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EVAN
It was the evening of the party, and Dream’s place was filled with the sounds of people laughing. Christmas music played softly in the background, and somehow, she managed to set up a tree in the short amount of time since moving in two days before.
The un-moved-in house ended up being the perfect venue for a Christmas. The bottom floor was packed with tons of people from town, people we’d known for years since all the way back in high school. The back patio and rooftop terrace was full too.
It was the place to be in Charmed Bay for Christmas Eve. And I was having the time of my life. Still, there was only one guest there I really wanted to get some one-on-one time with.
“How does she manage to look hotter every day?” I asked Duncan, who wore a cheesy Christmas sweater with Rudolph on the front, complete with a glowing red nose. I felt a little underdressed in a red Henley and jeans compared to him. Maybe I should have tried a little harder to be festive with my attire.
My eyes were on Dream, of course. She wore a fitted emerald green dress that hit her at mid-thigh. Her hair was down, not in her usual ponytail, and she wore a Santa hat on top of her head, making her the sexiest Mrs. Claus I had ever seen in my life.
There was also a lightness to her, an ease that hadn’t been there before. Made me wonder if her decision to finally go for what she wanted had changed something inside of her.
“Maybe you should go ask her,” Duncan said with a grin I could spot out of the corner of my eye. “Unless you’re planning on spending the whole party gawking at her from across the room.”
I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my head.
“I suppose I could do that,” I said. “But what about you?”
He seemed confused. “What about me?”
“Aren’t you going to want some time alone with her tonight?”
“I mean, yeah. But she’s with all three of us, right? We’re going to have to learn to share some time. So, I’ll be the big brother here and let you get some time alone with her.”
I laughed before taking a sip of my beer. “Aren’t you a real sweetheart?”
He grinned. “I have my moments. Besides, there’s tons of people here I want to catch up with from back in the day. Now, go talk to her before she starts wondering why not one of us is with her.”
I was ready. I moved through the party, weaving between the knots of people, saying my “hellos” to familiar faces and doing some back-patting here and there. I wanted to make time for my friends at the party, but there was the whole night ahead for that.
Dream – she was the only one who was on my mind.
Her face lit up as she saw me walking over, her beauty like nothing else. She was in the middle of chatting with a couple people who I didn’t recognize. As I drew near, she ended the conversation and saw them off with friendly waves.
“Don’t give your friends the boot on my behalf,” I said as I approached.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Those were some people from the farmer’s market I met the other weekend. Evidently, a bunch of people from town do a little circuit with the other markets in the surrounding towns. We were talking about me joining them.”
I couldn’t help but smile like crazy, totally thrilled at the news.
“You serious? That’s awesome! When do you start?”
“Well, nothing’s set in stone just yet. But if I can get things wrapped up with my other job in the next month or two, I might be able to join them starting after the New Year. And then there’s the spring market season after that.” She sighed and shook her head, as if she was having a hard time wrapping her thoughts around it. “I know there’s going to be a ton more work to do. And I haven’t even gotten started. But already I’m feeling so damn lucky. More than that, I’ve got you, Evan Wolf, to thank for helping me get things off the ground.”
“Happy to help. But this is all your talent and your ambition and your passion. All I did was point out what’s obvious to anyone who’s known you for more than a few minutes.”
She squeezed my arm, her touch making me want more.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Evan. I was uncertain and a little scared about going for my dreams. But you were there to talk me through it. If it weren’t for you, I might still be looking down the barrel of years and years at some soul-sucking graphic design job.”
“My pleasure.” I couldn’t resist any longer and didn't care if we were in public - I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her close.
She laughed as she came near, her body against mine.
“Evan!” she said. “You know, if you touch me like this, people are going to start wondering what’s going on between me and you. And if Duncan touches me like this too, and Jay does it too…”
She trailed off. I could tell by her tone that Dream was a little thrilled and scared all at the same time.
