Abigail groaned. “You saw it too?”
“Don’t worry. We got the guys on board. Fleance and Caine have it covered. But what about you? What happened to your plan?” At Abigail’s confused stare, she elbowed her. “Come on! How many chances have we given you to slope off with Jasper and get some you-time in, and you keep just… How do I put this…” She raised both hands to shape quotes in the air. “‘Taking part in fun Christmas activities’? ‘Enjoying quality family time’?”
“I don’thateChristmas,” Abigail said hurriedly.
“Sure, but that’s what you were after… wasn’t it? So, what’s the problem? Because my plan here was to boot Jasper over to the guys so they could get his latest scheme out of him and send him back here, while Meaghan and I keep your super-cute kid out of the way so that you two can quietly disappear by yourselves…?” She trailed off, one eyebrow raised suggestively, and then frowned. “But why do I get the feeling that isn’t going to happen? Come on, Abigail. It’s Christmas Eve. This is your last chance to get away before the big day.”
“You got the guys on board, too?” Abigail asked helplessly.
“Well, yeah. I mean, I personally am not so sneaky that Fleance didn’t immediately notice how sneaky I was being. Delphine can’t lie to Hardwick without him getting a headache about it. Plus, it turns out that Jasper had already asked them all for help making this the best Christmas ever anyway, so—”
“Wait, Jasper asked for their help?” Abigail’s eyes flew across the square to where her husband was chatting with his friends. “He’s been scheming, too?”
“…Yes? But it means they were already on board with turning things up to eleven, so…”
“Oh no.”
Sheena frowned. “Ohno?”
“All this extra Christmas isn’t just business as usual? It’s part of something he’s planning deliberately?”
And the more she meddled, the more extra Jasper got.
The moreunhappyshe felt about it, the harder he tried.
To make this the biggest, best Christmas ever.
“I got this all wrong,” she gasped. “I have to talk to him.”
8
Jasper
“What if, after the kids have a chance to play a bit, we—”
*Look out, Abigail’s coming up right behind you.*Caine raised his hand to wave. “Hi, Abigail! Happy Christmas Eve!”
“Happy almost-Christmas to you, too. Will you all be coming by the lodge tomorrow afternoon?”
“Wouldn’t miss it. Looking forward to letting the twins gnaw on someone else’s furniture for once.”
“Maybe they can chew off the scorch marks Ruby left last time we visited,” Abigail grinned.
Caine winced. “Don’t let them hear you say that. They’ll think it’s a great idea.” He clapped Jasper on the shoulder. “We’d better get onto it, then!”
*Onto what?*Jasper asked, exasperated. *I haven’t told you the plan yet!*The fake plan, that was. The plan that would keep his so-helpful friends busy while he pulled off therealplan. The one that would make all of this worth it.
The plan that… meant he would be busy carrying out the plan this evening, instead of skating around the icy lake and watching Ruby screech with delight.
Instead of letting Abigail fall into his arms.
Uncertainty prickled at him.
Caine winked and sauntered off with Fleance, leaving Jasper and Abigail alone.
“Why do I get the feeling we’re being deliberately abandoned?” Jasper wondered. He quirked a smile down at Abigail. “And it’s not the first time this has happened.”
She smiled, wincing. “You noticed?”
