EVIE
“That’s it, I’m done with men,” Evie ranted the following evening when her best friend insisted on taking her to a local bar for a drink after Evie had all but begged Posy to cover her ‘Santa’s Helper’ responsibilities for the weekend.
The thought of playing the happy elf to Asher’s Santa after the way things had gone down at dinner after Shepherd’s appearance was just too much. She’d already had to endure Victoria Stirling’s snide remarks that morning in the shop, when she’d basically told Evie she was punching above her weight. The nasty bitch was lucky she hadn’t punched her!
Evie took another swig of the second double shot of neat Fireball she’d ordered since she had no parental responsibilities and relished the burn as it slid down her throat. The sweet, spicy whisky had hit the spot, and she could already feel a pleasant warmth spreading through her limbs.
"You don't mean that," Posy said, giving her a sympathetic pat on the arm. "You're just having a rough patch."
“No!” Evie disagreed, pointing at Posy with her glass. “A ‘rough patch’ only applies if you’re actually in a relationship, which I am not. I’m too damn old for this kind of adolescent posturing. If they want to behave like schoolboys, they can do it on their own time. I don’t need that crap. I was married to Adrian and indulged somebody else’s opinion for too many years not to respect myself and how other men treat me now I’m single.”
Posy opened her mouth to say more, but before she could get a word out, a familiar voice cut through the din of the bar.
"Mind if I join you ladies?"
The pair of them looked up to see Gabe standing beside their table, a warm smile on his face. Evie’s stomach did a little flip that had nothing to do with the alcohol. Why did he have to look so good in that fitted Henley, which showcased his chest and was almost as delicious as when he donned his suit, tie, and spectacles? Didn’t she just say she was done with men?
Stupid libido.
And what was it about a man who wore glasses? Hot damn!
"Sure, pull up a chair," Posy chirped before Evie could object, so she threw her friend a pointed glare and ordered another drink instead, switching to a decadent cocktail since Gabe insisted on buying.
“So, what are we celebrating this evening?”
“Being single and spectacular,” Evie slurred slightly as she saluted him with her glass.
“I’ll drink to that,” Gabe responded, toasting the two of them with his undoubtedly fancy wine.
"So, what brings you out tonight, Gabe?" Posy asked, her voice chipper. "Business or pleasure?"
Gabe’s lips quirked up in that infuriatingly charming half-smile of his. "A bit of both, actually. I was meeting with some potential investors and saw you ladies as I was leaving."
“Investors?” Posy was always curious. Probably came from having Marigold and Iris as family.
Gabe nodded, thoughtfully. “I’ve been considering an expansion to the hotel. Trying to work out how to do that.”
Evie narrowed her eyes at him… well, she tried to anyway. In the end, she suspected it was more of a one-eyed grimace, since her focus was a bit fuzzy.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, her voice laced with suspicion. The hotel was built on slightly elevated ground at the apex of the main street. An old, elegant building, it sat like a throne looking over the town, backed by beautiful evergreen woods, which added to its presence.
What concerned Evie more was that her parents’ home, where she was currently staying, was right next door. Detached, but equally grand, the hotel and the building that had belonged to her grandmother were like two bookends.
Her childhood home was the mirror image of the hotel, two halves of one whole, and Evie felt a frisson of unease. Her parents often complained about how the old, sprawling residence always needed work, cost a fortune to heat, and was way too big for the two of them. Would they consider selling?
Had Gabe approached them?
No, surely her mother would have mentioned it. Her parents knew how much she loved that place. It was her one constant in a life that had changed far too much over the past year.
“I’m considering the option of building cabins in the woods.” Gabe spoke to both of them, but his eyes held hers.
Evie looked away and pressed her lips together, not sure how she felt about that. As a business owner, she understood the need to expand and stay lucrative, but on a purely personal note, she couldn’t help but wonder how being surrounded by cabins would affect her parents’ home. Her home right now.
He must have sensed her unease, even through her half-pickled brain, because he leaned forward, his green eyes distracting her almost as much as the alcohol. "Change can be good, Evie. It brings new opportunities, new life to a place. Expanding the hotel will bring in more tourists; all our businesses rely on those."
"I suppose," Evie conceded, not wanting to argue. She traced the rim of her glass with her finger. Yes, everything changed, didn’t it? She could attest to that.
She cleared her throat. "Have you, um, talked to any of the neighbors about this? Like my parents, maybe?" There weren’t really any other neighbors it would impact the same way.
