Chapter 21
MADDOX
After Eve left, I cleaned up breakfast. Then Sofia and I went to Christmas Town, looking for gifts for my parents, her teachers, and a few friends.
We started at the Christmas Shop, and Sofia chose a new ornament for my mom. Then we picked up candy for my dad at Sweet Dreams Bakery.
"What should we get Miss Eve?" Sofia reached into the bag of candy she'd asked me to buy.
"Does she like candy?" I asked her.
Sofia rolled her eyes. "Adults don't like sweets."
"Well, that can't be true. We just bought Grandpa candy.”
I reached into her bag, pulled out a gum drop, and popped it into my mouth. "Nope. These are good."
She snatched her bag back. "Hey, you can't steal my candy."
I pointed at the bag. "I bought that candy."
She stuck her tongue out at me, and I chose to ignore it because she was being silly. "That's your last piece."
"Ugh. Fine." Then my gaze snagged on the shop with the doors propped open.
The sign indicated it was Tempting Dreams. "You want to see how Eve's doing? I think she's in here."
"Yes," Sofia said, skipping over to the door.
I ducked my head inside, noting the musty smell. The racks were half empty, and there were boxes filled with lingerie, a combination of lace and silk in a dizzying array of colors.
Sofia stepped inside, not at all interested by the contents of the shop. "Miss Eve?"
Her head popped up as if she'd been kneeling on the ground. "Sofia, what are you doing here?"
"We're shopping."
Eve's shoulders dropped. "Oh, that's right. Breakfast feels like a million years ago."
"Do you need help with anything?" I asked her.
Eve shook her head. "We just need to pack everything up and move it to Angela's apartment."
"Where does she live?"
Eve pointed over our heads. "Upstairs."
"I didn't realize anyone lived in town."
Eve shrugged as she continued to fold tiny scraps of lace. "A few of the shop owners do. The apartments are empty otherwise."
I tried not to think about her wearing some of these items. On a rack behind her, there was a red number with ribbons and lace that looked like it pushed up the breasts.
Was it hot in here? There were fans blowing everywhere, but I couldn't seem to draw in a deep breath. "Is your sister helping?"
She shook her head. "I told her to enjoy the day with Ford."
I tipped my head to the side, trying to figure out why she hadn't asked her sister to help.
Hudson came out of the back. "Eve, we're going to need to replace all the pipes. They're not the right material."
She sighed, swiping a strand of hair off her sweaty forehead. "That's what I was worried about."
"Once they're replaced, they'll be good. You won't have to worry."
"I just have to worry about every other building on Main Street that probably has the same pipes," Eve said dryly.
Hudson nodded, his brows furrowing. "Yeah, that's a definite possibility."
A woman came into the space, and asked. "What's the verdict?"
I assumed it was the owner, Angela.
"The pipes will need to be replaced," Hudson said matter-of-factly.
A crease appeared between Eve's eyebrows. "How long will that take?"
"We have another project to do before this one." He looked around the space. "It needs to dry out anyway. Probably a few weeks once we get started."
Angela bit her lip.
"We don't want to keep you," I said, edging toward the door.
"Have fun shopping," Eve said to Sofia.
Why was Eve the one folding lingerie? It seemed like she was going beyond the duties of a town coordinator. She might be responsible for the repairs, but Angela could handle the contents of the store herself.
I was a little irritated that Eve was working instead of spending the day with us. I knew when this whole thing started that Eve was a workaholic. That wouldn't change because we were dating. I just had to see if I could deal with that.
On the sidewalk, Sofia said, "I wish she could come shopping with us."
"We can't buy her a present if she's with us," I said reasonably.
Her eyes brightened. "Oh, that's right."
"What should we get?" I asked, hoping to distract her.
We passed the jewelry shop.
"Jewelry?" Sofia asked.
I pursed my lips. "That might be a bit too much."
"A book?" Sofia asked when we passed a sign that read Belle's Books.
Inside, it was dark, and I couldn't make out any shelves. It was like the first thing that the owner bought was the sign. "I don't think the bookstore is open yet."
"A puzzle?"
This must be the shop owner who didn't like lingerie sold on the same street. "I don't know if she likes puzzles."
Her shoulders lowered. "I don't know either."
I'd been with Eve for awhile, but I'd never been to her place. She was good with kids, loved her job, but did she have any hobbies? Did she like to read or wear jewelry? There was so much I didn't know. "Do you know what she likes?"
"Pancakes and bacon," Sofia said simply.
"So that's your answer. We should buy her pancakes?" I asked.
Sofia rolled her eyes. "You should make her breakfast. That's a nice gift."
"I can't put a bow on that," I said, wondering what I was going to do about a gift.
"You don't have to wrap every present. You could get her a weekend away. That way, you could spend the weekend with her."
I paused in the middle of the street. "Are you saying that you wouldn't mind if I left you with Grandma and Grandpa while I spent a weekend with Eve?"
She nodded. "I love being with them."
I'm sure part of that was that they were permissive when it came to her. They wanted to spoil their only grandchild. That was okay every once in a while, and it would be nice to get away for a weekend. "That's actually a good idea."
She gave me a look. "But you can't take her to Mistletoe Inn."
"Of course not. She owns it. I'd want to take her away from this." Then I frowned. Would she want that? Or would she need to stick around to deal with construction and repairs?
Sofia nodded. "You have to find a place."
