Chapter 1 #2
In the end, when it came down to the choice between a thirty-minute commute, combined with the happiness and security of his family in Frostvale, or uprooting them all so he could cut his journey time by fifteen minutes - because yeah, his fancy new digs meant he still had to drive - then that extra fifteen minutes won.
That’s when Evie realized just how selfish Adrian had become.
A selfishness she’d been covering in frosting for years.
Each snide remark about Frostvale being "quaint" - his code for backwards - each barbed comment about the ‘slim’, driven women he worked with, each dismissive wave at her excitement over the bakery - they weren't isolated incidents but ingredients in a recipe she'd refused to taste.
Adrian had become a stranger to her. The man who once shared her dreams had vanished, replaced by someone who measured life's worth in salary figures and status symbols rather than snowball fights and bedtime stories.
He was focused solely on his own desires and ambitions, and to hell with anyone else.
That’s when Evie finally admitted her marriage was over.
She’d loved her husband, but she didn’t like the man he’d become…
and Evie guessed the feeling was mutual, because when she stated her feelings on the matter, he told her he was going whether she came with him or not.
And when she decided ‘not’, he wasn’t at all broken up.
‘Brandi’ appeared on the scene a scant two weeks after Adrian moved out - well, officially anyway. Evie preferred not to imagine Adrian had already been cheating on her, but the truth was, she wasn’t certain, either.
Not that it mattered any more. They were done; the apartment sold, their assets divided, and a co-parenting agreement in place.
Evie shook her head, pushing away the painful memories. She had a bakery to run, a Christmas festival to prepare for, and a son to cherish for the precious days they had left before his trip. She couldn't afford to wallow in self-pity or resentment.
The bakery was all hers now. She’d realized that particular dream, and if she no longer had anyone to share it with, then she comforted herself with the knowledge that at least she still had the dream, which is more than she would have had if she'd blindly followed Adrian.
He’d shown his true colors during their divorce.
Not only had he tried to claim half of the college fund they’d started for Ollie, but he’d also kept a private savings account, which he claimed was his alone and shouldn’t be shared.
His lawyers insisted Evie sign a document to that effect, even though she was the primary carer for their son.
Without a fuss, Evie had agreed. Oh, not to the college fund - she’d made certain that was in an untouchable trust when they started it.
But what Adrian didn’t know was that she had private savings of her own. Money she’d earned from making wedding and celebration cakes as a side business and religiously put away in preparation for buying Edith’s bakery.
In hindsight, perhaps she’d always known, deep down, that Adrian would never willingly fund her own dreams.
But it was money she’d been fully prepared to declare and share. Adrian’s underhanded tactics meant she didn’t need to… and her savings were a damn sight more than his. She’d always been better at budgeting.
She didn’t even feel guilty about it after he proved to be such a jerk. Knowing a man would take from his own child had that effect.
With a determined set to her jaw, Evie marched back into the kitchen. The flour disaster awaited her, a reminder of how quickly things could spiral out of control, but she was nothing if not resilient. She'd weathered worse storms than this.
Grabbing the cordless vacuum cleaner, Evie attacked the mess with vigor.
As she sucked up all the debris, her mind raced through the tasks ahead.
She needed to finish the gingerbread men, start a fresh batch of breakfast muffins for the morning rush, and somehow find time to brainstorm a show-stopping centerpiece for Frosted Sugar’s festival booth.
The bell jingled again, and Evie suppressed a groan. She wasn't ready for more customers, not with the kitchen in this state. But then a familiar voice called out, "Mom? Mom, where are you?"
Ollie. Her heart swelled at the sound of her son's voice. And that meant her best friend, Ollie’s teacher, Posy, would be here too, since she brought him over from the after-school club to the bakery when she finished work.
Evie quickly set aside the vacuum and hurried to the front, her heart lifting despite the chaos of the day.
Ollie burst through the swinging door, his cheeks flushed from the cold and his eyes bright with excitement. "Mom! You won't believe what happened at school today!"
Evie crouched down, meeting her son's eager gaze, and grinning at Posy over his shoulder. The sight of his gap-toothed grin pushed away the lingering worries about Adrian and the upcoming trip. "What happened, sweetie?"
As Ollie launched into a breathless tale about how his friend Mikey left the hutch unlocked so the class’s pet rabbit escaped, Evie drank in every detail of his animated face.
His freckles stood out against his wind-reddened cheeks, and his honey-blonde hair - so like her own - was sticking out in unruly tufts from under his winter hat.
She laughed at all the right moments, marveling at how Ollie's enthusiasm could make even the most mundane school day sound like a grand adventure.
It was moments like these that made everything worthwhile - the long hours, the stress of running the bakery, the heartache of her failed marriage, the chagrin of having to move back in with her parents at the age of almost thirty.
None of it mattered when she held her son close, drinking in his enthusiasm and love.
"And then Miss Posy caught Flopsy with a carrot!" Ollie finished, his eyes wide. "But not before she pooped on the carpet. Did you know rabbit poop looks like the raisins you put in the oat cookies?"
