Carol Mackela

Noon Skate Carol Mackela

Skaters Monica Jones and Brad Peltonen share a passion for ice dancing. From the moment Brad pulls Monica in for an unexpected but welcome kiss at the end of a skating session, she wonders whether they have enough in common for a relationship off the ice, and whether Brad really has eyes for another skater. Monica, a single mom and paralegal in Center City, Michigan, has been working with a coach for six years through the test levels of ice dancing - bronze, pre-silver, silver, pre-gold - and is now skating at the gold level. If she passes the four gold dances at a test session, she will be declared a gold dance medalist, akin to a black belt in martial arts. Brad shares the same goal, practicing daily with Monica at noon skate. When Monica loses almost everything except her life in a devastating apartment fire, she must postpone her upcoming ice dance test and come up with the funds for a new pair of very expensive skates. She must also deal with unsuccessful test sessions, Brad's sudden illness and the loss of her job.