A Fool's Gold Christmas

by Susan Mallery

  “No, you’re not supposed to eat that.” She held up the bag of chocolate chips and shook it. A few rattled inside. “I saved you some.”

  Annabelle smiled, then sniffed. “You’re so good to me.”

  “I swear, if you cry, I’ll…”

  “Yes? You’ll what? Hit me? Hit a pregnant woman? I don’t think so.”

  “You’re so smug.”

  “I know. It’s not as good as being tall like you, but I’ll take it.”

  “They’re always like this,” Heidi told Evie. “They squabble and then they make up. I think it’s because they’re total opposites and yet completely alike.”

  “That’s not possible,” Charlie said.

  Evie studied the two of them. “I see what you mean.”

  Heidi handed her a fork to start making the cross marks on the peanut butter cookies.

  This time last year, Evie had been in Los Angeles, in her tiny apartment, working as a waitress and spending her Sundays as an L.A. Stallions cheerleader. She’d been pretty much on her own, with only a few friends she could depend on. This year everything was different. She was with her family, had new friends and was crazy in love.

  Sure there were complications, but she had to admit, when comparing the two scenarios, her life had taken a turn for the better. The much better.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Evie stood on the stage in the high school auditorium and looked out at the rows of empty seats. With the upper-level seating, there were nearly eight hundred seats. That was a huge intimidation factor for her students, which was one of the reasons all their practices were now going to be here. They had to get used to the bigger stage and the—

  Her cell phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s Gideon. Where are you?”

  Evie frowned and glanced around at the empty auditorium. She and Gideon had a noon meeting to discuss the changes he wanted to make in the voice-over for the show. He was late. “I’m at the high school. Where are you?”

  “At the convention center. The sound system sucks, by the way. I’ve already put a call into Mayor Marsha. She said I can bring in any equipment I like.” He chuckled. “She has no idea what she’s agreed to.”

  “Why are you at the convention center?”

  “Because that’s where the performance is.”

  Evie’s stomach contracted. “No. It’s at the high school.”

  “It was at the high school. But there isn’t enough seating. This was all decided months ago. Didn’t anyone tell you?”

  “No.” She had a feeling Miss Monica knew, but that was just one more detail the dance instructor hadn’t shared when she’d run off with her gentleman friend. “Wait. The adoption is there. How will there be room?”

  “It’s a big convention center,” Gideon told her. “There’s room.”

  She promised to hurry and raced to her car. It only took a few minutes to drive to the convention center. As she waited at one of the few stoplights in town, she tried to recall the conversations she’d had with her students. Now that she thought about it, she’d always talked about the stage. She’d meant the one at the high school but hadn’t been specific. No wonder no one had corrected her. They hadn’t known she was wrong.

  She pulled into the convention center parking lot and stopped at the entrance that had a large pickup truck in front of it. It looked like the sort of vehicle Gideon would drive. She grabbed her bag and paperwork and raced inside.

  Sure enough, a big stage had been set up, and there were rows and rows of chairs.

  “Oh, no,” she said, coming to a stop and staring at the empty seats. “There has to be room for at least a couple of thousand people.”

  “Three thousand, two hundred,” Gideon said, strolling up to greet her. “Mayor Marsha is convinced the program is going to be a success.”

  “That’s too many people. My girls will freak. I would freak if it were me.”

  “They’ll be fine.”

  “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one doing the dances.”

  She was still trying to process the change in venue. All this time she’d had the high school auditorium in her head. Why had no one mentioned the convention center?

  “Look at it this way,” Gideon said with a wink. “At least you won’t have far to go after the pet adoption.”

  “I’m going to throw up.”

  Gideon held up both hands and took a step back. “No reason for that to happen. Take a deep breath. In for the count of four, hold for the count of four, exhale for the count of four.”

  She stared at him. “Excuse me?”

  “It’s a breathing exercise. You work up to a count of ten or twelve, but that takes practice.”

  “Seriously?”

  Gideon surprised her by winking. “I have mysterious depths.”

  “Apparently.”

  He was casually dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved plaid shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She studied the part of the tattoo visible on his forearm and then looked into his dark, unreadable eyes. She could imagine Gideon doing a lot of things. Holding a gun, giving orders, riding a motorcycle, but she couldn’t picture him on a yoga mat practicing his breathing.

  “Ex-military?” she asked.

  “Maybe.”

  Despite the three thousand, two hundred empty seats and the incredible list of things she had to get through between this moment and the performance, she laughed. “Because if you told me, you’d have to kill me?”

  “Something like that.” He shrugged. “I’ve been places and done things. One day I decided I was done. When my tour ended I went looking for a way to make peace. With myself, at least, and maybe the world. I ended up in a shack in Bali.”

  “Bali? Not Tibet?”

  “I’m more a beach guy.”

  “Nice work if you can get it.”

  “There was a teacher there. He taught me—”

  For a second something flashed through Gideon’s eyes. Evie couldn’t say what it was, but she would swear there was pain involved. Something cold and ugly that made her shiver. Then he blinked and it was gone.

