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CARA WAS COLDER THAN HADES. Except Hades was hot, so she was colder than a snowwoman at the North Pole, left outside in a blizzard.
The cup of hot chocolate in her hand was from a prepackaged mix, and although it was hot, she still couldn’t feel her toes.
Why had she let Jerry talk her into coming to the Christmas festival? She’d even borrowed one of Lila’s down-filled coats—which was great for the upper half of her body. A full-on snowsuit might not have even been warm enough.
But everyone was having fun. There was a small outdoor ice rink, a wagon ride, several craft booths, hot drinks, and goodies. Tonight, it seemed that Jerry was Mia’s friend of choice. They were sitting in a booth, dipping caramel apples. How could they stand to take off their gloves?
“You want to join us on the wagon ride?” Lila said, coming to stand next to where Cara was shivering.
A wagon ride in which there might be cold wind added upon the freezing temperatures?
“Oh, no thanks,” Cara said, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. Maybe if she went into the bathroom of one of the shops and lingered for a long time, she’d be able to feel her toes again. “I think I’m going to do a bit of Christmas shopping.”
She’d had her Christmas shopping done and shipped a month ago, but Lila didn’t need to know that. Suddenly, browsing sounded like a very good idea.
“Oh, all right,” Lila said. “I’ll let the others know. I think Mia and Roman might be disappointed, though.”
Lila’s smile seemed perfectly innocent and genuine. Or was it?
Now Cara wished she could backtrack, even if it meant more frozen limbs. Going on a wagon ride with Roman might be fun—oh, and with Mia, too.
Cara knew that she shouldn’t consider her heart-to-heart talks with Roman more than just a casual friendship that was convenient for both of them since she was here for the week. He was a sweet man, a great man, but she seriously doubted they’d ever talk or see each other again after Christmas.
She said goodbye to Lila, and headed into one of the shops after dumping her hot chocolate into a waste container. It hadn’t been that great, anyway, as far as taste went. Maybe she was a bit of a food snob, or at least a chocolate snob.
The shop she’d ended up in was a bookstore. Perfect. She browsed through the cookbook section, but since she could get a lot of recipes online, she didn’t feel compelled to buy one. They were pretty to look at, though. A section of children’s books caught her attention. Maybe Mia would like a book? Cara had no idea what type of books Mia liked or what reading level she might be on. Still, she wandered over there.
There was everything from picture books for toddlers to early chapter books. A fairy series looked cute. Cara picked up one of them, trying to determine if a six-year-old could read it, when she heard a deep voice rumble near the front of the store.
She looked up to see Roman. He and Mia had entered the store, and she was tugging at his hand.
“Oh, there she is!” Mia called out.
Cara set the fairy book back on the shelf. “Hey, what’s up?”
Mia continued tugging her dad’s hand and moved across the store toward Cara.
Her gaze connected with Roman’s, and he only gave her a half smile. Apparently, whatever was going on was all Mia’s idea.
“We’re taking a wagon ride, and we got you a ticket.” Mia looked up at her dad. “Show her, Daddy.”
“Well, it’s on my phone.”
Mia didn’t relent. “Show her what time it is so she’s not late.”
Roman dug his phone out of his coat pocket and opened his email. “We have twenty minutes.”
Mia beamed at Cara. “You have to come with us now. I don’t care what Lila says. I want you to come, not her.”
“Mia, that’s not nice to say,” Roman corrected.
Cara looked from father to daughter. “Oh, I don’t want to take Lila’s place. Besides, I’m fine staying here and looking through some books.”
Mia wrinkled her brow. “You can read after Christmas.”
Cara held back a laugh.
“Did I tell you that my daughter has a very determined personality?” Roman murmured, warmth in his eyes.
