All the while, Foster sat in the guest room and made googly eyes at his girlfriend.
She tucked into Christmas dinner as if it were manna from heaven. And she read her part of the Christmas story with a clear voice. All day long, she took every opportunity to hug her mom and dad, cuddle her nephew, and exchange fist bumps with her brother.
When the time finally came to knock on Foster’s door and drag him out for the evening, she practically bubbled over with excitement, even though he told her he needed five more minutes. She almost blurted out that he could tell his little Christmas elf that she was about to have him for the rest of eternity, but held back at the last second.
“Why are you so happy?” Dad asked as they put on their coats.
“You know those moments you wish you could go back and tell someone exactly what you think of them?” she asked as she stuffed her foot into her boot. “Or when you’re so taken off guard by something that the right comeback doesn’t appear until hours later?”
“I guess,” he admitted.
“Well, I’m going to figure out what that feels like.” She clutched her hands into fists.
“How?” Dad stopped dressing to look at her.
“You’ll see.” She pecked a kiss on his shoulder. “Come on; we’ll be late for Santa’s arrival.” She walked out the door before realizing she’d forgotten Foster. With a laugh, she came back in and called down the hall. “Let’s go!”
He bustled out, wrapping a silk scarf she’d never seen around his neck. Was that a gift from the mystery woman? One she’d snuck into his suitcase or something? When did she have access to his suitcase?
Lauren steeled herself from going down that road. Now that she didn’t trust the man further than she could hit him with a snowball, she suspected everything. Which wasn’t fair to her because she didn’t deserve to spend the rest of the night caring one iota about what Foster did with this other woman. Once she got her revenge, she’d write him out of her life and out of her thoughts forever and a day.
Foster offered her his arm, and she had to swallow the bile that rose in her throat at the thought of allowing him to touch her. He gave her a secret smile, the one that used to make her insides melt because she thought it was just for her. Now she wondered if he did that because he was so pleased with himself for having two women at once.
What if there was a third? Ew. She shuddered.
“Are you cold, sweetheart?” Foster asked, reaching to put his arm around her shoulders.
She increased her pace. “Not at all. I’m just so excited about the sing-along. It feels like something wonderful is going to happen tonight. Can you feel that tingle?” She wrinkled her nose with a smile over her shoulder.
He laughed heartily. “I do!” He broke into a trot, pulling her along. “Come on.”
She jogged ten feet or so with him before letting his arm slide out of her grip. They’d made it to the square, and she went to work on the first stage of her plan: introducing Foster to everyone. She wanted them all to remember his name and his face.
Except for one person: Jacob.
She stayed as far away from Jacob and his mother as she could. Not that she had anything against Mrs. Morris. Mrs. Morris was wonderful. In a lot of ways, she’d been a second mom, and Lauren suddenly realized how much she’d missed her.
“This town is a gem–I tell you! A diamond in the rough if ever there was one,” Foster told Mayor Owens. He’d put on his politician’s persona, the one she’d seen him use at company parties and socials. He was all shaking hands and kissing babies, winning hearts, and making friends. Ugh! She wanted to puke even as she led him to the stage.
“Ho Ho Ho!” Santa arrived, waving a black mitten-clad hand over his head and carrying a speaker that blasted Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Lauren stared at him for a moment. The speaker hadn’t been there the Christmas before or the one before that.
Something weird was going on. The very air was off, with a strange vibration she hadn’t noticed before. Or maybe she just hadn’t tuned in. Was this part of the Christmas repeat curse thing?
Her head spun. A woman near the stage with wild red hair and not wearing a coat leaned closer. “Are you okay? You look pale.”
Lauren blinked at her. She smelled like mint cocoa. “I. I’m fine.” She shook her head, and the dizzy feeling abated. Santa clicked off the music and Lauren knew this was her chance. “Excuse me.” She pushed her way on stage.
Foster jumped up right behind her, grabbed her hips, and held her back to his chest. “What are you doing?” He laughed in her ear.
Lauren stopped. She drew in a breath and turned in his arms, ready to put phase two into action. “You pushed me up here.” She widened her eyes to appear more innocent.
He chuckled in her ear. “I must have. I didn’t even notice. I’m so excited.”
“Excited about what?” she asked.
He stepped back and threw out his arm. “Hello, Moose Hollow!” he yelled to the crowd.
Sporadic clapping answered him. Lauren’s heart raced. This was it. This was her moment. She could barely breathe. The feeling wasn’t a good one. Confrontation was never her style. But Foster deserved this. She had to follow through.
