Page 105 of The Mistletoe Makeover

“A couple of her friends are still around,” Allan says. “I’ll ask them.”

I wish I could find Mia myself. I hate that I can’t go out in public and hunt her down.

A dam is going to burst in my chest if I don’t tell her now.

A few minutes later, a knock sounds at my dressing room door. Jaz and Ella wait outside.

“Where’s Mia?” I ask.

Jaz frowns. “We thought she was with you.”

“She’s not here. I texted her and she hasn’t responded. She didn’t say anything after the concert?” This isn’t like her. A growing sense of urgency builds in my chest.

The women glance at each other uneasily before Ella responds. “Listen, Jace, we really appreciate the surprise for Mia. But she told us something privately, and I feel like I’d be breaking her trust if I told you.”

I stare at them, feeling alarm over the way they’re looking at me. “But I was going to tell her tonight how I really feel... about us.”

Ella glances at Jaz, before her eyes flick back to me.

“What is it?” I ask.

“I’m only doing this because I think you deserve to know...” Jaz says slowly. “Before Allan sent her back here to find you, she told us she wasn’t staying. She’s heading home.”

“To her mom’s house?”

“No,” Jaz says. “Not that home.”

I stare at them, shaking my head. “She’s headed to the airport?”

Jaz sighs. “A red-eye to South Carolina. She said she couldn’t stay for Christmas. That it was too hard to be here with you... because of Ava.”

“But I don’t want to be with Ava. I thought I made it clear tonight,” I say, suddenly driven by an urgency to catch her before she leaves. “Why would she go without saying goodbye?”

Jaz shrugs. “I don’t know. When Allan told her to meet you backstage, she left us, and we haven’t seen her since.”

I replay how I could have missed her. The only time I wasn’t looking for her was when Ava was here...

That’s when it hits me:Ava.

My stomach twists like I’m going to be sick. “Do you think she saw me with Ava?”

Ella’s eyes widen.“Ava was here with you?”

“Yeah, just for a few minutes to say goodbye. Do you think that would scare her off?” I remember how the curtain moved when I was hugging Ava. I assumed it was just my crew.

Jaz looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Your ex shows up for your biggest event of the year... how would thatnotscare her?” She tilts her head to see if I’m understanding. “Every girl would feel threatened by her. Mia’s so selfless, she’d never want to interfere with your happiness.”

How did I not see this before?She saw Ava and ran like a skittish cat. “How soon does her plane leave?”

“Don’t ask questions,” Jaz says, hustling me toward the door. “Just find her.”

I stop in the door, looking at them both. “Do I have a chance?”

“If you hurry,” Ella says.

Jaz’s phone buzzes, and she glances down at the message. “Looks like Mother Nature is on your side.” She holds up the phone to show a message from Mia.

Mia:I just slid off the road. Can you pick me up and take me to the airport?

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