Page 58 of Theirs for the Holidays

I take a breath and follow through on my next swing, chopping the half log into quarters. Once I’ve gathered them up and added them to my growing pile, I just grunt, not really answering.

Sawyer eyes the pile and snorts, folding his arms. “Come on, Len, you know how this goes,” he says. “Rhett isn’t going to talk. He never does. It’s all bottled up in there somewhere, and he’ll go back to the woods and brood about it.” He gestures around us. “This is as close as he can get here.”

He sounds bitter, but it’s familiar. We’ve had this argument before. My nostrils flare as I huff out an irritated breath, but don’t give him the satisfaction of arguing back.

Lennox isn’t going to leave it, though. He narrows his eyes at me. “Did something happen between you and Violet?”

I stop before moving into my next swing, going stiff, but trying to keep my face neutral. “What? What would have happened?”

“You tell me,” Lennox replies. He clenches his hand—on the injured side—into a fist. His eyes search my face, like he’s looking for answers he doesn’t think I’ll give.

“If we’re talking about things happening with Violet, you’re the expert there,” Sawyer cuts in, his attention on Lennox now. “We all know what happened between you two now.”

Lennox just shoots him a look. “That was a long time ago. And we’re not talking about that right now.”

Sawyer holds up his hands. “I’m just saying. Maybe you think something happened with Rhett and Violet because you’re thinking about you and Violet.”

A small surge of jealousy goes through me at that, but I bite it back, taking a breath.

Lennox is ready to snap back at Sawyer, but the back door opens again, and Violet steps out.

We all fall silent immediately.

There’s a moment—a tiny one, but it’s there—when she looks at me. My blood heats immediately, like the eye contact is enough to send sparks up. Everything that happened in the bathroom comes flooding back into my mind, and I have a sudden vision of her bent over, crying my name.

But she’s not naked and wet now.

Instead, she looks very festive in a red sweater dress with white fur along the cuffs. There’s a green ribbon in her hair, and little holly leaves dangle from her earrings.

“What’s with the Mrs. Claus look?” Sawyer asks, eyeing her up and down.

Violet pops her hands on her hips and grins at us. “It’s the Sweetwater Holiday Festival tonight. Have you three been gone so long that you forgot about that?”

I chuckle, and her gaze shoots to me, her eyes widening almost imperceptibly, as if she’s surprised by the sound. I guess she’s got a right to be, since me laughing isn’t something that happens often these days—although it feels easier now than it has in a long while.

“There are some things you never forget,” I tell her. “And I saw them setting up in town while I was out.”

“Oh, right.” Sawyer rubs at his chin. “That must have been what all the fuss was about earlier.”

“Yeah.” I nod. “Must’ve been. Luckily it didn’t stop me from getting home early.”

The words slip out before I can stop them, and I hear the soft sound of Violet’s inhale in response.

Unable to help myself, I shoot a subtle glance her way. And even though I probably shouldn’t let myself feel anything about it, some caveman-like part of me is gratified to see the pretty flush that paints her cheeks.

21

VIOLET

A couple of hours later,we all pile into my car and drive over to the town square for the festival. It feels nice, doing this together, even though I know it’s just for appearances. It’s like when we were running errands, showing up together like a united front. Like a unit, so that people get an eyeful and have something to talk about.

“I can’t believe we’re back here for another holiday festival,” Sawyer says, looking out the window. The clouds are heavy in the sky, like it might snow, but it’s been holding off so far.

“You’re not excited about it?” I ask him, glancing over. “I am.”

He quirks a smile at me. “That’s not a surprise. You love this kind of thing.”

“I know it’s silly, but… I don’t know. It feels like one of the nice things about living in a small town. There are a lot of downsides—” I don’t have to go into detail about being insular and everyone being in everyone’s business and having to drive into the city to get things that aren’t sold here, the three of them already know and probably left for similar reasons. “—but then there are things like the festivals and events to make the holidays feel special, and I love the tradition of it. It’s a way to get themost of out of every season, you know? It’s part of why I love having a bakery. I get to do the same thing at my shop.”