Page 4 of Wish You Faith (Christmas Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER TWO

In other words, she was a homebody and not cut out for galas and balls and such gatherings. She was usually the first person to leave Christmas parties.

To attend the annual Moss Tybee ball, she usually had to rent a ballroom gown, but she had no money for that this year, having used up most of her savings for Mom’s treatment.

She couldn’t resort to last year’s gown because it had already been returned to her richer maternal cousin who lived in St. Mary’s, south of St. Simon’s Island.

Unfortunately for country mouse Rosie, none of her excuses worked.

Her friend, Gwenna, a freelance designer with an MFA, offered to adjust a vintage gown for her.

It was a pale peach color, not Rosie’s choice, but it was free, and she would parade it for Gwenna, who wanted to make a splash in the fashion industry.

The gaudy stone necklace that Gwenna wanted her to wear was too opulent for her. She took it off and left it in the car. She wanted to wear a crossbody bag, but it didn’t go with the gown.

She found a matching clutch purse to go with her Mary Jane platform heels. She had purchased both items this morning at a thrift shop for five dollars. She wondered if it was meant for cosplay or something, but it had a pearly peach color that matched the gown.

Overall, she felt like a mannequin in an obscure corner of a store.

The ballroom was large and looked like a dome of some sort. All around were Christmas trees from Christmastown. The wreaths were in place here and also in the hallway and all the way to the exit where Rosie had first entered the building.

She could have brought someone with her. However, Mom did not want to accompany her. Neither did Gwenna, who had a date night with her boyfriend.

Rosie came alone, and standing at the door, she realized that she had forgotten her mask. Where had she left it? In the car? All she could remember was removing her necklace.

She turned around and went back to the coat check counter and asked for her threadbare coat. The man was very kind to her, and she tipped him. She wasn’t sure if she should, but she felt that she needed to reward politeness. Five dollars was all the cash she had in her clutch purse.

She walked briskly down the hallway, flanked by lovely poinsettias on the floor along the wall and wreaths on the walls. She remembered working on those.

Thank You, Lord, that it all worked out.

Outside it had started to rain a little, and she didn’t have an umbrella. She stood there, wondering what to do and whether she could borrow an umbrella at the concierge. As the crowd grew, she stepped aside.

An umbrella appeared above her head. It was Christmas red.

“Waiting for someone?” the man in a mask asked her.

In her platform heels, she was eye to eye with him, but it was evening and she couldn’t recognize him. The voice was also not familiar to her. So, she decided not to reply at all.

“Rosie, it’s me.” He lifted his mask to his forehead.

It was Evan Cavanaugh, the temporary seasonal worker. That one.

“Oh, Sir Evan.” She smiled. “I thought you were a stranger.”

She didn’t ask him how he was dressed like this and how he had an invitation to the ball. To ask would be to pry, and at this time, she didn’t want to know him more at all. She just wanted to get out of here and go home.

However, the resort director wanted her to stay back because of an award. Sigh. Send it by UPS to the corporate office already.

Cyrus and Amy couldn’t attend this year’s ball because Amy was eight months pregnant and didn’t feel well tonight. Amy texted Rosie and asked her to accept the award on behalf of Christmastown.

So she had to come.

“What are you doing here without your mask?” Evan asked.

“I forgot it. I can’t remember where I left it.

I was in such a hurry to get here.” She tried to remain calm, but she felt flustered.

The crowd was growing, and she wanted to go home.

“Maybe I left it in the car. I wanted to go get it, but it started to rain. I didn’t want to ruin my gown, which can only be dry-cleaned. ”

Whew. That was a mouthful. Did she have to tell him every detail of her sorry night? It hadn’t even started.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Evan said. “But you know they provide spare masks in the ballroom?”

Rosie’s jaw dropped. “They do? How do you know all that?”

He didn’t directly answer her. “Let’s find one that fits, and you don’t have to get rained on. If it’s still raining after the ball, I’ll walk you to your car.”

“Thank you.” Again.

Evan folded his umbrella and walked with Rosie to the coat check. He took Rosie’s coat from her, and handed it to the attendant, along with his own coat and the umbrella.

“I can get my own number,” Rosie said.

“This way, we can leave together and I can walk you to your car.”

“It might not be raining then.”

“Still, it’s at night. I’ll feel better if you get to your car safely.”

Rosie nodded. She didn’t know what to say. She had just met this man on Friday, and now she was attending a ball with him?—

Wait. Rewind that.

