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Gray irises sparkled silver. “I live to be spontaneous.”
His earlier nervous stomach returned. Spontaneity wasn’t for him anymore. Being an adrenaline junkie had cost him his surgical career.
Damned useless.
He stopped the thought. Not useless, just different. Still valuable.
And planning this party would help him make some connections. Feel part of something productive, less of an outsider at work and in the small town he was trying to make his home.
He followed her to a four-seater, put his plate down with as much grace as he could manage, then flexed his hand. Garnet’s gaze landed on his stiff, scarred fingers, but her wince held no pity, no hint of condolence. Just a pure empathy that he probably should have expected from someone who worked in both emergency services and holistic healing.
Her smile... Man, it warmed an inner part of him. One that had been mighty chilly since his ex-girlfriend had broken up with him—as soon as enough time had passed following the avalanche that leaving him no longer seemed tacky. Something uncomfortable shifted in his chest. Something he’d label attraction if he didn’t know better.
Uh, no way. Shrugging out of his coat, he took a seat.
“I’m so sorry for the venue problem. Everyone at Evolve is,” she said, naming the wellness center. She scrunched up her face. “I know it was on us to organize that, but the person who volunteered got a job in Jackson Hole. Left us high and dry for reflexology and party planning. And when I realized she hadn’t even called around to book a place...” She cupped her drink with both hands and took a sip. “Well, needless to say, we’re kind of up a creek.”
His mouth twitched. “Time to put on our life jackets?”
“Might not be quite that dire, but close.”
“Should we cancel?”
Garnet’s face fell. “Oh, we can’t... I want to introduce a new tradition. Hopefully amplify the camaraderie between Evolve and your clinic, work together where we can.”
His gaze wandered to the fake snow sprayed along the edges of the leaded window panes that ran the length of the wall. Similar to the presents and snowmen painted on the windows of the clinic, and the glittery swag hanging behind the receptionist’s desk... “Yeah, you’re right. My coworkers will be pissed if they don’t get a Christmas party.”
The last thing he wanted was to be the new guy and the person who cheated them out of their holiday festivities.
“Do you want it to be more of a generic winter theme?” she asked cautiously. “Zach mentioned you were Jewish.”
He lifted a shoulder. “When in Rome. Or small-town Montana, rather. I figured volunteering for this would help me get to know Sutter Creek better. And if we plan a potluck, I bring sufganiyot. Jelly donuts.”
She shook her head. “I would lie down in the street for donuts, especially homemade, but we are not going the DIY route.”
“I didn’t realize it would be so involved. I figured we’d book out the pool table section of the hotel lounge and be done with it,” he said.
Her mouth tugged to the side for a second, then relaxed, as if she’d gone to bite her lip and then ordered herself not to. “I can take the lead and delegate specific things. Classy things,” she repeated.
“Fill me in, then.”
“I have a list. Aside from a venue, we need to arrange catering, decorations, entertainment...”
All things for which he had no frame of reference in his new hometown. Google was clearly going to become his friend.
“First, we need to hammer down a location,” she said. “And the only place I could find that has space in two weeks is the Peak Lounge up the mountain.”
He swore the instrumental version of “Silent Night” playing over the speakers overhead made a needle-on-a-record screeching stop.
Up the mountain? The back of his neck prickled, and he breathed through his nose to regain his calm. Oh, man. Could he get away with sneaking out for fresh air before the ambient restaurant noise started to sound like the crack and rumble of snow sliding down a hill?
Garnet’s lips moved—saying his name, maybe? After a few seconds, soft music filtered back into his buzzing ears. He rubbed a hand down his face, hoping to get blood flowing back into his cheeks.
