Chapter 6
MADDOX
Iexpected Eve to reach out with more questions about the holiday party, but she didn't. Either she was a control freak who wanted to plan everything herself, or she was avoiding me. If it was the latter, I couldn't blame her.
Everyone at the firehouse said I was grumpy and difficult to be around. I thought I'd smoothed over the worst of it when Eve was in my house, but maybe this was my permanent state of being. I wasn't capable of being nice.
If that was the case, then I couldn't expect her to reach out and discuss the details with me. I was confident that she would do a good job. I was just worried that Frank was going to ask for an update and I wouldn't have one.
It felt like those group projects in school when you realized only one person was doing the work, and everyone was going to get credit for it unless someone told the teacher.
For the longest time, I felt comfortable pushing everyone away. I wanted to be alone. But having Eve in my house changed things slightly. I enjoyed her company and wanted to see more of her.
Even Sofia kept asking about when she'd be back or when she needed to do the dessert tasting. I finally gave into Sofia's requests and reached out to Eve myself.
Maddox: Sofia wanted to know when the dessert tasting was scheduled.
Eve: I'm sorry! I almost forgot about that.
Had she really? Eve struck me as a person who took notes from her notes. And I remembered her taking a lot of them in my kitchen. There was little chance she forgot to schedule something, unless she didn't want to do it.
Maddox: Sofia was looking forward to it, but don't feel like you have to do it. I know you're busy.
Busy avoiding us. It couldn't be fun hanging out with a widower and his daughter. We were depressing on a good day.
Eve: I'm texting Reina right now.
A few minutes later, Eve sent over possible dates, and I chose one on one of my days off. I could have sent her with my parents or even my brother, but I wanted to take her. I wanted to see Eve.
I had this desire to be near her, as if her positivity could rub off on me. She'd suffered a loss, albeit a different one, and hadn't given into the grief. She wasn't lost like we were. Maybe the more time I spent around her, the better I'd feel.
For the longest time, I hadn't wanted to feel better, but maybe now I did.
Maddox: Thanks for doing this. Sofia's excited.
Eve: Love that girl. She's the best.
My heart squeezed. It could have been an offhand comment. Maybe Eve was effusive with her affection. But I had a feeling that she'd truly bonded with my daughter.
That made me pause, because I couldn't have Sofia falling for someone who might not stick around. She was desperate for a mother figure and wouldn't understand that Eve didn't have to stay in our life. She could leave at any time.
There wouldn't be a reason for us to hang out after the dance. I needed to proceed with caution. On the way home from work, I stopped by my parents to pick up Sofia.
In the kitchen, Mom asked, "How are things going?"
"I'm planning the holiday party for our firehouse."
When my mom raised her brow, I was quick to add, "With Eve. She's the event planner at Christmas Town."
"It's so nice that her and her sister bought the town and are trying to revitalize it."
"They're doing a good job. At least from what I've heard. Eve's passionate about her work."
Mom raised a brow. "Is party planning time consuming?"
"We met once over dinner to discuss details, and Sofia is helping her with dessert tasting tomorrow."
"Sofia's excited about the taste testing. She seemed proud that Eve asked for her help."
I sighed. "I'm not making a mistake in letting her get close to Eve, am I?"
Mom frowned. "Are you dating her?"
I scoffed. "Of course not. We're just working together. But they seemed to have bonded."
"Your worried that she's looking for a mother figure, and you don't have any intention of dating this woman?"
My shoulders lowered. "Yes. I guess so."
She gave me a stern look. "First of all, there's nothing wrong with you dating. If you wanted to do that, no one would judge you."
"I'd judge myself," I said without thinking.
Mom waved her hand. "There's no timeline for these things. I think you have to go with your heart. But with Sofia, you have to be careful. You don't want her to like someone who disappears from her life."
"That's what I'm afraid is going to happen."
"At the same time, Eve just lost her parents.
I think she might know a little about what Sofia's going through, and that connection might not be a bad one.
Sometimes people come into our lives for a reason.
She might leave just as quickly as she came into it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. "
"So you don't think I'm making a mistake?"
