Page 44 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
Gabriel’s arms instantly came around her. He pulled her against his broad chest. She buried her face in the front of his jacket and cried as his hand stroked her back.
“They’re going to say no,” she told him between sobs.“I could see it on their faces. I don’t know why I bothered to come here.”
“They said they’d think about it,” Gabriel murmured into her hair.“That’s not the same thing as a no.”
Kymberlie pulled back from him, wiping angrily at her eyes.“In pack-speak,‘we’ll think about it’is a soft no.” She managed a bitter laugh.“At least I tried, right?”
Gabriel cupped her face, his gaze intense.“This isn’t over yet,” he said fervently.
She was sure he was going to follow up with another suggestion for something she could try.
Instead, he just leaned in and kissed the tears away.“I have a feeling everything’s going to work out okay. Just wait and see.”
The drive back to town passed in silence.
As she turned down her street, she felt a strange sense of calm settling over her as she accepted she’d hit rock bottom. She was done. Finished.
“Maybe it’s time I faced reality,” she said as she pulled into her carport.“I’m out of options, out of luck, and definitely out of money.”
Gabriel’s expression darkened.“You’re wrong about that, Kymberlie. You’re not out of options. Not by a long shot.”
She wished she could believe him.
Chapter Twelve
Christmas Eve
Gabriel stood by the entrance of The Hair of the Dog, his phone clutched in his hand. The message he was about to send felt like a dirty trick.
But the ends justified the means—or so he kept telling himself.
Around him, the Christmas Eve fundraiser was off to a good start. Holiday lights twinkled like multicolored stars, a freshly cut and decorated Christmas fir glowed in one corner, and the scents of mulling wine, smoky barbecue, and baked goods drifted from the kitchen.
Out of habit, he scanned the gathering crowd, the exits, and the fire safety equipment. But tonight, his actual worry had nothing to do with fire safety and everything to do with how Kymberlie would react when she walked through those doors.
He took a deep breath and opened his texting app:Kymber, Tyler and I are at the club. Serious plumbing issue happening. Need you here ASAP.
The lie made his stomach twist, but the memory of Kymberlie’s obvious despair after her meeting with her pack leadership steeled his resolve.
Seconds later, his phone pinged with Kymberlie’s reply.WTF? Really?On my way.
He could only imagine what was going through her head right now.Don’t worry, my love. Everything’s going to be all better in fifteen minutes.
“Stop staring at your phone like it might explode,” Maggie Swanson said as she came over.“Did she respond?”
“She’s on her way.” Gabriel slipped his phone back into his jeans pocket.“God, I hate lying to her.”
“It’s for a good cause,” Maggie reassured him.“And look at what we’ve pulled off.”
Gabriel looked around the crowded interior of The Hair of the Dog. What had started as a desperate idea hatched with Maggie just a few days ago had snowballed into something magnificent.
The long granite bar gleamed under the Christmas lights, tended tonight by Micah, Kymberlie’s regular bartender, who’d enthusiastically volunteered his services. Zoey, her assistant manager, directed a small army of volunteers setting out food on long buffet tables. Karl was stationed at the door, collecting prepaid tickets and selling last-minute entrances.
On the low stage, Tyler’s son, Rob, and his bandmates tuned their instruments.
“I couldn’t have done this without you,” Gabriel told Maggie.“Your connections in town made all the difference.”
Maggie’s smile turned warm.“All I did was make a few calls. Everyone in the area admires Kymberlie and really wants to help her out.”
