Christmas at Evergreen Inn (Jewell Cove 4)

“Nothing wrong with your powers of observation, Officer Ricker. When do you make detective?” She made her voice syrupy sweet, hoping to distract him from his line of questioning. Her engagement wasn’t some big secret in town, but she didn’t necessarily feel like talking about her ex or how he’d ruined Christmas for her forever. She took back all the nice thoughts she’d had about Todd being a cop. He was far too observant and nosy right now.

He leaned forward now, peering into her face. “Come on, Lainey. It’s almost like you don’t do Christmas. Not even a little tree. You’re not Jewish or anything, are you?”

“No, I’m not. I just haven’t been in the mood this year, that’s all.”

She got up from the sofa and went to the kitchen, took the last gulp of liquor, and put the dirty glass in the sink.

It was time to get Todd a blanket and a pillow and go to bed.

She marched past him to go back to the door, then reached inside her coat and took out a small bag. “Here,” she said, tossing it toward him. “Emergency packet. We keep them in a cupboard in the main house.”

He removed the tape from the bag and peered inside. It contained a foldable toothbrush, travel-sized toothpaste, little bottles of body wash and shampoo and mouthwash.

“Hey, thanks,” he replied, finishing his drink. “This is handy.”

“I’ll get you some blankets and stuff.”

She disappeared into the bedroom, went to the closet and got out a spare quilt and a soft pillow. The living room would stay warm, particularly if Todd put another few logs on the fire. When she marched back out, Todd had put his glass in the kitchen and was now standing in front of the fire, one hand on the mantel, staring into the flames.

“Here you go,” she murmured. “There’s an extra throw on the back of the sofa if you get cold.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He turned around and their gazes met. The alcohol had mellowed her quite a bit, reinforcing some of her barriers but breaking down others. She shouldn’t be staring at him so boldly. She’d deflected his questions but she knew she hadn’t fooled him at all.

“Lainey?”

“Yes?”

“Why aren’t you in the mood this year? The real reason. Because most people at least put up a little tabletop tree or a wreath on the door or something.”

She swallowed against a lump in her throat. Damn him. He wasn’t teasing now, either, and it made him harder to put off. His dark eyes were soft with understanding, even though there was no way he could know. If he’d just been nosy, she might have been able to brush it off. But instead, it was like he cared.

“It’s just … well, I don’t know if you remember or not, but last year this time Jason broke off our engagement. It kind of ruined Christmas for me.”

“Right.” His eyebrows pulled together as he frowned. “Why did he do that again?”

She shrugged. “He said he’d found someone else. That it wouldn’t be fair…” Her voice wavered and she cleared her throat. “Oh, I’m not getting into the gory details. Let’s just say it tainted my view of the holidays.”

Todd nodded. “Well, if it helps, I think he’s an idiot. And because he’s an idiot, you’re better off without him.”

She stared into the fire, oddly touched by Todd’s declaration. “Intellectually I know you’re right. If he was in love with someone else, getting married would have been a disaster. It’s just that in the middle of all the Christmas joy and happiness, I was canceling wedding plans. We were having a Christmas wedding, you know. Everything had been bought. Dresses, flowers, decorations. Place cards had been printed, centerpieces made up, a wedding-night suite booked. And everything had been green and red. Ugh. Anyway, every time I see all the decorations and hear the carols and all that, it brings me down.”

“Then we need to bring you back up.” He stood back and crossed his arms. “You can’t let one person ruin the most magical time of the year. You’ve got to come out swinging.” It was a declaration, and one that sounded like he was about to do something about her scrooginess.

Please, no. She just wanted to get through the holidays in peace.

“Hey, I tried. A girl can only eat so many cupcakes before her pants get a little too tight.” She sighed. “You know what the worst part is, Todd?” She didn’t quite know why she was confiding in him so much, except that maybe she’d had a little too much whiskey and the fact that she no longer felt like she could vent to her girlfriends, who’d been so supportive in the early days. She knew they all expected her to be fine now and had probably gotten sick of her being such a downer. “The worst is that for the longest time I kept asking myself what she had that I didn’t. Was she prettier? Smarter? Funnier? Sexier?” She shook her head. “Man, I sound so stupid saying that.”

He took a step toward her, uncrossing his arms and relaxing his posture as he turned his back to the fireplace. “Not stupid. Human. You are pretty, and smart, and funny.”

“Yeah, my door’s being beaten down daily by men looking for the perfect woman.”

“I didn’t say perfect.” He smiled while the fire crackled and popped. “Know what else you are?”

She looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

“Sexy. Sexy as hell.”