Page 97 of Elf-ish

I’ve also been struggling with the rest of the items on her list. I hadn’t forgotten about it.

Ask forgiveness and make amends were the most difficult.

As I wander through the bar, because Angelica said she was in the back at a booth joined with a table, I don’t immediately see her.

However, I do see someone else I hadn’t expected to ever see again.

“Miss Nazar,” I address Eva Nazar, my former top manager, who quit the day after Christmas a few years ago.

“Mr. Ashford.” Her jaw is tight as she greets me in return.

At the mention of my name, Angelica appears over the back of the booth. She’s tucked into the corner facing the wall, which explains why I didn’t see her.

“Mr. Ashford?” Angelica glances from Eva to me and back.

To Angelica, it probably appears silly that a woman older than me addressed me so formally, but Eva was always the epitome of professionalism. And even if I was younger than her, I was her boss, and therefore, she addressed me as such.

All eyes are suddenly on me. Instantly, I recognize Eva’s husband. Zebb is a former football star from our high school, although a few years older than me. He went on to play professionally, and I followed his career. When I looked further into A Snowball’s Chance, before making a donation, I learned more about his involvement with the charity. He is the charity.

His eyes focus on me as he slides his arm around his wife’s shoulders. If he could leap over this table and strangle me, I bet he would.

I swallow, knowing I’d hold my own, but I don’t want to fight him.

My gaze swings to Angelica. She hadn’t told me she was friends with Eva. Or maybe Zebb is her friend, as a fellow in the department. I hadn’t really put two and two together that they might work in the same firehouse.

I also recognize Dane, Angelica’s brother.

“Hey man, what’s up?” He lifts his hand in greeting, but the tension around the table becomes thick as an iceberg.

I’m intruding.

Everything in me wants to shout that I’d been invited. And for half a second, I worry Angelica did this on purpose. She set me up to feel uncomfortable around this collection of people.

Especially with a woman I falsely accused of stealing from Ashford’s.

I didn’t really believe she’d short a register, but she was on security tape having sex in one of our fitting rooms. Highly inappropriate. But as I’d been guilty of the same act a time or two in the past, I couldn’t really fault her.

I had already faulted her, and she quit.

Suddenly, this seems like a moment.

“Eva, could I have a word?”

“How about two words?” Zebb states, glaring at me.

“Zebb,” Eva says, lowering her gaze and swiping her long hair around her ear. The diamond on her finger flashes at me.

She looks so much happier than when she worked for me.

Taking a deep breath, I glance at Angelica, still perched on her knees and staring at me over the back of the high booth. Her gaze bounces from me to Eva, and I wonder if she knows the story. Focusing on Angelica a second, I count to four on an inhale and another set of four on the exhale. I find that freckle. My freckle.

Then I turn back to Eva. “Eva,” I begin, licking my lips while fisting my hands at my side. “I’m sorry.”

Her eyes widen.

“I’m sorry I doubted you when you’d been one of our best employees. And I’m sorry I suggested we let you go for that incident in the fitting room.”

“What incident?” Angelica asks, her voice rising as she glares at her friend.