Evie couldn’t hold back a genuine laugh and glanced up at Posy, who was leaning against the counter with an amused smile.
"Well, that sounds like quite the adventure, but maybe we better not mention the rabbit poop and the raisins here in the bakery," Evie said, ruffling Ollie's hair.
"Now, did you thank Miss Posy for bringing you over? "
Ollie's eyes widened. "Oh! Thanks, Miss Posy!" he chirped, spinning around to beam at his teacher.
"You're very welcome, Ollie," Posy replied warmly, seconds before her godson ran off to play in the back room.
Her gaze shifted to Evie, a hint of concern creeping into her expression. "Everything okay, Evie? You look a bit... floury."
Evie felt heat creep up her neck. She'd cleaned up the mess in the kitchen but had completely forgotten about herself. "Oh, just a little mishap with a bag of flour. Nothing I can't handle."
Posy raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Uh-huh. Need a hand cleaning up?"
Evie shrugged. “It’s all done now, but I could do with a coffee while I get things ready for the morning.”
“You should really open up as a cafe as well, you know. The town is crying out for something like that.”
Evie chuckled. “Stop it. Shepherd Lawson is grumpy enough without me setting up in competition right next door.”
“Pfft! It’s not competition. He sells ‘to go’ just like you do. But if you’re worried, perhaps what you need is to pair up and merge your businesses into a joint cafe. Your properties are already side by side.”
Evie gave Posy the side eye as she added ingredients to her industrial mixer and set the timers on her ovens so her first batches would be cooked by the time she arrived in the morning. “I can just imagine that,” she muttered. “Frosty by name and frosty by nature.”
“Ha! Well, what Shepherd lacks in conviviality, you more than make up for, but you can’t deny he’s easy on the eyes. That alone will keep the customers rolling in.”
“Well, the women, anyway,” Evie retorted with a roll of her eyes.
“Who knows. Maybe some of your joie de vivre would rub off on him.”
“Yeah, well, not right now it wouldn’t. My ‘joy of living’ is in short supply.
” She kneaded the dough she was working on with far more force than necessary, but the physical exertion helped channel some of her frustration.
She glanced at Posy, who was watching her with that knowing look she sometimes got.
"Let me guess… Adrian?" Posy asked softly. “What’s he done now?”
Evie sighed, her shoulders slumping. "He's taking Ollie to the Bahamas for Christmas. Can you believe it?”
“The Bahamas?” Posy echoed. “But Ollie loves Christmas here in Frostvale. What's he going to do on some beach? Does that man know his son at all?"
Evie slammed the dough onto the floured surface, sending up another small cloud. “I’m sure he’ll love the beach too. It’s not like he gets to go that often.”
“Right, because asshole Adrian always said you had to save every penny to buy a house.”
“And I agreed… mostly,” Evie pointed out.
“That’s all well and good, but what’s happened to that philosophy now, huh?”
Evie hitched one shoulder.
“I’ll tell you what happened. She’s sour, potent, and makes your eyes water.”
“Shh!” Evie cautioned, throwing a look over her shoulder to check on Ollie. “And just because you hate Brandi, doesn’t mean others do.”
“Are we talking about the drink or the woman?”
“Both.”
“Hey, I like brandy well enough when it’s encased in Christmas cake. But don’t try to convince me you’re fine about Brandi going with Adrian on the kind of holiday he’d never agree to with you. Probably prancing around in her designer bikini while your son builds sandcastles instead of snowmen."
“At least he’s taking Ollie…”
“Stop making excuses for him, Evie,” Posy snapped. “You’ve done it for years. It was one thing while you were married, but you’re not anymore, and you’re allowed to be pissed with him.”
“Argh! I’m freaking furious! He’s a selfish asshole, and I’m sorry it took me so long to see it.” Evie exploded, like Posy had just given her permission. The bitterness in her voice surprised even herself.
“Mom? Is everything okay?” Ollie called from the other room. Evie took a deep breath, trying to center herself.
“Everything’s fine, honey,” she called. “I’m nearly done, so start getting your things together.”
She could feel Posy's concerned gaze on her and forced a weak smile. "Sorry. I really am fine… mostly,” she insisted, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her. "It's just... it's our first Christmas apart, and I thought..."
She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. What had she thought? That Adrian would suddenly become considerate? That he'd put Ollie's happiness above his own desires? Evie shook her head, angry at herself for still holding onto those naive expectations.
The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken frustrations.
"I just... I wanted this Christmas to be special, you know?" Evie finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "To show Ollie that even though things have changed, the magic of the season is still here. That our traditions still matter."
She looked up, meeting Posy's sympathetic gaze. The lump in her throat grew, threatening to choke her words, and Evie had to swallow hard to fight back the tears that pricked her eyes.
“And now…”
She didn’t have to say any more. Posy, a true friend in every sense of the word, moved close and gave her a one-armed hug, heedless of the flour Evie was transferring onto her smart ‘school-marm’ clothes. “I know, hun. I know. But you’ll get through it. You always do.”
Of course she would. She didn’t have a choice.