Natasha looked at me. "I think we have everything covered, but thanks for offering."
He left, and we got back to work.
I wasn't comfortable questioning her about what was going on when my own personal life was a mess. I didn't want herasking me questions. It would come out soon enough when Maddox and I were seen around town together.
We ended up ordering dinner in and working late. By the time I went back to the cottage, I was exhausted from being up late last night and staring at my screen all day.
Maddox: I'm assuming you can't come over tonight. Big parade tomorrow and all.
Eve: I need to get some sleep for tomorrow.
Maddox: But tomorrow night...
Eve: I'm all yours.
My body heated just thinking about another round with Maddox. I liked that he'd texted me. It proved he wasn't playing games. He was telling me what he wanted. It should have felt refreshing. But there was a part of me that hoped this was something more. That there was a place for me in Maddox's and Sofia's lives. But that was ridiculous.
In the morning, I was up early, showered, and bundled up for a day outside. I ensured the parking attendants we hired had the map for the parking lot and knew how they were supposed to be directing traffic.
I confirmed that the roads were blocked off where they were supposed to be and that the stands were set up in the right place.
When Natasha arrived, I sent her to the lot behind the inn to line up the participants and keep an eye on the parking situation. I didn't want to give shop owners any reason to doubt me in thefuture. I had to prove that I could run an event like this smoothly with no repercussions.
Adrenaline coursed through my body when I told Natasha to tell the first band to step off. I let out a breath when I heard the beat of the drums and the horns coming down the street. Cheers erupted from the crowd waiting on the sidewalk when the uniformed kids appeared.
It was going to be fine. There wouldn't be any mishaps. At least nothing I couldn't handle.
Each group paused at the grandstand and faced the judges, who were really just members of the community. After the performances were finished, I directed groups to continue marching to the end of the route.
After the third group, I got a panicked message from town hall that Ford hadn't shown up to run the toy drive. There was potential for a lot of drop-offs today, and I wanted someone I trusted to be in charge of the event.
The fire trucks were next with Santa on the second one. Maddox sat on top, throwing mini candy canes to the crowd. The candy skidded across the pavement as a hoard of kids clamored to grab as many as they could hold, then hurried back to their spots on the sidewalk.
I told one of the judges that I needed to check on something at town hall and would be right back.
At the end of the route, the fire trucks parked, and I waited for Maddox to step down. We were off to the side, so kids weren't rushing him yet.
He tugged the beard down. "How was it?"
I smiled, remembering the cheers of the kids as the trucks went by. "You make a convincing Santa."
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."
I bet it was easier because his job was to throw candy, not talk to each kid about what they wanted for Christmas. "I have a bit of a situation, and I was hoping you could help."
Steve stood next to him.
"Ford was supposed to be in charge of the toy drive. We're getting a lot of donations, and we need someone to take the items and stack them in the main room by the tree. Right now, people are piling them outside the door."
"You want us to help?" Maddox asked.
I let out a breath. "That would be amazing but only if you have the time."
"I'll clear it with the chief, but we aren't on duty. A few of us can stick around while the rest take the trucks back to the station."
"I can't thank you enough. I'll text you a code to the door. However long you could stay would be helpful."
"Is there anything else we need to do?"
