“If we told you, they wouldn’t be surprises,” Clay said.
“Great.”
Patience appeared at her side, clipboard in hand. “We’re making great progress. With everyone drinking coffee and eating cupcakes, we should get a nice rush in productivity and have all the work done in another hour or so.”
This time yesterday Evie would have said there was no way the sets could be spruced up in less than four hours. But now, surrounded by thirty or forty people digging in and getting it done, she realized it was more than possible.
“Thank you,” Evie told her. “This wouldn’t have happened without you and Charlie helping me.”
“You’re wonderful with Lillie, so I figure we’re even. Oh, I forgot to tell you, we’re all confirmed for the costumes and the makeup and hair. You know that’s all provided, right? We have a fitting and make sure the girls are set with the clothes, then talk about hair and makeup.”
The throat tightness was back again as she remembered the feuding stylist sisters story. “Let me guess. A couple of the local salons team up to take care of hair and makeup?”
“Exactly.”
“Is this place even real?”
“Of course it is. I know it seems like we’re really nice, but the truth is we’re pretty nosy, and getting involved means we get the good gossip first.”
Evie laughed. “I think the motivations are more altruistic than that.”
“Which means we have you fooled.” Patience started to say something else, but despite her open mouth, she was silent.
“What?” Evie asked, turning to follow her gaze. All she saw was some older woman with white hair walking into the warehouse. “You know her?”
“That’s Mayor Marsha,” Patience said, her voice hushed.
“Okay. Is it bad she’s here?”
“No. She always comes to things like this. It’s just…” Patience pointed. “Look.”
Evie did and saw nothing out of the ordinary. “You’ve got to give me a clue.”
“Look at what she’s wearing!”
“Jeans and a cardigan over a turtleneck?”
“She’s in pants.”
“Uh-huh. You know women have been wearing pants out in public for maybe a hundred years.”
“Not Mayor Marsha. She always wears a suit with a skirt. OMG.”
Evie started to laugh. “You did not just say OMG.”
“It’s Mayor Marsha in jeans. It’s an OMG moment. I have to go call my mom. She’ll die when I tell her.”
Patience pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket and pushed a button. Evie shook her head and walked back toward the people working.
Over the next hour, each of the sets was completed. Evie thanked the teams as they finished. She introduced herself to the mayor, who was a very pleasant woman. From what Evie could tell, no one else had shared Patience’s reaction to the mayor wearing pants.
“Thank you,” Evie told a blonde woman and her husband. “I’m sorry, I know you said your name, but I…” The woman was one of the triplets, but Evie had no idea which one.
“Don’t worry. You’ve met way too many people today. You can’t keep us all straight. I’m Nevada Janack and this is my husband, Tucker.”
Evie shook hands with both of them, telling herself Nevada was pregnant. That information would help her keep the name with the face, at least until Nevada gave birth. “You were both wonderful. You didn’t need to rebuild that whole section.”
“It needed it,” Tucker said. “Not to worry. Nevada and I are both in construction. So’s Will.” He pointed to the man who had been assisting them.
The three of them had taken apart the last set and basically created a new version from scratch. Now it was painted, and the pulley system for the falling snow gleamed with new hardware.
“Good luck with the show,” Tucker said, then turned to his wife. “I’m going to help Will load the truck.”
“Sure,” Nevada said, then she looked at Evie. “My two sisters said to say they’re sorry they couldn’t make it. They both have kids on the tail end of colds.”
“That’s fine. We had plenty of people.”
Nevada leaned toward her and lowered her voice. “Be grateful they didn’t come. One of my brothers is in the military. He just told us he’s not reenlisting, which means he’s coming home next year.”
Evie wasn’t sure what that had to do with her sets. “Okay. You must all be happy.”
“We are. We haven’t spent any time with Ford in years. But the thing is, my sisters are determined to get him married off as quickly as possible. They’re making a list of potential women and you’re on it.”
“Oh.” Evie took a step back. “While I’m flattered, I, ah…”
“Can get your own guy? That’s what I told them. Not that they’ll listen. Ford’s great. Don’t get me wrong, but matchmaking is a slick road to disaster.”
“I appreciate the warning.”
“Anytime.”
Technically, it wouldn’t ever be an issue, Evie thought. She wasn’t planning to be here a year from now. Although it made her kind of sad to think she wouldn’t be working on the dance again.
Nevada, Tucker and Will gathered their tools and left. Evie’s brothers had finished with the throne and were now checking to see which sets were dry and ready to be put away.
The nearly empty hallway smelled of paint and glue. The coffee and cupcakes had disappeared, and sometime when she hadn’t been looking, someone had cleaned up the brushes and neatly stacked the cans of paint.
Shane and Rafe wheeled the throne back into the storage locker while Clay crossed to Evie.
“Five of the sets need to dry a little more before we store them,” he told her. “I talked to the manager, and he said we can leave the sets out as long as they’re not in the way. I’ll swing by later and put them back into storage.”
“I can do it,” she said, surprised he would offer.
“Some of them are heavy. I’ll take care of it.” He draped his arm over her shoulder. “Then you’ll owe me and I like the sound of that.”
