by Wilde, Lori
The air was crisp but not too cold. Almost all the houses were decorated with lights and lawn ornaments. The smell of Christmas floated on the air—pine, cinnamon, gingerbread. In the distance they heard Christmas music. When they got to the town square, they spied a group of carolers standing on the street corner singing, “I’ll be Home for Christmas.”
“Looks like the high school choir is serenading tourists,” Chloe said.
They headed toward the music. Teens in bright-red and green sweaters, their clear youthful voices lifted high, walked from the street corner to the front steps of the town hall, people following them.
They joined the crowd encircling the singers. Snowball yipped and tugged on her leash, eager to be part of the festivities.
Evan picked her up and held the small dog close to his chest while he and Chloe listened to the music. When the short concert finished, they strolled toward Chloe’s clinic.
“Do you mind if I stop in and see my overnight patients?” she asked.
“Of course not.”
They went inside, and Evan waited in the lobby with Snowball while Chloe headed to the back to check in with the overnight vet tech. She came out a few minutes later, and they continued their walk in the opposite direction, away from the town square.
“So,” Chloe said after they walked in companionable silence for several minutes. “What are your Christmas Day plans? Are you and Peter staying in Kringle for the holiday itself, or will you head home after his Christmas Eve party?”
Evan angled her a sideways glance. “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it.”
“No plans to spend it with your family?”
“My parents live in Boston near my sister. Since Peter ordered me to come here and help him with the party…” Evan shrugged. “I’d planned on flying up for New Year’s instead.”
“I see.”
But from the look on her face, he could tell she didn’t understand at all. “My family…” He paused, weighing out his words. “We’re all high achievers. It’s common for us to put work ahead of other things.”
“Like spending the holidays with each other?”
He nodded, suddenly feeling extraordinarily lonely for no reason he could figure out.
“Your job means a lot to you then.” She had her head down and her arms wrapped around her.
“I…” Honestly, he had no idea how to answer that.
“You value monetary success over personal relationships.” Now it was her turn to pause before she added, “Like Peter.”
“No!” he said more sharply than he intended. “Not like Peter. Not like Peter at all.”
“Good,” she said, a faint smile flitting across her mouth as she raised her eyes to meet his. “I’m glad.”
The smile did strange and lovely things to him. It made him want…
Well, what did he want?
He looked into her face and felt all kinds of emotions he hadn’t expected to feel. Longing, acute loneliness, and a powerful desire to kiss her all over again. Her hair fell across her forehead in an adorable sweep, bringing an extra softness to her features. Then she gave him a look so gentle it felt like a caress.
“Do you ever think about leaving Peter’s firm?” she asked, skirting around a pile of leaves the wind had blown into a heap on the sidewalk. “Or do you think he’ll make you partner one day?”
Hmm, why was she asking? As an attorney, he looked for hidden motives in people, but Chloe’s expression was guileless.
Until this Christmas, he’d thought he wanted to become a partner in Peter’s firm. But now? After seeing his boss’ behavior in Kringle, after meeting Chloe, his ambitions had shifted. Did he really want to continue his association with Peter?
Why not start his own firm?
“Do you really like working for Peter?”
“Honestly,” he said. “Like has never really figured into it. I’m good at what I do. I enjoy making sense of the legal system—”
“But are you happy?”
He stopped.
So did she.
Snowball sank down on her haunches at their feet.
Their eyes met.
He studied Chloe. He knew she didn’t like Peter, and probably she wanted to hear him say he was considering branching out on his own, but he saw no judgment in her eyes. Just simple curiosity.
“I don’t think I can answer that question,” he murmured.
She nodded, and the saddest expression came over her. “That’s what I thought.”
Suddenly, Evan felt as if he’d lost something very important to him that he’d never even known he possessed.
She dropped her gaze and started walking again. Away from the town square, they could see more of the starry night sky. They walked in silence, their footsteps crunching against the fallen leaves. The air rich with the aroma of many suppers being cooked in the neighborhood they passed through.
Evan stopped walking again and leaned his head back to stare at the sky. “The number of stars you can see here is amazing. In Dallas, I’m lucky if I can spot Orion and his belt during the fall and winter.”
“You know the stars?”
“Yep.” He chuckled. “Deep down I’m a science nerd, particularly astronomy.”
“Oh, fun.” Chloe tilted her head back too. “Show Orion to me. I know nothing about stars or constellations.”
Since the sky in Kringle was significantly clearer than in Dallas, Evan had no problem finding the correct stars, and he pointed upward. “It’s easy to spot Orion’s belt this time of year. The stars line up nicely.”
Chloe stood for a moment, gazing at the sky, and then she shifted her attention to him. “Amazing, but you better not tell Abby Owens that the stars are in a line. She sure got after you about those dalmatian spots.”
Evan burst out laughing. “Good point.”
They’d reached the end of the block. Chloe waved, indicating that they should cross the street and head back toward her house.
In the darkness, Evan spied the silhouette of a building that looked a bit out of place in the neighborhood. It was only partially visible above the roofline of the houses, but its dark shape was hard to miss. The structure looked sad and forgotten.
“What’s that building?” he asked.
