Lourdes knew she could always cancel, but she felt it might be wise to let people see her out and about. Maybe that would lend support to what she’d told Ed at the Gold Country Gazette and stave off any gossip as to why she was staying out of sight. Maintaining appearances and pretending that all was well could make the furor over her breakup with Derrick seem inflated—maybe even passé—and that would spell death for the story in the celebrity gossip blogs.
The way Kyle’s eyes ran over her when she walked out of her bedroom told her he liked how she looked, but he didn’t say the words. Since they’d made love, he’d been vigilant about keeping his distance. If she happened to stand too close, he’d step away. Or if she was in the kitchen, and he had to slip past her to get something he needed, he’d either ask her to hand it to him or wait until she was gone so he could reach it without coming into direct contact with her.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” she asked as he held the door so she could precede him to the truck.
“Up for what?”
“Being out together.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
She hesitated before continuing down the walkway. “Because your plant nearly burned down last night and you’re so angry about it you can barely speak.”
“Staying home won’t bring the plant back. That’s something I’m going to have to work through, whether I like it or not.”
And going out might keep them out of bed. She knew neither of them would be thinking about much else if they stayed home. “So you still want to go.”
“I’d rather you didn’t miss it. You need to get out.”
She breathed deeply, enjoying the clean feel of the winter air. “Are we going to start with Eve’s B and B?”
“Yeah. We’re all meeting there. She has to stay and sell cookies. The proceeds go to a charity for children. Most of my other friends participate in raising money, too. Callie usually donates whatever she makes off the photography appointments she books during Victorian Days—although, because of the new baby, she’s probably not doing it this year. Noah and Addy are auctioning off a bike at their bike store, that sort of thing. We’ll hang out with whoever’s available. Then we can check out whatever else we want.”
“Sounds good,” she said, and it was. Lourdes loved Little Mary’s B&B, which was lavishly decorated with boughs of holly and wreaths and the best Christmas tree she’d ever seen. The smell of cinnamon and vanilla permeated the entire place, and the cookies Eve served were beautifully decorated and delicious. Eventually, when Eve needed to feed her baby, Lourdes took over at the register. That was fun and, as word got out, Lourdes was soon autographing receipts.
“This will be the most we’ve ever raised,” Eve told her, marveling at the length of the line when she returned.
At that point, Lourdes was glad she’d come. Not only was she enjoying herself, she was doing a good deed—something else that felt nice.
“Where’s the baby?”
“Lincoln took him in the back so he can get some sleep.”
Lourdes could feel Kyle watching her as he lounged against one wall, talking to various friends and other people. She got the impression he was making sure no one got too close or treated her rudely, which made her feel special to him, even if he was hardly speaking to her.
Before long, she and Eve decided to put up a sign that said she’d take photographs of Lourdes posing with customers using their own cell phones for twenty dollars, money that would also be contributed to the charity.
Kyle allowed that to go on for some time. Then he must’ve felt her job was done, because he came by to rescue her. “We’re going to walk around for a bit, before everything closes down,” he told Eve. “I want Lourdes to see the rest of the festival.”
“Of course,” Eve said. “She’s done enough here.” Eve turned to her. “Thank you. You made Little Mary’s the hit of the whole celebration!”
Eve leaned over to give her a hug, but when she started to pull away, Lourdes held her tightly for a moment longer so she wouldn’t be just the recipient of the hug but the giver, as well. “Thank you. I had a wonderful time.” Lord knew she’d needed to get her mind off her own troubles...
Eve’s smile grew even warmer. “Anytime.”
“I really like Eve,” Lourdes said as she and Kyle walked down the street. “Actually, I like all your friends.”