“Thanks,” she told him.
“No problem.”
Clay joined his brothers. A few minutes later, Dante and Evie were left alone in the warehouse. She pulled out her phone and glanced at the time.
“It’s not even noon.”
“Told you,” Dante said. “You have to have a little faith in people.”
“Oh, please. You’re a lawyer. Faith is hardly your strong suit.”
“I have my moments.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The tree lighting ceremony is tonight. Want to go with me?”
The sense of anticipation that had been so obviously quiet when she’d been speaking to Gideon fluttered to life in her tummy. She felt herself smiling up at Dante and hoped she didn’t look as foolish as she felt.
“I’d like that.”
“Pick you up at six. We’ll eat on the way.”
Chapter Nine
“You were right,” Evie said, sipping the tea Charlie had made for them.
Charlie sat across from her in the kitchen at the fire station and smiled. “That never gets old. Maybe you could say it again.”
Evie laughed. “I’m happy to. You were right. People showed up to help me with the sets. Lots of people. I didn’t know most of them and yet there they were. Everything was done by noon. I never expected anything like that to happen. And yes, I know. I need to have faith in people. I’ve been told.”
“Then my work here is done.” Charlie leaned back in her chair.
“I met Gideon.”
“What’s he like? I’ve heard him on the radio. Sexy voice.”
“Tell me about it. He’s attractive, in a dangerous sort of way.”
“That should make him irresistible.” Charlie arched her eyebrows. “Any interest?” She held up a hand. “Never mind. I apologize for asking. I can’t believe I’m turning into one of those women who falls in love and then wan
ts to see everyone around her paired up as well. It’s horrible.”
“I don’t mind. And sorry, no. Gideon seemed very nice, but there was no chemistry.” She wasn’t about to mention her attraction to Dante. The fewer people who knew about that, the better.
“I’m glad the town came through for you,” Charlie told her. “This place is always special, but even more so at the holidays.” She hesitated. “Now I’m going to say something else I’ll have to apologize for, but I can’t help myself.”
Evie held on to her mug and waited.
“It’s your mom,” Charlie began.
Evie stiffened. “What about her?”
“It’s not my business,” she began.
“You’re right, it’s not.”
Charlie sighed. “And I always hated when people gave me advice about my mother. She and I didn’t get along, either. But last summer she showed up here and wanted us to be close. I won’t go into the reasons, but I will say I resisted. Only she didn’t go away and one day I realized she was the only family I had. That without her, I had no biological connection to another person on this planet. That was kind of sobering.”
“I know you’re trying to help,” Evie said grudgingly.
“I would have bet you every penny I had that my mother would never change,” Charlie told her. “But I was wrong. And if Dominique can do it, May is more than capable. Your mom cares about you.”
“Now,” Evie muttered. “But back when it mattered, she was never there for me.”
Charlie leaned toward her. “That sucks. She was wrong and she needs to understand that. I just have one question. If she’s genuinely sorry and regrets what she did, how is she supposed to make it okay now?”
“I don’t understand.”
“If she feels remorse and asks for your forgiveness, what will make you grant it? She can’t undo the past. So how do you find closure? How do you move on?”
“I don’t know,” Evie admitted. “I don’t think I want to forgive her.”
“So you’ll both always be in pain? That doesn’t sound very pleasant. Are you sure you want to live that way?”
“No, I don’t,” Evie said before she could stop herself. “But why does she get a free pass?”
“Because in any other alternative, you have to pay, too. Aren’t you tired of that?”
Evie nodded slowly. “I want normal,” she admitted. “I want to have a family who cares about me and whom I can care about.” She wanted so much more than she had.
“You either make it work with the family you have or go find a new one. I hate to break it to you, but you’re kind of past the cute kid stage.”
Evie managed a smile. “You think? Because I look adorable in a tutu.”
She knew Charlie was right. May had acknowledged the past, which was a big step. She was also reaching out. But part of her wanted to stomp her foot and insist it was too little, too late.
Dante had pointed out that she had responsibility for the relationship as it existed today. That if she wanted things to be different, she had to make a little effort.
The past couldn’t be fixed, but maybe there was a way for the hole inside of her to be healed. Was being a part of something worth the work it would take?
Just then alarms went off in the station.
“Gotta go,” Charlie said as she jumped to her feet and ran toward the engine bay.
Evie stayed where she was until the ambulance and fire engine had left, then she started for home. Dante was picking her up in a few hours. Until then she was going to try on everything in her closet until she found the perfect thing to wear tonight.
As for the question of what to do with her family—that she would release into the universe. Maybe with a little time, the answer would present itself all on its own.
* * *
IN THE END, comfort and warmth won over fashion. Evie pulled on long underwear, which meant she wasn’t going to fit into her skinniest jeans. She layered a camisole under a sweater, over which she would wear a jacket. As the tree lighting ceremony was going to involve a lot of standing around, cute boots that pinched her toes were out of the question. So much for being dazzling, she thought as she gave in completely and tossed a pair of mittens on the sofa.
