Page 49 of Love, Lies and Sleigh Rides
“An understatement,” Fallon agreed.
“Fallon, what will you be doing for the holidays? Do you have plans with your family?” Elaine asked as she sliced into the cake, revealing the spiral of white frosting inside. Fred offered her a plate from the stack and Elaine deftly slipped the slice onto the plate.
Kade snuck a look at Fallon, but she didn’t seem rattled by the question. Apparently, his mother wasn’t privy to Fallon’s family dynamics, so he could hardly fault Elaine for asking.
“No, I’ll be staying in Minneapolis. I have friends who usually get together for the holiday.”
“You’re always welcome to come celebrate with us,” Elaine said, passing the first plate to the woman on her left. Two couples had joined them at the table, festival sponsors from Duluth.
Fred handed his wife another plate. “Anyone who can survive our December First party is automatically part of the family.” He gave a quick summary of their family tradition to the other four at the table. One woman declared it a delightful idea as Fallon caught Kade’s eye and gave him a quick smile. This pleased her, he could tell.
“That’s sweet of you to say, Fred,” Fallon said. “Thank you for the invite.”
Elaine finished slicing the cake. The silence that followed as everyone sampled the yule log was a testament to its deliciousness. Pops closed his eyes more than once, savoring the dessert.
Fallon leaned into Kade a few minutes later. “You’re wearing some of the cake on your nose,” she whispered.
A quick glance around the table assured him nobody noticed. He swiped at it discreetly with his napkin.
“You’re making it worse,” Fallon said. She dunked a corner of her napkin into her water glass and brushed his nose with it. “Not exactly good etiquette, but—”
“When you’re out and about with a social clod like me…”
She giggled while she brushed off another spot on his cheek. “You said it, I didn’t.”
Fallon pulled the napkin away as her gaze roved over his face. She was so close he could see the starburst of gold in her irises. If he was a betting man, he’d wager Fallon was thinking about more than wiping his face free of frosting at the moment. That look she gave him chilled him to the bone at the same time it set him on fire.
The couple on the other side of Fallon watched their interaction with smiles. Next to them, Elaine caught Fallon tidying him up too. His mother looked as if he’d just dropped to his knee to slip a ring on Fallon’s finger. That was enough for him to lean back when Fallon came at him again with the napkin. The last thing he wanted was Fallon to get spooked by the attention. She was just warming up to him.
“I’d better take care of this in the bathroom.” He pushed his chair away from the table.
Fallon set her napkin down. “Good timing. I was going to check out the silent auction.”
He caught the exchanged glances between everyone at the table as if the collective thought was,How sweet. They can’t bear to be out of each other’s sight.
They walked through the dining room, stopping for a moment to talk to Lucy Riggins, who’d designed the table centerpieces.
“It’s so nice to see you two again,” said Lucy. She gripped Fallon’s hand in her excitement. “I can’t wait for the tree auction tomorrow. With the extra sponsors this year, thanks to you, business at the flower shop has been crazy. We can hardly keep up.”
“I’m so happy to hear that,” Fallon said.
“I heard your tree took the top bid last year. Are you going for a repeat?”
Lucy lit up when she looked at him. “Fingers crossed. And wait until you see what we’re doing with the Santa and Mrs. Claus float! It will be the highlight of the parade.”
Lucy’s enthusiasm was contagious. “I’m sure anything Buds ’N Blooms touches will be fantastic.”
Lucy gave them a once-over, smiling. “I didn’t think to coordinate outfits with Trec. Oh well! Something to keep in mind for next year. You two are adorable.”
Fallon’s eyes darted to him with a hint of laughter in them before she uttered a simple “thank you” to Lucy.
As soon as Lucy was far enough away, Fallon snorted as she faced him. “Everyone but us seems to be in on a secret.” She grinned while giving him a look from head to toe that fanned the flames she’d set earlier.Play it cool. She’s just flirting.
“What secret is that?” He struggled to maintain a steady tone even though his tongue felt glued to the roof of his mouth. They walked into the foyer where two long tables had been set up with goods for the silent auction. Her hand brushed his accidentally and it took every fiber of his being not to take hold of it while they stopped in front of the first table.
“That we’re a couple,” Fallon answered. She looked squarely at him. “Where isthatcoming from?”
She’d certainly been more attentive to him tonight. Not that he was complaining, but maybe others had picked up on it.
