Page 29 of Take Me Home for Christmas

That could be the only explanation. He knew darn well she wasn’t Hayden’s girlfriend. Tim’s brows shot up as he looked at Elle.

“I’m not Hayden’s girlfriend,” she said.

“I should hope not,” Claire Lovell stated emphatically when she stormed into the room, Kitty and Hayden following.

“Claire!” Tim and Kitty both cried.

Elle dropped her gaze to the floor, wishing it would open to an alternate universe.

“What did you do with Livi?” Claire demanded.

“No one did anything with Livi, Mom. She’s stranded on Bald Head Island along with everyone else wanting to take the ferry back tonight.”

Hayden’s mom made a rumbling sound but remained blessedly silent. So did West for that matter. Elle was sure he was trying to come up with something pithy to pile on with.

“You look lovely tonight, ladies,” he said after a long, tense moment had passed. “It will certainly be a pleasure to spend the evening in the company of three such beautiful women.”

An arm snaked around her shoulders. Elle risked a glance through her eyelashes. Hayden and Tim were still standing in front of her.

Dear God. Is that West’s arm?

“We should probably get going before the weather gets any worse,” Kitty suggested.

“Good idea,” Elle mumbled as she shrugged off the offending limb.

A cold deluge was better than another second of this.

Chances Inlet’sonly bar was exactly as Everett expected, kitschy and crowded. Portholes had been cut into the steel walls to serve as windows in keeping with the nautical theme. A ship’s bell hung at the corner of the long, mahogany bar. In front of the bar was a slew of mismatched captain’s chairs lined up beneath a cascade of twinkling green and red lights hanging above. Pink flamingos wearing Santa hats sat proudly in the center of the ferry boat tables. At the back of the long, narrow room were a couple of pool tables, a jukebox blaring “Jingle Bell Rock” and a cardboard fireplace, complete with stockings.

He’d been avoiding the place since arriving in town. Mainly because he found that most barkeeps preferred customers to order multiple drinks rather than sit like a barfly and nurse the same one all day long. However, from the looks of this place, he could get away with that if he wanted. It seemed Chances Inlet had different rules than the rest of the world. A guy could get used to that.

Jolene, the bar’s owner and head bartender, gave him a friendly smile when she handed over Kitty’s wine and Everett’s whiskey. Kitty found a two-seater high-top in the corner, affording them a great view of the dance floor and the door at the same time.

“Is it okay if it’s just us for a bit?” she asked. “Hayden and Elle don’t seem interested in sitting with us. Not that I blame them.”

“They don’t seem interested in sitting with each other, either,” Everett remarked. He glanced at Hayden at the dartboard, a group of men and women from the sheriff’s office cheering him on in his game. Elle was quickly swallowed up by a crowd of younger couples comprised of her family and their friends as soon as she walked in.

“Yeah.” Kitty sipped her wine. “Claire doesn’t make it easy on them.”

Everett spun his glass around, watching the ice cubes clink together. “What was all that about back there?”

Kitty sighed. “It’s a long, sordid tale.”

“Forget I asked.” He waved his hand. “You don’t have to share private family stories with me.”

She laughed. “Don’t you know? There is no privacy in a small town. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, whether you want them to or not. You’ll get a less biased version if you hear it from me.” She traced a finger along the stem of her glass, seeming to gather her thoughts. “Elle and Hayden have been best friends since—I don’t even know. Forever. They dated different people in high school, but she was the prom queen, and he was the prom king.”

A server came by and placed some scorecards and a pen on the table. “For the contest later.”

Kitty waited until the other woman moved on before continuing.

“It was the prom after-parties that set things in motion. Hayden was at one with his date when he heard that there might be trouble at the one Elle was at with her date. Of course, he had to go charging over there to her rescue.”

“That explains the Turkey Trot,” he commented. “Old habits die hard.”

She nodded. “He took two of his buddies with him. The other party was crowded with kids from multiple high schools standing out on the lawn.” Kitty blew out a breath. “Of course a fight broke out.”

Everett’s gut told him he wouldn’t like where this story was headed.

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