Brenda Novak - The Heart of Christmas

“She always tries to get it out of him early. That’s why we know when it’s due. We’ve heard him complain that he’s supposed to have until the fifteenth. Anyway, this time she told him the utility company was going to shut off her electricity.”

“He fell for that old trick?”

“Kyle’s a big softie. And he still feels guilty for getting involved with her in the first place.” She took a moment to text him back.

Hoping Cheyenne and Kyle’s conversation would end there, Eve entered a few more checks in her electronic register, but heard Cheyenne say her name a few seconds later.

“Eve?”

She curved her fingernails into her palms. “Yes?”

“Noelle’s been telling Kyle some crazy stuff.”

A knot formed in Eve’s stomach, but she had to answer. “Like what?”

Eve could hear the change in Cheyenne’s voice, even though she wasn’t facing in that direction. “You didn’t go out last night, did you?”

“For a while,” she hedged, and then did what she could to take control of the conversation. “But if Kyle wants to know what I did for my birthday, why isn’t he texting me? ”

“He says he tried and got no response. It has him worried.”

After surveying her desk, she realized she must’ve left her phone in her car.

“He wanted to know if you were at coffee this morning. Wants to make sure you’re okay.”

“You can tell him I’m fine.” And to butt out. But she knew that wasn’t going to happen when Cheyenne gave a cry of surprise.

“Noelle is claiming you took some guy home from Sexy Sadie’s!” With her extended abdomen, it was a struggle for Cheyenne to get to her feet. “Is that true?”

Damn Noelle! Eve had suspected she wouldn’t keep her mouth shut, not while she was privy to such a delicious secret. And now that she’d blabbed, everyone in town would hear about Eve’s mistake.

“Is it?” Cheyenne asked.

Letting her breath go in a sigh, Eve stopped pretending to work and turned. “I’m afraid I had a little too much to drink.”

“Who were you with?”

“Jared Somebody.”

“ Somebody? You don’t know his last name?”

“We didn’t get that far,” Eve said with a shrug. “It was just a...a quick encounter. He left almost right away.”

“But not before...”

Eve was tempted to lie. But this was Chey. If she couldn’t tell her best friend when she screwed up, who could she tell? “No.”

“Wow, that’s so unlike you.” Eyes wide with shock, she sank back into her seat. “I don’t think you’ve ever done anything like that in your life.”

“I haven’t.”

“What made you do it last night?”

“That’s hard to explain.” She rubbed her temples.

“Give it a try.”

“You know how I feel about turning thirty-five.”

“I do. And I understand why. But lots of women are marrying later in life. And they’re having children, too.” She touched her belly. “Look at me.”

True. However, Chey’s situation was anything but typical. If not for the fact that Aaron, her brother-in-law, had donated sperm for an artificial insemination, which had happened in secret, she would be childless. Her husband didn’t know he wasn’t really the father. Eve wouldn’t know, either, if Cheyenne hadn’t broken down and told her during a brief scare when she began to spot at three months and feared she was about to have a miscarriage.

“I was determined not to spend my birthday alone, so—”

“I feel terrible,” Cheyenne broke in. “I should’ve been there for you.”

“You couldn’t. You have a husband and other responsibilities now.” Not that it made the loss of her best friend’s time and attention any easier. Eve was more alone than she’d ever been. With her parents traveling so much, and her friends busy with their own lives, all she had to devote herself to was the B and B. Since she’d dated Ted last year, and he’d broken up with her for Sophia, she’d been even lonelier.

“It wasn’t Dylan who pulled me away,” Cheyenne clarified. “His brothers were arguing with their father and stepmother, and we were trying to act as intermediaries.”

“Well, helping in that situation was more important than hanging out with me last night,” Eve said. “Trust me, what I did wasn’t your fault. It was mine. As I said, I was drinking. And this guy was...”

Worry creased Cheyenne’s forehead. “Pushy? He didn’t press you too hard or...or make you feel you had no choice....”

“Not at all,” she said. “The moment I noticed him, I wanted him—more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else. It had to be the booze. I’m not usually like that, not with a stranger. But everything—my mood, the alcohol, the fact that I was alone and the handsomest guy I’d ever seen was sitting at the bar... It all sort of undermined my good sense.”

Cheyenne bit her lip. “So you invited him over?”

“More or less. We wound up together. Let’s just say that.”

“I’m happy you met someone you were attracted to. But taking a stranger home... That’s so dangerous, Eve. He could’ve hurt you or...worse.”

Eve had swallowed two ibuprofen tablets to help her recover from her hangover. She’d been feeling better since then, but the tension of having to confess to something she’d much rather forget was bringing back the pain. “He didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to, so there’s nothing to worry about there. I made a mistake. It’s that simple. I was stupid and foolhardy, but it’s over now, and I can’t take it back.”

She returned to her computer, hoping the discussion was now at an end. But Cheyenne didn’t go back to work.

“So you’re okay?”

“As okay as I can be when I’m embarrassed and humiliated,” Eve replied. “I’m hoping my parents won’t hear about it once they’re home. They’d be just as embarrassed. And disappointed. They don’t need that at their age.”

“Did they get the RV fixed?”

“Not yet. They had to order one of the parts.”

“Lucky for you. Hopefully, this will blow over before they return.”

“From your lips to God’s ears.”

Cheyenne groaned as she stretched. Then, obviously attempting to be nonchalant about it, she asked, “Do you think you’ll be seeing this guy again?”

“No. He’s only in town temporarily.” She didn’t want to add that he’d also made clear he wasn’t interested, which was hitting her hard after Ted’s defection. Until the past few years, she’d been the one to call the shots with the men she dated. But maybe she’d been too picky for too long and deserved the reversal. Maybe karma was coming back to bite her. It certainly seemed that way, because there’d been Joe DeMarco, who’d dated her just once—by his choice—and Ted, who’d done more than date her, only to break it off right when she’d decided she was finally falling in love.

Counting this guy, she was zero for three.

“What brought him here?”

Eve felt herself flush. “We didn’t do much talking.”

“Apparently not.” Cheyenne seemed to be fighting a smile.

“Stop!” Eve scowled at her. “This isn’t funny. Let’s just...pretend it never happened.”

“ We can do that. And I’m confident we can convince Kyle to keep his mouth shut. He knows what it’s like to make that kind of mistake. But Noelle? If you take someone home with you, don’t ever do it in front of her.”

Eve didn’t volunteer that Noelle was the one who’d given them a ride. “If I’d had any brain cells that were still functioning, we wouldn’t be having this conversation!”

Cheyenne came up behind her and began to massage her shoulders. “Everything will be okay. Try not to let it ruin your birthday.”