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her tablet.
    He remembered the way it used to be between them. The way conversation had flowed like the river. The way she’d touch him on the arm as she laughed. Now there was a cold shoulder wedged between them.
    She set down the pad and sorted through the fresh evergreens, stirring up smells of Christmas past.
    Maybe he should address the elephant in the room. Otherwise it was going to be a long three weeks. Besides, how could he hope to win her over unless she forgave him?
    He cleared his throat. “Layla … I’m really sorry about my part in what happened between you and Jack.”
    Her hands stopped, the garland draped between her arms. He watched her face for some signal, but got nothing.
    “I never saw Jessica as a potential threat,” he said.
    “I don’t want to talk about it.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, set the greenery aside, and began picking at the berries on a wreath.
    “She was your cousin. Why would he want her when he had
you
?”
    She fixed him with a look. “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
    Why couldn’t she see he hadn’t meant any harm? That if Jack couldn’t see what he’d lost, he wasn’t worth the tears? Seth just wanted her forgiveness, but he could see that wasn’t going to happen.
    “We’re going to be together a lot the next few weeks. Can we at least call a truce?”
    Her lips pressed together. She went back to the wreath, her slender fingers working the sprigs of evergreen and the pinecones.
    “Maybe you’re not ready to forgive me. Okay. But can we put the past aside for a while? If memory serves, we got along pretty well before all this happened.”
    Her hands paused. Her eyes dropped to the floor. He knew she was remembering those long nights working on the sets. Laughing, teasing, flirting.
    Man, he missed those days. For the hundredth time he wanted to slap himself for waiting too long.
    “Fine. We’ll put it aside.”
    He let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Thanks. That’ll make this a lot more pleasant for the both of us.” A text came in from an employee. Seth replied and pocketed his phone. “Have you told your brother yet?”
    “Yeah. And he’s going to tell Madison.” She explained about Mr. McKinley’s connection with Stanley and her fear that it would get back to him. “Beckett, Madison, and my dad want to get together Friday for dinner or something.”
    “Sounds good.”
    Two tiny crescents appeared between her brows. “You know what that means. Going out in public together. A wholeevening of pretending. My dad’ll probably give you the third degree. No, I’m going to put it off.”
    “We’re supposed to get married in three weeks, right after the Tour of Homes. He’s not going to put it off.”
    “Well, what do you suggest?”
    “Let’s invite them here for dinner. I’ll cook. Keep it private, at least.”
    “I won’t be anywhere near done by then. The house’ll be a mess.”
    He shrugged. “Your call. But I make a mean lasagna. It’s your favorite, right?”
    She bit her lips, her eyes drifting around the room before settling on him again. “All right. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Seven
    H ow did we get sucked into this?” Layla finished lacing her ice skate and tied a bow. Beckett and Madison were already gliding around the frozen pond in the center of the town square. Dad was bumbling around the edge of the ice.
    “What?” Murphy said. “It’ll be fun. I can’t remember the last time I went ice skating.”
    She picked at the knot on her other skate. Fat flakes of snow drifted down, settling on her hair and on the backs of her bare hands, making them stiff and clumsy. And the stupid knot wouldn’t budge.
    “I’m freezing, Murphy. I can’t even work out this knot.”
    “Here, let me.” He knelt in front of her. She was tempted to refuse his help, but what the heck. Let him do it. Her nerves were frayed from the long dinner, from the third degree—and she hadn’t