“On his date,” Joker replied.
“Really? You too?” Unbelievable. “Fitz and I are fine. Just because he goes to dinner with a new friend does not mean my relationship is in jeopardy.”
“Yeah, no. Of course not.”
Jack was not impressed. “Wow. Maybe next time, try and sound like you mean it.”
“What do you want me to say? We’ve all noticed. Hell, from the moment you agreed to fix the Ice Castle, you haven’t taken a damned break. We’re supposed to be on vacation.”
Jack motioned to the panel. “So you’re saying I should go have a snowball fight instead of fixing this? I’m pretty sure the whole reason this town is on the verge of canceling Christmas is because of this building and the fact that it has no electricity or heating. Isn’t that why all the guests canceled?”
“Is that why?” Joker asked through a gasp. “I would never have guessed.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Asshole.”
“Whatever. I need to finish this, okay? Thanks for your concern.” Jack returned to work on the panel, unaware of when Joker left. It wasfine. All he had to do was finish this job, and he’d enjoy the rest of his holiday vacation.
Jack spent the next several hours removing the wires from the old main panel and preparing everything so it was ready for him to install the new one, which meant carefully putting back all the cables where they belonged. He’d just sorted out one set when Ace walked in. Jack hung his head and sighed. For fuck’s sake.
“What?” Jack grumbled.
Ace arched an eyebrow at him. “It’s so lovely to see you too. I just came to tell you that Clara made us eggnog, which, according to the townspeople, is magic. I thought you might want to take a little break and join us.”
“Thanks, but I need to finish this,” Jack replied, returning to the panel. “I’d also get it done faster if you guys stopped interrupting.”
“Okay, Ebenezer. Geez. What is with you lately?”
Jack whirled around and threw his arms up. “What is everyone’s deal? I mean, did you all have a meeting and decide today was the day you were all going to get on my ass?”
“You need food,” Ace said, his frown deep.
“I need to be left alone,” Jack retorted.
Ace held his hands up. “Okay. If that’s what you want.” He turned and headed back to the door. “But don’t forget the reason we’re here to begin with, Jack. Family.”
Jack pressed his lips together and shook his head. He let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah. Okay. Thanks for the invite.” He turned back to the panel, reminding himself that his brothers were concerned because they loved him. “I appreciate it. Really. As soon as I get this done, I’ll be out there with you all, okay?”
“Okay. If you need anything, just let one of us know.” With that, Ace left, and Jack stood there.
Were things really that bad? Had he been losing himself in his work to the point that his brothers all needed to intervene? With a frown, he went back to work. He’d worry about it later. Right now, he had a job to do.
CHAPTERTHREE
“Thanks for joining me.”
“You’re welcome.” Fitz smiled at Noel and thanked the waiter for filling his wine glass. He took a sip and hummed. “Oh, this is delicious.” Once the waiter was gone, Fitz picked up his menu. “I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect when you asked me to meet you at the pub, but this is beautiful.”
“Clarence, the owner—”
Fitz arched an eyebrow. “Clarence? His name is Clarence?”
Noel chuckled. “He was named after the angel fromIt’s a Wonderful Life. It was his grandmother’s favorite movie.”
“Of course it was,” Fitz snickered. Winterhaven was just full of surprises, one of them being The Jolly Stag. It was a beautiful British-style pub with polished wood, rich tufted seating, and brass accents with windows showcasing stunning gold leaf lettering. Clarence had the interior ready for Christmas with gorgeous garlands and twinkling lights. Classic Christmas songs floated softly from the speakers. “Everything on the menu looks so delicious.”
“You and your boyfriend haven’t eaten here yet? The guys come in pretty regularly.”
Fitz shook his head. “Jack’s been working late trying to get the Ice Castle up and running.”
“Oh.” Noel frowned. “But surely he’s taken breaks?”
