“Mom,” I say in fond exasperation. “It’s only me over there.”
“It adds atmosphere!”
“Okay, you win.”
She kisses my cheek. “Is Shawn stopping by for dessert? I’ll have Dad grab the extra folding chairs from the basement since we have Cole for dinner.”
I scoff. “Nope. I’m done with him. More dessert for the rest of us.”
There. Now the last person in my family knows and I can move past him.
Her brows fly up, though she recovers quickly. “My beautiful baby girl deserves the world and someone who cherishes that big generous heart of yours.”
I hug her. She squeezes me tightly.
“Love you.”
“Love you more, snow angel. You’re still my best gift of the season.”
A content smile curves my mouth. “I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to hang up the wreath.”
It’s blustery when I leave through the side door to the driveway. The wind sends a fresh trickle of leaves to the ground. They’re nearly gone from most trees with winter approaching.
I wrap my long cardigan around me and hurry up the steps to my apartment above the garage. Once I run in to drop off the bundle in my arms, I use the hook Mom gave me to add the wreath to my front door. It looks great against the pink color I painted it last summer for a pop of personality.
Cole’s there when I come back inside. He has a wreath that matches the one I just put up.
I bite my lip around a smile. “She got you, too?”
He lifts it with a chuckle. “Yeah. She handed me this and said if I wanted to borrow anything else to ‘doll up’—” He does a scary good impression of her. “—my place, I was welcome to it. I’m surprised she waited this long into November.”
“That’s my doing. I convinced her to wait until this weekend so we could all be together to decorate as a family like we used to as kids.”
His smile is crooked. “Remember when we were trick or treating, and when we got back she had half of your Halloween decorations down and was putting out the wicker reindeer that light up?”
I laugh. “Oh my god, yes.”
Warmth flares in his gaze and an attractive dimple appears in his cheek. “You were dressed as a mushroom fairy.”
“I—yeah,” I stammer in astonishment. “I made the costume myself. You remember that?”
“I’ll always remember that.”
Butterflies dance through me. His gaze roams from my half-braided hair tied back with a tan suede ribbon to my signature boots.
“You look nice, by the way.”
I smooth a hand over the russet v-neck I paired with jeans beneath the cardigan.“Thank you. So do you.”
His unruly hair is styled. He has on dark jeans and a sweater with the collar of his blue plaid dress shirt sticking out at the neckline.
“Eve,” Dad interrupts gruffly while I’m trying and failing not to ogle the assistant coach like he’s a main course on our menu tonight. “We’re eating soon. Mom needs everyone’s help setting the table.”
I avert my eyes and bolt for the kitchen before he finishes. “Yup. Got it.”
“I’ll help.” Cole follows me.
I swear I hear one of Dad’s cryptic hums before we leave the room. I hope my crush on Cole wasn’t written all over my face.
