Page 14 of Fa-La-La-La Faking It
“Don’t you still have those cupcake ornaments from last year?” Jenna added.
Jace liked her friends. He liked them almost as much as he liked watching the color rise to Adaline’s face when she was flustered or the way her blue eyes seemed to darken to deep violet every time she turned her gaze on him. Jace had never seen eyes quite that color before—the same extraordinary hue of the wildflowers that gave their fair town its name. That color that had long since meant only one thing for Jace: home.
Adaline answered her friend without tearing those dazzling eyes off him. “Those cupcake ornaments are in the back storage room, but—”
Jace cut her off before she could make an excuse to get rid of him. “Sounds like we could cobble something together, then.”
There was a beat of silence so heavy with meaning that it reminded him of a Christmas carol.
All is calm.
All is bright.
He didn’t want to be alone tonight, and if he couldn’t stay here, he knew he’d eventually find himself at his uncle’s bedside, sitting vigil while Gus’s chest rattled throughout the late night hours.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Jace’s jaw clenched. This was the absolute last place he wanted to get emotional about his uncle, but he couldn’t seem to make himself turn around and walk out the door.
“You two seem like you’ve got this under control.” Maple glanced back and forth between them until her attention came to rest on Adaline. “Sorry, hon. Ford and I have dinner plans tonight.”
“Oh.” Adaline bit her lip. “That’s okay. I get it. I’m sure you have wedding stuff to discuss.”
“I’ve got to run, too. I’m beat from recital rehearsals. If I stay until that tree gets decorated, someone is going to have to carry me home.” Jenna clipped a leash to the red velvet collar around Ginger’s delicate neck and made her way toward Maple, who was hovering by the door. “Don’t worry about the fundraiser, Adaline. It’s all going to work out. We can chat more tomorrow.”
“She’s right, you know. It’s going to be okay.” Belle gave Adaline a quick hug before joining the rest of their friends near the exit.
Fuzzy stood in the center of the bakery, tail drooping as everyone prepared to leave.
Everyone except Jace, that is. He cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. It looked like he might be spending the night at the retirement center, after all.
“No worries.” Adaline’s voice brimmed with false cheer. She definitely seemed to have some worries. Lots of them, as far as Jace could tell. “See y’all tomorrow.”
The bells on the door jingled as the three women and their dogs filed outside. Then the bakery immediately went so quiet that Jace could’ve heard a snowflake land on the immaculate tile floor.
“If you tell me where those ornaments are, I can go get them,” he said, eager to fill the awkward silence with noise.
Anynoise, basically.
Fuzzy shuffled toward Adaline. She scooped the Cavalier into her arms and regarded Jace over the top of the dog’s head. “You seriously want to stay here and help me decorate the tree?”
He nodded. “I seriously do.”
She studied him, absently stroking Fuzzy’s cinnamon-and-white coat as the dog rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Jace felt a ridiculous stab of envy for the creature.
Maybe he should go.
“Why?” she asked in a voice so soft and quiet that he almost missed the question entirely.
Her sudden vulnerability caught him off-guard, and he knew right then that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Because that tree isn’t going to decorate itself. Because right now, you look as lost as I feel. And because somewhere deep down, you’re just as lonely as I am.
The words were all right there, dancing on the tip of his tongue. But Jace didn’t dare say them. No matter how much she reminded him of a sweeter and gentler time, he didn’t really know Adaline. Not anymore.
No, he corrected himself.Not yet.
Almost immediately, he thought better of it. Adaline had already made it clear she had no interest in getting to know him. The only reason he was even standing there was because he was dangling a compromise over her head like an invisible cluster of mistletoe.