She was not with him per se. They had both received invitations, and they had both arrived here. Still, she was curious.

“How did you know about the ball?” Rosie asked.

“I guess I’ll tell you, but please don’t tell anyone, especially Bellina.”

“Ah, now we’re keeping secrets. Then don’t tell me. I don’t know you enough to share secrets with you.”

Evan stared at her again. “Well, Cyrus is a friend. He can’t make it tonight, so he gave me his invitation.”

Rosie nodded. “Nice of Cyrus to do that. Looks like you came alone.”

“I’m unattached,” he said quietly.

It seemed that he wanted her to know that he was single. He had made his declaration. Now they could hang out without guilt.

“How did you get your invitation?” Evan asked.

“Tiawanna Jones, the resort director—you know, the one who asked for the wreaths and poinsettias—sends me one every year. This year, I almost skipped it, but Amy is not well. She wants me to accept the award on her behalf this evening.”

“In that case, we’re both stand-ins for the Therouxes.”

Evan asked the cloakroom attendant where they could get a spare mask, and it turned out that he had them. There were five harlequin and artsy masks left, and Rosie didn’t know which to pick.

“You pick one for me,” she said.

“Okay.” He picked a sparkling silver mask. “Matches your eye color.”

When he mentioned her eye color, it was a bittersweet moment for Rosie. Over the years, many people had remarked about her eyes, but each time they had, it had only reminded her about how much she missed Dad, who had the same eye color as she did.

Evan helped Rosie with the mask. He adjusted it to sit perfectly on her nose. They were face to face and she felt self-conscious.

Wait. I’m thirty. I’m not shy anymore, am I?

Then again, couldn’t she still be shy at any age? She chuckled.

“What’s funny?” Evan asked.

“Nothing.”

“Have you eaten anything?” The question came out of nowhere.

“I had a late lunch.” She had two lunches, in fact. One was a brunch with Mom, and the other was at three o’clock when she felt hungry. She made a ham-and-cheese sandwich when Mom was taking her usual afternoon nap.

“I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. Go with me to check out the food?”

It was a loaded question. Did Evan just ask her to hang out with him? Or should she take it literally. He was merely looking for food for his stomach. End of story.

“Let’s go.” Rosie decided not to think too much about it. After all, they were both single.

They made a beeline for the hors d’oeuvres. She smiled at the cute petit fours and wondered if the gown seams would snap if she ate them now instead of after dinner.

After they filled their plates, Evan carried her plate for her as they looked for two empty chairs together. Rosie said grace quietly on her own before she ate. She wasn’t sure if Evan also said grace too. Her eyes had been closed when she prayed over her food.

If Evan wasn’t a Christian, then there would be no path ahead of them.

What path?

She startled herself with her own question.

“I hear that you teach Sunday school at your church,” Evan said.

Rosie nodded. “Third grade. I co-teach with another teacher.”

“Which church is this?”

“Riverside Chapel. Five blocks from here at the waterfront.”

“I know. It’s housed on a riverboat, right?” Evan asked.

“Yep.”

“Cyrus and Amy invited me to church tomorrow.”

“Good.” Rosie enjoyed the little mini cakes. They were almost too sweet, but she needed the sugar to keep her awake for the evening. “Which service are you going to?”

“The one you’re attending.” Evan grinned. Two faint dimples appeared on his cheeks.

“My Sunday school is at nine, so I go to the eleven o’clock service.” Rosie had nothing to hide.

“Would you like to save me a seat?”

“I’m not usually early because I clean up my Sunday school class before the second service, so my friends save me a seat. I can ask them to save an extra seat for you too.”

“Thank you. Would you like me to pick you up for church?” Evan asked.

Pick me up?

“Thanks for the offer, but no need. My mom and I drive together.”

“Your mom lives near you?”

“She lives with me. She’s a cancer survivor, and we take care of each other.” Most of the time, Mom took care of her rather than the other way around. Mom was the strongest woman she knew.

“Do you have a good relationship with your mom?” Evan turned pensive.

“Yes. We get along very well.” Rosie waited to see if he’d share why he would ask such a question. Then again, not everyone got along well with their parents. “After Dad died, Mom and I only had each other, so we’re best buddies in this difficult world.”

“Yes, it’s a difficult world indeed.”

Rosie finished nibbling on some carrots.

“I wish I could get along with my mom,” Evan said. “Isn’t that what a normal family is? Where parents and their kids have a healthy relationship.”

Rosie wasn’t sure what to say. She had no experience with hostile parents.