Mom placed her hand over mine. "I'm saying that you should tread carefully."
I sighed. It wasn't as helpful as I'd hoped. I wanted her to tell me not to see Eve. That Sofia getting involved with her was a mistake. And I needed to pull back. I wanted clear lines between right and wrong with rules to follow.
"Nothing about what you're going through is easy. But you're doing a good job. You should give yourself a break."
My brows furrowed. "Frank seems to think I need to be doing more."
"Have you talked to the therapist that he sent you to?"
"I met with her once, and she got background information. We didn't talk about anything else."
"Remember those sessions are for you, not just Sofia. She has a therapist."
"I don't need to talk to anyone."
"You're talking to me about this. It won't hurt to speak to a professional too."
Maybe she would help with the questions I had about Sofia and Eve. Otherwise, I wasn't sure what I'd have to talk about.
Mom rested a hand over mine. "You're doing a good job with Sofia."
"I'm doing the best I can."
She nodded before moving away. "That's all anyone can ask."
The next day, I gave Sofia a snack on the way to Sweet Dreams. I didn't want her to eat cake all afternoon. She needed energy to complete her homework afterward.
I parked on the street and walked inside the bakery. There were a few customers eating and drinking coffee or tea at the tables and one person in line.
The walls were painted pink with white wainscot and crown molding.
I waited my turn, and then said, "I'm here to meet with Reina."
"We're here for the taste testing," Sofia said excitedly.
The woman smiled at Sofia. "Everything's set up for you in the backroom."
Just then, Eve appeared in the dining room. "There you are."
I followed Sofia and Eve into the backroom which had a table with several options in the middle.
"I had Reina pull everything we were considering so that you can have a bite of each. Do you have room for dessert?" Eve asked Sofia, who rubbed her stomach.
"Oh, yes."
Eve smiled at me over her head. "Let's get started then."
Holiday music played over the speakers on the walls. We sat at the table with Sofia between us. Eve set a plate in front of her with bite-sized pieces of the options.
"This first one is a chocolate cake since you asked for one. You can't go wrong with chocolate."
Sofia took a bite and then drank the water that Eve had provided for her. "We should do chocolate and vanilla. People like both."
"That's a great idea," Eve said, making a note on her tablet.
I appreciated that she listened to Sofia and at least pretended that she was following her advice.
I wasn't so sure this wasn't just for fun.
I didn't care either way, but I didn't want Sofia to feel like this was a kid's game, because she took it seriously.
She'd talked about nothing else for days.
Eve placed a plate in front of me. "In case you'd like to taste some too."
"Daddy, you have to try the cake. It's delicious."
I couldn't help but smile. "How can I say no?"
"Now, Sofia, let's try the lemon cookies. I think these are a nice addition for those who just want a single cookie. It's light and sweet. Not too heavy. What do you think?"
Sofia popped the tiny cookie in her mouth and chewed. "These are yummy."
A woman walked into the room, wearing an apron that read, I'm the Baker. "I'm glad you like my desserts. The lemon cookies are my favorite."
"Really?" Sofia asked.
"I'm Reina and own the bakery." She held her hand out to Sofia to shake.
Sofia shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Reina."
Reina placed her hand on her hips. "I'm so excited that you're here today. I heard you have some big decisions to make."
"We can only have a few desserts," Sofia said seriously.
Reina sighed. "That is a problem. How do you choose only a few?"
"Do you have any suggestions?" Sofia asked, taking her role as taste tester seriously.
Reina sat across from us. "You want to have something for everyone—cake, cookies, mousse, and maybe a pie."
"That certainly covers everything," Eve agreed.
"I love macarons, but they aren't for everyone. They look so pretty but people think they are dry," Reina admitted.
Sofia's face screwed up. "I don't know what that is."
"I'll grab one before you head out, and you can take it home with you," Reina said with a smile.
Maybe I was overthinking this thing with Eve. Reina and Eve were nice, and Sofia needed to interact with more women. She was only ever around me, my parents, and my brother. She needed female interaction.
We tasted a few more options, and Reina went back to the front to help with customers. Eve stayed with us, taking notes and telling Sofia what she thought or what she'd done at other parties.
