to chat much all day. We were slammed with Black Friday shoppers taking a load off between rounds. We ran out of potatoes for a little while. That has never happened.”
“I’m shocked no one put you on the spot for the deets. Leave it to Mrs. Gunderson to bring up the pool.”
“Did you bet?”
Luna was looking awfully shifty. “No?”
I had to laugh. “You had insider information.”
“Exactly why I bet. I just hoped the winner would be pulled before the thing happened. And I’m going to lose soon. Especially if he takes a look at you in that dress. You’re a vision.”
“Aww. Sweet talker.” I waited for someone coming in to try on a sweater to finish up before I spoke again. “I’m going to go by Jared’s later. Bet one hundred on slept together, and I’ll clue you in when it happens.” I swallowed hard and altered my statement. “If it happens, and we’ll split the pot.”
“I’ll need proof. They already invalidated Macy’s win.”
“Do you want me to get broken up again before we’re even back together?” I asked in an undertone. “He’s the damn sheriff. I can’t mass mail a picture of his naked ass.”
“You’re the one who wanted to split the pot.”
“If we’re being bet on, why shouldn’t we benefit? It’s not like we can get them to stop betting if we say ‘please don’t.’”
“Uh, hello, you will be benefiting to the tune of two Os before you even remember to let him join the party.”
I giggled helplessly. “Mrs. Gunderson saw you with me. Your word will be good enough. Now go. I don’t even know if it’s going to happen tonight or ever.”
“Yeah, considering you’re meeting Caleb in,” she glanced at her phone, “under an hour.”
“To watch the tree lighting,” I reminded her. “Casual friends. We’ll be with the whole Beck clan. It’ll totally be PG.”
“Before you get X-rated with the sheriff?”
I took a deep breath. “We’ll see. Now go ring me out, wench.” I gave her a light shove out of the dressing room.
A few minutes later, I was on my way to meet everyone near the gazebo. It was handy being friends with people like Kinleigh who’d just let me wear my new clothes home so I didn’t have to go back to change. I had the sexy underwear thing handled courtesy of earlier shopping with Frankie and Gabby. Erica had planned to come too, but she was feeling swollen and achy so she’d passed.
Erica was carrying low, so my mom was convinced she was having a boy. My sister and Jake had wanted to be surprised, but everyone thought that surprise would arrive sooner than expected.
I gripped my purse tighter as I made my way through the dense foot traffic on the sidewalk. A light snow had started a little while ago, and the town was bustling with pre-Christmas excitement. Holiday music floated on the air as customers hurried in and out of shops. Vendors were set up in the square with all kinds of treats from flavored cocoas to roasted chestnuts to warm apple cider from Happy Acres Orchard in nearby Turnbull. Couples strolled hand in hand, smiling at everyone they passed. Kids raced around with dogs in tow while their parents followed close behind.
I smiled mistily. Happy chaos. I wanted to be spending this night with Jared and Sami and Sadie. Like a family of our own.
Then I saw him coming through the crowd, dressed all in black, something small in his arms. At his side, a familiar brown shape wiggled and pranced—until she saw me up the street and shot toward me like a furry brown bullet.
I was already laughing, my mind spinning. How had I conjured him out of thin air? What was he even doing there?
Grinning, I took a step forward, my heel catching on an icy spot. “Oh!” I exclaimed as Sadie flung herself at me bodily and sent me backward onto the ground. Pain exploded in my head for a brief shocking second.
You’re okay.
I struggled to get up, but Sadie wasn’t having that. Thinking we were playing, she leaped onto my chest and nearly killed me, her tongue doing a good imitation of a car wash while I tried to wrestle her away from my vital organs.
Dresses were great until they flew up to your waist in the middle of town while you were sprawled on the sidewalk. But hey, nice panties, so could be worse, right?
Huh, the stars were pink and pulsing. That was new. Holiday