Here Comes Santa Paws (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

23. Elias

Chapter 23

Elias

“I might need a drink for this,” I mumbled as I reread the numbers in my spreadsheet. Budget management was far from my favorite part of the job, but it was important.

A sleeping Tinsel kicked her paws in jerky movements as her lip curled. When one of her kicks made contact with Nutcracker, also snoozing next to me on the couch, Nutcracker kicked Tinsel with his hind legs.

“Easy,” I warned as I placed my hand between them and used my pinky to scratch one and my thumb to scratch the other. They both fell back asleep in moments.

Smiling, I shook my head and tried to refocus on the spreadsheet. I wouldn’t mind taking a couch nap along with them. Even Krampus was taking a break from her evening neighborhood watch shift to snooze.

I opened a new document and began drafting several financial scenarios. Since getting the contractor’s bid a few days ago, I’d been working through the stages of grief. I was finally at the acceptance stage and needed to do my due diligence and move the scenarios bumping around my mind to paper.

Of course the bid was expensive—there were pipes to replace, walls to rebuild, water damage to fix, and who the hell knew what else once they got in there—but the bid had been an eye-opener. The guy had even offered to do some of it at cost since it was for the shelter, but that had only lowered the price slightly.

“Let’s start with the good news.” I popped over to the donation page and saw several hundred more dollars had come in. Christmas Falls was really coming together to help us out. Every dollar made a difference, but it would take some serious cash to keep us comfortably in the black. As comfortable as a small animal shelter could be.

I can’t let the shelter fail under my watch . The place had been important to me since I started volunteering there in high school to strengthen my college and scholarship applications. I hadn’t expected to fall in love with it and certainly hadn’t planned to apply to be its director.

“Time for a break.” I stretched my arms high and rolled my shoulders.

I hadn’t seen Roman since the Holiday House Lights Tour a few days ago. One evening, I had beers with local friends Mason and Taylor and dinner with Gramps the other. I wondered what Roman was up to. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the thought of him. Maybe he’d be game to hang out and watch TV together. Possibly some bonus making out. I wanted to finish what we’d started before.

A knock at the door woke the dogs in a flurry of rolling bodies and barking. I dodged the eager beasties and opened the door. Roman stood there with a disgruntled Carol hiding behind his legs. She looked adorable in her booties and a fancy red rain jacket.

“That’s festive.” I smiled down at her.

“It was the only color they had,” he grumbled. “The vet said walks were still important at this stage in her pregnancy, but I didn’t want her getting too cold.”

I tugged my lips between my teeth to hold back a teasing remark. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. What’s up?”

He tugged the zipper on his coat closer to his neck. There was a hesitant eagerness about his demeanor. “Want to join us for a walk?”

I blinked at him. I probably would’ve been less surprised if I saw Santa mooning us from his sleigh flying overhead. It took my brain a moment to process the question, but as soon as it did, I reached for my coat before I got a “yes” out.

I glanced at my dogs trying to squeeze past me to greet our visitors. “Mind if I bring one of them? I’ve wanted to socialize Carol with them now that she’s settled in your space. I should probably start with one so as not to overwhelm her. Trying it in neutral territory would be a good place to start.”

Roman stared down at the dog like he expected her to say no, but after a long silence, he sighed and nodded. He stared dubiously past me at my eager pups.

“Be right out.” I smiled at Roman, which earned me a small smile in return, and then I closed the door before I risked the dogs escaping.

I picked Nutcracker because he was the best behaved on walks and bundled us both.

“I promise to take you on a special W-A-L-K when I get back,” I told Tinsel.

Minutes later, we joined Roman and Carol outside.

When Carol saw Nutcracker, she took several steps backward until the length of her lead prevented further movement. I kept Nutcracker close to me so Carol could warm up to the idea of our impromptu double date.

“Thanks for the invitation.”

Roman nodded in acknowledgment. “Good thing Nutcracker can’t crack my nuts while we’re walking.”

He used his free hand to adjust my scarf higher on my neck to cover more skin in the biting cold. Apparently satisfied, he turned and guided us along the sidewalk away from his side of the duplex.

Carol kept turning her head to keep an eye on us. At least she seemed more perturbed than scared. Nutcracker would weasel his way into Carol’s affections like I hoped to with Roman.

