It was late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve and after Emmett’s abrupt departure—aided by Wyatt’s cash and Ethan and Linc’s assistance getting him packed and to the bus station—Christmas was back on track.
Life felt normal again.
Linc had cut the Yule Log and it was already in the fireplace, ready to be lit. He’d cut some smaller logs as well, drilled holes along the top for candles and, with some greenery and berries for decoration those would adorn the table at the cabin.
There were plenty of alcoholic beverages—and non-alcoholic ones too—since Wyatt had actually agreed to let Olivia leave her bed and come tonight. Only because her blood pressure had gotten so much better. Coincidentally right after Emmett had left town.
And the pastry chef at the Wilder had gone above and beyond and created a Yule Log dessert. They’d serve that after the beef bourguignon—which he’d learned was just fancy beef stew with red wine added.
That had been Eva’s suggestion when he’d said a simple one pot meal, like chili or stew, would be easiest for the party. He was fine with the upgrade. The cabin had never looked so fancy. They might as well eat fancy too.
Eva was out, doing God only knew what, but she’d be back well in advance of their guests arriving. She might have hated the idea of the Christmas competition in the beginning, but she’d embraced it now. He’d even go so far as to say she was enjoying it.
The sound of her key in the door had him turning and smiling. Did they have time for a quickie before everyone arrived?
The tall blond man standing behind Eva drove that thought right out of his head.
It took a second since Linc hadn’t seen the guy in six months and then he’d been in his pastel summer duds that made it look like he’d just stepped off the golf course. Today, Paine Van Clief—Poppy’s rich, cultured, educated, Ken doll-like brother—could have just gotten off the ski slopes in Aspen.
And he was with Eva. In Linc’s house. Why?
“Hey,” Eva said, breathless as she closed the door behind them. “Sorry I’m late. I had to perform a rescue.” She hooked a thumb at Paine and laughed.
Actually laughed. Like a real genuine, hearty chuckle.
“Hey, now. I can’t help it if vintage cars can get temperamental.” Paine flashed a white-toothed smile at Eva, and Linc smothered a growl.
“No, but you can help that you chose to drive a vintage car from New York to Tennessee. In December. You do realize it’s a convertible, right?” Eva joked. “Don’t you rich folks have any other cars you could drive?”
Paine bobbed his head. “There’s the Hummer, but it’s such a gas guzzler.”
“Oh yes, of course. Have to think about the environment.” Eva rolled her eyes but unlike when she usually did that, this particular eye roll for Paine was accompanied by a smile.
Mother fucker. What was happening?
Finally Paine turned toward Linc. “Hey, thanks for inviting me for tonight.”
Linc didn’t remember inviting him but whatever.
Paine continued, “I broke down somewhere around the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Poppy arranged for a tow truck and they brought me to town. Apparently Uber isn’t a thing in Bitter End. Good thing Eva was available to pick me up.”
“Good thing,” Linc echoed flatly.
“Hey, you know what. I just remembered there’s a case of wine with the gifts out in the car. Let me grab a couple of bottles for this thing your having tonight.”
“No. We’re good—” Linc couldn’t finish the sentence before Paine was opening the front door and stepping outside.
Now that they were alone, Linc turned his attention to Eva.
“How did that all happen?” His heart was pounding and his voice sounded odd.
“Poppy called me in a panic. She was still at work when Paine called her from the side of the road. He broke down in her silly little Alfa Romeo,” Eva explained.
Linc was no pauper himself but he felt like one next to Paine. He just didn’t flaunt the Wilder family’s money by wearing fancy scarves and driving Italian sports cars and carrying around cases of no doubt pricey wine. At the moment, he kind of wished that he did.
“Did she know he was coming?” he asked.
If so, no one had told Linc. Nor had they informed him that Paine Van Clief, heir to the Van Clief hotel fortune, was such a flirt or that he had a thing for Eva.
“I think it was last minute. It’s okay. We have plenty of food.”
“Mm-hm,” he agreed, jaw clenched.
Food wasn’t the problem. Food, he’d share. What he wouldn’t share was Eva. But what he was worried about more was losing her completely.
“Hey.” Eva was suddenly very close… and smirking. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing.”
She narrowed one eye at him. “You have your gift done for tomorrow morning?”
“Yes.”
“Is the log all set for the fire, Mister Lumberjack?” she asked, running her fingers down the buttons of his flannel shirt.
“Yes.”
“Then everything is perfect.”
The door opened again. Paine stepped in and Eva took a step back, proving everything was far from perfect.
Linc had gone along with Eva’s desire to keep their relationship a secret before. Tonight, he’d never wanted to shout it from the rooftops more.
She was his, dammit. At least she had been for almost every night since that first time they fell into bed together. And he was getting pretty damn tired of no one knowing that. Especially one pretty boy rich guy from New York.
But as the celebration went on around him a bit later, no one else seemed to be worried about the predator in the room.
“Paine, is it true you brought real food with you from civilization back in New York?” Olivia, just happy to be out of the house for the first in weeks, beamed brighter than Darcy on Christmas morning as she sat in a chair by the fire.
“I did.” Paine nodded, casually holding a wine glass in one hand while he perched on the arm of the sofa near Eva’s elbow like he was in a damn commercial.
“He brought real pizza,” Poppy chimed in.
Eva audibly groaned and Linc frowned.
“We have pizza here,” Linc pointed out.
“Not New York pizza.” Eva shot him a glare before glancing up at Paine. “I haven’t had a decent slice of thin crust, grease-laden pizza in a year.”
“That’s not all I brought.” Paine smiled.
Eva’s eyes widened. “There’s more? What else?”
“Bagels and vegetable cream cheese.” Paine glanced at his sister. “From that place you like on Long Island.”
“In Riverhead by the Starbucks? They’re the best. So good.” Poppy closed her eyes in anticipation.
“I miss real bagels,” Eva agreed with a sigh.
Linc thought she was happy here but apparently she missed a lot about New York. And good old Paine had provided it all for her. His jaw clenched tighter.
“And there’s one more surprise,” Paine teased with his GQ cover model smile.
“What? Tell me.” Poppy bounced up and down on the sofa next to Ethan, who looked amused at his girlfriend’s enthusiasm. He was probably hoping it would carry over to him tonight.
“Jelly sticks from the Montauk Bake Shop,” Paine said. “A dozen.”
“No! Oh my God. You are amazing.” Poppy clapped her hands with glee. “Wait until you guys taste these. We can have them for breakfast in the morning along with the bagels.”
Their father usually made breakfast Christmas morning, but even the old man looked intrigued by the promise of Long Island bagels and the mysterious jelly sticks.
As Darcy stared from beneath her eyelashes at Paine like he was Prince Charming and even Wyatt had warmed up to the guy, it seemed Linc was the only one in the room not enamored with him. Who saw him for what he was—his biggest competition.