A California Christmas (Silver Springs #7) - Brenda Novak Page 0,34

hadn’t blocked him, even though she probably should, just in case he texted something she could use against him.

But it wasn’t Ethan; it was Dallas. Any luck?

Apparently, he wasn’t asleep yet, either. She thought about that brief moment in his room but quickly shoved it into the back of her mind. He was obviously letting it go, so she didn’t need to worry about it, either.

Not on Insta. Trying Facebook now.

If he’s not there, do you remember his boyfriend’s name? Maybe you could find him.

It was a good suggestion. She did remember Tommy’s boyfriend’s name, because it was the only time she’d ever met a Thiago.

Sure enough, she found someone she thought might be him and followed the account so that she could send him a message:

If you know Tommy, please tell him that Emery Bliss, Ethan Grimes’s ex-girlfriend, needs to talk to him. Ethan is trying to claim Tommy’s responsible for something I know he’s not, and I could really use his help. Tell him I’m sorry to have to ask.

She braved leaving her number, even though she wasn’t one hundred percent certain she had the right guy. At least she had a chance.

Closing her laptop, she set it aside. She didn’t expect to hear back from Thiago tonight. It was too late. She told Dallas:

I found someone who might be Tommy’s boyfriend and left him a message. Thanks for suggesting I look for him.

That’s what friends are for.

He added a wink emoji that let her know his response meant more than the cliché alone. He was referring to that encounter in his bedroom, was letting her know he understood the boundaries.

She sent a laughing emoji back to him, brushed her teeth and changed into the T-shirt she’d be wearing to bed. What happened with Dallas was nothing, she told herself; she didn’t need to worry.

But as she fell asleep she wasn’t thinking about the catastrophic events that had brought her to Silver Springs.

For a change, she was thinking about a pair of pretty blue eyes with long golden eyelashes.

9

Thursday, December 10

Before she left for work, Aiyana had come down to Dallas’s room to ask him to put up the artificial Christmas tree. She said they’d decorate it tonight if he could just bring it in from the garage. It was later than she usually put it up, but with her wedding coming up so soon, she was running behind.

He expected it to be an easy request but frowned when he found the box. It was huge! He didn’t know how she thought just one man could carry it in alone. “I know you think I’m strong, but this is ridiculous,” he muttered as he pulled out his phone to call Eli or Gavin to ask if they could stop by the house and give him a hand.

Before he dialed, however, he thought of Emery. He didn’t need a lot of help. If he had his guess, the box was more awkward than it was heavy. The two of them could probably manage it—if she was around.

He went back into the house and yelled up the stairs. “Emery?”

When he received no answer, he walked up to find her door closed and some music playing.

He knocked loudly so she’d be able to hear him above the alternative rock band she was listening to, and she opened the door wearing a white blouse with a wraparound tie and a slim-fitting black skirt. She’d also put on makeup. “Wow. You look great,” he said. “You going somewhere?”

“Last night I told your mom I’d be willing to help Susan with the cookie store until after New Year’s, when I need to get on with my life, and she set up an interview.”

He wondered if Susan had heard about the disgraced news anchor from LA and if it was going to be difficult for Emery to face her. Right now, Emery seemed intent on getting ready, so it was tough to tell if she was nervous. “What time do you have to be there?”

She checked her phone. “In an hour. Why? What are you doing?”

“I was going to offer to make you breakfast in trade for a few minutes of your time.”

“I’ll take that deal. What do you need?”

“A little help bringing in my mother’s Christmas tree.” As he let his gaze slide all the way down to her high heels, he tried not to acknowledge, even though he definitely noticed, that she had a nice figure. “But you might not want to do