It was the day before Christmas Eve. Cami stopped by Evan’s office after she delivered boxes of peppermints and divinity to the senior home. Georgia greeted her in the hallway.

She looked completely stressed.

“Georgia, are you all right?” Cami asked. She looked around to see if there was anyone who could them. She’d never seen anyone look so pale.

“No. No. There’s a leak at the community building.”

“Is someone hurt? Did something happen?” She had this sudden instinct to check on Evan. It was silly that a leak could somehow hurt him, but Georgia was acting like someone had died.

“Flooded. The whole place is flooded.”

“Oh I’m sorry.” Cami crinkled her forehead. She looked up when Evan strolled out of his office.

“Hey, you.” He had a terse smile on his face.

“What’s going on? Something about the community building?” She wasn’t sure she could leave Georgia sitting on the bench in the hallway.

Evan exhaled. It was hard to focus when he looked this good in a suit.

“The entire first floor is flooded. Pipes burst overnight when the temperature dropped below freezing.”

“I’m sorry. But I still don’t get what the crisis is. I mean other than it’s a big building.”

Evan pointed to the announcement board over her head, stapled with town flyers and advertisements. There was a large one in the middle that read Snow Ball.

“Ohh.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Ohh. We’re going to have to cancel the ball.”

She jumped from the bench. “You can’t cancel it. We’ve always had the Snow Ball.”

“Ordinances won’t allow us to use the school gym. There’s nowhere else big enough to accommodate that size crowd. And I just talked to Bart. It’s supposed to snow tomorrow night. We can’t hold it outside.”

She didn’t know who in the hell Bart was, but that didn’t matter.

“I know somewhere.”

Georgia stopped sniffling and looked up. “Honey, there’s no place in town.”

Cami smiled. “Yes, there is. I can host it.”

“What?” Evan looked stunned.

“The entire side of the shop is vacant. That space is huge and you know they used to have the Snow Ball there years ago, back when it started.”

Georgia nodded. “That’s right. I went to my first Snow Ball in that building.”

“See? It’s perfect.”

Evan scowled. That was never a good sign. “Cami, you don’t know what you’re signing up for.”

“I’ve already cleaned it out. It’s spotless. I’m sure there’s a decorating committee or something that can bring the decorations over. Samantha and Jamie will help me. We can pull this off. We’ll have the Snow Ball at the shop and you don’t have to cancel anything.”

He looked between the two women. “Are you absolutely sure?”

She nodded. “I am. I want to do this for Harpers Point.”

Georgia scrunched her lips together. “And I was thinking it would be a nice touch if you’d sing, honey. Everyone would love it.”

“No.” Evan’s voice was curt. Cami was sure he was being protective, but the iciness shocked her.

“Sure, I could sing something.”

“Cami, that’s going overboard,” he argued. “Hosting the ball and performing?”

“Just a few songs. I won’t do a full set or anything.”

Georgia clapped her hands together. “This is going to be lovely. Wait until I tell Claudine.”

Cami smiled. “I’m glad I came in when I did.”

“And why are you here?” Evan asked.

“Can we step in your office?”

Georgia looked like she had recovered from her panic. Evan pulled Cami into his office.

“You know I don’t think this is a good idea for—”

But she didn’t let him finish his sentence before she threw his arms around his neck. His mouth covered hers in an instant. “You know I’ve always had a fantasy about you and my office.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Have you?” she teased.

“Want to try it out?”

“Not when Georgia in on the other side of a flimsy door.” She smiled. “I stopped by to ask you about Christmas.”

“Christmas?”

She nodded. “Yeah. That big holiday we’ve spent all month preparing for.”

“Oh right. Christmas. That Christmas. What about it?”

She shoved her hands in her back pockets. “Well, I wondered since we’ve been spending so much time together lately… well…we haven’t exactly been public about it, but do you want to spend Christmas with me?”

He let out a deep laugh. “Baby, where else would I be on Christmas morning?”

She sighed. “Really?”

“Really. Let’s do it. Your place or mine?”

“We have to do mine I guess because of my car.”

Evan shook his head. “I think I’m done sneaking around. Who cares if the mayor is fucking the woman he loves.”

Cami’s eyes widened.

“What? I can say fucking at work.” He looked serious.

“No.” She shook her head. “It was the other word.”

“Love?”

She nodded. “You love me?”

He tangled his hands in her hair and kissed her. “Of course I love you. I fucking love you. I love fucking you. I love everything about you.”

“I love you too.” She followed his eyes. “And right now I’m actually considering playing out your crazy sex fantasy in your office.”

He laughed harder than before. “Nice try, but you were right about that one.” He pinched her on the ass and she squirmed.

“Then let’s do Christmas at your house. We did decorate the tree together. And it’s cozier. I just have the little upstairs apartment.”

“I like your place too.”

His arms were around her waist. She liked how he held her. How he always liked to touch her.

“But it should be your house.”

“All right,” he agreed. “After the ball on Christmas Eve we’ll head back to Cove Avenue where I promise to give you every gift you’ve ever wanted all night long.”

She blushed. What in the hell would Georgia think if she overheard any of this.

“You promise, Mr. Mayor?”

He nodded. “Many times over.”

Cami reached for her bag. “I better go. I have a lot to coordinate before tomorrow night.”

“I’ll see you after work.”

Just as she suspected Georgia was on the other side of the door, her neck strained in the direction of Evan’s office.

“Good-bye, Georgia. I’ll see you at the ball.”

“Oh, honey. Thank you so much. So, so much.”

“No problem.” Cami raced out of City Hall, realizing she had just gotten in way over her head.