Page 34 of Decked Out with Ivy

“Nice sweater,” he said to Bex as she came to a stop beside him, but she didn’t snap his attention away from Little Miss Christmas. Santa himself couldn’t pull his gaze away from the classic beauty.

“Thanks. Ivy is very talented. She even made my sweater for the upcoming ugly sweater party at Declan’s. Though, I think it’s more cute than ugly, but we’ll see.” She nudged his shoulder. “You should come. Ivy will be there.”

“Maybe.” He imagined Ivy already had that in the works.

“I thought you hated Christmas.” She flicked the white pompom dangling by his ear. “What’s with the hat?”

A smile spread across his face, a wave of warmth and ease washing over him. “I’m starting to see things differently.”

Ivy handed out sheet music to everyone. Freida rolled her eyes and let the paper fall to her lap. Arthur cleared his throat and warmed his voice. Ethel tapped a finger in beat, her bracelets rattling with the motion.

Others had joined, and the cafeteria was filled with residents. Some wore festive sweaters that looked like Ivy’s handiwork, and others had Santa hats and Christmas headbands on. An elderly woman with a walker had two bouncy dreidels attached to her headband.

They all smiled and hugged Ivy as she made her way around the room, making it obvious that this wasn’t a onetime thing. Ivy cared about these people, despite the holiday season.

She approached him, pompom bouncing with her steps. “I’m one short. You okay to share?” she asked.

“That just means I get to stand close to you.”

Her lips pressed together then curled up. “Corny, but sweet.”

An older gentleman sat behind a piano and raised his hand. When he dropped his hand, the room grew quiet, and the melodic sounds of the keys filled the room.

Within a few more notes, the room broke out withHave Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Cody didn’t need the sheet music. Some things just became a part of him, despite how hard he tried to fight it. Christmas hadn’t always been merry for him, but this year?

This year, with Ivy at his side, singing completely off-key, he had a feeling he was going to have himself a very merry little Christmas.

Chapter 11

Cody had spent the night at Ivy’s place and had seen her before heading off to set. It had been a little more than twelve hours, but now, as his desire for her grew, it might as well have been an eternity. He didn’t think much of it until he spotted a couple walking into Calhoun’s, hand in hand. An unexpected feeling slammed into him—he missed Ivy.

Calhoun’s sat on the outskirts of town and the parking lot was packed with cars and people hurrying out of the cold December air and into the pub.

“Is it always this busy?” Cody asked Jim as he pulled around the back of the building. He wasn’t just dropping him off and heading out. Being a local, Jim was here for the party as well. Ivy had to stay late at her shop to do some inventory and insisted he go on ahead and she’d meet him here.

“It’s usually busy but never this busy,” Jim said, putting the SUV into park. “Between Declan, his lady, and all her siblings, they probably invited the whole town.

While there were a lot of people, there weren’t nearly as many as Cody would see driving down the 405 on any given day. It was strange how towns like this were so small but felt so big. Maybe because large cities made him feel small. He could throw on a hat, a pair of sunglasses, and blend into the crowds. He’d be invisible. Here, everyone recognized him, and not because he was Cody Chance, but because they saw him getting a cupcake at Sweet Dreams Bakery, cutting down a Christmas tree at Hal’s, or singing Christmas carols at the nursing home. It was a life he never thought he’d want, but the more time he spent here, the more he understood why Bex had made this place her home.

“Ready to party?” Jim asked.

He couldn’t imagine anything coming close to the parties he was used to within the walls of some small-town pub.

“Let’s do this,” Cody said, putting on the stupid Christmas hat he wore at the nursing home. If it was an ugly sweater contest, he was pulling out all the stops. He wasn’t wearing one of Ivy’s creations. He didn’t want her to think he thought her sweaters were ugly. They were… cute, if you were into that kind of thing. So, he had gone on the internet and found the perfect sweater, having it overnighted just for the occasion. What had she turned him into?

He tugged the zipper on his new down coat, slipped on his mittens, and followed Jim toward Calhoun’s.

“Cody, how’s it going, man?” The damn paparazzo popped out of nowhere and shoved his camera in Cody’s face. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

Cody continued walking toward the front door. He had dealt with so many paparazzi throughout his career, but this one was pushing his damn buttons. This guy didn’t seem to want just a shot.

He didn’t want to think about hiring security, but if this continued, he was going to have no choice.

“Going into a bar.” He smirked. “Not a great look for someone with a DUI.”

Cody clenched his jaw. It might not have been this exact asshole, but it was someone like him who had conspired to drug him all so they could make a few bucks. Instead, the paparazzo itching for a quick payout destroyed his career, made him seem like some addict and now he couldn’t even be seen with a beer. Even if he loved to end his day with one. They ruined his image. Yet, his dumbass thought it was a good idea to use the very medium that destroyed him to promote his fake relationship with Ivy. What the hell had he been thinking?

He hadn’t. He’d been desperate.

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