Chapter 5
five
Ethan
I feel stupid. And I look like a crazed idiot. I’d searched the Krampus online and this costume is a passable approximation of those I saw. Except for the head. Instead of a mask where I could get my full beast on, I’m given a hood thing that slips around on my head because there’s not enough support for the two heavy horns.
Tessa’s laughter doesn’t help. “You don’t look that bad.”
“Right.” I lift one arm encased in thick fur fabric and rub the baggy belly of the costume. I already itch. “I hope whoever is here from the Blades gets a good photo of me in this getup. If this doesn’t show a willingness to be involved with the community, I don’t know what will.”
“I’m sure after the successful coaching this morning and the signing here you’ve exceeded their expectations.” Tessa’s voice drops low and soft. “You have mine.”
I cup a thankfully ungloved hand to my ear. “What’s that you say?”
Heat blossoms in my chest and sinks lower. I want—no, I need to hear that tone again. Experience the low vibrations of her responses when I make her come. Fuck. When did my emotions catch up to my body, building on long forgotten feelings from years ago. Thank god this costume is loose and baggy or she’d see my expectations.
“I said you impressed me, alright?”
That’s more than fine with me. Might help me ease into her life. Into her body. Now I’m thankful I reserved a hotel room, giving me a reason to stick around. To have more time with Tessa.
“Hand me the treat bag. Let’s see if this Krampus can impress anyone else.”
We join the band behind the curtain on stage. After the laughter at my appearance fades, the kids crowd the edges of the stage leaving the center open for me.
“Good luck,” Tessa says as she strides past me to slip between the dusty curtains. Her amplified voice fills the auditorium. “Winter weather in Nebraska. Need I say more? Thank you to all of you who’ve braved the storm to be here. We’ll be closing down the Christmas marketplace in half an hour. And the Krampusnacht committee hates that we had to cancel the parade. We want everyone to be safe, so that was our only option.
“But before you head out into the icy cold, we have a surprise for you. The fun’s not over yet. Instead of leading the parade, our fabulous Wildwood Warriors band is here to escort our very own… Krampus.”
That’s my cue. The drum major holds back one curtain and I make a huge show of stomping back and forth at the edge of the stage, glaring at the gathering crowd. Snatching the mic from Tessa I give my best growl.
Then I shade my eyes with my hand and search for the kids who are slipping between the adults to stand close to the stage. I lean down and hold the mic close to my mouth. “Arrgh.”
Oops. That sounds like a pirate so I attempt a better snarl. “What’s going on here? I don’t see any misbehaving children. How am I supposed to do my job if you’re not being bad?”
Cheers and laughter fill the auditorium.
The band starts playing a Christmas march, the sound rising as the curtains open. I act surprised then pretend I’m enchanted by the music. That’s not difficult, the band knows their stuff. Finally I shrug my heavy shoulders and hold up my burlap bag. “Who wants to see what’s in Krampus’ bag?”
After handing the mic to Tessa, I jump from the stage, landing harder than I anticipated. Despite the sting in my ankles, I grin and beckon the kids closer. They hesitate at first, and I doubt it’s because the costume is scary. It really isn’t, just strange. Once they realize my bag is full of candy it’s like I’m a pied piper leading a growing trail of kids as I move around the auditorium. One of the drummers and a couple horns join my mini parade and we circle the area until I turn the bag inside-out to prove it’s empty.
After losing the hood and other bulky parts of the costume, I help tear down booths and carry totes to vehicles. By the time the marketplace is nearly empty there’s a thin coating of ice on the cars and pavement. Nothing new for winter weather around here and the vehicles move cautiously onto the street.
Tessa is still packing up a craft booth’s contents for an elderly woman we insisted leave earlier. “About ready? It’s getting bad out there.” I ask and grab a stack of knitted caps. Reminds me of my grandmother. Whenever she was sitting still, she had knitting or sewing in her hands.
“Just want to get this last bit packed up so it’s ready whenever Mrs. Wright is able to pick them up. Can you move the tubs next to the side door?”
She directs me in a couple more tasks and I begin to wonder if she’s deliberately dragging her feet about leaving. I’ve more than fulfilled my responsibilities for the day so there’s no reason for me to stick around. My empty hotel room holds no appeal, I’ve had too many of those evenings lately.
I don’t want our time together to end. It feels like after a tentative start to the day, there might be something happening between us. I lean against the wall and cross my arms. I’m probably seeing the whole situation through the filter of my teenage crush.
Staring at the far wall, I attempt to gather my scattered, free roaming thoughts. I’m attracted to Tessa the woman. When added to who she is now my youthful dreams solidify in my mind. In my heart I know she’s mine.
Mine.
This truth is embedded in every cell of my body but, fuck, I’ve got no clue how she feels about me. Yeah, I caught her watching me with a dreamy look on her beautiful face. Over the day her initial attitude toward me softened. That’s got to mean something.
