Page 16 of Wish You Faith (Christmas Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER EIGHT

R osie’s hands felt cold when Evan held them as they walked through the Friday night crowd at the Savannah waterfront.

“I should’ve brought gloves but I didn’t think of that,” Rosie said.

“You have me.” Evan grinned, rubbing her cold hands in his.

Christmas music was everywhere, including calypso renditions of “The Little Drummer Boy” on kettle drums.

Evan enjoyed listening to Rosie sing along to the carols, and she was able to reach the high notes in “O Holy Night.” He hummed along.

Above them, the sky was dark. The darker the night, the brighter the fireworks. They didn’t have to wait long until the first fireworks appeared in the sky.

Many people crowded closer to the Savannah River to get a better look at the fireworks over the water and bridge. It was almost impossible for Evan and Rosie to get a good spot, but Evan pushed through.

Rosie pulled him back. “It’s fine here.”

Evan stopped walking. “I thought we could get a photo of us with the fireworks in the backdrop.”

“Looks like we have to get here early for that kind of photo opportunity.” Rosie pointed across the river. “Or watch the fireworks from Hutchinson Island over there.”

“Maybe next time.”

“Sure,” Rosie said.

“Oh, it’s another date then.”

“A date?” She sounded alarmed.

Before Evan could reply, the crowd jostled, and Rosie was elbowed in the shoulder by a rather tall man.

“Hey, watch out!” Evan instinctively wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t protest or step away, so he assumed she was okay with it. He lowered his voice. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” She massaged her shoulder a bit.

“Keep your purse close,” he told her, but just then the crowd cheered as the fireworks began.

She hadn’t heard him. “What?”

He lowered his lips and whispered in her ear. “Don’t lose your purse.”

She said something, but he couldn’t hear her either. The kettle drums nearby were synchronizing with the fireworks above them.

She pulled his collar toward her face and spoke into his ear. “Okay.”

It was all she said.

But warmth filled his chest. He couldn’t explain it.

His love language was physical touch, but then he disliked anyone outside his immediate family getting close to him or standing in his face—except for Rosie.

They cheered along with the crowd as the colorful fireworks burst over the Savannah River. Some people around them started to dance. People were still moving forward to get closer to the river.

Evan didn’t think it was a good idea to go along. He reached for Rosie’s hand and gently guided her to step back to where it was less crowded. They could still see the fireworks, but at least they didn’t risk getting pushed into the river.

They ended up standing by a coffee kiosk, which also sold desserts of some sort.

“Oh clever,” Rosie remarked.

“What?”

Rosie pointed to the sign above the kiosk. “This kiosk belongs to Piper’s Place. We can get our hot chocolate and cupcakes here without going to the restaurant.”

Evan was disappointed. He was hoping to turn this into a proper date night at the restaurant where they could talk into the night, but this kiosk might have very well short-circuited his plan.

“See anything you like?” Evan asked.

“Not right now. Thanks.” Rosie pointed to the fireworks in the sky. “Look at that one! Red and green. So Christmassy.”

She turned her face and stopped talking.

Evan realized how close they were standing to each other. Rosie’s nose almost touched his chin. If she as much as tilted her head up, he’d kiss her.

Rosie seemed startled by their proximity. She turned her attention back to the next round of fireworks display.

The fireworks went on for a good hour, but the crowd did not let up. More people poured in even as the fireworks died out.

The December night cooled off, and a chill hung in the air.

Rosie shivered and buttoned her jacket up to her neck. “If I’d known I’d be outdoors, I would’ve worn my goose down hooded jacket.”

“You can wear my scarf.” He was about to remove it from his neck, but she stopped him.

“I don’t wear scarves,” she said.

“Why not?”

“Afraid to get strangled.” She seemed truthful.

“For real? You won’t.”

“I’m clumsy sometimes,” Rosie explained. “The ends can get caught somewhere and pull me.”

Did she really believe that? Well, Evan had seen the evidence. He chuckled as he recalled their first meeting. She had fallen on the greenhouse floor.

“You’re laughing at me.” Rosie turned away.

“No.” He turned her back to face him. He took the scarf off his neck. “I’ll tie it for you. It won’t snag. Promise.”

“We’ll have to wait and see. If I get strangled…”

“Then I’ll rescue you with a kiss of life…”

Rosie’s jaw dropped. She stepped back and laughed.

“Come here.” Evan folded the scarf in two, lining up the fringed ends. Then he gently placed the scarf around her neck and threaded the ends through the loop in the center. He adjusted it. “There. Comfortable?”

“So warm. It feels soft. Wool?” She squished the scarf.

“Cashmere. My brother gave it to me one Christmas. My initials are monogrammed on it.” He pointed.

