“Hey, friend,” she says, then tips her chin to the snowwoman my teammates built. “Nice ball gown.”
“Yes! That’s the look we’re going for!”
“I can tell,” she says, watching Eloise and Aurora wrap the scarves so they look like a tiered gown.
“Snow couture,” Josie says, watching with something like pride but also mischief in her eyes, from behind her cherry red glasses.
“Cute glasses,” I say.
“Thanks. They’re new.”
Eloise and Aurora move onto the corset, crossing scarves over the chest, then add macarons for a necklace. I focus on the scarves. The corset. The macarons. Not stealing glances at the man who nearly made me come through my clothes last night.
I stare even harder at my team, like I can laser all my attention on our fabulously fashionable snow-woman.
“Talk about accessories,” Josie admires.
Aurora whips out the pièce de résistance—a tube of red frosting from her bakery. “Voila,” she says, holding it up triumphantly.
“Brilliant,” Eloise declares as the two women clutch it together and paint on a bright red snow mouth.
Subtly, as the ladies work, I shift my gaze to Rowan. When I find him, our eyes lock for a hot second from across the square.
Heat roars through me as he stares my way—like lastnight is all he can think about too. With a subtle chin nod, he turns to his team, and I follow his gaze, then groan.
Are you kidding me?
He’s making a dog.
It’s wearing Wanda’s clothes.
Not fair.
Mia’s next to him, cheering him on like Josie’s cheering us on. Mia points and whispers while Rowan gives directions to Oliver and JJ. It’s Rowan the coach. My chest warms, then melts a little more when he wraps an arm around his daughter’s shoulders. Did I just go from hot for him to sweet for him and his daughter? Yes. Yes, I did.
“Earth to Isla.”
I jerk my gaze back to Josie. “What is it?”
She bumps her shoulder to mine. “So, you and…”
“No,” I say quickly, too quickly, then I tug her away from the action. “It’s not anything. It can’t be.”
“But you want it to be?”
My stomach twists—it’s an uncomfortable but hopeful feeling too. “It’s just…not a good idea.”
“Nor is offering you my eyeglasses for the snowwoman, but I have a backup pair so I’m going to do it anyway.”
“I’ll take them,” I say.
She removes them, swapping on her backups as she whispers, “Sometimes bad ideas are the best ideas.”
Is Rowan a bad idea? Yes, he probably is. He’s still a client. Our next practice date is supposed to be tomorrow night. He said he doesn’t want me to match him anymore. I haven’t totally failed at Cupid’s Confidante, since I’m still coaching him. I can still do that. Dating lessons and matchmaking are separate things. Andthere’s Mia, another thing I can’t stop thinking about. Her bright eyes and eager smile. The way she claps and cheers as the guys finish up. Then, how she bounces with nervous and excited energy as the judges take their time checking out each snow creation. I watch the judges patiently, then wait as they give their decisions to Mayor Bumblefritz.
She heads up the steps, grabs her megaphone, and says, “And the top three contenders are…” She makes a drumroll sound. “The Ice Queens.”
That’s Phillipa and Sabrina’s team, and they made a snowwoman with a tiara and ice skates, among other items. I cheer for them.
