A Chance This Christmas(13)
“You made this?” He stepped away from her to look at the cape again. “The whole thing?”
“Well I didn’t spin the wool myself or anything.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “But yes, I had the idea, drew it up, refined it a few times and then cut the pieces to start sewing.”
“You went to design school after you left here.” He remembered her talking about clothes—but not in the way other girls did. She sewed elaborate patterns on her jeans and skirts, never afraid to look different from everyone else. “Are you still in the business?”
He slowed his pace up the long driveway, curious to know more about her and in no hurry to share her just yet.
“I started designing as soon as I left Yuletide, eager to prove I could find success apart from my family.” She toyed with one of the ribbons that decorated the lacings on the front. “I think I wanted to distance myself from everything back here, and the sooner the better.”
“Clearly, you had a good product if what you’re wearing was a first effort.” He knew nothing about how clothing lines got started. His business degree was general and had been a way to spend more time in the Rockies, doing what he really loved.
“Well thank you. But great designs are a dime a dozen. I lacked an understanding of my market and distribution.” She shrugged, peering behind them as another car parked in the empty field across the street. “Launching a label takes intense research and plenty of financial investment. But then, learning things the hard way seems to be a recurring theme for me.”
“So what are you doing now?” Hearing the slam of a car door behind them, he pressed a hand lightly to Rachel’s back, guiding her up the brick walkway sprinkled with salt to help keep ice at bay.
“I’m still designing, but I’m fulfilling orders for custom clothing through an online store. I’m a one-woman show.”
“Good for you.” He could hear strains of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” coming from inside the house, along with the warble of a karaoke singer. “I am investigating my own options for a business after I retire from snowboarding.”
He still hated saying those words. The idea of retirement made him feel ancient.
“You should do a snowboard theme for Jingle Elf.” They walked up the stairs to the wreathed front door and she pressed the doorbell. “Or maybe change his name to Jingle ‘X Games’ Elf. You could sell some snowboard equipment too, give it some extra cache since you’ll be living there and would be a local attraction yourself.”
He couldn’t tell if she was kidding—X Games Elf might be her idea of a joke. But he was already picturing the coolest elf house on Main Street if he gave Jingle some modern edge.
He didn’t have time to ask her if she was serious or not though, since the front door swung open and an imposing man dressed as the Abominable Snowman answered the door, a few cotton puffs from his costume blowing off him and into their faces. Their host didn’t even look Gavin’s way. His gaze landed on Rachel and stayed there.
“Katie!” the snowman bellowed at the top of his lungs, loud enough to stop the off-key karaoke singer even though the music continued to play. “We’ve got trouble at the front door.”
Gavin’s hopes for the evening sank a few rungs. He would salvage this. He had to. But he hadn’t anticipated the date getting off to this kind of start before they even set foot in the door.
Picking the stray cotton off his parka, he thrust a bottle of wine in the snowman’s padded middle. “Nice to see you too, Mr. Garrett.”
Startled, Bob Garrett finally glanced his way. “Oh. Hello, Gavin. Good to see you as well.” He looked uncertain what to do without his wife by his side giving an opinion. He glanced behind him. “I’d invite you in, but—er—”
A few guests gathered in the foyer behind the host. A couple of reindeer frowned in unison while an ancient Mrs. Claus kept up a Greek chorus of “Oh dear. Oh my,” and an occasional, “Oh no.”
Gavin slid an arm protectively around Rachel’s waist, hating for her to be left standing in the cold for even one more second, but then Kiersten Garrett—dressed in a red “I’m a Christmas Bride” tee—appeared. Her cheeks were as bright as the shirt.
“Rachel and Gavin, I’m so glad you’re both here.” Nudging her father out of the way, she somehow enfolded both of them in her embrace and hauled them inside. In Gavin’s ear, she whispered, “You work the downstairs. I’ll take Rachel with me for a few minutes until things settle down.”
Grateful for an ally, Gavin was prepared to execute his marching orders. Only to realize his arm was still pleasantly wrapped around Rachel’s waist. Where it felt incredibly right.
Forcing himself to loosen his grip, he consoled himself by tipping her chin toward him for a minute. “I’ll see you soon. I’m going to sign us up for a song.”
Her blue eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“It’s about holiday spirit, remember?” He took her coat for her while Kiersten already tugged her toward the staircase in the foyer. “Do you have any favorite you want to request?”
She’d always been an amazing singer, wowing the town with her performances in talent shows and as a featured lead for Yuletide’s earliest tree-lighting ceremonies. Her father had found all sorts of places to put her talent to work, and Gavin had always liked hearing her sing.