Page 38 of Wrapped with a Beau

“Lana!” Elisha whisper-screeches. Adam, used to them, simply rolls his eyes with a fond smile at his girlfriend. “My god, woman. Not everything is about sex.”

“True, but the boy is fine and he’s practically made of holiday fling material, hint hint.”

Elisha fixes her with a look. She may no longer consider Ves to be Piney Peaks’s very own resident Christmas Curmudgeon, but jumping his bones is not the move. Sure, he’s single and attractive, but those are bare-minimum qualifications. And yes, he has a biting streak of humor that emerges whenever he’s feeling a bit prickly or when they’re just having fun, but again, he’s not the guy for her. Just because he’s sticking around for a bit longer than a week doesn’t mean he’s looking for love or roots.

“I’m just saying,” says Solana, “you wouldn’t have these little aches and pains if you spent more time thinking about getting him stiff.” She hums meaningfully. “Or maybe you would, but in a sexier way.”

“And that’s my cue to go wash some glasses or something,” says Adam, taking two steps to the left.

Elisha yelps and reaches out to grab him by his black tee. “No! Stay! You’re my ally.”

He lets himself be dragged back.

“Adam, you’re a man,” she says.

“Well spotted,” he says dryly, crossing his arms and showing off his impressive tattoo sleeve.

“So, what do you make of him?”

“Honestly, I don’t get why he’s gotten under your skin so much.” Elisha sputters. “Wait, let me finish. Okay, unlike the two of us”—Adam gestures between him and Solana—“you haven’t known everything about him since kindergarten—so what? Here’s what we do know: It took some convincing, but he gave you the filming permission. He’s sticking around for the Winter Festival even though we, uh, pretty much ambushed him.” He looks a little sheepish. “You said he offered to help Dave out when he didn’t have to. And he’s taking good care of Maeve’s place, by all accounts. Seems like he’s a good guy.”

“ ‘By all accounts’?” Solana grins and cups his cheek. “Babe, you’ve been gossiping.”

“Eavesdropping,” Adam corrects, leaning into her touch to kiss her wrist in a suave move that makes Elisha’s heart squish. “Right now, everyone who comes to my bar is obsessed with three things: Christmas, the movie, and Ves Hollins. Not necessarily in that order.”

Solana giggles and pulls Adam in for a proper kiss, a lingering one like neither can get enough. Elisha’s torn between looking away to give them privacy and staring long enough that maybe, just maybe, some of their love can rub off on her a little. She wants what they have so much that it actually hurts.

It’s not even just the sex with a regular partner that she misses, or always having a surefire date so she doesn’t look hopelessly single at yet another get-together. It’s sweet moments like this, the quiet intimacy of a look, a word, a gesture to understand another person and knowing exactly what they need.

They break apart when down the bar, someone emits an admiring whistle. Adam tosses a rag at the guy, who picks it up and laughs, ordering a round of beers for his trivia table.

“Wait, I know a fourth thing,” says Solana, eyes sparkling as she sips her spiced rum punch. “The Chocolate Mouse holiday party. All the ladies in my office under forty are hoping Ves is going to be there this weekend.”

Coals glow hot in Elisha’s chest. “He doesn’t even live here!” she exclaims.

“Doesn’t stop anybody from hoping. Anyway, your grandpa definitely invited him,” Solana says casually, as though she hasn’t just dropped a huge and messy piece of information in Elisha’s lap.

Elisha keeps her cool. If by cool she means spinning on the stool so fast she nearly topples off and Solana has to steady her shoulders right in the nick of time. “What?!”

Returning from the other end of the bar, Adam nods. “It’s true, I helped them drag out the sleigh this morning from Dave’s storage unit. Your gramps is pretty good at putting people on the spot. He invited him and Ves accepted.”

This stumps Elisha, who until this second didn’t think Ves had actually meant to devote so much time to helping her grandfather. And now that she knows otherwise, she’s left with an uneasy feeling.

“And your grandpa has been leaving flyers for the party all over town,” adds Solana, using her chin to point to the cotton-candy-pink sheet of paper tacked up on the bulletin board next to the pub’s front door.

“Look, I’m only saying this because I’m forced to be here,” says Adam. “But, Elisha, you talk about this guy all the time. There’s something sparking between you, and it’s not animosity. Why not give it a try? What do you have to lose? Have yourself a fun, casual Christmas romance.” He frowns, casting a critical eye around the pub. “Beats your other options around here, honestly.”

Solana seems utterly smitten by the idea. “And oh my god, you should have seen it. It was so cute how he had Elisha’s back with Bentley.” Her smile is utterly wicked. “Oops, I mean Ben. It was very hot how jealous Ves got.”

“Boyfriend standing right here,” Adam points out with an amused chuckle.

“Since when did you two take up meddling as your new couple activity?” Elisha demands. “ ‘Holiday fling material’? ‘Fun, casual Christmas romance’? You’re both singing from the same hymnbook.”

“Guilty,” says Solana, entirely unrepentant. “But it’s because we love you, my darling!”

“And you deserve to be happy,” Adam says quietly. “We love having you back home, and we know you chose this to be close to your family and the business... but you’re lonely. No, don’t deny it. We’re your best friends. You really think we can’t tell?”

Elisha’s heart takes a swan dive into her stomach. “Guys, sure, he looks gallant galloping around on a white steed, and yes, he’s saved me twice. But he’s so closed off and he’s going to leave soon, so I shouldn’t even want to, and ugh!” She brings her palms down on the table with a huff, and wordlessly communicates with Adam for another Grinch. “He’s still kind of a mystery, isn’t he?”