She snickers a sound then beams her hopelessness with a smile. “Neither of us know. And right now, I need to get back to Enzo.”
“Of course.” I’m serious. Scratching the back of my neck, I stand on the side as she directs herself back to my front door.
For reasons beyond me, an idea comes to me. A risky one, but I can’t seem to bury it.
“Lainey, how do you feel about holidayparties?” She stares at me blankly, unsure of why I asked that. “I have to go to one that Bjorn invited the guys to, if you want to come along.”
She seems taken aback by my invitation and ponders my question for a few ticks.
Her entire body relaxes, and her smile reappears. “He invited one of your neighbors who has a brother who plays hockey, too.” She raises her hand a little. “Plus, I love holiday parties. Gingerbread houses, latkes, and I heard Bjorn normally even gives out Swedish candy in little stockings. What’s not to love?”
Swiping the back of my finger across my jaw, I have to smile wryly. “I should have guessed you would say that. But I mean, going to the party… with me.”
“Yeah. I understood that part of your question, but the overbearing reminder of a completely different holiday menu overcame me.” Now she’s just straight-up flirtatious with me. “But yeah, the joining-you part I got. And… I love holiday parties even better when I get to sit on Santa’s lap.” She winks to rile me up.
I guess I have a date.
CHAPTER 10
LAINEY
What am I doing?
I pace by the front door, waiting for a knock. My black dress with a small glitter pattern clings to my body but not in a too-much-skin kind of way. Why did I agree to this?
Enzo is at a sleepover, and I haven’t dated in a long time. This isn’t exactly a date, is it? I’m doing him a favor. A big one, because the idea of standing in a party full of hockey guys isn’t exactly up there on my list of holiday wishes. But Bjorn has always been kind and respectful when my brother was around. However, when Tyler asked me to join, maybe this caused my blood pressure to spike a bit, and it wasn’t half bad. Maybe it’s time to get out of my comfort zone.
The knock on my door stops me in my tracks, and my eyes drill into the back of the door as if it will suddenly burst into flames. It’s nerves. That explains the butterflies letting loose inside of me.
After a calm reassuring breath and rolling my shoulders back, I decide I can do this. I open the door, and Tyler is standing there with a cocky grin already painted on his face.His hair is slightly gelled back, causing his eye color to intensify, and his blazer with dress shirt and dark jeans is formal enough but shows his laidback, albeit sometimes uptight personality. He has a clearly expensive bottle of wine in his hand, too.
“Hi.” Maybe he can hear my nerves.
His eyes roam all over me, and without any words leaving his mouth, I’m getting concerned. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just the dress.”
Now I’m examining myself and drop my gaze down to check my body. “Oh, is it too much? I guess I can go change.”
His hand darts out to touch my arm and ease me. “No, no, it’s not that. It’s perfect on you. You’re beautiful. I’m kind of scared that I’ll be warning the rookies to stay on the other side of the room.”
My smile spreads because a compliment is a compliment.
Then we both seem to stall. I notice that his eyes squinch together, and I feel self-conscious.
“What?” My brows knit together.
His smile is almost wistful. “There’s glitter on your hand.”
My eyes plunge down, and the corner of my mouth snags. “Hazards of my job. Preschoolers and glitter that never wants to come off. It’s holiday season, which means every day there is a new craft and holiday. Today was decorating your own dreidel for Hanukkah.”
The back of his knuckle scrapes along his stubbled jaw. “It suits you at least. Matches your eyes.”
“Don’t try to charm me through cheesy lines.”
“I would never. Ready to go?”
“Yeah. It will take us forever to get there,” I tease. “You know, traffic on the stairs and all.”
