A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold #9.5)(65)

“Baby Jesus loves all the animals,” the boy’s mom said.

“Can I have an elephant?”

“Not this year.”

“Can I have a puppy?”

“We’ll talk about it with your dad.”

May linked her arm with Evie’s and sighed. “I do love a good nativity.”

“This one is very special.”

It was midday on Christmas Eve, and the Live Nativity had drawn a huge crowd. Most of the animals had come from the Castle Ranch. The sheep, a couple of goats, Reno the pony and Wilbur the pig. Along with Priscilla, of course.

There were people playing the main roles, although a doll stood in for Baby Jesus. There had been talk of a live infant, but when the temperatures had dropped below freezing, the substitution had been made.

“Are you nervous?” May asked in a whisper.

Evie touched her stomach where butterflies had taken up residence.

“More than I would have thought possible,” she admitted. “I haven’t danced on a stage in a long time.”

“You’ll be wonderful. I can’t wait to see you. We’re getting there early so we can sit up front.”

“I’m not sure if that’s news that’s going to make me feel better,” Evie admitted.

Dominique had been thrilled with the idea of her taking over Grace’s solo. Evie had spent much of the previous evening practicing. Gideon had come by to cue the music and had stayed through her session.

He was a good guy. Unfortunately she couldn’t summon the least little tingle when he was around. And based on how he’d treated her pretty much as a sister, she would say the same was true for him. She was going to have to get over Dante the old-fashioned way. With time and ice cream.

But that was for after Christmas. She’d decided that for the holiday itself, she was going to simply go with her feelings. She was going to love him and not fight it. On the twenty-sixth, she would give herself a stern talking-to and load her freezer with Ben and Jerry’s.

“I need to get home,” Evie said, kissing her mother’s cheek. “I have a thousand details to worry about. Nothing to actually do, but plenty to sweat over.”

“We’ll see you tonight.” May smiled at her. “Should I say break a leg?”

“After what happened to Grace, probably not.”

Evie left. She walked back to her house. She saw Alexander sitting in the upstairs window seat. When he saw her, he stood and stretched, then jumped down. She knew he would be waiting on the stairs when she unlocked the door.

She cut across the lawn, then came to a stop as the first snowflakes of the season silently drifted down from the sky.

Evie glanced up at the gray sky, then back at the snow dotting the shoulders and sleeves of her jacket. Then she spun in a circle and started to laugh.

* * *

“IT’S STILL SNOWING,” Lillie said, plopping down next to Evie.

Evie glanced at the girl and smiled. “You look adorable.”

Lillie grinned. “I love my wings.”

“You look good in wings.”

“Maybe I should have asked Santa for wings instead of a dad.”

Evie blinked. “You asked for a dad?”

Lillie wrinkled her nose and leaned close. “I’m old enough to know there’s really no Santa, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, right? Only Mom says it doesn’t work that way.”

She leaned close as Evie finished sewing on her shoes’ ribbons.

“You have to do that with every pair of pointe shoes?” Lillie asked.

“Uh-huh.” Evie showed her where she’d already softened the toe box.

“You can’t just buy them finished?”

“It doesn’t work that way. Every dancer wants her shoes the way she likes them.”

Evie slipped on the shoes, then tied the ribbons and went up on pointe. She walked a couple of steps, came back down, then sank onto the stage floor.

“It’s a lot to do,” Lillie said.

“It is.” Evie flexed her foot and tied the ribbon in place. After cutting the ends, she used clear nail polish to seal them. “I need to put this stuff away.”

“Okay.”

They both stood. Evie dropped the nail polish and scissors into her bag. By then the ends were dry. She tucked them under the ribbon around her ankle so it was out of sight. A quick check of the large clock on the wall told her they had ten minutes.

“Okay, everyone,” she called. “Let’s get in place.”

Gideon walked by, his headphones and microphone in place. “We’re good,” he told her.

Morgan, their king for the evening, settled into his throne and gave her a thumbs-up. The dancers separated into their sections and waited for the musical cue. Dominique stepped onto the stage and began with an explanation of the dance. Seconds later, the music began and the curtain went up.

Evie stood with the other girls and watched the younger girls in wings twirl to the center of the stage. Gideon told the story of the winter king and his beautiful daughters, and the girls danced.

They had energy and enthusiasm. If there was a bent arm here and a misstep there, Evie didn’t notice. She waved girls in place and offered an encouraging whisper when she saw a case of nerves. The music flowed and shifted with each section, and at last it was her turn.