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

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” she admitted. “Whether I want to buy or not. But I appreciate your offer. It’s very generous.”


Her mother studied her anxiously. “So you might be staying?”

Evie smiled. “Yes. I think I might.”

May relaxed against the back of the booth. “That’s good to hear. I had hoped you would like it here. Everyone is so welcoming. The town has an interesting history. You should get Annabelle to tell you about the women who first came here. They’re from the Máa-zib tribe. Very matriarchal. It’s fascinating.” May frowned. “Hmm, didn’t the Mayans predict the world is going to end soon? Sometime this year?”

“If it is, it had better hurry,” Evie said, stabbing a piece of lettuce with her fork. “The year is nearly over. And if anyone is listening, I would really appreciate being able to get through The Dance of the Winter King before the world ends. My girls have worked hard and deserve their chance to shine.”

May raised her wineglass. “We’ll toast the girls.”

They sipped their wine. Evie gave in to temptation and took a piece of bread, then put a little butter on her plate. She’d just taken her first, amazingly delicious bite when her mother asked, “How are things going with Dante?”

Fortunately Evie hadn’t started swallowing yet, so she was able to compose herself and not choke. But chewing and swallowing only took so long, and then she was still left with a question she didn’t know how to answer. Despite her tentative peace with her mother, she wasn’t ready to announce she’d fallen in love with a man who didn’t want to love her back.

“We’re doing well,” she said instead. “He’s a good guy.”

“So Rafe tells me. Although he does have a bit of a reputation with women.”

“Dante made it clear from the start that he doesn’t do long-term relationships.” She couldn’t fault him for leading her on.

“You’re all right with that?”

“I wasn’t looking for a relationship at all,” she admitted. “This whole thing started with us getting each other through the holidays. Now it’s more than that. We like each other.” Which was the truth. After all, she did like him. She also loved him, but she wasn’t ready to talk about that yet.

“Tell me about the other men in your life.”

Evie wrinkled her nose. “There’s not much to tell. I’ve dated some good guys and some not-so-good guys, but I haven’t ever fallen in love. I guess I haven’t met the one.” Until now, she thought with a sigh. But why go there?

Her mother nodded slowly, as if not surprised. “I’m responsible for that.”

“Mom, I’m willing to put a lot on you, but I don’t think you get the blame for my sucky love life.”

“You were afraid to find someone you could love because you didn’t want to be hurt again. Rejected. I would guess you’re afraid to love someone because you’re convinced he won’t love you back.”

Evie opened her mouth, then closed it. May’s words had a ring of truth. “I have been afraid to give my heart,” she admitted slowly.

May blinked several times, as if fighting tears. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I picked the guys. Not you.”

“But if I’d been there for you…” May held up her hand. “I’ll stop now. I want us to have a nice dinner. I’ve said what I wanted to say and apologized. You can think about it, and we’ll deal with it again another time. How’s that?”

“I can live with that.”

“Good.”

They talked about the costumes for the performance. Evie had seen a few of them, although not all. They were scattered around town, being altered and redone by an assortment of volunteers.

“I’m looking forward to comparing this year’s dances with what was done in previous years,” she said. “I asked Clay to record the whole thing for me.”

“You know we’re all coming,” May said. “I’ve already bought my tickets.”

“I hope you enjoy it.”

“I will. When you were little, I loved to watch you dance.”

Their server appeared with their entrées. When she’d left, May leaned toward Evie.

“Why did you leave Juilliard? Do you mind telling me? I never understood your decision.”

Evie shrugged. “I wasn’t good enough. After six months, I was called into the office and told I didn’t have the talent. I worked hard, but without the raw ability, I couldn’t achieve their standards. Rather than wait until they forced me to leave, I quit.”

May’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe that. You’re a wonderful dancer.”

“You’re not a professional. Trust me, I’m no Dominique Guérin.” She thought about being only a few weeks from her eighteenth birthday and knowing she was all alone in the world. She’d had nothing but a shattered dream and the blistered and callused feet of a dancer.

“I wish you’d come home,” her mother whispered. “I wish I’d told you I wanted you to come home.”

“Neither of us were ready then, Mom,” Evie said. “We needed time. I needed to grow up.”