While Berkeley was old enough to drink in Europe, she wasn’t here. Dani glanced at Vince, though she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like he was going to jump in and say something to save Berkeley. So Dani did it, reminding herself that the girl was just that—a girl. A girl who was very likely to grow up and realize that all she had gotten in exchange for quitting college was custody of an entitled man-child who could talk a good game.

Dani pasted on a smile, held up her empty glass, and said, “I think Berkeley’s a Diet Coke aficionado like I am, aren’t you, Berkeley?”

“Yes!” Berkeley exclaimed.

“But I think maybe it’s time for us to go?” She turned to Max and raised her eyebrows. They had accomplished more than she had dared dream this morning. Not only had she seen Vince and not died, she had come out looking good, thanks, amazingly, to Max, the perfect party accessory. This was as good a moment as any to flounce off.

Max held out a hand to help her up. “Your wish is my command.” Once she was up, the hand settled on her back again. It was starting to feel normal. Dani widened her fake smile, said goodbye to Vince and Berkeley, and let herself be escorted off by a baron who looked like a movie star.

As if by silent agreement, they did not speak as Max collected their coats and held hers for her as they strolled out of the building. It was snowing big, fat, fluffy flakes, and with each step they took, Dani started to feel a little lighter. Not only was the dreaded party over, so was the semester. A week of grading—and she could do that at home in her pajamas—and she was free until January.

“Well,” Max said when they were safely out on the sidewalk. “That was . . .” He quirked a brow. “Bracing.”

Max. Her surprising secret weapon. He had pitched everything perfectly in there—his words, his accent, his outfit, his posture, all of it.

He wasn’t wearing a hat, and the snow was accumulating in his hair, laying down an extra glazing on the cool blond. With the streetlights glinting off him, he looked like an ice prince. If she called him that, he’d probably say, “Ice baron, actually.”

She was getting that delicious “Christmas break” feeling, that sense of another term under her belt, a pause in the grind of regular obligations. Dani loved Christmas. Or at least she used to. Last year’s, her first with Vince gone, had been bleak. And Leo and Gabby had traveled to Eldovia for the holidays, leaving her alone with her sadness. Dani hadn’t gotten the “Christmas break” feeling last year. She was glad it was back.

“I have a car,” Max said, pulling out his phone. “Can I drop you at home?”