“Where’d you learn to sew?” the girl asked.
“My grandmother taught me.” He tied off a knot and used the small scissors to cut the thread. “One button repaired.”
The girl beamed. “Thank you.”
She ran off to join the other snowmen. The guy was so good with kids. He’d make a great father someday.
Warmth rushed through Tasha. Her heart was in a puddle at her feet. She didn’t have much time, but she needed to say something to Elias. “Hey.”
He tucked everything back into the kit. “Big night.”
“Until tomorrow. Thanks for helping with the costume.”
“Grammy’s sewing kit came in handy.”
She glanced at the dog. “When are you adopting Higgins?”
Elias started. “I’m not.”
Tasha didn’t buy that for an instant. “The two of you are perfect together.”
“He’d be the perfect dog for anyone. But I’m not right for him.”
“Why?”
Elias glanced at the dog who was oblivious to the conversation and more interested in all the kids around them. “Higgins needs more than a single guy. Look at how much he loves kids. He deserves to be adopted by a family.”
She shook her head. “What he deserves is a forever home with someone who loves and understands him.”
He shrugged. “We’ll have to agree to disagree.”
For now.
“You’d better get back to work,” he said.
And Tasha did. She made her way to the group of kids by the entrance to the ice. She was grateful to Elias and the other volunteers Sabine had found. Enough that Tasha didn’t have to worry about individual groups of performers. Still, there were so many pieces to coordinate that she was running on fumes and caffeine.
Only one more night to go!
Tasha inhaled deeply. She imagined the air in the North Pole held the same holiday joy she saw on the surrounding faces. That told her one thing. “This is going to turn out great.”
“Now that I’m here, it will,” a familiar voice rose above the chatter.
No.It couldn’t be.
A shiver slithered down her spine, hissing when it reached her tailbone. The same tailbone she’d nearly broken when Drew had carelessly tossed her during a throw jump. She’d discovered later, he’d found a new partner, who was also his new girlfriend, even though he hadn’t told Tasha.
She squared her shoulders and faced him. He was dressed as if he’d stepped off a photoshoot for an outdoor magazine, but his good looks were only a smokescreen to the devil within. With her blond hair and perfect cheekbones, Savannah stood with a bored expression as she stared at her phone.
Tasha’s fingers tightened around the clipboard. “What are you doing here?”
Drew snickered. “Didn’t Elias tell you?”
She flinched. How did Drew know Elias?
Her heart palpitated and her muscles twitched, reminding her of the last time nerves hit this hard. It had been more than three and a half years ago, going into the free skate in fifth place and needing the performance of a lifetime to win a medal at the winter games.
Stop. Tasha couldn’t let Drew get to her. That was his MO. Somehow, he must have found out about her and Elias. They hadn’t been keeping things secret.