Rosie lifted it up. “ERC. What does R stand for?”

“Ren.”

“Ren? Evan Ren Cavanaugh. Nice middle name.”

“Thank you. My mother’s last name is Ren. Her mom is British, but her dad is from Shanghai originally. Mom and Dad both grew up in Seattle where they met, and now still live.”

A small crowd was forming around the Piper’s Place kiosk.

“If you want hot chocolate, now is the time before they sell out,” Rosie said.

“Maybe we should get out of this cold and go inside the restaurant,” Evan suggested. “It’s only across the street, right? Do we need a reservation?”

“How about we stand in line here and I’ll call to see how long the wait is?” Rosie’s phone was in her hand quickly and she speed-dialed Piper’s Place.

That told Evan that she probably dined there frequently enough to save their number on her phone. He inched forward in the queue as Rosie talked to the front desk on her phone.

“Two hours?” Rosie sighed. “Thank you.”

She hung up. “We should’ve made a reservation. There’s a two-hour wait for a table.”

“Business must be good there.”

Rosie nodded. “Even after they closed on Sundays, business is still good the other six days.”

“Christian-owned?”

“Piper Peyton owns it. She married last year and made her husband the co-owner. They’re both chefs so they cook together in the kitchen. Isn’t that romantic?”

Romantic?

Evan was getting ideas. He cleared his throat.

They reached the kiosk and ordered large cups of hot chocolate for both of them.

“I thought you might run out by the time we got to the front of the line,” Rosie said.

“We just send someone to get more from the kitchen across the street,” the kiosk manager said.

“Nice to be this close to the pantry also.”

When the man saw that Rosie was eyeing the cupcakes, he said, “These cupcakes are a fresh batch we baked this afternoon.”

“Oh?” Rosie put her hands together. Then her shoulders sagged. “I’m on a diet.”

“I hear you.” The man behind the counter nodded. “But it’s Christmas.”

“I know…”

“How about this? You pick the cupcake and you just take a bite. I’ll have the rest,” Evan said.

“How’s that an idea? Are you kidding me? These cupcakes are small.”

“Whatever it is, we better hurry. There’s a line behind us,” Evan said quietly to her. He didn’t want to say it too loudly because it might embarrass her. But he also wanted to be considerate to the people behind them.

“Oh sorry, sorry.” Rosie waved to the couple behind them. “I just can’t decide. They don’t have fruit cups.”

Rosie pointed to a carrot cupcake, and Evan ordered one for her and one for himself. He also paid extra for their two cups of hot chocolate because he bought two white ceramic travel mugs with Piper’s Place logo on them instead of single-use paper cups.

“I thought we were going Dutch.” Rosie picked up some paper napkins and handed one to Evan.

“I get my Christmastown paycheck every Friday, so I can afford this.” Evan wondered if he might be overplaying his hand.

He wasn’t dirt poor, but a multi-millionaire he was not either.

He had some trust fund that his grandfather had left him, but that was all.

He had left his cushy job at Cavanaugh Shipping because he was tired of being told what to do all the time by an overbearing mother, who was the Chief Financial Officer of the family business.

“You splurged on these mugs,” Rosie said. “Take them home with you.”

“You don’t want one?”

“I have two similar ones at home. One is mine and the other is Mom’s.”

“Then I’ll put them in my own kitchen.” Evan had bought the travel mugs to commemorate their evening together, but now Rosie didn’t want hers.

Perhaps Rosie saw something in his face because she quickly added, “On the other hand, it’s a gift from you…”

“That’s right.” Evan didn’t mind Rosie’s ambivalence as long as it wasn’t about him.

“All right. I’ll keep one. Thank you.”

It made Evan’s heart happy.

Evan pointed to a bench where two people were vacating. He rushed there to save their seats.

“Sorry, I should have just said thank you for the hot chocolate and shut up instead of complaining that you spent money on ceramic mugs.” Rosie sat down.

“No, it showed that you cared. We’re not strangers anymore.”

“We haven’t been strangers since day one.”

“True.”

“Anyway, next time it’s my treat.” Rosie sipped the hot chocolate from the mug. “Mmmm. It tastes better drinking it from a mug than a paper cup.”

“I know, right?”

They made small talk as they ate their own cupcakes.

“I don’t usually eat carrots, but this is yummy.” Evan finished his cupcake and balled up the cupcake liner.

“Name one vegetable you like,” Rosie said.

“Kale. Can you believe it?”

“You’re a rare one.” Rosie laughed.

“You don’t like crunchy kale?”

“I do love crunchy kale. Mom and I make it all the time.”

“So you’re a rare one too.” Evan wanted to know more about Rosie, but he hadn’t planned on talking about vegetables. “What about fruits?”