He wasn’t comfortable with praise. “I pointed out that it takes two to fight and asked if that’s what she wanted for her relationship with her family.”

“You’re being modest, which I happen to know isn’t like you.” She stared into his eyes. “You encouraged her to have an open mind. That allowed her to consider I might be telling the truth when I apologized for all I’d done.”

She dropped her gaze to her hands and twisted her fingers together. “I was so wrong and so horrible. I’m still wrestling with how I acted. Evie is being so generous in letting me be a part of her life again. I’m getting a second chance and I’m grateful.”

“Ah, good.” Dante shifted on his seat and hoped they were done talking about emotions. The only way this could get worse was for May to start crying.

Rafe’s mother glanced back at him. “That’s why I’m worried about your relationship with her.”

Dante realized he’d been wrong. Tears weren’t the only way this could get worse.

“You’re a good man,” she continued. “Rafe speaks highly of you, and I respect his opinion. But he’s also said you’re not someone interested in a long-term relationship.” She stared at him, her eyes pleading. “I just got my daughter back. I don’t want her hurt.”

He swore silently, wishing he were anywhere but here. “I appreciate your concern, and I share it. I don’t want Evie hurt, either. We’re both clear on what’s going on. We’ve talked about it.”

May’s expression softened, and the tension left her shoulders. “You have? Oh, that’s a relief. Rafe didn’t tell me that. I was afraid…” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. As long as the two of you are clear on the ground rules. Evie has a good head on her shoulders.”

“I agree. We both know this is just for fun.” He was careful not to mention the sex. That would only send the conversation back to disaster.

“At the risk of sounding eighty years old,” May said with a smile, “I don’t understand you young people today. I could never get as involved with a man as Evie is with you and not fall in love. I’m not built that way. Of course, I never expected to ever fall in love again, and look what happened to me. I’m a newlywed. And at my age.”

Still smiling, she rose. “Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me. I know you’re busy. We’ll be seeing you for Christmas dinner, won’t we?”

Dante stood and nodded automatically, but his attention was elsewhere. May’s words repeated themselves over and over in his brain, getting louder with each iteration.

“I could never get as involved with a man as Evie is with you and not fall in love.”

He was aware of walking May to the door and saying he would see her tomorrow, at the pet adoption. Somehow he made his way back to his desk and settled in his chair. But he didn’t bother looking at his computer. After all, he wouldn’t really see it.

There were rules, he reminded himself. They’d both been clear. Neither of them would get emotionally involved. But he’d been jealous of Evie when he’d seen her with Gideon. Jealousy meant he cared about her more than he should. What was the next step? Buying spontaneous presents? Looking forward to seeing her and spending time with her? Imagining a future with her?

No. No way in hell. He didn’t fall for anyone. He wasn’t that guy. He didn’t do love.

He’d learned that lesson a long time ago and he was never going back. Not for anyone. Now the only question was what to do to fix the situation without anyone getting hurt.

Chapter Seventeen

“It’s complicated,” Patience said.

“But they’re sisters.” Evie glanced at the two fortysomething salon owners, standing on opposite sides of the stage at the convention center. “And they both do hair.”

“Yes, but they have competing salons and they rarely speak. It’s all very mysterious. No one knows exactly why they’re estranged. A few times a year, they show up at the same event. And they’ve always helped out with The Dance of the Winter King. Don’t worry. They’ll be fine.”

“They’d better be, because I can’t take on one more thing.” Evie eyed the two women, then figured it wasn’t her rock to carry. Besides, when it came to family, she was hardly in a position to be critical.

Today was reserved for costume fittings and hair and makeup consults. In front of the stage about ten women sat with pins and tape measures and stacks of costumes. The girls were to show up at a specific time, in groups, so they could try on their costumes all at once. Then they would have their time with the stylists. Evie was already on her second latte and assumed there would be a third.

There was a planned break between twelve and one. Charlie had called the previous night to inform her that the Fox and Hound and Jo’s Bar had joined together to donate lunch for the volunteers. But before they got to resting, they had to work.

Fortunately for her, everyone else participating had done this before. The girls were quickly ushered into a makeshift dressing area and sorted by size. The first costumes were handed out. Evie waited anxiously for the parade of seven- and eight-year-old girls in pink leotards and tights with silver tutus and angel wings.

“Bring them over here first,” Denise Hendrix told her. “Every year those wings need to be anchored. We don’t want any of the angels to have a costume malfunction.”

Evie ushered each of the girls to a seamstress who made sure the costume fit perfectly and that the wings were secure. After the girls changed back into their regular clothes, Evie led them to the “hair and makeup” station, on the big stage.

“We want to look like Evie,” Lillie told her mom. “With our hair in braids.”

Patience smiled. “I think that’s a great idea. With the wings, you’ll want your hair out of the way.”

She turned to Bella and Julia. “How about silver and pink ribbons woven through their hair?”

Bella, or maybe Julia, nodded. “That would be pretty. Now for the fun stuff.”

The girls crowded around the trays of eye shadow and lip glosses. Evie glanced over their heads and realized the colors were bright and glittery. No subtle nudes for her girls. The two sisters tried different glosses on the girls’ lips and took the time to discuss options with each of them.

“This is really fun,” Evie told Patience.

Her friend laughed. “I know. For me it’s nearly as great as the performance itself.” She lowered her voice. “On the younger girls, we keep it simple. The eye shadow and lip gloss. We don’t put mascara on them until they’re older. Still, for most of them, this is really special. The costumes and stage makeup add to the thrill.”