She did take the time to use hot rollers, then finger comb her hair into a tangle of curls. She brushed on a second coat of mascara and then applied peppermint-flavored lip gloss in case there was mistletoe. She was ready five minutes before Dante was due to arrive.
Fortunately he was four minutes early. She opened the door and hoped she didn’t look as excited as she felt. Maybe being cool was out of the question, but there was no excuse for acting as eager as a puppy.
“Hi,” he said as he stepped inside. “You look great.”
“Thanks. You, too.”
He had on jeans and boots, a leather jacket and a scarf that made his dark blue eyes even sexier. He smelled of wood smoke and pine, and when he leaned in to kiss her, she felt herself melting.
His mouth claimed hers with a combination of hunger and tenderness. After the first brush of skin-on-skin, he drew back and raised his eyebrows.
“Peppermint?”
She shrugged. “It’s seasonal.”
“I like it.”
He closed the front door, then cupped her cheeks in his large hands and lowered his mouth to hers. This time, instead of kissing her, he lightly licked her bottom lip. Tasting maybe, she thought, as wanting made her weak. She pressed her fingers against the cold leather of his jacket, wishing she could get a lot closer.
He waited until she parted for him, then swept his tongue inside. They strained toward each other, kissing more deeply, passion growing until she felt herself start to tremble.
This time she was the one to draw back, her breathing uneven, her head spinning. Spending time with Dante was great. She enjoyed his company, and she felt oddly safe around him. But taking things to the next level? She would have to make sure she kept a firm hold on her heart before she could let that happen. She deserved a little fun but didn’t want to let that morph into anything more than that.
“I want to say it’s the dance clothes,” he murmured, staring into her eyes. “Only you’re fully dressed. So it must be you.”
She managed a smile. “You’re saying I’m a temptation?”
“I’m saying you’re on my mind a lot these days.”
Words to make her quiver.
For a second she thought about suggesting they pass on the tree lighting ceremony. That her bedroom was only a short staircase away. Except, she needed to be sure she knew what she was doing.
“Don’t worry,” Dante said, lightly kissing the tip of her nose. “We have a date with a tree and you know how they get if we’re late. All sad and then the pine needles fall off. We can’t disappoint the children of Fool’s Gold just because I find you the sexiest woman in three counties.”
That made her laugh. She stepped back and grabbed her coat. “Only three? Who’s the competition?”
“A former Miss Apple Valley, four counties away.”
“I hate her already.”
She zipped her coat. Dante tucked in her scarf, then handed her the mittens. He opened the front door and they stepped into the night.
“You’re saying if Miss Apple Valley came calling, you’d dump me in a heartbeat?” she asked, tucking her hand around the crook of his elbow.
“It’s a serious possibility.”
“And here I was holding out for Matt Damon.”
“A married man? I’m shocked and more than a little disappointed.”
They were still laughing as they walked toward town.
The evening was clear and cold. Their breath came in white puffs of steam.
“I have a feeling I didn’t layer enough,” she said as they turned toward the center of town.
“I’ll keep you warm,” Dante promised.
They weren’t the only ones out. The lighting of the town Christmas tree was a big deal, an
d the sidewalks were crowded. Most of the stores were open. Signs in the windows promised everything from hot chocolate to hot apple cider. There were stands selling homemade cookies and funnel cakes. Christmas music played from speakers.
“Evie, Dante! Good to see you!”
Evie heard someone calling their names but couldn’t see who it was. She waved in the general direction of the voice.
“Any clue?” she asked Dante.
“Not even one.”
“It’s kind of scary that people know who we are.”
“As long as they don’t chase us with pitchforks.”
There were more booths set up by the town square where the crowd was the thickest. Evie hung on to Dante, knowing if they weren’t careful, they would get separated.
“Hey, you two.” Evie turned and saw Charlie walking toward them. She was with a blonde woman carrying a toddler.
At first Evie wanted to say the woman was Nevada Janack, only the hair wasn’t the same and there was something different about her smile. Plus she didn’t look pregnant. Clay trailed along behind Charlie, his gaze locked firmly on his fiancée.
“Evie, this is Dakota Andersson. You met her sister Nevada this morning.” Charlie leaned close. “You’re not going crazy. They’re triplets.”
“Oh, right. I remember that from the brunch. It’s good to see you again.”
Dakota laughed. “You, too. My sister Montana is the one who’s missing tonight. She’s crushed not to be here, but her baby and mine both got a cold and are recovering. My mom is home with Jordan Taylor because we didn’t want Hannah to miss tonight.” She kissed her daughter’s cheek. “Daddy is off getting us hot chocolate.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Evie said. “This is Dante Jefferson, my brother’s business partner.”
“Hi.” Dakota nodded at him, then turned back to Evie. “I was wondering if there’s a toddler class at the dance school. Hannah saw The Nutcracker on TV and can’t stop talking about it. I know kids can start dance classes pretty young. I went online, but there isn’t a website for the studio.”
Evie considered the question. “The youngest students I have are six,” she said slowly. “But you’re right. A lot of girls start much younger than that.”
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