“Of course.” With the wedding less than a week away now, Rachel knew she would lie through her teeth even if they were awful. “I may be glad for the chance to slip away, especially if the villagers start heading toward me with pitchforks and torches.”
“It won’t be nearly that dramatic. Besides, it’s Christmas karaoke. The locals are more apt to take their revenge with off-key renditions of ‘Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer’ until you run screaming for home.”
Rachel gulped, knowing perfectly well it wouldn’t be that easy. “I think my hives are coming back.”
Kiersten grinned. “But tomorrow you’ll have Gavin to scratch anywhere you might have an itch.”
Rachel swatted her friend’s knee and reached for a little more hot buttered rum, the drink warming her through and through. Although maybe that wasn’t from the drink but from thoughts of Gavin. She’d have to be doubly on her guard at the party with him.
*
Scooping up his truck keys from the kitchen counter that needed refurbishing—along with just about everything else in his new place—Gavin checked his watch before picking up Rachel. He had two more minutes—long enough to check the scores from the men’s slopestyle finals in Austria. He should have been with his team this week, even though he wasn’t competing in any big air or slopestyle events. His coaches weren’t happy about him putting a wedding before the team with just six weeks left before the Opening Ceremony of the next Olympic Games.
But Gavin had realized the last time he got caught up in Olympic fever that he couldn’t live that way. He wasn’t the kind of athlete who excelled by immersing himself in run after run or by spending all his waking hours with teammates. When he was younger, he’d tried to make his team into the family he’d never had. Or—more accurately—he’d tried to make his team into a better family than the parents who’d never shown up for a race until he was competing at the world championship level.
Too little, too late. But no matter what coaches tried to preach, a team couldn’t be your family. He needed balance, a lesson hard-won since his last invitation to the Games had ended without a trip to the podium. This year, he was training his way. And if that meant a week off for a friend’s wedding, so be it.
Although, he admitted to himself as he opened a screen on his phone with a feed from Austria, he hadn’t counted on Rachel being in the mix. Already he’d neglected his personal training routine more than he’d intended because she was in town. He’d skipped a weightlifting session this afternoon to shop for tonight’s festivities. But he couldn’t help doing everything in his power to make the evening special. To make her time here memorable.
To find out if he’d just imagined that incredible spark between them eight years ago. But that’s all he was looking for—some spark. Another kiss. He couldn’t deny that he’d thought about her plenty of times over the years.
Scanning the leaderboard scores for an update on the team’s progress, Gavin shot a quick message of support to one of the rookies who’d burned out in his most recent run and then he shut down the phone. He picked up the shopping bag and ventured across the alley separating his place from the Chambers’ house. Snowflakes swirled in the crosswind between the buildings.
His house—the Jingle Elf home—was lit up for the season but not open for guests as he’d only just purchased it and had a contract with the town to help with some of the necessary renovations. The “Construction Elves at Work” sign kept guests out for now, but one day, it would be as busy as the other North Pole residences on the main street, including the place where Rachel’s mom lived. He followed a young family into Teeny Elf’s cottage, the mom and dad narrating the whole experience for two wide-eyed kids who held hands as they crossed the threshold and peered around.
That was what Yuletide should be about. Not monetizing every idea that came their way.
“Hello, Gavin,” Molly Chambers greeted him with a cheerfulness that seemed genuine. She was an attractive woman, fair and pink-cheeked. Her elf costume jingled as she ushered the two youngest newcomers toward a train table that was set up at just their height. “You can go upstairs. Rachel’s ready.” She leaned closer to him for a moment and lowered her voice. “Although how you got her to say yes to this party, I’ll never know. I’m grateful to you, though.”
“You’re not going?” He thought all the town would be there. Especially since Rachel’s mom and Mrs. Garrett were close.
“We can’t let all the elves off at the same time.” She shrugged, perfectly serious, and he wondered if she had some of the same Chambers’ guilt-by-association that plagued Rachel.
Is that why Mrs. Chambers worked all the time and volunteered even more to keep the town running? The idea didn’t sit well with him and made him all the more determined to refocus the Yuletide council back on their original mission statement. Making Yuletide a fun place to visit and live. They seemed to have lost sight of that second part.
Along with a whole lot of Christmas spirit.
“We’ll bring you back some cake, Mrs. C,” he assured her before heading up the stairs to find his date. “Rachel?” he called to warn her he was there.
“I’m ready,” came the reply from the far end of the house. “That is, unless I can convince you to bail.” She appeared in the hallway then, wearing a red sweater dress nipped at the waist with a wide, patent leather belt and silver buckle.
Just like…
“Mrs. Claus.” He couldn’t hold back a grin. She looked incredibly cute. And sexy, too.
With black leather boots and her dark hair brushed to gleaming, she could have been on a billboard for the visitor’s bureau. Not that he would mention it. She waved him into the living room where the outdoor lights glowed green and red through the windows even with the blinds drawn.
Christmas decorations covered every inch of the place, even in this private space reserved for the family.
“Surprise, surprise, my mother just happened to have it lying around.” She rolled her eyes and stuffed a few mints inside a black clutch along with her inhaler. “I wasn’t sure how serious you were about costumes for a karaoke party, but knowing Kiersten’s family, I thought chances were good it will be over the top. And I don’t want to draw undue attention toward myself by not dressing the part.”
“You look great.” He couldn’t quite take his eyes off her yet, but knew he needed to keep things light. Not make her any more nervous than she was already bound to be. “I’m only sorry you won’t have a need for my present.”
He held up his shopping bag.
“A present?” The curiosity in her voice pleased him.
She couldn’t have dreaded this date quite as much as she’d pretended.
“I wanted to be sure you were covered in case you didn’t have a costume.” He thrust the bag into her hands. “Take a look.”
Sifting through some tissue paper, she seized hold of the white cashmere and pulled. And pulled. “Is it a scarf?” she started to ask. “It’s a vest.”