Where The Ice Gives Way Chapter 128

**Charlotte**

We pull up to the community hall, and the whole place is already alive. Music drifts out through the open doors, and laughter carries across the car park. People move between cars and stalls with boxes in their arms and cups of coffee in their hands. There’s a large undercover section set up outside, rows of tables lined with games and small stalls. Kids crowd around one with a spinning wheel, shouting as it clicks past each colour. A marquee sits off to the side with a barbecue going, smoke curling up into the cold air while someone flips sausages over a hot plate. Little fire pits are spaced around the area, and people gathered close to them with their hands out, warming their fingers. It feels busy, but it feels… fun.

Blake comes around the front of the car, grabbing a box from the back before I can reach for one. I take the next one anyway, holding it against my hip. Mara is already at the booth, pulling out trays stacked with covered containers. “Here,” I say, taking a few boxes from her. Blake does the same, stacking two against his chest. “Our table should be marked at thirty-four on the inside,” Mara says, pushing the boot closed. “Near the centre.”

“Got it,” Blake answers.

We move together toward the hall. People call out to Blake as we pass, clapping him on the shoulder, congratulating him on the game. He answers them easily, smiling, nodding, never slowing down. Charlie gets caught halfway to the door by Theo and two others, already being dragged into another conversation, his grin wide and a little disbelieving.

I follow Mara inside. There are fairy lights that run along the beams overhead that catch my attention. Then I look around at the long tables across the room, already filling with baked goods, raffle baskets, jars, handmade things, and small handwritten signs. It smells like sugar, coffee, and barbecue. Mara moves easily through the space, people stepping aside for her. She spots our table and nods toward it. “Here we go.”

A small sign sits at the front.

I set the boxes down and start unpacking the containers, and little cookie bags tied with ribbon. Blake lays out a tray of biscuits wrapped in clear plastic. Mara moves around me, shifting things into place, straightening, arranging. Blake’s hand briefly at the small of my back as he steps past me. “I’ll grab the rest,” he says, already turning back toward the door.

Mara nods. “Watch your father. He’ll eat half the stall before we open.” I smile and keep unpacking.

Jessica and Annabelle appear a few minutes later, slipping in through the side door with flushed cheeks and bright eyes. “Okay, this is cute,” Jessica says, looking around.

Annabelle nods once. “It’s a good setup, Mara. Let us help.” Annabelle reaches for a tray and starts placing things out in a neat line. Jessica tries to help, then gets distracted by a basket full of chocolate bars two tables over. “Don’t even think about it, you’ll have time to get your goodies once we’ve been good friends first,” Annabelle says without looking up.

Blake passes behind me again, brushing my arm as he reaches for another box. “You’re doing good,” he says quietly.

I nod, glancing up at him. “So are you.”

He smiles, then moves on before I can say anything else. Across the room, I see Charlie standing near the display board, talking to a group of people. Someone points at a photo pinned up, and he rubs the back of his neck, smiling easily. Mara hands me a stack of small price cards, and I start placing them in front of each tray. Blake comes back a third time, but no boxes in his hands now. He stops beside me just long enough to steal one of the biscuits from the tray. Mara turns instantly. “Blake.”

He drops coins into the jar without argument.

“Good boy,” she says.

Then he holds the biscuit out toward me. I grin, lean forward, and take a bite. Blake smiles, kisses my forehead and disappears back into the crowd.

We get a bunch of kids running over to us as soon as I’ve finished arranging the cards, and they’re all holding out coins and pointing to what they want. I laugh, knowing that their parents will probably curse the sugar high they’re going to get. When the last one takes off, I look up and see Sophie standing near the entrance. She’s talking to Mara, her hands wrapped around a cup, as she smiles and looks over at me. I set the card down and move toward her as I fight back the guilt. “Sophie—” Before I can say anything else, and apologise, before I can even form the words, she steps forward and pulls me into a hug. “Don’t you dare,” she says into my hair. Her arms tighten around me. “Don’t you dare feel bad,” she repeats, pulling back just enough to look at me. “This is the longest time I’ve had off in over thirty years.” She smiles, holding my face in both hands. “And I’m getting a whole new diner out of it.” Sophie waves to everything around us. “This? This is a good thing from a shitty thing.” She squeezes my hands once before letting go. “You hear me?”

I nod, swallowing the tears. “I hear you.” I whisper,

“Good.” She smiles again, brushing my hair down and turns back toward Mara, already slipping into conversation like nothing ever broke.

I head back to the stall with my throat tight and my hands a little shaky. Charlie appears beside me before I reach the table, his shoulder brushing mine. “You okay?”

I nod, looking across the hall at Sophie. “Yeah. She’s being really nice about it all.”

“Good. I wouldn’t stand for anything less,” he says quietly, nudging my shoulder with a playful smile.

We stand there for a second, watching people move between the tables. Charlie leans closer. “Bit different from where we started, hey?” He nods around the hall. I laugh, “Yeah, it’s nice, those, isn’t it?” 

He runs a hand through his curls, smiling at me, “I think Mum would be proud of where we’re at.” He hands his arm over my shoulder, and I whisper, “I think so too.”