“Mike absolutely loves you exactly the way you are, Posy.” Gabe felt the need to remind the grade school teacher of how smitten her fiancé was. And it was worth it just for the appreciative look Evie gave him. He wanted her to think of him as someone she could rely on, not Victoria’s ex. Not Adrian’s friend. After all, there was another reason he and Victoria had split up, not long after Adrian and Evie divorced.
“What he said,” Evie echoed, and Posy threw her hands up. “I know, I know. Still don’t want to embarrass myself in an elf costume.”
“But it’s okay if I do?” Evie speculated, her eyebrows raised.
“You, my dear, can pull it off in a way I’d never be able to, and even Gabriel can’t deny that.”
Gabe was just thankful the pair were back to their usual banter.
Evie huffed out an exaggerated sigh. “Yeah, yeah. And never mind that I owe you for all the times you take care of Ollie for me.”
Now it was Posy’s turn to scowl, and Gabe’s turn to leave.
“You know I don’t expect anything in return for helping out with my godson,” Posy began, but Gabe interrupted.
“If you’ll excuse me, ladies…”
They said their goodbyes, and he made his exit, forcing himself not to look back. But he wasn’t quite out of earshot when he heard Posy - god bless her ‘teacher voice’ and the way it carried - say, “Are you checking out his ass?”
Gabe grinned all the way back to the Evergreen hotel.
Chapter
Four
EVIE
Evie tugged at the hem of her elf costume, wishing the skirt were just a few inches longer. The bells on her pointy shoes jingled with each step as she made her way through the crowded town square, proclaiming her presence to excited children and harried parents as she dodged her way through them to get to Santa’s Grotto.
Frostvale's annual Christmas festival was in full swing, transforming the quaint main street into a winter wonderland of twinkling lights and festive decorations.
Posy was manning her booth - a favor she’d demanded of her friend as restitution for being the ‘elf’ instead of her. Jane, the high school senior who worked Saturdays for her, was at the shop, which Evie expected to be quiet today, since many of the locals were attending the first day of the festival. And her parents were minding Ollie and bringing him into town a little later on.
Evie plastered on a cheerful smile, determined not to let her self-consciousness show, especially since the run-in with Victoria had done a number on her confidence. This costumewas for him, she reminded herself. Her little boy's eyes had lit up when she'd emerged from her bedroom decked out in green and red, a pair of pointy ears and stripey tights, proclaiming her the ‘bestest elf ever.’ He was thrilled that she was going to be Santa’s helper, his young mind interpreting it as the biggest accolade a person could receive. And of course, at five, he still thought Santa was real.
A gust of frigid wind cut through the thin fabric of her costume, and Evie shivered. This outfit wasnotmade for cold weather! And to think she had another two weeks of this. She pulled a face, then smoothed her expression when she noticed a couple of small children looking at her in alarm and reminded herself that today was important. It was the only day of the festival Ollie was going to see, since Adrian was arriving this evening to collect him for their holiday. She needed to put on a brave face, no matter how she felt inside.
Closing in on Santa's Grotto, Evie quickened her pace, the bells on her shoes jingling more insistently. As she approached, she caught sight of a familiar figure that made her already frayed mood plummet. Adrian was standing near the entrance with his glamorous girlfriend, Brandi. Dastardly donuts! Victoria was with them as well. The three wicked stooges. And so what if she was muddling her characters.
Evie's stomach clenched. What was Adrian doing here already? She couldn’t imagine he’d come to enjoy the quaint, traditional ambience of Frostvale, since he’d always hated it. Evie forced herself to keep walking, plastering on a cheerful smile even as anxiety churned inside her.
"Well, well. If it isn't Santa's little helper," Adrian drawled as she drew near. His eyes raked over her costume with poorly concealed amusement. "That's quite an... interesting outfit, Eve."
“Interesting is a polite way of putting it, Adrian,” Victoria sniped. “But I’m sure Evie knows she looks like the chubby cast-off from a nativity play.”
Brandi and Victoria tittered to each other like the clones they were. It was no surprise those two were best friends. They might have been cast from the same mold.
Evie felt her cheeks flush hot despite the chill. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, a deep voice cut in from behind her.
"I think she looks great. Very festive."
She turned to see Gabriel striding towards them, an imposing figure in the three-piece suit he always seemed to wear, no matter the occasion. He was a man who turned heads, and Evie was conscious of how Victoria immediately subsided, never wanting to look bad in Gabe’s presence. Even Brandi gave Gabe a look of frank appreciation as he greeted Adrian and her ex made the introductions. Great! All she needed was Adrian and his best buddy ganging up on her and making her feel more of a fool than she already did, but it answered the question as to why Adrian was here early, at least. He must have allowed a couple of hours to catch up with his local friends.
Wait a minute… Gabe’s words finally filtered through the snark that clouded Evie’s brain. Did he just defend her?
Or was that some kind of backhanded compliment?
Before she could wonder, Evie realized Asher and even Shepherd were hot on Gabe’s heels, closing ranks around her - just enough to make her feel supported, but without being blatantly obvious. Evie's pulse quickened at their sudden appearance, a mix of relief and something warmer flooding through her. Why weren’t they minding their own stalls?
