Page 4 of His Curvy Candy Cane

“You got it.” I winked.

“Oh, and Ethan?”

“Yeah?”

“I wouldn’t ever trust anyone who likes candy canes.”

CHAPTER THREE

Elise

“Areyou sure you don’t want Ethan’s help?” Camille asked after I slid into the front seat of her SUV.

“No, I think I have it figured out. I ordered the part and watched a few videos.”

“Watched a few videos?” Camille gasped. “Please tell me you’ve worked on cars before.”

“Yes, a little bit here and there. But don’t worry, if I run into any trouble, I promise I’ll ask Ethan for help. Believe me, he’s already offered a few times.”

Camille smiled. “He looks gruff, and sometimes he is, but he’s a softy on the inside. He’s confident about cars, but he deserves to be. He’s been working on cars since he was a kid. His dad taught him everything he knew before he died of cancer when Ethan was only eighteen.”

A wave of guilt crashed into me hard. “Oh no. That’s awful.”

“I know. The entire town went into mourning. I’ll never forget how many people filled the church that day for his funeral.”

“Wow. He must’ve been a stand-up guy.”

“He was. He really was. Ethan is too.”

I was starting to think maybe I was too harsh on Ethan.

I just couldn’t see myself accepting his help.

A man let me down several times in the past, and I’d be damned if I let another one in, mechanic or not. Especially one that liked candy canes.

Thankfully, when the alternator was delivered, I had little trouble replacing it, and my car was up and running once again.

I was so damn proud of myself, I marched over to Ethan’s door and knocked. When he opened the door, a huge smile stretched across my face, and I pointed at my car now purring quietly in my driveway.

“Do you hear that? My baby is running again. Never doubt a woman’s ability to do anything.” I winked, spun on my heel, and walked away toward my car without waiting to hear what he had to say.

But as I climbed in my car, I heard his deep voice ring out. “Never trust someone whodoesn’tlike candy canes!”

I laughed all the way to the diner.

A few dayspassed since the last time I saw Ethan. Not that I was keeping track or anything. But with Christmas approaching, the town was busy with a flurry of activity. I leaned into the holiday spirit, hoping I might actually enjoy it this year, and when Camille told me about the town’s Christmas party and how fun it was, I knew I couldn’tnotgo. I wanted to experience it at least once.

Downtown Appleridge transformed into the perfect little Christmas village. All of the shops were decorated with wreathsand garland and lights strung along every inch. One store became Santa’s workshop, and Santa and Mrs. Claus were available for pictures, along with many elf workers.

The best part was each store’s Christmas tree. It was a contest for the most unique Christmas tree, with some big cash prizes up for grabs.

The town’s Christmas party was inside the library, with the stacks of books cleared away to reveal large open rooms with plenty of space for dancing and mingling.

Every inch of the library was decorated for Christmas, with lights and garland, and of course a ten-foot Christmas tree decked out in a snowman theme. As I took it all in and walked around, I recognized a lot of townsfolk from the diner, and they did me, too.

As far as small towns went, I never got over that. The feeling of having the whole town on your side, where everybody knew everybody’s name and helped each other out.

On the flip side, you couldn’t hide your business from anyone.

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