalsupportwerewolf​

To Charlotte: Hi Charlotte, I know this is completely last minute on a Saturday, but would you be interested in going to a wine tasting event at Wood’s Edge with me this afternoon?