“I’m finally ready,” she says as she strides toward me. With a jerk she stops and softly slaps her forehead. “Except I forgot the vent in the storage closet. Can you give me a hand?”
“No worries. Lead on.”
There’s not much space left in the packed closet so I stand in the doorway while Tessa stretches to close the vent. Rust and dirt shower over her arm but the grate refuses to budge. “Well, stars,” she mutters under her breath.
Chuckling at her gentle expletive, I move forward until I can reach over her to the vent. I’m pressed against her back and don’t even try to disguise my physical response to our position. “Allow me.”
“O—okay.” Her breathless reply and subtle shift of her hips encourage me to ease even closer.
What should have been an easy task turns into a wrestling match with the vent clearly holding the upper hand. Tessa ducks her head to escape the dusty fallout followed by a tiny landslide of ice crystals. With a final hard shove the vent closes. “What the hell is this thing for anyway?”
She eases around to face me and I hold steady, refusing to back up and give her space. I like the feel of her pressed up against me more than I should. Need it like I need to breathe in the fresh, vanilla scent of her hair. Everything about her fills my senses to overflowing but it’s still not enough.
Before I lean in to kiss the frown from her lush lips, she tilts her head back to stare up at the vent. Nibbling on the exposed length of her neck isn’t a bad idea either.
“I really don’t know.”
“Huh?” Know what? How much I want her taste on my tongue, her body surrounding mine?
“About the vent. All I was told when I inherited overseeing the auditorium operations that it needs to be open when there are events and closed when the building is empty. It’s never been this difficult to maneuver though.”
“Maybe it’s because of the weather.”
“Could be. To tell you the truth, I half expect that this was some kind of trick or hazing for the new person. I’ve thought about having someone take a look at it but haven’t had the budget. So, I’ll just keep opening and closing the silly thing.”
I make a mental note to find someone to take care of this concern. Although I’d prefer to remain anonymous with this—because I can tell Tessa is proud and would insist it’s not any of my concern—I’m sure doing something like this would be a huge plus in my community contact ledger.
Any thoughts I have about caring disappear when Tessa lifts her hand and tentatively presses her palm against my chest. “We, uh, should get going. The weather…”
I take a reluctant step back, capturing her hand as I do. “Wish I could take you out to dinner or something. To thank you. You made my day of embracing the fans a good one.” There’s only one fan I want to embrace right now. And more. Time’s running out.
“Ethan, that would be nice. Maybe there will be an opportunity before you move to—where?”
I search her expression and find a spark of hope in her soft smile. Looks like her opinion of me has changed since high school. “Buffalo. The Blades.”
“That’s right.” There’s a long moment of silence before she speaks again. “You’ll do great there.”
“If you believe in me.”
“I do.” She sways toward me and I willingly accept her invitation. Our lips meet in tentative exploration. Keeping a few inches of space between us, I don’t press for more.
With a sigh she breaks our contact. “We need to go.”
“I know.” There isn’t a need to say more. Disappointment hangs heavy in the air. I keep her hand in mine as we finish turning out the lights on our way to the exit.
Bundled in our coats, we stand under the overhang watching the heavy sleet add more layers to the ice sheet covered pavement. She hugs her purse to her chest and shivers. “I hate driving on ice.”
“I’ll get my truck and drive you home.”
She peers toward the far corner of the lot where she’d parked. The streetlights reflect off the shiny, ice covered hood. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. Why don’t you wait inside?—”
“No. I’ll go with you. If your truck is as covered as my car, it’ll take awhile to scrape the windows clear enough to drive. I can help.”
There’s no way I’ll allow her to fight the slick footing while trying to reach the windows on my tall truck. Doubting she’d stay safe and warm here either, I give in. “Okay, Tessa, only if you’re sure. Bundle up.”
She wraps her scarf over her head and slips the long strap of her bag across her chest. “What about you?”
I turn up the collar on my jacket and hunch my shoulders. “I’ll be fine. Ready? Step careful.”
I’ll never understand why I have no problem on the ice when wearing skates but regular shoes make me wobble and slip like some of the kids this morning. My commentary on our progress makes Tessa laugh and hopefully makes our trip across the street to the city hall parking lot marginally easier. At least neither of us land on our butts.
Parked close to the building, my truck only has a light coating of ice. I fight with the passenger door and once it’s open, make her climb in. The driver’s door opens easily and seconds later I’ve got heat pouring from the vents and defroster. “You sit tight. This won’t take long.”
“But—”
“No arguments. I only have one scraper. It won’t take long to get the windows cleared and I’ll get you home.”
“Ethan, it’s so slick. There’s so much ice.”
I grin. “No worries, honey. I’m good on ice.”