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

“Hi,” she said, crossing to him.

“Hi, yourself.” He rested his hands on her waist and lightly kissed her. “You going to do some fancy dance moves?”

“I haven’t warmed up.”

“Can I help with that?”

She laughed. “No. I have students arriving in about thirty minutes.”

“Bummer.” He drew in a breath. “I had a talk with your brother earlier today.”

As the two men worked together, that was hardly news. Except he wasn’t sharing a part of a day—instead he was passing on information.

She pressed her fingertips against his chest and winced. “I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I had a talk with my mother.”

Dante grimaced. “About the pet adoption?”

“Not exactly. She told me to make sure we were using condoms so I wouldn’t catch a disease.”

“She didn’t.”

Evie stared into his eyes. “Do I look like I’m lying?”

“Sorry.”

“Me, too. About my brother. Not about the other night.”

“Me, either.” But he didn’t sound completely sure.

She carefully lowered her arms to her sides and took a small step back, pulling away from his light touch. “Dante, this isn’t the 1800s. One great night doesn’t mean we’re engaged.”

“I know, I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

She could translate easily enough. He wanted to make sure she remembered their time together was meant to be fun. Not a relationship.

She’d been very clear on what they were doing when they’d started hanging out together. So she couldn’t complain about being misled. If she’d started to look forward to seeing Dante more than she should, it was her own business, right? If she was hoping for more than a good time, that was her problem.

She continued to watch Dante’s face. “You and I are friends. We like each other and are enjoying spending time together. We’re both a little freaked out about the town’s obsession with being cheerful and embracing every nuance of all things Christmas. Holidays are stressful and we’re getting each other through. The other night we discovered that you earned your reputation with women the hard way and I appreciate that. There are no expectations between us. Does that sum it up?”

She spoke lightly, doing her best to sound as blasé and experienced as any other woman he’d been with. The slight jab of pain in the vicinity of her heart didn’t have anything to do with him.

“Perfectly.” His blue eyes crinkled with amusement. “I’m glad you enjoyed the other night. I did, too.”

“See? We’re good. Now you ignore my brother and I’ll ignore my mother and all will be well.”

“Promise,” he told her. He gave her a quick kiss. “We’ll both be working late tonight. How about lunch tomorrow?”

“I have to help Annabelle with the book drive.”

“There’s a book drive? Why? Because the town needed one more philanthropic event?”

“I know. But Annabelle called and asked and I couldn’t figure out how to say no. Apparently every child in Fool’s Gold gets a book for Christmas. They have to be wrapped, so I’m going up to Ronan’s Lodge. We’re meeting in the Mountain ballroom.” She held up both hands. “I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’m not very good at wrapping presents.”

“We could practice tonight,” he suggested. “Wrapping and unwrapping.”

A tempting offer, she thought. But one she wasn’t sure her heart could risk her accepting. Before she could decide, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Light footsteps from one of her beginning classes. Dante took a step back.

“Later,” he mouthed and walked out of the studio.

As Evie greeted her students, she glanced toward the door. Being sensible about Dante was the smartest move. She had to protect herself and her heart. But deep inside, she knew there was a part of her that wanted more. Wanted to believe in someone. To have a little faith and maybe find love.

Chapter Twelve

Evie parked in front of the Fool’s Gold Animal Shelter and got out of her car. She’d called ahead to make sure this was a convenient time for the staff, but now she hesitated. Was she really ready to take on the responsibility of caring for a cat?

“I guess that’s what I’m here to find out.”

Tammy was waiting for her as she walked into the building. Alexander was sitting on a tall, carpeted platform, his long tail swishing as he looked around the room.

“This is the one, isn’t it?” Tammy asked. “You said Alexander, but sometimes people get names mixed up.”

“This is him.”

Evie walked over to the cat and held out her fingers for him to sniff. “Hi, big guy. How are you doing?”

His green eyes narrowed slightly. He took an obligatory sniff, then turned away.

“Does he hate me?” Evie asked, not sure what his actions meant in the cat world. If she were on a blind date, she would know exactly what he was thinking and it wouldn’t be flattering.