CHAPTER TWO
Brett kept his gaze on the blond elf moving through the crowded dance floor. He wasn’t interested in dating anyone, but that didn’t stop him from wondering who she was and where she’d come from.
Mary-Beth grabbed hold of his hand. “This way.”
He took one last look at the woman who’d landed in his arms before following his sister. He had more urgent things to think about, including Mary-Beth’s surprise.
If there was one thing he hated, it was surprises. Growing up with an alcoholic father had changed him. When he was younger, Brett would pretend he lived in a normal family. But he didn’t know what ‘normal’ looked like. Normal for Brett and Mary-Beth was waking up to his dad yelling at their mom. Then there were the quiet mornings. The ones where they’d step around their dad’s semi-conscious body, check to make sure their mom was okay, before walking to school. Brett became an expert at making excuses. He had a list of reasons why his father couldn’t be part of their lives, why his mom only left the house to go to work and buy the groceries. Why no one came to any school events.
When their parents divorced, everything should have been better. But the scars his father left behind ran deeper than anyone realized.
“They’re over here,” Mary-Beth yelled.
He looked in the direction she was pointing. His friend, Nathan, was sitting at a table with his brother and a woman he didn’t recognize. The jukebox changed to a slow dance and Brett breathed a sigh of relief. At least they’d be able to talk to each other without yelling across the table. When Mary-Beth stopped at the table, he shook Nathan’s hand.
“Where’s Amy?”
“Working. She’s hoping to get here after her shift finishes, but you know what the hospital is like.”
Liam, Nathan’s older brother, stood and shook Brett’s hand. “It’s good to see you again.”
Mary-Beth stood beside Liam and wrapped her hand around his arm. “Liam’s staying in Bozeman for another four weeks.”
If that was supposed to make Brett feel better about what he thought was going on, it didn’t. Liam lived in Vancouver. As far as Brett knew, he flew back to Bozeman for Christmas and family celebrations, but that was it.
He focused on his sister, surprised at how happy she looked. She’d met Liam a few months ago, but she hadn’t said they were more than friends.
“What brings you to Montana?” Brett asked Liam.
His gaze slipped to Mary-Beth. “I’ve come home for Christmas, but I also wanted to see your sister.”
Mary-Beth pulled out a chair beside a woman with short, dark hair and big green eyes. “Brett, this is Jacinta Owens. Jacinta works with me.”
Jacinta stood and held out her hand. “Hi. I hope you don’t mind me gate-crashing. I was supposed to meet a friend in town, but she’s not well.”
Her southern twang took the edge off his sister’s meddling ways. “You’re not from around here?”
Jacinta shook her head. “I’m originally from Georgia. I’ve been working in Bozeman for six months.”
Mary-Beth tapped the back of the chair. “Sit here, Brett.”
His eyebrows rose. “I’ll get us something to drink.”
“I’ll go,” Liam said. “What would everyone like?”
While Jacinta and Mary-Beth chose their drinks, Brett’s gaze drifted across the dance floor. Any sane, thirty-eight-year-old bachelor would enjoy sitting beside Jacinta. But all he could think about was a blond elf wearing the cutest pair of striped stockings he’d ever seen.
***
The next morning, Hannah yawned as she hung a garland along the edge of a table. She wasn’t used to staying out so late, and one o’clock in the morning was way past her usual bed time. Decorating a room for a Christmas carol competition was the last thing she felt like doing.
“That looks great,” her sister said from behind her. “After we bring the food through from the kitchen, we’re almost done.”
Hannah straightened a reindeer decoration. “I’ll do that next. When are the choirs arriving?”
Claire checked her watch. “In about fifteen minutes. The retirement village guests will be allowed through the front doors in half an hour.”
“Do you remember what happened last Christmas?” Hannah grinned at her sister. The carol competition at the Brentwood Retirement Village had become one of the ‘must do’ activities in the residents’ social calendars. Last year, some guests had arrived with one of the choirs, taking the front tables before the main doors opened.
