A Chance This Christmas(12)
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.”
Reindeer cavorted all around the sweater vest that was long and loose, made to go over an outfit.
“An Ugly Sweater Vest,” he clarified, hoping she realized he was well aware of the garment’s questionable attractiveness. “It matches my Ugly Christmas Sweater.” He unzipped his ski jacket so she could see he wore the same prancing reindeer pattern on a black background. “That’s about as costume-y as I get.”
Laughing, she slid her arms into the drapey fabric of the vest. “And now, I’m over the top too. It’s perfect.” She admired the swish of the fabric in a tall mirror over the mantel. “Thank you.”
“I know I didn’t do your outfit any favors. But you look ready for a karaoke party now.” He held out his arm. “Are we ready to go?”
He spotted a moment’s hesitation in her eyes. Because of him? Or the drama sure to come?
“I’m ready.” Her voice rasped on a breathless note, but her spine straightened as she snaked a hand around his arm. “Let’s do this.”
Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the Garretts’ house, outside of the village but still within the town limits. Here, the homes escaped the year-round holiday décor mandates of the board. If it hadn’t been December, there would be no signs of Christmas. But since the holiday loomed two weeks away—and because the Garretts were throwing a theme party for their only daughter—the big brick Colonial glowed with white lights.
Parking the truck on the plowed field across the street from the home, Gavin pocketed the keys and went around to the passenger side to help Rachel down. She’d grown quieter on the drive over, a surefire sign that nerves were kicking in.
“How are you doing?” he asked, steadying her arm as she stepped down to the running board.
She skidded a little since her boots weren’t really boots in the protective winter sense. They looked nice though. As did the rest of her. He wished he was taking her somewhere they would actually have fun tonight instead of an event filled with social consequences and gossip. But if he wanted to help her be comfortable in Yuletide again, he couldn’t see any way around it.
“Hanging in there.” She hugged her coat closer, a forest-green-colored cape that was different from the standard parkas and down vests in this corner of the world. “Reminding myself how much it would mean to my mother if I made peace with the locals and came home more often.”
She kept her eyes on the front door of the Garretts’ house where a wreath blinked with more white lights. A few other guests were entering the house ahead of them and a hint of music filled the crisp night air for a moment.
Hoping to distract her—and yes, wanting to touch her—he tugged lightly on the satin-lined hood of the cape where it rested on the shoulder closest to him.
“I like this.”
Her expression softened from grim resolve to an almost smile. “Thank you. It was one of the first designs I took all the way from sketch to completion.”