Page 12 of Jam and Jingle Bells
She shrugged as she flounced down the street, dragging me along behind her. “My mom and her sisters have spent their lives on a diet and they’re miserable, miserable people. I’d rather avoid a long life of kale and spin classes for a shorter life of good food, laughter, and happiness. I just don’t feel the need to walk that road.”
I grasped her arm tightly to mine and smiled. “I wouldn’t want you any other way. Besides, you don’t need to go to the gym. You spend all day every day on your feet.”
“You know it, girl,” she said, in her best sexy Southern drawl. “Speaking of which, I need some new shoes. I’ll have to head into the mall at some point. Want to ride with me on Sunday? We could do big city fun at the mall.”
I snickered and looked to the sky, shaking my head. “Now you’re just throwing me a pity party, aren’t you?” I teased. “Take the girl who got stood up to the mall to get her mind off it.”
Her grin was enough to tell me I was right. “Actually, I do have to go to the mall and we could have some big city fun, but if it works to take your mind off Mr. No Show Santa, that’s a bonus.”
I giggled at her title for him. “It feels a little off to me, though. His whole persona radiates politeness. It feels weird that he’d just stand me up without explanation.”
She paused mid-step. “Does he have your number?”
I sighed and shook my head. “Not my cell, no. He could have called the salon and it would have been forwarded to my phone.”
“But he probably didn’t know that.” She started walking again toward the end of Main Street, which just happened to be where a certain someone had a yoga studio. I would have to get her to turn around before we had to pass it. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was stalking him.
“Wait, what?” she said, pointing straight ahead.
A cop stood on the sidewalk in front of Rudolph Yoga Express talking to the proprietor.
“I think that’s Gabe, isn’t it?” Heather whisper-asked.
I worked hard not to roll my eyes so far back in my head it would hurt. She knew damn well it was Gabriel Dennison. She’d had a crush on him since the fourth grade. Too bad Gabe never got the memo. Last I heard, his new woman was from the big city and was turning heads.
We jogged a bit closer and noticed a large sheet of plywood covering what used to be the plate glass window that normally faced Main Street. I glanced at Heather who returned the stare before we ran up the sidewalk.
“Ellis, are you okay?” I asked when we stood in front of the two men.
Gabriel was just flipping his notebook closed. “He’s fine, but his shop, not so much.”
“What happened?” I asked, glancing between the two men. I was trying to ignore the fact that Heather was slowly sidestepping her way behind me in an effort to avoid Gabe. I swear she couldn’t be anything but awkward around the guy.
“Vandalism,” Ellis answered, resting his butt on the window ledge. It was easy to see by the dark circles under his eyes and the slump of his shoulders that it wasn’t just a simple broken window.
Gabe turned to Ellis. “I’ll keep you abreast of the situation and we’ll have more units running point on Main Street over the next week. We’ll catch whoever this was. If you have any other problems, you know the number.”
Ellis pointed at him and nodded. “Thanks, Officer Dennison.” He shook his hand limply. “I appreciate all of your help.”
Gabe waved off and climbed into his cruiser parked at the curb, leaving the three of us to gape at each other.
“Nice guy,” Ellis said, tossing his chin at the car. “But I suppose you know that.”
Heather laughed uncomfortably and I rolled my eyes. She was still hiding behind me and I didn’t have to worry about her noticing. He did though and cracked a small half-smile for the first time since we’d arrived.
“Yeah, we’ve known each other since we were in diapers.” I was joking, but neither of them laughed. “What happened, Ellis?” I asked, laying my hand on his arm. He was dirty and obviously had been working for hours. Since it was barely eight a.m., that meant he worked through the night.
“Someone tossed a firebomb through the window last night,” he explained. “I was just leaving to meet you when it happened.” His hand went to his hair and he turned to stare at the boarded-up window. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I lost track of time.”
I waved my hand at him. “Stop, don’t even worry about it. I had no idea, or I would have come and helped. Stan lives close to my salon so I never came down Main Street last night. What can we do to help?”
He pushed the still intact glass door open and we stepped inside. The place was in rough shape, but it would live to see another yoga class.
“Damn, Ellis, I’m so sorry,” I said, giving him a spontaneous hug. “This is truly out of character for Bells Pass.”
Heather nodded and spun in a circle. “This is about as atypical as it gets. What did Gabe say about it?” she asked, finally finding her voice.
I ended the hug, sadly, but kept my arm around his waist. He was ready to drop, and I was worried he was going to fall if he had to take another step.