“Has construction started?” he asked.

I let out a relieved sigh. “Yes. Finally. They got started a few days ago. So far, no big surprises.”

“That’s great. Fundraising going well?”

I barked out a laugh. “Do you have x-ray vision?”

Roman’s brow furrowed. “No?”

“I was drowning in budget work when you rescued me. You must’ve sensed my distress.”

“Rescued you, huh?”

I nodded solemnly. “Heroic-level rescue. Definitely worthy of a reward.”

Roman’s eyebrow rose. “What kind of reward are we talking about?”

I pointedly gave him a once-over and leaned in close as we stopped to wait for a car to pass before we crossed the street. “Your choice.” I winked.

Roman licked his lips. “You might be the death of me.”

The dirty thoughts pinging through my brain reminded me of a conversation topic I’d been wanting to bring up. Given everything going on with my life and Roman’s job hunting, I wanted to make sure our expectations were aligned. No time like the present.

“Speaking of that,” I hedged.

“Death?”

I pinched my lips to one side and smiled. “Rewards. Well, sex. I figured we should make sure we’re on the same page.”

Roman’s eyes widened like a reindeer in headlights.

I held up my free hand. “I’m not trying to lock you down. I know you’re not planning to stay. But hey, we can have fun and warm each other up on cold nights, right?” If I said it casually enough, maybe we’d both believe it.

I’d never been one for casual, but if that was how I got to spend time with Roman, I’d do whatever to keep my emotions in check. Even as I processed that thought, there was the nasty little voice in my head suggesting that maybe I’d be the exception. Maybe if I showed him how much fun he could have in Christmas Falls—with me—he might stay.

Roman nodded slowly as he seemed to process my words. “Casual?”

“Exactly! We get along great and are having a good time. Why not keep enjoying it?”

I was relieved by Roman’s genuine smile.

“Can’t argue with your logic. Works for me.” He cleared his throat. “For the record, I’m having fun too.”

Grinning like a goof, I walked with more pep in my step as I updated him on how well things were going with our pop-up adoption events, foster campaign, and the contractor starting work.

“How long does the contractor think it will take to fix everything?”

“Current estimate is by New Year’s, but he said it depends on what they find when they get in there to replace pipes.”

Roman grimaced.

“How’s your week so far? Work going well?”

“Digging for dirt on Jim?”

I laughed. “Gramps is already giving me a blow-by-blow of each appointment. He doesn’t need to keep convincing me how good you are at your job.”

“He’s singing my praises instead of claiming torture?”

“Oh, he’s doing that too. But mostly praise. Seriously though, I’m genuinely curious about your work.”

Roman cleared his throat and kept his attention ahead. “It’s getting busy with coworkers getting sick or taking vacations. I’ve also gotten a couple of new patients recovering from slipping on ice and hurting themselves.”

I asked Roman what a typical day looked like for him as we cleared another block in the middle-class neighborhood full of cute cottages and starter homes. They were all decked out for the holiday season in everything from neatly aligned white lights to multicolor explosions and seas of inflatables.

While he talked, I noticed Carol had relaxed enough to let Nutcracker keep pace with her. He was half her height, a third of her weight, and had to walk double speed to catch up with her long-legged strides. I smiled to myself. Good job, Nutcracker!

Watching Carol slowly come out of her shell and exhibit signs that she felt secure was so damn satisfying. This was why I’d decided to go into this work instead of using my business degree for something lucrative.

As I opened my mouth to point it out to Roman, I noticed he looked…shifty. I couldn’t think of a better word for it.

“Are you okay?”

Roman’s jaw tensed as he looked at me. I couldn’t read what lurked in his dark eyes.

The harsh breath he blew out created a visible cloud. “I had a job interview yesterday for a position in Tucson.”

My first reaction was to congratulate him, but as my brain connected the pieces, it felt like I’d taken a punch to the chest. I’d known this was coming, but the reality hit hard.

I needed to set aside my selfish sadness because no matter what, Roman and I had become friends. I’d figured out he didn’t have a lot of those, and he could probably use one about now. If it were me, I’d want a sounding board, so I would offer to be one.

“Arizona?” I’d never heard of a Tucson in Illinois.

Roman nodded.

