She wrinkled her nose. “Okay, okay, I get your point. That’s long enough to try to work things out with my family. I should give them a break, or at least credit for trying.”
He leaned in and kissed her nose. “See, it’s like I said. Smart and pretty.”
She shoved at his chest. “It’s not a compliment when you’re being annoying.”
He chuckled and put his arm around her. They both watched as the tree was pulled upright, then slowly lowered into place. Everyone cheered.
Evie leaned into him, enjoying being a part of the happy crowd more than she would have thought.
When the tree was secure, Dante led her back toward the booths. “We need hot chocolate.”
She shivered slightly. “I could use something warm.”
He bought them each a cup and they checked out the rest of the booths. One of them was selling ornaments in bright colors.
“They come with your name painted on them,” the woman in the booth said with a smile. “How about a lovely star?”
She held up a red one.
“We’ll take it,” Dante told her, then spelled Evie’s name.
“I don’t have a tree,” she said.
“We’ll get one of those later. You need an ornament with your name on it.”
“Only if you get one, too.”
“You going to let me put it on your tree?”
She laughed and leaned close. “Yes, but why does that question sound dirty?”
“Because it was supposed to.”
They both laughed.
He paid for both ornaments and tucked the small bag into his coat pocket. They continued to wander through the center of town, then turned back toward their neighborhood.
Somewhere in the distance, a church clock chimed the hour. She could hear Christmas music. There were a thousand stars in the sky, and her breath made puffy clouds in the cold air.
“I’ll admit it,” she told him. “There is something just a little magical about this place. The tree, the hot cocoa, the window decorations.”
He stopped and faced her. “It’s going to get worse.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your family at the holidays? There are going to be a lot of get-togethers.”
She could only imagine. “I tend to stay on the fringes. It’s easier that way.”
“You’re assuming they’ll let you. I think the easiest solution is practice.”
She had no idea what he was talking about, but it didn’t matter. Staring into Dante’s blue eyes was kind of a nice way to spend an evening. She didn’t even care that she was freezing.
“For example,” he continued, his gaze locked with hers. “What if there’s mistletoe somewhere? We’ll be expected to kiss.”
She felt herself smile. “Oh, right. That could be awkward. We barely know each other. What if we bump noses?”
“Our timing could be off. People would talk. I know you wouldn’t want that.”
“I wouldn’t.” Anticipation tiptoed through her stomach, warming her from the inside out. She tilted her head. “So you think we should practice?”
He sighed heavily. “It’s probably for the best.”
“You’re such a giver.”
“I am.”
With that, he lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers.
His lips were warm and tasted faintly of chocolate. He kissed gently, lingering as if he’d been waiting for this his whole day and planned to enjoy every second of it. She put her hand on his chest while he held her lightly by the waist.
They were on the edge of the main square, neatly tucked in a doorway to a closed shop. Around them twinkle lights flashed on and off. It was like something out of a Christmas movie, she thought, letting her eyes flutter shut as she concentrated on the heat burning through her.
They stayed there for what felt like a long time. While part of her wanted to deepen the kiss, another part was content to leave things as they were. Uncomplicated, with just enough zing to make her thighs tighten. The perfect combination, she thought hazily.
Dante drew back and rested his forehead on hers.
“I’d give us a B.”
She opened her eyes and glared at him. “Excuse me?”
He grinned. “Kidding. That was nice. But we probably need more practice.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“We have a month until Christmas. That gives us time to work out the kinks.”
She laughed and linked arms with him. “You’re the strangest man I know.”
“That’s what all the girls say. Admit it. You like me.”
She laughed again, and they started for home. In truth, she did like Dante. She wasn’t an idiot—she knew he was a player and that expecting anything but a little fun was a mistake. But he was exactly what she needed right now. In the midst of preparation for the Christmas Eve performance and having to deal with her family, Dante was a distraction. One any girl could appreciate.
Dante walked into the Fool’s Gold fire station with a list and an idea for a plan. He spotted Charlie by her rig and called out to her.
She turned to him and raised her eyebrows. “You’re wearing a suit.”
He glanced down at his clothes and then back at her. “Yes.”
“Looks uncomfortable.”
“I’m used to it.”
Charlie was tall, over five-ten, he would guess, with broad shoulders and plenty of muscle. He didn’t know much about what it took to be a firefighter, but he knew physical strength was a part of it. Still, at that moment, she had the happy, glowing smile of a woman in love.
“You didn’t come here to model clothes,” she said. “What’s up?”
“I heard you spoke to Evie about a work party for her sets. I wanted to talk to you about that. How do I get something like that organized?”
“You volunteering?”
“I
