He followed me upstairs where I changed into a nicer outfit, brushed my hair, and touched up my makeup.When I went into the living room, he was staring at the tree and stood when I approached.
"Thanks for helping out at the restaurant."I grabbed a coat and my purse.
He opened the door, and we proceeded into the hallway."It was fun but busy."
We walked down the stairs, and outside to the parking lot.
"We need to hire more people or cut back on what we're doing.I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up and have any kind of social life."
"That's a talk for another day, because you're taking off from work for the rest of the day," he said, opening the passenger side door of his truck.
"That's sounds lovely, actually."I climbed into the cab, ready to decompress and enjoy time with Ford's family.
We drove to their house with holiday music playing, and Ford helped me carry the pies into the house.
"You didn't have to bring anything," Maria said when we walked inside.
"We had too much pie."
"Pie doesn't last around here, so it's much appreciated," Matt said.
Dinner was ready to be served, so we carried the platters of food to the dining room table and sat down.
"I'm so thankful that everyone is here today to enjoy family time and this amazing meal," Matt said.
"Here, here," everyone said before food was passed around.It was chaotic and loud, but it was exactly the distraction I needed.
The doorbell rang when Ford handed me the rolls.
"That's probably Eve.I'll get it," Ford said.
A few seconds later, Eve walked in ahead of Ford."Sorry I'm late.I dropped the rest of the pies at the shelter."
Maria waved a hand."No worries.Have a seat."
"How did it go?"I asked her when she sat next to me.
"The firefighters were helping to serve the meal.It was nice to see them working the kitchen."
"Was Maddox there?"I handed her the green beans.
She scooped the beans onto her plate."He was."
"Is that his daughter that he was with the other night?"I buttered my roll.
Eve nodded."Yeah."
"What's the story there?"
"I don't know, and we weren't close enough for me to ask.I went on the date to satisfy my part of the deal.Maddox wasn't happy about it.He was cranky unless he was talking to Sofia."
I assumed Sofia was his daughter.I wanted to know if anything was going on between Eve and Maddox, but I couldn't ask during dinner.It wasn't the right time or place.
Then she smiled."But it was worth it because now we have firetrucks in the parade."
"How's the parade going?"Maria asked us.
"We have a ton of groups participating.I'm a little worried it's too many for our small town.But we have everything planned, and we're hoping for the best."
