Page 24 of The Inn at Evergreen Hollow

“I need to head out though.” Aiden glanced at his watch, tucking the bag of food under one arm as he reached for his toolbox with the other. “Can you finish cleaning up the last of this, Blake?”

Blake chuckled, a smirk at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, yeah, it is Thursday. Time for you to bring out that alter egoof yours. TheLady Killer, right?” He said it with a dramatic flourish, and Aiden rolled his eyes.

“I’m just glad I don’t have to think about cooking. See you around, fellas.”

He headed for the truck before Blake could rib him any further. He’d eat on the drive over—Thursdays were always hectic with his schedule, going straight from one job to the other. But the savings made it worth it, and he did like both jobs. That was more than plenty of folks could say about even one.

He’d go home, clean up, and then head right back out again. And truthfully, he really didn’t mind it.

It was good to stay busy. And Thursday nights were always entertaining, in their own way.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Originally, Nora had planned to wait a little while before taking Melanie and her mother up on the ballroom dancing suggestion. She figured she had plenty of time—there was no reason to rush into anything. And shewasbusy with the festival planning.

But then, she’d gotten back to the inn, and Rhonda had pointedly mentioned that they were having a mulled wine tasting that night, and the inn would probably be busy—but the dance studio was having one of their classes that night. Nora could take a hint—she had nothing to lose, and after the unpleasant interaction with Sabrina, she’d found that she wasn’t as enthused about spending the evening planning for the festival. Truthfully, she could use a night off from it.

Going to the ballroom dancing lesson seemed better than mingling with Evergreen Hollow residents in a small space over mulled wine, so she’d found a pair of low heels that would work as dance shoes—her actual dance shoes had been left back in Boston—and picked out one of the two ‘party’ dresses she’d brought with her. She hadn’t honestly expected to wear either one, but it was good to have options.

She’d chosen the dark purple dress. It was knee length, with a flirty scalloped hem and elbow-length sleeves, and amodestly scooped neckline. Nothing that she had to worry about misstepping and flashing someone in, as rusty as she was at dancing, but still fun and pretty enough that the lesson felt like a special occasion. A little treat for herself, something indulgent to do simply for the sake of doing it.

It had occurred to her, as she was getting ready, that she rarely did things like that back in Boston. She usually felt like her time needed to be accounted for, and used efficiently. Even relaxing, she tried to make sure she was accomplishing something with it. Finishing a reading challenge. Watching a show that was also educational in some way. She rarely did anything just for sheer pleasure, without there being areasonto. She had no real reason to take a ballroom class, other than it had sounded fun when Melanie and her mother suggested it.

So here she was.

The glow from the windows on the chilly night and the lilt of a waltz spilling out from inside was soothing. She tugged her peacoat around herself, her boots crunching through the snow as she walked up the pathway to the wooden door. Like a lot of the businesses in Evergreen Hollow, it resembled a residential house more than a commercial building, hollowed out and redesigned inside to fit the needs of the business.

There was an older woman with short, snowy hair in tight curls sitting at the front desk, and Nora handed her the drop-in fee in cash, smiling at her. Now inside the dance studio, she felt the warm glow of familiarity, soothing her further. She recognized the music, a song she’d waltzed to often, and it was nice to hear the sound of the dancers moving across the floor. It felt like a bridge between Evergreen Hollow and her life in Boston, something that she had in both places.

She’d taken a fair few dance classes in Boston, partially just for fun, and partially to have a bit of a challenge. It came in handy to be familiar with ballroom dance as a part of her work,since it so often came up in the events she planned, which had factored into her decision.

And there it was again, of course. Practicality and efficiency, even in her fun. But here, there was no reason for it other than it was a comforting and enjoyable way to spend an evening, and she was looking forward to losing herself in it.

“Thank you,” she said, as the woman finished taking her drop-in fee and directed her to the small room just outside the classroom to change her shoes. She sat down on a bench, taking off her boots and slipping on the low heels, and glanced up as a young woman sat down next to her.

“Are you new in town?” The young woman had a short brown bob, slightly curled at the edges, and bright blue eyes. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

“I grew up here.” Nora slipped on her other shoe and sat up. “I’m just visiting for the holidays. I didn’t even know this studio was here, honestly.”

“Oh! Well, I’m Callie.” She held out her hand. “The instructor here is wonderful. You’re going to love him.”

“I’m sure I will. I’ve danced a little before—I’ve been lucky to always get good teachers. I’m sure this won’t be any different. I’m Nora, by the way,” she added quickly. “I’ll be in town through the New Year, so I might come back more than once.”

“I hope you do!” Callie stood, gesturing. “Let’s go on in. The instructor will be here any minute.”

Nora followed, a little bemused by how quickly everyone tended to make friends here, smoothing out her skirt. There were a handful of others in the main studio room, a mixture of men and women of varying ages, and she was just about to say something else to Callie when the teacher walked in.

“Sorry I’m a few minutes late,” he said, stopping in the middle of the floor. “But we’ll go ahead and get started with the waltz class.”

Everyone else started milling about, getting into place, but for a moment Nora couldn’t move. She stood there, speechless—and utterly shocked.

The ballroom dance instructor was none other than Aiden Masters.

He was dressed differently than any of the other times she’d run into him in town, in soft-looking joggers and a t-shirt that clung attractively to his muscled torso. She knew she was gaping as she looked at him, her shock written clearly across her face, but she couldn’t stop staring. She felt incapable of closing her mouth—which she was all too aware was hanging a little bit open.

Aiden’s gaze swept over the assembled students, landing finally on her, and Nora saw the surprise flicker over his face. He lingered for just a moment, looking at her, but he managed to keep his composure far better than she had.

“Let’s get started,” he said smoothly, and the music began.

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