Page 34 of Elf-ish

And when Angelica laughed, the sound was pure glee. Tinkling bells and angels singing. The noise was so playful, so pleasant, I was stunned for a minute. That I’d caused that joyful noise to escape from her was puzzling.

Don’t tell me you have a sense of humor? No one would ever accuse me of such a thing. I was serious and intense. Edgy. Aloof. Standoffish.

Mean.

And I honestly didn’t know where my attitude came from. My mother? My father? My regrets? Their regrets?

“Jude?” Angelica saying my name pulls me from the darkening thoughts, and I blink at the man inside the wood hut.

“What size shoe?” Angelica states like she’s already asked the question.

“Fourteen.”

For some reason, Angelica’s gaze drops to my boot-covered feet and then flits higher. Is she wondering if the shoe size compares to the length of something else? The bigger the feet . . . the bigger the . . . Yeah, she’d never have to worry about me in that department.

But another thought comes just as quickly—would she be curious?

After her earlier activity, I’d say she’s interested. I consider what Walt implied last night. Angelica is after the money. What a dickhead. If he only knew I’m using her, and she isn’t even getting paid. We’ve wagered the old-fashioned way. A fair trade.

However, I didn’t expect that trade to mean slipping my feet into a boot on a blade that probably hasn’t been properly sanitized from the last guy.

I also didn’t expect it to mean I’d open up and tell her how I don’t celebrate the holidays. I’m typically over the season by the time the official date arrives, but that isn’t the real reason for my lack of celebration.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I hitch my thumb toward the path. “We still have that shop to visit.”

Angelica waves her hand. “I don’t need to see the shop.”

“You don’t?”

She straightens, giving a longing glance at the ice rink. “Well, I mean, not unless you need to see it.”

I don’t need to visit the pop-up, I just used the destination as an excuse. But, don’t all women love to shop? Spend, spend, spend. At least, most of the women I’ve encountered do.

Then I consider my sister, who has always been an anomaly in my head.

And Tucker’s new wife, Mae, who’d rather dig in the dirt than scavenge through dress racks.

And clearly, Angelica is different. Not just in her looks but in her attitude. In her nature. She hasn’t complained about the cold. Didn’t decline a walk outdoors. And now, she’d rather ice skate than go shopping.

“No, I don’t need to see the store.” I visit one every day of my life. While that store is essential to my livelihood, being there has become claustrophobic at times. My office is like a solitary cave on a mountain top, high above a village. I’m an outlier of the community. The lone man out.

With that thought, the skate attendant slaps two pairs on his countertop, and Angelica reaches for hers before I can grab both sets. She practically skips over to a bench where she takes a seat and slips off her boots, easily sliding her feet into the rented skates and lacing them up. I follow, while not as thrilled as she is about this experience.

“This is going to be so fun,” she says, her voice rising with glee.

“Fun?” I scrunch my nose, leaning down to remove my boots.

“Yeah. This thing people do when they enjoy activities. Or enjoy themselves with simple things like hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts.” She nods toward the carts. “It’s when someone enjoys life.”

I shake my head. “People would never describe me as fun.” In fact, I’m not certain when the last time was that I truly enjoyed myself.

“Then don’t be the thief of joy, Jude. Live in the moment.”

Don’t you leave me, Jude.

I’d promised myself I’d change. Still, I chuckle bitterly. “If you tell me to live, love, laugh, we can no longer be friends.”

“Are we friends?” Her summer sky-colored eyes meet mine and hold a second, warming my insides.