It was Thursday, and Maeve felt well-rested and in a good mood. Tomorrow would be the day when she and Treyton would have another date. He texted her around 10 a.m., informing her that he would pick her up at 8 p.m. since the Christmas tree lighting would occur at midnight. It had been a while since she had gone to an ice rink, but going on the first day of December was romantic.

Maeve called Patrisha to invite her to eat over at her house; she called her mother to see if she wanted to eat with them. However, there was yet to be a response. Patrisha mentioned that she would buy and pick up the food. The older woman mentioned having a surprise. Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Maeve took a peek through the door's peephole. She saw Patrisha but noticed that she wasn't alone. There was someone else beside her. "Well, I can't believe it." The door was opened.

"Well, hello, Maeve! Special delivery!" Patrisha motioned out her hands; she and Maeve hugged.

"Very funny, Trish!" The women separated, and Maeve focused on the young woman behind Patrisha, who held a couple of bags of food and a bouquet of slower. "Persefone, I can't believe you're here!" Maeve and Persefone hugged one another.

Persefone turned eighteen and was a special education instructional assistant in Maeve and Patrisha's classroom. She worked with the two women for a year and was motivated to become a special education teacher. Persefone had light olive skin, black eyes, and long, straight black hair that went past her waist. Her lips were plump, and she still had her youth of adolescence. "Hey, Maeve! I asked Patrisha if I could come along. The kids and I missed you, and I wanted to see how you were doing." She gave Maeve a bouquet of red Poinsettias to her.

The women were motioned to enter her home with the bags of food. Once the door was closed, the bouquets were put in a vase in the kitchen. The trio went to the living room, where they set up the boxes of Italian food, which consisted of Frutti di Mare, Cacciatore, Vongole pasta, bread sticks, and salads. "So, Persefone, how have you been? I hope the kids aren't restless due to my absence."

"It was a little challenging since the kids adore you. The substitute was a bit of a sourpuss, but she got used to the kids more and felt the same way. However, everyone is relieved that you're going to return soon." Persefone got a plate and debated whether to raise the issue but eventually decided. "I-I'm also sorry what happened to you and Stephen. I'm glad that you're not with him anymore." Patrisha flinched while Maeve stopped midway from getting her food. Persefone realized that the way she said her statement sounded terrible. "I-I don't mean it rudely! B-But Patrisha told me that you were seeing someone else!"

Patrisha glared at Persefone. "I'm gonna pop this girl one!"

Maeve eventually served herself a plate of food and sat on the sofa opposite her friends. "It's okay. People will eventually find out what happened. I'm happy he broke it off with me, or else I wouldn't have met Treyton."

Persefone sighed in relief as she served herself a cup of Sprite. "So that's his name? Sounds cool."

"So, did you guys attend the class I told you about? How did it go?" asked Patrisha.

"Treyton and I had a good time, but his gingerbread house was a bit messy." Maeve took a bite of her pasta as the memory of Treyton's gingerbread came to mind, as did the look of embarrassment. A chuckle escaped her lips, making her spit out bits of her food. "Sorry about that; it's just that Treyton was embarrassed by how his gingerbread house came out. It looked like an episode from CSI Miami."

Patrisha was happy to see Maeve brighten up, but she couldn't help but be intrigued by how Treyton looked. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. "Hey, Maeve, what is your next plan with Treyton?"

"Well, by sheer coincidence, I met two of his friends who are also married; they were very lively. Anyway, they gave us an idea of going to the Holiday Ice Rink tomorrow. I also heard that they would light up the Christmas tree."

"Huh, that's a good place to start at the beginning of December. Do you know how to ice skate?"

"Well, it's been a while, but I think I will get the hang of it again. Anyway, I need to go to the restroom; I'll be back." Maeve stood up and left Patrisha and Persefone alone.

Persefone sighed as she laid back on the sofa. "Well, at least she's in high spirits again. Still, I can't help but feel a little jealous of her luck in finding love. My dating life sucks."

Patrisha shook her head. "Child, you're still young and have much to learn about the world. Don't feel that you need a man to make yourself feel worthy. The right one will eventually come along." Then, an idea came to her. "Anyway, I'm curious about how this Treyton guy looks."

"Same here, but I know that we're going to meet him eventually. We need to be patient."

"Well, I ain't gonna wait longer than I have to. I'm going to see for myself."

Persefone's eyes widened. "Patrisha, you don't mean..."

"Damn right. We will sneak into their date to catch a glimpse of him. We're going to be careful."

"Wait a minute? We?"

Patrisha smiled as she glared at Persefone. "Yes, 'we'. You're going to come along with me. They'll go there late, by the sound of it, since they usually light up the tree by midnight. I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer. Do you understand me?"

Persefone felt a shiver go down her spine. Out of all the people she knew, Patrisha was the one person she feared the most. The older woman had been through so much in her youth and had to fight to survive. However, Persefone couldn't deny that she was also curious about Treyton and wanted to see his appearance and how he treated Maeve. "Eh, what the heck. It would be nice to go out rather than stay at home."