“Hey, you’re stealing my thunder here,” I replied lightly.
Her gaze flicked to me with a sparkly smile.
“Oh, sorry!” she said, laughing. “I didn’t mean it like that. Blame the honeymoon phase. My husband and I got married afew months ago. I’m bragging about him to basically everyone. It’s so annoying, I know.”
“No one blames you for that,” Elaine countered. “He’s hot. You have every right to brag. I’d be absolutely insufferable if I married a man like Dean.”
I groaned, rocking back on my heels as I plotted my escape.
“Okay, the girl talk has begun. That means I better get my ass out of here.”
Elaine breathed a soft laugh and caught my arm.
“No, you don’t have to leave.”
“Yeah, we have a few more minutes before the ride starts,” Ruby put in. “Let’s grab some hot cocoa and some of those giant cookies I saw earlier. How does that sound, Mikey?”
“Do the cookies have sprinkles?” he asked.
“Lots of them.”
Mikey nodded enthusiastically. Ruby carried him off, heading for the buffet table in search of the promised treats. Elaine and I followed at a more sedate pace. I dared to thread our fingers together, sliding our joined hands into my coat pocket.
A faint smile curved her lips up and she lowered her lashes, shielding her gaze. I couldn’t tell if the pink in her cheeks was from the blush or the cold, but she was beautiful either way.
“Now that your bodyguard is preoccupied,” I said. “I’ll have to keep an eye on you in his place. Just in case you get yourself into trouble.”
She bumped against my shoulder and her eyes twinkled when she glanced up, meeting my gaze.
“I’m pretty sureyouare that trouble I should be avoiding.”
“You’re not running away though,” I pointed out.
Elaine tugged at her earlobe and glanced away, releasing a wobbly little breath of air.
“I guess I like trouble more than I thought I did.”
Chapter five
Elaine
The charity ride itself didn’t last long. Just a tour through town and along the outskirts before circling back to the park, draped in lights. But the festivities surrounding it—food, music, games, and an auction—lasted well into the night.
Mikey fell asleep on a seat next to me in one of the heated tents, swaddled like a newborn baby in Wingman’s coat. He rested his head on my lap, with one arm draped over my knee while I stroked his hair.
“I’m surprised he can fall asleep like that.” Wingman returned to our table, with a cup of peppermint tea for me and mulled cranberry cider for him. “After all the sugar he ate today, I expected the poor kid to be operating at full speed for at least two more hours.”
“It’s been a very long day for him,” I admitted, cradling the warm cup of tea in one hand. “We usually spend Christmas together at home, just the two of us. Making cookies and cocoa.Then he races his toy cars all over the house. This is a lot for him to take in.”
“Do you think he had fun though?”
I glanced at Wingman and the genuine curiosity in his tone. My heart skipped at the steadiness of his gaze on me. I looked away, biting the inside of my cheek. I told myself that accepting his invitation today was nothing more than a polite courtesy.
But I still couldn’t deny the attraction I felt for him. Or the way that I kept getting pulled back to him, like a moon caught in his gravitational orbit.
Or a moth, damned to burn in his hypnotizing flame.
The initial problem remained unresolved though, breathing down my neck. Just because I liked Wingman didn’t mean he had any intention of a serious relationship. If I truly wanted to start dating again, I had to ease my way in.