“Congratulations. How did it go?” I tried to infuse excitement in my voice, but I wasn’t sure either of us believed it. I appreciated that he didn’t call me on it.

Roman studied me for a moment before his shoulders dropped. “It went well. Quite well, actually.” He paused for a moment. “They liked my ideas, and it sounds like a great place.”

I swallowed thickly. “Is it a position you want?”

We stopped so Carol could pee.

“Yeah. It’s a physical therapy director at a rehab facility. That’s the next step for me.”

“So you can boss people around?” I tried to keep my tone light.

“I already get to do that with my patients.”

I chuckled. “You’re funny.”

He scoffed. “I’ve never been accused of that before.”

“Do you think you’d get promoted at your current job?”

He shook his head. “Our PT director won’t leave until she retires, and that’s at least a decade away.”

I hummed. “I get it. I lucked out with my predecessor retiring. Otherwise, I’m not sure what I would’ve done.” I tried to not let resignation leak into my voice. “It sounds perfect.”

Nutcracker sniffed the tree where Carol peed, then marked it himself. I could’ve sworn Carol rolled her eyes.

As Roman told me more about the position, I waited for him to say he was second-guessing the position or point out some major flaw.

Nothing came.

“What’s the next step?”

“I’m waiting to hear back. They said they had interviews all week and they’d let me know if I was progressing. It’s a long shot.”

I appreciated the bone he was throwing, but we both knew that if he’d gotten an interview for this position, it was only a matter of time until he got more. If he was feeling itchy enough to start applying, there was nothing I could do to make him stay. Not that I’d even want to. Why would I cage a bird who wanted to fly free? I’d rather know Roman was elsewhere and happy than miserable in Christmas Falls.

Yeah, right. I’ll be devastated if he leaves.

It was time to accept that Roman and Christmas Falls didn’t mix. Not long-term anyway. The best I could do was enjoy the time we had left, however long that was.

“Good luck, Roman. They’d be foolish not to hire you.”

Roman’s eyes widened. “Yeah?”

“Of course.” I smiled. It wasn’t as much of a struggle that time. “It makes me sad to think about you moving away, but I also care enough about you to want you to be happy.” I might not want to admit the extent of my feelings, but I needed him to know how important he was.

Roman’s steps faltered, but he caught himself. I didn’t want him to feel compelled to return a sentiment he didn’t mean, or worse, say nothing, so I changed the subject.

“Carol’s doing great. Notice how she’s letting Nutcracker walk with her now?”

Nutcracker looked back at us, tongue hanging out with a doggie smile.

Roman opened and closed his mouth, then nodded. “It’s great.”

“It is . I know you’re new to having a pet”—I held up my free hand—“ fostering a pet,” I said before he could protest.

I noted he hadn’t opened his mouth to do so. Interesting. “But this shows her progress. You make her feel safe, Roman.” He made me feel safe too. “Because of that, she’s opening up to Nutcracker. You’ve done well.”

I suspected the pink in Roman’s cheeks was from more than the cold evening air.

“We should celebrate.”

Roman arched an eyebrow as a smile played on his lips. “How do you want to celebrate?”

“Got plans on Saturday?”

“No,” he said hesitantly.

I ignored the suspicion in his tone. “Good. Want to join me at the Brew and Cider Festival? I know you hate all the festival stuff, but I was thinking of going. It would be more fun with you there.”

“Just when I was about to come up with an excuse, you add the extra thing that convinces me to say yes. It’s an annoying gift you have.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn’t mention the Santa Crawl through the local pubs that happened the same evening. I’d throw out the idea after a beer or two.

We rounded the corner on Roman’s side of the duplex. As we approached, I noticed a wreath on his door. I turned my head toward him so fast I nearly sprained something.

“Don’t say a word.”

I blinked. “About what?” My smile grew the longer Roman glared at me.

We paused at the walkway to his front door. I stepped closer until his body heat chased away the edge of the cold. “Want to come over and collect your prize?” I waggled my eyebrows and laughed when Roman swatted my ass.

“Let me put her back at my place, then I’ll come over.”

He did, and he collected his prize. Twice. As we’d cuddled after, talking about how well Carol did on the walk, I ignored the negative feelings circling the edges of my mind. I didn’t want to waste any time with him being sad. I’d deal with that mess later because, for now, I had Roman in the flesh to snuggle with.