A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold #9.5)(59)

She crossed to the sofa, sitting at the opposite end from Alexander, so as not to frighten him. “I’ve never had a successful romantic relationship, so it’s really just going to be the two of us. But I’m hoping you and I can get along. I want to take good care of you.”

Steady green eyes regarded her.

“It would really help if you could tell me what you’re thinking,” she said.

Alexander stood and walked across the back of the sofa. He jumped down on the cushion next to her and then sat, looking at her. Slowly, carefully, she reached out to pet him. She stroked the length of his back, then rubbed the side of his face. When she scratched under his chin, he raised his head up and forward.

“Do you like that?” she asked. “Is that nice?”

Without warning, he jumped onto her lap and stood facing her. She rubbed his soft fur. He turned once and then curled up on her lap and began to purr.

She continued to pet him, feeling the quiet rumble as she rubbed his chin. More tears fell. She didn’t try to stop them. She knew that acknowledging the pain was a part of the process. Eventually she would heal, and one day she would be able to look back, saying she’d learned something. Until then she had to figure out a way to survive with a Dante-size hole in her heart.

* * *

EVIE FOUGHT AGAINST a pounding headache. She’d spent most of Sunday holed up in her townhouse, getting to know her new cat and sobbing uncontrollably. She’d been forced to duck out for food in the afternoon, then had retreated to her ongoing pity party.

For a second night, she’d mostly been awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering what she could have done differently and asking impossible questions. Like was she ever going to meet “the one” and fall in love?

Alexander had settled the issue of his sleeping arrangements by joining her. He was a thoughtful roommate, curling up at the foot of the bed and sleeping silently. When she’d started crying again at four in the morning, he’d draped himself across her chest and had purred until she’d managed to calm herself.

This morning she’d heard Dante leave around five. As it was way too early for work, she’d assumed he’d been leaving for the airport. Sure enough, she’d checked the parking lot by his office and his car wasn’t there. He was well and truly gone, flying off to be with another woman.

All of which made her heart break more but wasn’t anything she could deal with right now. After spending the past two hours working with the lighting guy, she had to pull herself together for the dance rehearsal. This would be the first full run-through, with music and lights. Based on her professional experience, it could go very badly and it was up to her to stay calm and positive.

Every part of her hurt. Her eyes were puffy, and she was pale. Falling in love was a bitch, she told herself but no one else’s problem. She had to pull it together for her girls and for the town. In less than a week, she would be done with all this and able to freak out as much as she wanted. She planned to spend the day after Christmas having an emotional meltdown. That would be the end of it. On the twenty-seventh, she would get her act together and move on with her life. What was that saying? She would fake it until she made it.

The rehearsal was due to start at two. By one forty-five all her dancers were there. Grace, the lithe, talented star of the school, had gathered the girls who had the most trouble with their steps and taken them through their section. The tap team was going through their routine, their stocking feet silent on the stage. The rest of the groups were practicing as well.

Short and tall, skinny and round. All working hard. Happy and determined, she thought.

Gideon walked up to the stage. “Hey,” he said. “I’m here to be the voice from beyond.”

She turned to him. “Aren’t they amazing?” she asked.

He glanced at the girls and nodded. “Beautiful and unique.”

“So speaks the Zen master.”

“Have you been practicing your breathing?”

“Sure. In my free time. I’m also working on a plan for peace in the Middle East.”

“Let me know how that goes.”

She waited until he’d climbed the steps up to the stage, then followed him back behind the side curtains. He would watch the show and do the narration from there. For the dress rehearsal and the actual show, he would be farther away from the action, so there wasn’t background noise. At that point, they would depend on musical cues to stay in sync.

“Thanks for doing this,” she said as she handed him the microphone. “I know it’s been a lot of time.”

He shrugged. “I got the music together and learned a script. No big deal.”

Her voice got a little tight. “It is to me. And the girls. Plus, you’re here. We can depend on you.”

Gideon’s dark eyes narrowed. “Uh-oh. What does that mean?”

“Nothing. Sorry. Personal stuff.”

He took a step back. “Are you okay?”

“No, but let’s not talk about it.”

“What happened?”

She drew in a breath. She was going to have to start telling people at some point. She could practice now. Get the first telling over with. After all, Gideon wasn’t a close friend or part of her family.

“Dante and I broke up. I guess it’s more accurate to say we’re not seeing each other anymore. Breaking up implies a relationship. We never had that.” She felt her eyes starting to burn and blinked away the tears. “It’s fine. Or it will be. I just wish I hadn’t fallen in love with him, you know.”