Well, you won’t have a five-year-old to worry about. The pissy little voice inside Evie’s head did not make her feel any better.
She glanced around the room, noting the expectant faces of her fellow business owners, the weight of expectation settling heavy on her shoulders. Evie had always prided herself on going above and beyond for the festival. She couldn't let them down now, even if her personal life was in shambles.
Her gaze landed on Shepherd Lawson, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His dark eyes met hers for a brief moment before he looked away, his expressionunreadable. But Evie felt a flicker of irritation, like he already expected her to fail. Easy for him to judge. All he had to do was set up a hot chocolate booth and stand there looking so good that all the women wanted to slather him in whipped cream and lick it off… and some of the men too.
Evie sucked in a shocked breath and closed her eyes. What the fondant was wrong with her? She wasn’t this person. Neither mean-minded nor lascivious. Son of a biscuit! Adrian’s antics had really done a number on her. She made a mental effort to pull herself together and prayed her usual festive goodwill didn’t deteriorate any further.
As the meeting droned on, Evie felt her eyelids growing heavy. The warmth of the room and the monotonous voices blended together, lulling her into a drowsy haze. She tried to focus on Iris's words about parking arrangements and vendor permits. She was just so tired…
A sharp elbow nudged her side, jolting her back to alertness. Evie glanced over to see Asher giving her a concerned look. He leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear as he whispered, "You okay there, Evie? You looked like you were about to faceplant into the table."
Heat crept up her neck. Great, now she was falling asleep at meetings. Some business owner she was turning out to be. Evie forced a smile and nodded, mouthing a silent "thanks" to Asher.
She sat up straighter, determined to stay engaged. Her gaze drifted across the room, landing on the meticulous figure of Gabriel Thatcher, the owner of The Evergreen, Frostvale’s rather fancy boutique hotel, and she flushed even deeper, knowing he’d also caught her faux pas. She shivered under his scrutiny and looked away. The man reminded her entirely too much of Adrian. They’d been good friends, in fact. Well, good friends in the fact that Adrian felt Gabe was ‘wealthy and successful’ enough to bother with.
Evie fidgeted in her seat, trying to refocus on the meeting. Gabriel's piercing green gaze made her skin prickle uncomfortably. She forced herself to look away, her eyes darting around the room as she struggled to shake off her drowsiness, but the droning voices faded into a dull hum as Evie's mind wandered again. She pictured Ollie's face, imagining his excitement as he built sandcastles on a tropical beach. A pang of longing hit her chest. She should be happy for him, shouldn't she? But the thought of spending Christmas alone, without her son's laughter filling the house, made her throat tighten.
"Evie?"
Iris's voice cut through her reverie. Evie blinked, heat rising to her cheeks as she realized everyone was staring at her expectantly.
"Sorry, ummm…" she floundered, mortified.
Iris's brow furrowed slightly.
"They’re discussing the baking demonstration for the festival. When would you like your slot?" Asher whispered, bailing her out.
She huffed out a breath and muttered her thanks while pretending to contemplate.
Evie's mind raced. She hadn't even started planning her demonstration yet. Yet another thing she had to do. “Well, um, I'm flexible, I guess, since Ollie…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Saying it out loud would make it too real… like it wasn’t already. “Just slot me in wherever.”
Iris gave a sharp nod, and Marigold raised an eyebrow, like she knew Evie had been caught napping - literally. While Beatrice Applewhite, or Bee for short, owner of Frostvale Literary Emporium - i.e., the book shop, and also forum secretary, jotted down Evie’s response in the minutes.
“And what about the other thing? Are you up for that?” Iris asked, her intense gaze pinning Evie and daring her to concede to her distraction.
Sweet crepes on a stick! She couldn’t admit to not having the faintest idea what was going on. She was supposed to be running a successful business; how would people take her seriously if she behaved like an inattentive idiot?
Asher didn’t say a word, so he was no help - not that she should expect him to be. This was her responsibility, not his.
“Umm… absolutely,” she replied. It was the Christmas festival, after all. What’s the worst that could happen?
Chapter
Three
GABE
Gabe watched Evie discreetly from across the room, noting the dark circles under her eyes and the slight slump of her shoulders. She looked utterly exhausted, barely able to keep her head up as Iris droned on about parking arrangements. When Asher nudged her awake, Gabe felt a twinge of sympathy.
He knew running a small business was challenging enough without personal drama complicating matters. The town gossip mill had been working overtime lately with news of Adrian's latest plans. Gabe couldn't fathom how the man he’d once thought of as a friend could be such an idiot.
He risked alienating both his ex-wife and his son by deliberately whisking Ollie away for Christmas and leaving Evie to spend Christmas alone, when he should be doing his damndest to ensure the status quo and starting their new co-parenting relationship on the best possible course.
As the meeting dragged on, Gabe found his attention drifting back to Evie repeatedly. There was something compelling about her quiet determination, the way she straightened her spine andforced herself to focus despite her obvious fatigue. He admired her resilience.
He’d always admired her, in fact, and his friendship with Adrian had quietly waned the more her ex had maligned her. Gabe hadn’t wanted to associate with a man who openly said the derogatory things about his wife that Adrian had. It felt too much like he was supporting his friends backwards thinking. And when Adrian had admitted to his affair with Brandi, Gabe had told the man to choose… but he hadn’t for one moment expected Adrian to walk out on his family. That was a guilt he still lived with, even though, logically, he knew it wasn’t his fault. That Adrian was responsible for his own decisions. But Gabe did wonder if he’d kept his mouth shut, whether Adrian’s relationship with Brandi would simply have run its course, and his friend would have come to his senses, leaving their family still intact.
It had left Gabe feeling an odd sense of responsibility towards Evie.
