Page 22 of The Holiday Hate-Off
“He’d better.”
Because her words go a long way toward erasing the accusation Enzo made last night.
Always an outsider.
“Say hello to that friend of yours,” she says, grinning at me. “Charlie made me that, you know.” She points to a framed painting of a snarling little dog.
“Oh,” I say, caught off guard. Charlie’s paintings are usually of sweet moments. Pets with their hearts in their eyes.
“I asked her to paint him like that because he was a little shit. Always snarling at people and causing them trouble, but he wasmylittle shit, and I liked him just the way he was.” She shakes her head, smiling at the memory. “Love’s a funny thing.”
There’s a sad look on her face for half a second, and I make a mental note to ask Eileen if she thinks Portia’s lonely. Then she bags the candy canes and hands them over. “You go get yourself a sexy Santa Claus. I’ll let you know when to come by for the taffy pulling. You won’t want to miss it. No one will.”
No, I don’t want to miss it. But Iespeciallydon’t want to miss whatever Erica has in store for Enzo.
When I getto the café, Eileen is in the small kitchen in the back, frowning down at a tin tray of Bowlful of Jellies. She has her red, scalloped apron on, and she looks positively adorable. The Bowlful of Jellies do not. She used circular molds to makethe lingonberry and cream jellies. The unfortunate end product is a pile of jiggling pink balls.
To be perfectly honest, they look like testicles.
Yes, Ihaveseen testicles. I’ve been to third base enough times to know my way around a dick. I’ve just never rounded the bases to home.
“Would you eat one of these?” Eileen asks, jolting me from my thoughts.
I glance down at the jiggling “treats.” “I don’t think so? But I also don’t like Jello. They always put it on Mom’s hospital trays, and sometimes I ate it out of pure desperation, but yeah, not good.”
She glances up and meets my eyes. “They had panettone favors for every guest at Hidden Italy. Handmade.”
I hear her. I want to respond. But my mind is elsewhere entirely.
“What is Erica going to do with Enzo?” I blurt.
Damn it. That sounded much too eager. I try again. “Uh, I mean, I talked to Portia earlier, when I went in to pick up the treats, and she told meallabout the Cafieros’ copycat auction. Enzo obviously did it because he knew our Advent calendar unveiling would be way more memorable, so it serves him right if she makes him do something embarrassing. He’s going to have to wear a Larry costume, isn’t he? Or, wait, is he going to be one of the mayor’s elves?”
Mayor Locke always dresses up as the town’s Santa Claus. God help me, it would beamazingto see Enzo dressed as an elf, in some ridiculous curling shoes, hopefully with fake pointy ears. Maybe I can even offer to help Erica source the outfit for ultimate embarrassment.
A strange look passes over Eileen’s face. “So you’ve heard about the auction. Let’s sit down for a moment.”
We enter the main part of the café, then slide into the big corner booth with its plush, pink, faux-fur seat. Last night, wemoved the tables in preparation for the big event, but we haven’t set out the decorations yet. The café looks like it normally does, white and pink, pretty, and full of love.
“Santa Speed Dating is going to be so much cooler than their auction,” I say, feeling my cheeks heat. “I’ll bet they didn’t even dress up.”
“They were wearing very fine suits, Erica said. But there wasn’t a single Santa hat in the place. A missed opportunity, if you ask me, but let me get to the point…” She pauses, having undoubtedly honed her flair for dramatic timing in her beauty queen years. “I have to confess…Erica participated in the auction on my behalf. When she called me last night and told me the Cafiero boys were setting up an impromptu auction, I thought it might be a nice opportunity for us, because of what we discussedthe other night.”
My pulse quickens. “What do you mean?”
“I asked her to bid on one of Enzo’s younger brothers foryou. Now, I know what you’re going to say, but they’re fine-looking boys, and going on a date with one of them would be excellent practice for you. Plus, Erica was already at their event, and she was happy to help.” Her lips pucker. “Unfortunately, she drank too many limoncello samples and got a little carried away by the spirit of the evening. She forgot which boy was which and bid on the one she found most attractive.”
My heart pounds faster, harder. “You mean…”
“She won the date with Enzo foryou, Lucy.”
A memory of his hard chest flashes through my mind, and I cross my arms to steel myself against it.My id will not win. My id will not win.“There’s no way I’m having dinner with him.”
Eileen nods as if this is no more than she expected. “I’ll dine with the young man myself. Maybe I can find him a new girlfriend, and then?—”
“No.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Why not? Men aresomuch more agreeable when they’re in love.”