Chloe tipped her head to see where he was pointing. “Oh, that was the headquarters for Kringle Kandy. The Madisons have tried several times to sell the building, but they’ve had no luck. Same with their house you’re renting. No one seems to want to buy them.”
Evan could understand why. Neither the house nor the factory fit in with the rest of the town.
Just as they reached Chloe’s house, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He handed Snowball’s leash to Chloe and glanced at the phone. It was Peter.
Evan answered. “Yes?”
“Come here,” Peter commanded. “Right now. I need you. Something’s wrong.”
Chapter 8
Chloe glanced at the emergency room clock. Ten p.m.
Three hours. It had been three hours since Evan called the ambulance and they rushed Peter to the hospital.
At the moment, she, Evan, and Ruby were all sitting in the emergency department waiting area.
So far, the only information they had gotten about Peter was that it didn’t seem to be another heart attack. Once the tests came back, the doctor would know more.
Chloe wanted to say something encouraging or helpful to Evan and her mother, but she had no idea what to say. When she and Evan had gotten to the house, they’d found Peter in the study, sitting on the floor, his face pale, sweat beading his brow, and his hand clasped to his chest.
Immediately, they called 9-1-1.
“It’s that dog’s fault,” Peter had kept muttering.
Leaving Evan with Peter, Chloe went over to see what was going on with Vixen. On the surface, the dog and her puppies seemed fine, although Vixen was cowering and curled protectively around her babies she’d herded into a huddle.
Wh
en she saw Chloe, Vixen wagged her tail and edged from the corner toward the center of the makeshift bed.
Chloe patted the dog, then went back to Evan and Peter.
“The Hutchison deal fell through,” Peter was saying through clenched teeth.
“What do you mean? It’s Saturday. Why are you doing business on a Saturday?”
“I hadn’t heard from Hutchison. He missed the deadline, so I called him.” Peter mopped his brow with the back of his hand.
“You were supposed to be taking a vacation,” Evan chided, perching on the arm of the couch next to where his boss was sitting. If you needed something done, you should have asked me to handle it. That’s what I’m here for. To make things easier on you.”
Peter made a scoffing noise. “This is my business. It’s not something you could have handled.”
Evan shifted his gaze to Chloe. “How’s Vixen?”
“Who cares about that damn dog?” Peter growled. “I’m the one in pain.”
“We’ve called 9-1-1,” Evan assured him. “They’re on the way. Try not to get upset. It’s important that you stay calm.”
“You want me calm? Then move that mutt out of here.” Peter’s eyes narrowed, his palm still splayed across his chest. “I was trying to take care of business, and just because I might have raised my voice a bit, that mongrel started barking. I told her to shut up, but she wouldn’t stop.”
Chloe froze, anger pushing through her hot as lava. No wonder Vixen had been sheltering her pups and cowering in the corner. Chloe wanted to tell Peter off, but now wasn’t the time. They were both upset, and he could very well be in the throes of a second heart attack.
The ambulance arrived, and once the paramedics took over, Evan and Chloe got out of the way and let them do their jobs. They swung by to pick up Ruby and the three of them drove to the hospital to wait on news of Peter’s condition.
Chloe glanced over at Evan, who was sitting next to her in the waiting room. She felt bad for him. Peter had put Evan in an awkward situation.
On the drive to Ruby’s house, Evan had apologized for Peter’s attitude toward Vixen, and she could tell his boss’ behavior upset him, but his hands were pretty well tied. He worked for Peter. If he valued his job, he had to hold his tongue. Especially with someone as unpredictable as Peter Thomas.
She understood that, but she couldn’t square away the disappointment she felt in Evan.
A middle-aged woman wearing a lab jacket, her hair piled on top of her head in a tight bun, came through the double doors that led back to the emergency bays. Embroidered across the pocket of her lab jacket was the title, Dr. Worthington. “Who’s with Peter Thomas?”
Evan stood up. “We are.”
Chloe rose to her feet, joining him. She wanted Evan to know he wasn’t alone. Her mother got up too.
“How is he?” Evan asked.
“He’s fine,” Dr. Worthington said. “It wasn’t a cardiac event.”
“What happened?” Evan shifted his weight.
“Most likely, an anxiety attack. To be on the safe side, though, his cardiologist in Dallas has asked that we keep him overnight and monitor him. One of you can go talk to him if you’d like.”
That was good news.
Ruby looked relieved and let out a little sigh. Chloe wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulders and gave her a little squeeze.
“You go,” Chloe said to Evan. “We’ll wait here.”
Evan nodded and followed Dr. Worthington through the double doors.
Once Evan had gone, they sat back down, and Chloe told her mother the details of what had happened, including what Peter had said about Vixen.
Looking concerned, her mother worried the strap of her purse with her fingers. “Do you think Peter hurt the dog or her puppies?”
Chloe shook her head. “No. Not physically at least. But he yelled at Vixen, and the poor thing seemed terrified. I’ll move them to the clinic in the morning since Peter is staying here overnight. Then after work, I’ll take them to my house, but I’m not sure it’s wise for Snowball to be around the puppies at the moment. She’s rambunctious, and the puppies are still so tiny. Can Snowball stay with you?”
