A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold 9.5)

“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, and 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.”

A class for three-and four-year-olds could be during the day, which would be easier on her schedule. Maybe early afternoon. She could even consider a Mommy and Me type class. As for the performance, if the toddlers went first…

There was no point in thinking about that, she told herself. Her plan was to leave town long before next year’s show. So the toddlers weren’t her problem. But for a second, she thought about how adorable they would be as they danced.

“Let me get through the holiday show,” she told Dakota. “If you want to give me a call after the first of the year, we can talk about starting a class for the younger kids. I would enjoy teaching them.”

“Thank you. Have a great holiday. I’ll be calling.”

She walked off with Charlie. Clay paused to give Evie a brief hug before joining his fiancée.

“Can three-year-olds dance?” Dante asked, sounding doubtful.

“Sure. It’s good for them to study dance as they’re still developing. If done correctly, the practice will improve their motor skills, balance and posture. As long as the training isn’t too rigorous or boring. At that age, dance should be fun.”

“And when they’re older?”

“If they’re serious, then it’s a lot of hard work.” Talent was also required, she thought, remembering what it had been like when she’d been told she didn’t have what it took to make it at Juilliard. It didn’t matter that she’d trained the longest, had given the most. Without the raw ability, she would never be good enough.

They walked toward the square at the center of town. Light from the streetlamps reflected off the decorations, but until it was lit, the huge tree was little more than a hulking shadow in the darkness.

Evie recognized a few families in the crowd and waved at the people who had taken the time to help with her sets. She leaned into Dante.

“Thanks for talking to my brothers,” she said. “For getting them to help.”

“I didn’t do much.”

“You made sure they showed up. That was nice. Thank you.”

He groaned. “Not nice. Don’t say nice. I would rather be the hot, sexy lawyer you can’t resist.”

She grinned at him but thought privately that he was all that and more.

He looked at her. “They want to be there for you, Evie. You just have to give them a chance.”

Before she could decide if she agreed or not, Shane and Annabelle wandered up and stood next to them. Annabelle was flushed from the cold and munching on a funnel cake.

“I’m eating for twenty,” Annabelle announced. “That can’t be good, right?”

“You’re beautiful,” Shane told her.

“I’m going to need my own zip code.” Annabelle took another bite and chewed. When she’d swallowed, she looked at Evie. “I need you to be an elf.”

Evie stared at her. “Excuse me?”

“Okay, technically it’s not me. It’s Heidi. Even not pregnant I wouldn’t be a good elf. I’m too short.”

Evie knew for a fact that Annabelle wasn’t drinking, so she had no explanation for the confusing topic of conversation.

Shane put his arm around his fiancée. “You have to start at the beginning.”

“What? Oh. The ranch offers holiday sleigh rides. We decorate the sleighs and the horses. Of course if there’s no snow, then they’re wagon rides. We have hot cocoa and cookies and…”

“Elves?” Dante offered helpfully.