Page 69 of The Christmas Dash

“Ew, ew, ew.” I scramble to my feet. “I need hand sanitizer, immediately.”

Jack and Ivy laugh at my predicament, but I’m pretty sure I could have contracted ringworm or something else equally as terrifying.

“Here.” Ivy tosses me a pocket-sized container from her bag, and I douse my hands in the goopy gel. It smells like peppermint, which makes things marginally better. Maybe I should tape it under my nostrils.

“Thanks.” I hand it back to her.

“Sure thing. Now about Gabe.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me. “We’re waiting.”

I shoot her a look before cutting a glance to Jack. He’s staring back at me with a slight furrow to his brows.

“What do you want to know?” I ask, keeping my eye on my brother.

“You’ve been hanging out with him?” Jack asks.

His tone says he’s curious. I don’t blame him. He doesn’t know that Gabe and I were close to being more than friends five years ago, but he does know how I feel about his career in music. He thinks that’s why our friendship faded, and I haven’t told him it was that and then some.

“I wouldn’t say hanging out exactly. We’re coordinating the Christmas Dash together. Didn’t Ivy tell you?”

“I did,” Ivy pipes up. “I also told him that I think Gabe likes you.” She widens her eyes at me. “He was zoned in on you during wreath making. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of you.” I flush but then cool when she adds, “I also know Calvin Kell is back in town.”

I sigh.

Jack and Ivy saw firsthand the fallout of Calvin leaving me for big-city life. When he told me he was moving to Chicago and he wanted me to come with him so we could start our lives together, I couldn’t help but wonder what we’d been doing for the past year. Hadn’t that time been the start of our lives together? When I told Calvin that I wanted to stay in Dasher Valley, he dropped me faster than a hot potato. My heart—and my ego—took a while to recover from the fall.

“He is. I ran into him when Gabe and I were soliciting the Kells for some help with the Dash.”

“And?” Jack prods, frowning. He was never super on board with my relationship with Cal. They got along okay, but it wasn’t an easy connection. “How was that? How was he?”

“Good. Fine. The same.” I have to smile at that. Calvin always was outgoing and suave. “He wants to pick up where we left off.”

“And what do you want?” Jack asks.

“I . . .” I trail off as an image of Gabe in the gondola orb holding my hand flashes through my head, followed by a memory of Gabe in the town green making a s’more, then Gabe and I working together on his mom’s wreath, Gabe checking in on me, Gabe making jokes and having fun with the reindeer, and Gabe telling me he wants a chance.

I blink, trying not to let my feelings play out over my face.

“I mean, how’d you leave it with him?” Jack asks.

“Sorry.” I gulp. “With who?”

“Calvin.” Ivy stares at me like she knows there’s something I’m not saying. I haven’t filled her in on my morning with Gabe yet.

“Right. Yeah, Calvin wants to go out with me. I’m waiting for him to text me to set a date.” I frown. “Still waiting, actually. It’s been almost a week.”

Ivy and Jack look at each other again.

“Will you two stop doing the cutesy couple-communication thing where you have full conversations without saying a word? It’s annoying.”

“Sorry.” Ivy winces.

“I’m not.” Jack loops his arm over her shoulder, leans in, and kisses a line down the column of her neck.

“Keep it PG, Jack!” I scold. “Your team will be showing up any minute.”

Ivy laughs, but then she and Jack exchange a look, and I know I’m not going to like whatever they’re going to say next.

“Out with it, you two.” I put my hands on my hips. “What?”