I could do a search for bed-and-breakfasts within a couple hours' drive. I wouldn't want to be too far away in case Sofia needed me or something happened. It would be good to get away. I hadn't done that since Marla died. And maybe Sofia was finally feeling ready for something like that.
We went into the puzzle store, which was packed with boxes.
It was so well-stocked it was hard to see what anything was.
And there were other things for sale which were not puzzles, like socks, silly mugs, and tea towels with caustic sayings on them.
The shop was a little busy for my taste.
But we were able to find my dad a scenic one-thousand-piece puzzle.
Sofia convinced me to stop for lunch at Merry's Diner. Once we were seated in a booth, Sofia said, "We should invite Eve."
"She's probably busy." I pulled out my phone and shot her a text. She responded right away.
Eve: I wish I could, but I have so much to do here.
Maddox: Will we see you tonight?
Eve: Definitely.
I tucked my phone away. "She's still working."
Her brows furrowed. "Does Miss Eve own the shop that flooded?"
"She owns the building, so she's responsible for the repairs."
She tipped her head to the side. "If it's not her store, why was she folding clothes?"
"I'm not sure, honestly. Maybe she was just being nice," I suggested, not wanting to tell Sofia that I was concerned that Eve might enjoy working a lot.
"Miss Eve is really nice." Sofia said, emphasizing the word really.
Was it being nice, or was she doing more work than necessary? It didn't sit right with me for some reason.
When I made the decision to open my life up to Eve, I'd hoped we could spend more time together. We'd spent one day putting up the tree and baking cookies. I wanted more of that.
Eve was single before me. Maybe she was used to working in her spare time. Maybe things would change now that we were together.
I focused on the menu, trying to ignore the unease settling into my gut. I decided on a club sandwich, and Sofia ordered a grilled cheese.
When our drinks came, I asked, "How would you feel if I dated Eve?"
She frowned. "I thought that's what you were doing?"
I rested my elbows on the table. "Just wanted to make sure you're okay with it."
She raised her brow. "Are you okay with it?"
I shifted on the cushion. "Of course."
Sofia stared out the window. "I love Miss Eve. I want her around all the time."
I laughed. "I don't think that's possible."
Sofia sighed.
I wanted her to have everything she was missing.
I just didn't want her to get hurt. What if Eve wasn't around enough or her job was more important than us?
Then I reminded myself that my job required crazy hours.
But I wanted to be promoted so that my hours were more regular and I could be home with Sofia when she wasn't in school.
I wasn't sure what Eve wanted. Did she want a ready-made family?
I hated the thought that she wasn't as into this as we were. Sofia really liked her. I didn't want Eve to let her down.
Dating as a single parent was complicated.
"After Christmas, Eve won't have to work as much."
I relaxed into my seat. "That's probably true."
We moved onto safer topics, like school and friends. This I could navigate without thinking too hard. I let my mind wander, wondering if Eve enjoyed her job. I'd give it time and space. It was too early to make any decisions.
After we ate, we walked to the truck, ready to go home for the day. "I need to research bed-and-breakfasts."
"Oh, can I help you? I know what Miss Eve would like." Sofia bounced on her toes.
I looked down at her. "You do?"
She nodded eagerly. "Yeah, it has to have a soaking tub and a garden out back."
I frowned at the idea of finding a garden. "I'm not sure that a garden would be visible under all this snow."
She clasped her hands together. "Oh, are you going soon?"
"I want to." I wanted time alone with Eve and away from this town. Maybe it was a test of sorts. But I wanted to see if she'd really go away with me. If she'd put me before work.
When we got home, I pulled out my computer, and we got to work. To my surprise, Sofia sat next to me, taking notes. We found one within two hours of us, nestled at the base of a mountain.
It was cute with a fireplace in every room and an attached bath with a soaking tub with views of the mountains.
"If you want to, you could go skiing."
For what I had planned, we wouldn't leave the room, but I wasn't telling my daughter that. "It's nice to have options."
"I'm so excited. Miss Eve is going to love it."
"And you helped pick it out."
She jumped off her chair, doing a little shimmy.
Hopefully Eve would be amenable to the idea of going away with me. I ignored the voice in my head that said it was too soon, or we weren't ready for that step. With a child, you had to make the time, and I needed to know that Eve was all in this thing with me.
I cooked dinner and waited for Eve to reach out. When she didn't, I texted her to check on the progress.
Eve: We finally got everything packed into boxes and stacked in Angela's apartment.
Didn't Angela have friends or family that could help her? The landlord shouldn't be that involved in something like that.
Maddox: What about the damage to the floor and walls?
Eve: We won't know anything until it dries out for a few days. Hudson is inspecting the pipes in the rest of the building to make sure there aren't any more imminent leaks.
Maddox: That's smart.
She was in good hands with Hudson, but I wished that she didn't have to be so hands-on.
Maddox: Will we see you tonight at the light trail?
Eve: I want to keep an eye on the shop. Natasha is going to man the ticket window.
This was only one emergency. This wasn't how things would be from now on.
I told myself that as we worked the light trail without Eve. I hadn't responded to the last text from her. Normally, a woman might think I was upset, but she hadn't even bothered to follow up. She was wrapped up in whatever work she felt she needed to do.
I should be proud that she was so successful, a boss in her own right. Instead, I was questioning everything, and that wasn't fair to her.
My life would change when I got the promotion to fire chief. I should give her a little grace.