Nora brushed some snow off Albert's window and peeked inside as they passed by-- her faithful companion did not seem to have missed her.

When she continued to walk towards Martin who now stood, waiting for her, next to his car, after having helped Daniel to climb onto the back seat, she found him smiling at her.

"I remember Barbara driving that car. And I told her more than once that the thing didn't look safe at all... I really think you should buy something more... if not modern, then at least recent," he teased, opening the door of the navy blue SUV for her.

Then, while she fastened her seatbelt and looked back to smile at Daniel, who was going through a huge bag full of hockey equipment, lifting up different objects and naming them undoubtedly for her benefit, he walked around the car and climbed in too.

"I'm not joking, Nora," Martin continued as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the road, which got busier the moment they reached the first intersection and drove down the hill, towards the nearby town. "Roads in winter are awful around here, sometimes it snows so much that they are not properly clean for days, and there are many drivers who are dangerous when driving on snow..."

Nora sighed. She could see his point but a new car wasn't her priority. "It's fine, you don't need to worry. Albert is quite reliable for what I'll be using him-- a weekly shopping down in the town. I honestly can't spend all my money on something like this... What's it called?" she said, letting her eyes stroll over the smooth dark curves of the interior.

The car was warm, spacious, silent, and the way Martin drove it, it moved as smoothly as if it was standing still. She could sleep here... She yawned, then giggled when she heard Daniel yawning in the sleep inducing semi-darkness behind her.

"It's an Audi, a plug-in hybrid... It was a gift from my father."

Nora giggled again, earning herself a quick, puzzled look from Martin, before he glued his eyes back to the road. They were on the outskirts of the town already and the traffic was thick and slow, because of the incessant snowfall.

Daniel came to her rescue before she could explain, "She didn't mean the brand, daddy, she asked you the car's name! What's yours called, Nora?" Daniel looked at her curiously, his head wedged between the front seats.

"His name is Albert. My grandmother named him so and I think it fits him," she said, mussing the boy's hair. "Now sit back, please, and let daddy focus on the road."

"I see. Well, I'm sorry I misunderstood," Martin said, pulling into a half-full parking lot in front of the ice hockey stadium.

The large, old building stood next to another similar one, used by the town's volleyball and basketball teams, several large supermarkets, a huge McDonald's and the town's biggest shopping mall. The convenient position guaranteed loads of visitors, and Nora nearly felt sorry for Daniel-- she would have hated to be a part of the kid's hockey team, watched closely by hundreds of adults. He, however, did not seem bothered, he hopped out of the car, his bag on his shoulder, and ran after another boy his age even before Nora managed to unbuckle her seat belt.

Seeing her fumble with the mechanism, Martin suddenly leaned in to help her. His unexpected move surprised her, and for a blissful moment or two, his scent, his warmth, his close presence filled her mind, her entire world, replacing any other thought or feeling but those concerning him... She had to close her eyes and struggle to breathe normally as he pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, then let his fingers stroll down her cheek slowly, softly, in a whisper of a caress, a promise of so much more...

She opened her eyes when she felt the sudden absence of his warmth, finding him back in his own seat, watching her intently.

You are losing your mind! She scolded herself. This man was making her crave all those things she didn't want-- infatuation and love, and then heartbreak and loneliness... Because one never came without the others... Nora needed them to stay friends.

"So... the car is nameless, it's yours to name if you want. Shall we go?" he proposed, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

Nora only nodded, not trusting her voice, and followed him outside, into the cold darkness brightened by the lights streaming through the windows of the stadium. Martin's hand closed tightly around hers, as he led her towards the boys' changing rooms.

"You look like a knight in full armour," Nora said as Daniel walked out, ready for his match, and let his father help him walk towards the ice rink, teetering on his skates. "You only need a dragon to fight."

Daniel giggled, even as Martin adjusted his helmet. "There he is, Nora, look!" He pointed his stick to a boy twice his size, already warming up on the ice. "That's the enemies' keeper."

"They are not your enemies, but opponents. And this is not a fight, but a game." Martin recited patiently what sounded like lines many times repeated.

"Okay," Daniel said, rolling his eyes at her when Martin could not see.

"Good luck then!" Nora called after him, trying to suppress a giggle, as Martin sent him off with a fatherly pat on the helmet.

"There, that's done." Martin sighed, a perfect image of an exhausted parent. "Let us find seats, it will take an hour. But they are quite good, you shouldn't get bored... I hope."

She didn't. Time flew by while Martin explained to her the basics of the game. She found the smells and noises filling the stadium-- the sound of the skates cutting across the ice, the rumble of the Ice Resurfacer, the loud music and the calls and screams of the spectators, the muffled noise of the wooden hockey sticks repeatedly hitting the hard rubber puck-- coupled by the incredible swiftness of the game, exhilarating.

When, on exiting the stadium nearly two hours later, with a very proud, victorious-looking Daniel holding both her and his father's hand, he asked her to come with him to the following match after Christmas, she agreed without thinking to seek Martin's opinion first. But he smiled at her, nodding his consent, when their eyes met.

"I'm hungry," Daniel muttered, observing the bright windows of the McDonald's as they walked back towards the car.

"I'll cook as soon as we're at home," Martin promised, taking the car keys from his pocket. "And after dinner you must finish practicing your writing..."

It seemed to Nora that with Adele gone, and her only starting officially on Monday, the two were about to spend a pleasant, father-and-son evening.

"But I'm hungry now..." Daniel complained, disturbing her train of thought.

"Well... If daddy won't mind, maybe we can all have dinner here tonight?" she proposed, nodding towards the busy fast food restaurant. "I wanted to grab something to eat somewhere, anyway..."

"You could come to our place, I promise I can cook," Martin said, even as Daniel's excited voice drowned his words, "Yes please, let's eat here with Nora."

"I really wouldn't have time to join you at home, I promised Clelia to help her in the market tonight," she said, trying to picture how an evening spent with these two would be.

Martin would cook... she would help him while playing with Daniel... It would be... wonderful... And absolutely too soon. And wrong, really, seeing that she had made herself Martin's employee. Nora groaned inwardly, wishing she had never seen that announcement in Clelia's window. She really enjoyed being around Daniel, but she equally enjoyed being around his father and... and... She struggled to keep up with herself.

"Fine," Martin agreed finally, raising his arms in mock surrender. "McDonald's it is, then."