Page 16 of Fa-La-La-La Faking It
Right now, she just needed him to leave. This evening had been fun and, consequently, also confusing. She wasn’t ready to feel attracted to anyone. Least of all, Jace. She already had a man in her life—Fuzzy. And he loved her just the way she was, big feelings and all. Simply watching Jace turn the package of gingerbread cookies over in his hands was giving her heart palpitations.
Too much.This entire evening wasn’t any different from their elementary school years. He’d been hanging out with her because he felt bad about stealing the town square out from under her. He’d felt sorry for her...
Again.
Some things never changed.
“You don’t have to take those if you don’t want them,” she said with a nod toward the cookies.
“Are you kidding?” He held the package close to his heart. The crinkle of the cellophane captured Fuzzy’s attention, and the Cavalier cocked his head. “No take-backs.”
They truly were back in fifth grade, weren’t they?
“Besides, aren’t you forgetting something?” He gave her a penetrating look that she felt all the way down to her toes.
She bent and picked up Fuzzy, holding him close. A barrier, of sorts. “What do you mean?”
“The compromise.” The corners of his eyes crinkled, just like Santa’s in’Twas the Night Before Christmas. Or did Santa’s eyes twinkle?
Adaline was losing her mind.
“Right. The compromise.” It was the entire reason she’d agreed to decorating the tree with him. How could it have possibly slipped her mind? “Let’s hear it.”
His gaze strayed out the window, toward the gazebo. “I was thinking what the tree lot could really use is a hot chocolate stand. It could give people a reason to stay and wander through the trees. Make things feel all warm and cozy.”
“That sounds nice.” Adaline nodded, even as that wistful feeling coursed through her again at the thought of happy couples strolling hand-in-hand through the town square, sipping cocoa like a visit to Jace’s tree lot was akin to date night. Which, given the limited options in Bluebonnet, it was likely to become.
Jace’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Good. So you’ll do it?”
“Do what?” She was still waiting to hear about the compromise. So far, he hadn’t uttered a word about giving up a portion of the square to Comfort Paws.
“The hot chocolate stand.” He smiled into her eyes, and Adaline got the distinct feeling she wasn’t going to like whatever he said next. “I can’t handle getting that up and running while I’m also selling trees. So I was thinking your dog group could do it. I’ll make room in the gazebo. You and your friends could keep all the profits.”
No way. This wasn’t a compromise. It was a job offer...for a position that would mean working side-by-side with Jace every night.
No, no, no. Just no.
“Allthe profits?” The question slipped out before she could stop it. As absurd as his suggestion was, it was her only realistic option to save the Comfort Paws fundraiser. Perhaps she should get all the facts before she told him no.
Which she fully intended on doing.
“All of ’em. One hundred percent.” He reached out a hand and rubbed Fuzzy behind his ears. The dog melted in her arms. “You can bring your pups. They can wear their working dog vests, and we can put out a donation jar for your organization too.”
Adaline was at a loss. It was a generous offer—too generous to simply turn down flat.
“I just thought it might be a good idea. A win-win for us both.” Jace pulled his hand away, and Fuzzy whined at the loss of contact.
The dog swiveled his big eyes toward Adaline, begging for her to agree. That’s what it felt like, anyway.
Don’t look at me like that, she wanted to say.
But it was too late. She couldn’t resist those puppy dog eyes, especially when the entire weight of the Comfort Dog program rested on her shoulders. They could do a lot with an entire Christmas season’s worth of hot cocoa money—maybe even find a space to rent for training classes after the first of the year.
“A win-win,” Adaline murmured. She felt a tingling in her chest and couldn’t tell if it was a sense of triumph or foreboding. Probably both.
Was this what making a deal with the devil felt like?
“Do we have a deal?” He held out a hand, and his choice of words did nothing to alleviate her doubts.