An hour passed quickly, and we settled on a variety of options. On the way out, Reina packed us a box of treats to take home.
"Please stop by again. I loved hanging out with you today," Reina said to Sofia.
"I had fun too," Sofia said before we walked outside.
Eve walked with us.
"This place is really nice," I said. "I haven't been here since I was a kid."
"That's what we'd like to change. We want everyone to come here, not just families with small kids. We are a destination for weddings, but what about all the other stages of life? Everyone loves Christmas, and it's such a cute town."
"Do you get a lot of visitors outside of the holiday season?"
"We don't know how it will be. We'll have to wait and see. But you should come back and see Santa."
"I'd want to come back," Sofia said.
"I'm sure we will." Sometimes I said things like that, knowing we'd get busy and run out of time. But I had a feeling we'd be back for real.
"We have a holiday decoration shop, toy store, and puzzle shop. There's something for everyone." Eve pointed out the store fronts.
"Other than the parade, are you planning anything else this year?" I asked to keep her talking.
She smiled. "Don't tell Natasha, but I was thinking about creating a holiday light trail. We own some property over there, and it's covered with nature trails. It would be easy to add a one-mile trail with lights and blowups."
"Why do you have to hide it from your sister?"
"I promised her that the only new thing we'd do is the parade. But I really feel like this is something we should add. I'm not sure if everyone will agree. They don't like activities that interfere with eating and shopping."
"Won't they want to shop before or after they do the trail?"
Eve nodded. "That's what I was thinking. But some of the owners see any outside events as distracting from our purpose, which is to bring in shoppers."
"You seem like you have good instincts. You should follow them."
She laughed. "Even if my sister doesn't agree? We are partners after all."
I nodded. "Make your case. See what she says."
Eve nodded. "Maybe I will."
It felt good to talk to her like this. I didn't hate being in the bakery. I enjoyed watching Sofia have fun.
I shouldn't care about Eve or Christmas Town, but every time I saw her, I was more intrigued by her and her vision for the town.
"I have more planning to do, but it was so helpful that you could come and knock one item off my to-do list."
"Happy to help," I said.
"The dance is this weekend, so have Sofia here by one so she can get the full princess experience."
"I'll do that."
"I can't wait," Sofia said.
"You're going to look amazing," Eve said to her with a smile.
My heart ached because Sofia would have a good time, and I shouldn't be so against us doing things like this. It wasn't bad for us to be happy. Or at least it wasn't bad for Sofia. I didn't feel like I should be. As if it would be a betrayal to Marla.
After the party, there wouldn't be a reason to see Eve anymore, and I needed to stick by that. I didn't need a woman in Sofia's life or mine. It was confusing, and I didn't have anything to offer her.
Eve waved. "See you soon."
We turned and walked toward my truck.
The wind blew Sofia's hair in front of her face. "Miss Eve and Miss Reina are so nice."
I opened the rear door for her. "They sure are."
"I had fun today." But when she settled in her seat, she looked sad. Was it because we were leaving or that she felt guilty about something?
"You know it's okay to have fun even when mom's not here, right?" I asked cautiously, not sure how she'd react.
Her lips pursed. "I know."
I cleared my throat, addressing what had been bothering me for a while. "I can be grumpy—"
"You're just sad because Mom died," Sofia interrupted.
I shoved my hands into my pockets, hunching my shoulders against the chill in the air. "That's true. But that doesn't mean that we can't feel good about what's going on in our lives. We don't have to be sad all the time. Mom would want you to be happy."
"Mom would want you to be happy too," Sofia said simply.
My throat tightened. "You're right."
That was a hard thing for me to admit, and Sofia was the only one who could get me to say it. I wasn't even sure I believed it yet.
Sofia patted my face, and her touch warmed something inside me. "I can't wait for the dance."
"It will be fun," I said softly. I knew it would be for her. I wasn't so sure about myself. Eve was supposed to be my date.
I had to remind myself she was a partner, not someone I was supposed to be attracted to. Even if I admired everything about her. She was just a stronger person than I was.