Page 59 of Falling Madly
Bess stared at me, blinking. “He brought you an elf costume, and you put it on voluntarily?”
I stretched the waistband of my leggings, amused by her shocked expression. “These are way more comfortable than my jeans, and Cozy Creek is hardly the Mecca of fashion.”
“You’re my fashion icon, so I first thought this was a trend. Like, an ironic after-Christmas elf style.”
I laughed. “Pretty sure it’s not. But anything goes in Cozy Creek. I think I saw someone dressed as Cupid earlier.”
“I know! We saw the pink decorations and stopped to buy some themed sugar cookies from one of the Cupids. They were advertising a sled contest.”
“They must be desperate for entries. How were the cookies?”
“Very sweet. A bit nauseating, but only because I’m nauseated most of the time.” She touched her stomach, wincing.
She’d been looking pretty green for her first trimester, patiently waiting for February.
“Is it getting any better?”
“A little.” She pulled a face. “But I guess I expected everything to change overnight, and it wasn’t that clear cut.”
“Where’s Celia?” I asked.
She peeled off her jacket, and I helped her hang it on the rack. “With my mom. She thought we could use this opportunity for a little getaway. We had a fun trip, but traveling with a six-year-old is full-on. I miss adult interaction!”
I nodded in understanding, watching as they shed their winter layers and took in Trevor’s living room.Myliving room.
“Wow.” Bess whipped around to look at Charlie, then me. “Trevor told us he bought a cabin up here, but I never imagined…”
Charlie studied the room, turning to me with a guilty look. “He told you, didn’t he?”
“Told me what?”
“I mean… he didn’t have to tell you. You’re a designer, with eyes.”
“Having eyes is a great advantage to a designer.” I used mine to bombard him with a look of absolute innocence.
Charlie was starting to look red, which gave me a modicum of satisfaction. If he’d known about this, he might as well come clean right now.
“Don’t play dumb!” he said. “This is straight out of your Pinterest board. He told me.”
I pinned him with a questioning look. “And you encouraged him?”
“No! He showed me the pics, and I told him not to make a fucking replica.” He browsed the room. “Fuck me. This is…”
“I swear I didn’t know!” Bess cut in, casting a panicked look in my direction, then a fierce one at Charlie. “I can’t believe this.”
Charlie sighed, glancing apologetically at his wife before he turned to me, his voice level. “Are you okay? I know he’s a bit much and I know you hate him?—”
“For good reason!” Bess inserted.
“For good reason,” Charlie repeated dutifully. “I’m sure this feels creepy as hell, but I swear he’s a good guy. He’s just a bit lost. He needs to move on, and he will. We’ve been talking about this. He’s seeing someone…”
“Seeing someone?” I swallowed.
“A therapist,” Charlie clarified. “And I know he’s working on it. For the record, I told him to check out the office spacealone. I said we could talk to you later if it was any good. I don’t evenknow how he managed to drag you along, but I’m so sorry. I really hope he hasn’t crossed any boundaries.”
He looked at me expectantly, eyebrows drawn in concern. It took me a moment to catch up to the real meaning behind his words, and I shuddered. If only he knew.
“He’s been fine,” I replied curtly.