Evie noticed that each of the girls was given a few minutes to make her selections, that no one was rushed and that both sisters made a point of encouraging the girls to enjoy being the center of attention.

Her next group arrived right on time. They were her tap girls and would wear red sequined outfits with a tuxedo influence. They also had hats and canes they’d been using as props. But the ones in the studio were old and battered while the canes they would use in the performance nearly blinded with shiny glitter.

And so it went, with group after group moving through hair and makeup. Just before lunch Annabelle and Heidi showed up with the food and drinks. Mayor Marsha made an appearance, along with several of the city council members. By three everyone had been fitted and prepped.

Evie was the last to leave. She walked to the stage and turned to stare at the waiting chairs. Yes, there would be a large audience, but she knew her dancers would be fine. They had practiced and were excited, and this was going to be the best Dance of the Winter King ever.

She already had ideas for next year’s performance and was excited about starting a toddler dance class. Dominique had said a second time that she wanted to take Evie on as a partner. Everything she’d ever been looking for was right here.

Evie walked to her car. Tomorrow was the pet adoption, which meant a morning of setting up and then the actual event. Three days later she’d help stage the first full-on rehearsal. So far each of the groups had danced at the event center but none of them had gone through the entire show together. In a week, they would have the dress rehearsal and then the performance itself on Christmas Eve.

A busy but satisfying schedule, she thought. So she really needed to get home and get to bed early. But instead of driving to her townhouse, Evie found herself pulling into the parking lot of the local pet store. Today had shown her where she belonged. That meant it was time for her to take the next step in building a home—adopting Alexander.

She went inside and grabbed a cart, then headed for the cat section. She found litter, a cat box and scooper, food and water dishes, a bed and a few toys. She also picked up a soft cat brush and a blue picture frame with a paw-print and the word Meow in the corner.

As she waited to pay, she made a quick call to the shelter and asked Tammy to put a hold on the cat. She would fill out the adoption paperwork in the morning and make it official. It might take some doing, but she was determined to show Alexander that he could trust her to always be there for him.

* * *

“IF THE PET ADOPTION is here,” Dante said, straightening the table. “Why are there booths in the center of town?”

“It’s the annual Day of Giving,” Evie told him. “I’m not sure exactly what that means. What I heard is various charities are here to talk about what they do so people can make donations and get involved. That finishes at one, and then the pet adoption starts.”

They were nearly done setting up for the adoption. The open area they were using was at the far end of the convention center, away from the stage. There was a section for cats, another for dogs and a third area for all other pets. There was a large cage for the kittens to play in and a puppy pen. Tables would hold the cages for the cats, while most of the dogs would be on leashes. Local teens helped with the event, each taking a dog and making sure he or she stayed calm and friendly. The teens also took the dogs outside regularly to mitigate any accidents.

May and Tammy, along with several shelter volunteers, had left to start caravanning the animals from the shelter to the convention center.

“My mom said last year all the animals were adopted. Even an iguana. That’s a lot of pressure.”

“You’ll be fine,” Dante told her with a quick smile.

She watched him carefully. She hadn’t seen him in a couple of days. With everything going on, she’d been running from place to place. Last night she’d thought they would get together, but he’d still been at the office when she’d gotten home from the pet store. He’d said he would be working late and not to wait up for him.

She told herself not to read too much into his actions, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Although if she was asked to say what, she wasn’t sure she could.

They stacked the pet care brochures and made sure there were supplies for the animals, along with snacks and items for cleanup. Then Dante pulled out a chair and patted it.

“Have a seat,” he told her. “You’re going to be on your feet all afternoon.”

She sank down and smiled at him. “You sure I can’t talk you into staying for the adoption?”

“No, thanks. I’m going back to work. Contracts don’t know a holiday season.” He grabbed another chair and sat across from her. “When’s the first big rehearsal?”

“In three days. I’m excited and nervous. We’ll go through the show several times, then have our big dress rehearsal in a week. Then the performance. Ack!”

“You’ll get through it.”

“I know. I’m telling myself to stay calm. Oh, if you get a chance, you should come to the dress rehearsal. It won’t be as crowded as the actual performance.”

A muscle in Dante’s cheek twitched. “Evie, you remember what we talked about before?”

The question was simple enough, and on the face of it, not very threatening. Even so, her stomach clenched and her throat went dry.

“You’ll have to be a little more specific,” she said, forcing herself to smile.

“When this started.” He motioned to the space between them.

The “this” being their relationship, she thought. “Of course.”

“We agreed it would be easy and there wouldn’t be any pressure. No expectations.”

He was leading up to something, and she just wanted him to get to the point. Because whatever he had to say, it couldn’t be good. This was not a lead-in to “I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

She tilted her head and stared at him. “You’re stalling, which isn’t your style. Get to the point.”

“I’m heading out of town in a couple of days. Flying to Aspen. I won’t be here for Christmas.”

He was leaving? As in leaving? “Oh,” she said slowly, thinking maybe the news wasn’t all bad. The holidays could be intense. Fool’s Gold required a lot of participation, and Dante was still resisting belonging. “I’m sorry you’ll miss the show.”

“Me, too.” He glanced away, then back at her. “An old girlfriend called. She’s meeting me there. I’ll be back after New Year’s.”

Evie was pretty sure Dante kept talking, but she couldn’t hear any words. There was only a rushing sound and the sensation of her heart being torn apart. She hoped she didn’t go pale or pass out. Instincts for self-preservation kicked in, and in that moment, all she wanted was Dante gone before he could begin to guess how much this was hurting her.