Rae couldn't help but grin a little bit, and she shrugged. “Very easily, but you're wise not to,” she joked. “My daddy always used to say that arguing with a woman is a quick and easy way to turn your life into a swirling torrent of misery and suffering, so I'm glad you share his point of view,” she said with a tiny smile. Honestly, he seemed to share Andreas' point of view on many things, but Rae decided to let that go unsaid for now.
The expression on Rae's face could easily be described as pleasantly shocked when Topher told her that he'd seen EJ. “That's good,” she replied, though her eyes were wide, but happy, as she looked up at him. “When did you see him?” she asked. “I'm glad he's seen one really familiar face. I'm glad this is happening while he's still too young to know what's going on, too.” All those doubts she'd had about raising him on her own were completely irrelevant. Rae couldn't imagine her life without him. He was her baby. Her boy. The light of her life. And to be honest, Rae was beyond glad that she had Topher helping her look out for him.
She couldn't help but laugh a little. “I'm not sure skating under the influence is such a good idea, Topher,” she teased. “Sharp objects and liquor have never gone well together. Maybe we can save some of it for when we get home, though...” she thought aloud, pressing a gloved finger to her chin and looking at the ceiling, as she was still indoors. “I wonder if anyone ever did that. Makes soup with booze, I mean. Probably somewhere. Whiskey soup,” she chuckled. Though given man's dependency on booze, it was definitely possible.
Unable to completely keep her hands to herself, Rae raised a hand and put it on his arm, over the stripes in the jacket she gave him. “I'm glad. That jacket looks ridiculously hot on you,” she mused. “It'll be a nice treat for me to look at you in it,” she winked, before letting her hand drop to her side. But it didn't last long, because when he pulled her close, she raised her arms and hugged him. There was a safety in his arms that she thought she'd lost for good, so she clung to it. When he released her, she let her own arms slide back to her sides and looked up at him with a completely happy smile.
“Maybe I am, but it more than doesn't bother you,” she paused, making a face at the sentence structure. She recovered and grinned at him again. “You totally love it.”
The walk to the skating rink was comfortable. Quiet. A couple little comments here and there kept it from being completely silent, and when they got there, Rae couldn't help but smile at the fact that it was completely empty. “No one's here,” she pointed out arbitrarily. “I approve.” She nodded over at the direction of the small freshly-made shack the skates were kept in. “What size are you? I'll grab them.”