Page 53 of Fa-La-La-La Faking It
The custodian held up his hands. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. You just make a really lovely couple, and I heard that there’s going to be a wedding here on Christmas Eve.”
“Right. Well, that’s not us,” Adaline said, and an odd sensation settled deep in Jace’s chest.
He wasn’t sure if it was regret or something else...something that almost felt like possibility. Adaline’s eyes met his, and for a dizzying moment, neither one of them seemed to breathe.
Was she thinking the same thing he was?
No more cleanses.
Fuzzy yipped, and Jace couldn’t tell if the pup was trying to push them together or remind them that they were only in this until Christmas Eve. One thing was certain: Jace was losing it. Since when did he try to read a dog’s mind for advice on his love life?
Adaline squared her shoulders. “It sounds like I need to get Fuzzy home. He’s had a taxing day.”
He’s not the only one.Jace folded the photograph and placed it safely in his pocket again.
“I have an idea, though. Belle and I are going to the library tomorrow to try and find Gram’s old wedding announcement in the newspaper archives. I’m trying to recreate Gram’s cake for Ford and Maple’s wedding. I’ve got photos to go by, but I’m hoping to find a newspaper clipping that contains a full description of the cake’s flavors. Belle is a school librarian and knows all the ins and outs of that kind of research. If a newspaper article exists, she’ll be able to find it.”
Adaline placed her hand over the picture, tucked away in his short pocket. Jace’s heart leapt at her touch. “Maybe she can help you get to the bottom of this mystery too.”
“I’d like that. The more information I have, the better,” Jace said.
If he walked into room 212 with nothing but the photograph and a few unconnected dots, Gus would surely stonewall him. Jace knew his uncle, and this wasn’t going to be easy, no matter how he sliced it. But if he had a name, or a date, or any scrap of information that tied everything together with a neat, shiny bow, they might have a chance at a real talk. A real relationship.
Just in time for Christmas.
“I’d love to tag along.”
“Perfect.” Adaline nodded. Fuzzy relaxed in her arms, but the dog’s attention was fully fixed on Jace. His mouth was open and relaxed with a playful expression, almost like he was smiling. Maybe the Cavalier was truly on Jace’s side, after all. “It’s a date.”
The Bluebonnet Public Library was located in a historical building on Dogwood Drive, just a few blocks north of the chapel and right next door to town hall. Built in the late 1880s from limestone mined locally in the Hill Country, the library was now a registered Texas landmark. A row of six rocking chairs spanned the length of the covered porch.
Adaline had spent a lot of time here when she was a kid. Gram had always been a big reader, and she liked to bring Adaline and Ford to the library on weekends, where they were allowed to check out three books each. Thinking about it now made Adaline’s throat close, especially when a grandmotherly-looking woman draped in a forest-green knit shawl walked toward the picture book section, hand in hand with a young girl dressed in a Nutcracker ballet–themed Christmas sweater.
Memories of Gram were everywhere in Bluebonnet. As bittersweet as those memories might be right now, at least she had them. Adaline couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to stumble upon evidence that someone she loved had a whole different life that she knew nothing whatsoever about. Her heart went out to Jace. His uncle was the only family he had left, and right now, Gus almost felt like a stranger to him. For reasons Adaline would never understand, the older man seemed determined to keep it that way.
Maybe today Jace will find some answers.
The thought buoyed Adaline as she waited for Jace and Belle near the circulation desk. She was already in good spirits, because she’d come straight to the library from her meeting with the leasing company about the storefront currently occupied by the day care center.
The space would be available for move-in on January 1, which was perfect for Comfort Paws. It would give them plenty of time to get settled before starting a new training class in early spring. Even better, such an imminent move-in date meant the leasing company was highly motivated to find a new occupant. The rent they originally discussed was far too high for Comfort Paws, but when Adaline found out the management company hadn’t shown the space to a single interested party besides her, she proposed a reduced rent with built-in tax credit for leasing the property to a nonprofit. Much to her astonishment, they agreed.
And this time, she thought as she directed some serious side-eye out the window toward the mayor’s office next door,I was smart enough to get it in writing.
She had a fully executed lease agreement in her handbag. Come January, Comfort Paws would have a physical home. Adaline’s head was whirling with possibilities. Their modest grassroots therapy dog organization could expand its reach. Without having to rely on donated space, like the pet clinic lobby after hours or Jenna’s dance studio on weekends, they could offer training classes and certify teams several times a year. They could hold training camps for therapy dog teams located all over the state. They might even be able to bring in specialists to help train dogs and their handlers for more advanced work like crisis intervention pet therapy, first responder pet therapy support and placement in settings beyond health care and schools, like airports and courtrooms.
You’re thinking too big again. Getting carried away, as usual.
The doubt crept in, but this time, Adaline pushed it away. She’d learned her lesson after her town square reservation fell through. She had a signed contract and enough money to pay the deposit plus the first six months of rent tucked away in the Comfort Paws business account, thanks to the hot chocolate fundraiser and the donations they’d managed to collect. They still needed that grant from the Texas Veterinary Association, but if they didn’t get it, they’d have six full months to raise enough funds to cover the rent for the second half of the year. Adaline would sell her special doggy gingerbread cookies year-round if she had to. At long last, the fact that she was “a lot” was finally paying off.
Adaline couldn’t wait to tell the other Comfort Paws girls. Not spilling the beans to Belle this morning was going to be next to impossible, but she wanted to give them the good news as a group. She’d just have to keep her lips zipped for once in her life. She could do that, right?
Just as she was contemplating that question, the person who’d no doubt laugh out loud at the idea of her keeping a secret walked through the front door of the library and headed her way. Adaline’s stomach fluttered, and when he bent to kiss her cheek, his Christmas tree farm scent seemed extra potent, like he’d just been out chopping wood with that axe of his in a frosty forest.
Too bad she couldn’t bottle that smell and sell it. Comfort Paws would be set for life.
“Hi, there,” she said as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his shearling coat and blew out a breath. “You okay? You seem antsy.”
“I’m great. Just hoping this works and we can find enough information to get a conversation going with my uncle.”
