There were two light beers and four dark in the flight, and she and Maddie decided that they would judge only the dark beers before voting. Even if, by chance, the lighter beers were better, both of them knew Erin’s was one of the darker ones. She was tempted to taste her pint so she could pick the right one, but she and Maddie decided to play it fair. They both ended up choosing number five, hoping it was Erin’s.

They were happy to get outside despite their semi-private hiding spot and waited until they were there, the voting cards submitted, to taste their pints.

“Oh, that’s definitely number five,” she said.

“For sure. I’m so glad you like it.”

She was confused. “Why?”

Maddie’s cheeks colored a little, and she laughed, awkwardly. “No reason. I mean, I guess I’m glad you like my friend’s beer.”

Maddie refused to meet her eyes, but she didn’t say anything, letting Maddie lead her through the crowds again without further comment. Still, she guessed it was, perhaps, in line with everything else they hadn’t talked about. Sometime soon they would have to talk, really talk, about all of this between them. But now wasn’t the time.

She saw the line of ice sculptures appear in front of them, her heart leaping crazily with excitement. She’d seen these things off and on over the years at various functions—usually as a centerpiece at a party—but all the sculptures out here were much, much larger than those—some far taller than her. Maddie stopped walking, looking suddenly embarrassed again, and Ryann laughed, dragging her forward. The sculptures were set up in a long line about five feet apart, behind low ropes. She took one of the voting cards, but Maddie refused, and she became even quieter as they walked down the line of ice sculptures, pausing at each one. On the whole, none of them moved her. A few were cute, some were actually quite bad, and others had little depth or detail. There were several hearts, several vague cupids, some dog-type creatures, and a swan, but nothing really stood out.

She had seen the crowd standing in front of the sculpture near the end of the row long before they got there, and even before she saw it, she understood that it must be Maddie’s. Everyone they’d run into today had mentioned it, and she could tell from their expressions and admiration that they hadn’t been flattering her. Maddie stopped and waved her forward, seeming to want to stand back away from the crowd, but she was just being bashful. Ryann didn’t argue, however, elbowing through everyone in the best New York fashion to get to the front and see this thing finally.