  “He taught me how to keep on moving forward,” Gideon continued. “When I left, I remembered a buddy of mine talking about this place. He grew up here, and when he talked about home, he made it sound like the only place worth living.”

  “Who was the guy?”

  “Ford Hendrix.”

  “Oh. I know who he is. Well, not him, but his sisters.” She laughed. “Did he also tell you that living in this town is like trying to put a puzzle together? I wonder if I’ll ever get all the names straight. But I think my mom knows his mom. But he’s not here.”

  “He’s still serving. He’ll be back soon.”

  She thought about asking “back from where,” but reality returned in the form of all those empty chairs and a ball of panic bouncing off the walls of her stomach.

  “Did I already mention I think I’m going to throw up?”

  “Yes, but now I don’t believe you.”

  “Fine. Risk your shoes. See if I care.” She shook her head. “Okay. I’m focusing. The changes in the script for the narration are great. I love them.” She pulled several sheets of paper out of her handbag and shuffled through them. “I want to make sure we’re on target with the transitions of the dancers. I’ve marked this copy with where I think the girls will be moving on and off the stage.”

  He moved close and studied the pages. “Sure. I see what you’re doing. So you want me to pause until everyone is off stage before starting?”

  “Right.” She glanced up at him. “You’re coming to the dress rehearsal, aren’t you?”

  He nodded. “Give me your schedule. I’ll get to at least one other before then, so we can do a run-through from the top.”

  “That would be great.”

  * * *

  DANTE WALKED INTO THE convention center, still not sure why he’d been summoned. Mayor Marsha had called and gone on about a larg
e space and the sound system. Just when he’d started wondering how he was going to politely get her off the phone, she’d asked him to meet Evie right away. He’d agreed, grateful to be able to hang up.

  Now he watched her up on stage, standing close to Gideon, their heads bent over sheets of paper. Evie pointed to something and Gideon nodded. His arm brushed hers as he took another paper and held it close to the first.

  His head knew there was nothing between them. That Evie spent most nights in his bed, or he in hers. While neither of them was looking for a serious kind of relationship, they were, in the confines of what they had, monogamous. He’d considered himself civilized for many years now. Law-abiding. He was a lawyer, which made him, by definition, boring.

  But deep inside, something stirred. Something heavy and ugly that wanted to propel him to the stage. He didn’t just want to step between them, he wanted to push Gideon away. He wanted to hurt the other man and then stand over his broken body and pound his chest as a sign of victory.

  The flush of intense emotion faded as quickly as it had risen, but the remnants left him shaken. What the hell was he thinking? Beat up some guy and then do a victory dance? What was he, seventeen again? Mature, sensible people didn’t act like that. He didn’t act like that.

  Evie said something he couldn’t hear, and Gideon walked away. A couple of seconds later, music filled the open space.

  “That’s it,” Evie called and put down the papers. She shrugged out of her coat, revealing body-hugging dance clothes. As always, the sight of her body in all its perfection moved blood from his head to points farther south.

  Then she began to dance.

  She moved across the stage. She was strong and elegant at the same time. Lithe, graceful. He could watch her forever.

  Behind him, he heard quiet conversation. He turned and saw several of her students had walked in. They were dressed exactly like her—in black tights and black leotards. Their hair was in braids wrapped around their heads, just like her.

  The girls, ranging in age from maybe seven to twelve, didn’t notice him. They only saw Evie. A couple of them held out their arms, as if dancing with her. He heard whispers of “Beautiful” and “Oh, look at that turn.”

  They wanted to be just like her.

  He knew Evie had been brought to Fool’s Gold under difficult circumstances. The last thing she’d been looking for was a connection with her family. But she’d found that, along with a place to belong. He would guess her plans to leave in a few months were also unraveling. Fool’s Gold was now home.

  He was a man who had gone out of his way never to form serious connections. Oh, sure, he was friends with Rafe, but that was different. Caring about a woman meant risking more than he was willing to put on the line.

  But what if Evie needed him to care now? Everything in her life was coming together. It would only be natural for her to start looking at the future. If her needs had changed, then he needed to back off. To make sure she wasn’t expecting more than he could give. Only he wasn’t ready to stop seeing her. He liked seeing her.

  The music ended, and the girls clapped. Evie turned toward the sound and smiled when she saw her students. Then her gaze met his, and the smile became a little wicked.

  He grinned in return.

  Maybe he was reading too much into the situation, he told himself. Just because she was finding her way with her family and enjoying the town didn’t mean she wanted more from him. He would wait and watch. If things seemed different between them, then he would act. Until then, he would hang on and enjoy the ride.

  * * *

  “DO YOU HAVE any idea how many seats that is?” Evie asked, sitting up and reaching for her glass of wine.

  “Three thousand, two hundred?” Dante asked.

  She turned to him. “I’m seriously on the edge. Don’t mess with me.”

  He leaned in and kissed her. “You don’t scare me. I used to be bad.”

  They were at his place, curled up together in the living room. The gas fireplace flickered away. After an afternoon of practicing with her students on the huge stage at the convention center, Evie was both exhausted and wired.

  His mouth lingered, causing her to relax. This was nice, she thought. Spending time with him, touching him, being touched. Except for her being in love and him not in love with her, it was about as close to perfect as she’d ever gotten.