“Of course.” Her mother gnawed her bottom lip and glanced around the waiting room.
Chloe knew being here at the hospital was tough on her. They’d sat in this very waiting area when they’d brought her father to the hospital that very last time. They’d even talked before about how hospitals unsettled Ruby. It had been very brave of her to come here for Peter. She hoped the man appreciated how much it had taken out of Ruby to be here, but she doubted it.
“You can head on home, Mom. I’ll call you a ride,” Chloe offered.
“No. I’ll wait for Evan. I’m fine.” She reached over to pat Chloe’s hand. “Honestly.”
For a few minutes, they sat in silence, then her mother softly said, “You know, I don’t like him very much.”
Chloe glanced at her mother, unsure that she’d heard her correctly. “Evan?”
“Oh, heavens no. I adore Evan. I don’t like Peter. There. I’ve said it. I don’t wish him any harm, and I’m very glad that he’s going to be okay, but I don’t like him, and I have no idea why I ever thought I wanted to marry that man.”
“Huh?” Gobsmacked, Chloe could only stare. She’d never once heard her generous mother openly admit to not liking someone. Over the years, there had been a few occasions when Chloe had suspected that her mother might not be too fond of a person, but Ruby had never come right out and said such a thing.
Until tonight.
Not really certain what to say, Chloe raised her eyebrows and ventured, “I don’t like him either.”
“There’s one thing I keep asking myself,” Mom said.
“What’s that?”
“Why is someone with so much integrity as Evan working for a man like Peter?”
Hmm, Chloe thought. That was the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, wasn’t it?
* * *
After leaving Peter in the hospital, Evan had taken Ruby and Chloe home, then gone back to the house to look after Vixen and her puppies. Later, he’d fallen into a restless sleep where he wrestled with his conscience and his future both in and out of his dreams. The next morning, right after breakfast, Chloe dropped by to pick up the dog and her babies.
“I’m taking them to the clinic for now,” she said. “Would you like to come along? Afterward we could go to the Kringle Village, just for a little R&R after last night’s episode. You need a break.”
Evan had said “yes” without thinking twice, but now that he was here at Kringle Village, he was having second thoughts.
He stood at the top of the man-made hill and watched as a teenaged boy with spiky green hair and a wild laugh slid down it on a giant candy-cane-striped inner tube.
“What’s this again?” he asked Chloe, staring at an identical inner tube the attendant handed him.
She laughed, looking oh-so-comfy and cute in a fluffy red sweater, a blue jean jacket, and yoga pants, sitting on a tube of her own next to where he was standing.
“It’s snow tubing,” she explained. “Sit down and strap yourself in for a fun ride. You’re going to love it.”
Evan wasn’t so sure, but hey, he’d give it a shot. He’d promised Chloe he’d try to enjoy himself. Gingerly, he eased down onto the inner tube.
Laughing, Chloe shoved off and started bouncing down the hill in the lane next to his and called out over her shoulder, “Last one to the bottom is a rotten egg.”
With a push, he headed down his own lane, bouncing and swerving as he went. His pulse quickened with the same thrill he used to get as a kid on those rare trips where his parents took them to an amusement park.
The bottom seemed so far away.
To his left and several yards ahead of him on the downhill slope, Chloe was hanging on tight to her inner tube and hollering, “Woo-hoo!”
Man, but he loved her zest for life. She made every litt
le thing feel like a grand adventure.
He had to admit, this was fun. She was fun.
By the time he reached the bottom of the hill, his pulse was going lickety-split, and he was breathing fast, and his whole body felt free in a way it hadn’t in a very long time. Dang, he was sorry the ride over.
At the bottom of the hill, Chloe was waiting for him, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “Isn’t it fun?”
He nodded. “Yes. I can see why you like it.”
“Come on, let’s go again,” she said and grabbed his hand.
He didn’t argue. And for the next half hour, they enjoyed going up the stairs and then sliding down the hill again. Even though Kringle Village was crowded on a Sunday, the lines moved quickly, and they made several more runs before calling it quits for lunch.
Although it had been cold inside the snow tubing building, the weather outside was in the low fifties. The forecast said they expected colder weather in the next couple of days, but at the moment, it was nice outside in the sunshine. They grabbed salads from a food court restaurant and then located a free round table.
“I’m having the best time,” Evan admitted, spearing a tomato with a plastic fork. “You’re right. I needed to break loose and have some fun. Especially after last night.”
Chloe’s look was downright smug. “Told you so.”
Evan’s phone dinged, and he pulled it from his pocket, then sighed.
“What it is?” Chloe asked.
“Peter’s being discharged.” Evan suppressed a sigh. “He’s ready for me to pick him up.”
“Well,” Chloe said. “At least you got a few hours of reprieve.”
“There is that.” He chuckled, trying not to view fetching his boss as a burden. He dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “I suppose I should get on over there.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
Chloe caught his eye. “I want to be with you.”
His heart knocked against his chest. He wanted to be with her too. Slowly, he nodded. “I’d like the company.”
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand, and for the first time in a long time, Evan didn’t feel so alone.