  He drew back and she sighed.

  “I feel so stupid.”

  “It’s an honest mistake. Everyone thought you already knew and you didn’t.”

  “I know.” She scooted back into the arm of the sofa and rested her sock-covered feet on his lap. “But I’m still playing catch-up. That place is huge.”

  “Your girls will be fine. You’ve done a great job with them.”

  “They’re the ones who worked hard.” She drew in a breath. “But it’s done. We’re there and we’re practicing, and I’ll be fine. I hope.”

  He rested his hand on her legs. “You’ll be fine.” He leaned to the side and pulled a flat package out of the drawer of the end table, then handed it to her. “This will distract you.”

  She stared at the simply wrapped package. “You bought me a gift.”

  “It’s not a Christmas present. Don’t freak out.”

  “I’m not freaking, and it is wrapped in Christmas paper.”

  “They offered, I said yes. Like I told you, it’s no big deal.”

  Except it was a big deal to her. Dante had bought her something.

  She took the package and realized it was a book. After carefully opening it, she stared at the cover.

  Cats for Dummies.

  She looked at him.

  “You’re thinking of getting that cat,” he told her. “I saw this and thought it would help you decide.”

  Love flooded her and it was all she could do to hold in the words. She settled on throwing herself at him and hugging him.

  “Thank you,” she murmured.

  “You’re welcome.” He wrapped his arms around her. “This is nice. I didn’t know you responded so well to presents. I’ll have to remember that.”

  * * *

  “KNOCK, KNOCK.”

  Dante looked up from his computer and saw May walking toward his desk. It was lunchtime and nearly everyone was gone. Something about a holiday get-together, he thought. Or maybe not. He’d been busy with a new construction contract and not paying attention.

  Now he resurfaced long enough to stand and greet his partner’s mother.

  “Am I interrupting?” May asked. “Silly question. You’re focused on something.”

  “I could use a break.” He motioned to the chair by his desk. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

  “I’m fine.” May waved him back to his seat. “Sit. I’ll only be here for a second. I want to ask you something.”

  She probably wanted gift suggestions for Rafe, Dante thought as he settled back in his chair. He was a guy. He didn’t know what Rafe wanted.

  “I wanted to thank you,” May said. “For helping me with Evie.” She smiled at him. “I know you encouraged her to give me a chance, and I’m very grateful.”

  He wasn’t comfortable with praise. “I pointed out that it takes two to fight and asked if that’s what she wanted for her relationship with her family.”

  “You’re being modest, which I happen to know isn’t like you.” She stared into his eyes. “You encouraged her to have an open mind. That allowed her to consider I might be telling the truth when I apologized for all I’d done.”

  She dropped her gaze to her hands and twisted her fingers together. “I was so wrong and so horrible. I’m still wrestling with how I acted. Evie is being so generous in letting me be a part of her life again. I’m getting a second chance and I’m grateful.”

  “Ah, good.” Dante shifted on his seat and hoped they were done talking about emotions. The only way this could get worse was for May to start crying.

  Rafe’s mother glanced back at him. �
�That’s why I’m worried about your relationship with her.”

  Dante realized he’d been wrong. Tears weren’t the only way this could get worse.

  “You’re a good man,” she continued. “Rafe speaks highly of you, and I respect his opinion. But he’s also said you’re not someone interested in a long-term relationship.” She stared at him, her eyes pleading. “I just got my daughter back. I don’t want her hurt.”

  He swore silently, wishing he were anywhere but here. “I appreciate your concern, and I share it. I don’t want Evie hurt, either. We’re both clear on what’s going on. We’ve talked about it.”

  May’s expression softened, and the tension left her shoulders. “You have? Oh, that’s a relief. Rafe didn’t tell me that. I was afraid…” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. As long as the two of you are clear on the ground rules. Evie has a good head on her shoulders.”

  “I agree. We both know this is just for fun.” He was careful not to mention the sex. That would only send the conversation back to disaster.

  “At the risk of sounding eighty years old,” May said with a smile, “I don’t understand you young people today. I could never get as involved with a man as Evie is with you and not fall in love. I’m not built that way. Of course, I never expected to ever fall in love again, and look what happened to me. I’m a newlywed. And at my age.”

  Still smiling, she rose. “Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me. I know you’re busy. We’ll be seeing you for Christmas dinner, won’t we?”

  Dante stood and nodded automatically, but his attention was elsewhere. May’s words repeated themselves over and over in his brain, getting louder with each iteration.

  “I could never get as involved with a man as Evie is with you and not fall in love.”

  He was aware of walking May to the door and saying he would see her tomorrow, at the pet adoption. Somehow he made his way back to his desk and settled in his chair. But he didn’t bother looking at his computer. After all, he wouldn’t really see it.

  There were rules, he reminded himself. They’d both been clear. Neither of them would get emotionally involved. But he’d been jealous of Evie when he’d seen her with Gideon. Jealousy meant he cared about her more than he should. What was the next step? Buying spontaneous presents? Looking forward to seeing her and spending time with her? Imagining a future with her?