Page 36 of The Mistletoe Makeover

I head toward the bathrooms, then spin around and sneak back to the hat lady.

I quickly scan the table for the hat Mia tried on.

“Where is that hat?” I ask. “The one we were trying on.”

“I’m sorry, but that lady over there just bought it.” She points at a woman who is walking away with Mia’s hat.

“Do you have another in the same color?”

She shakes her head. “I’m afraid not.”

I look over the rest of the hats, but none of them are the same, so I take off after the lady who bought Mia’s hat.

“Excuse me,” I say, waving her down. “Sorry to bother you. But how much do you want for that hat?”

She looks at me like I’m crazy. “I just bought it as a gift for a friend.”

This is a going to be harder than I thought. I fumble for my pocket. “Would you take a hundred dollars for it?”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, but it’s not for sale.”

“Then two hundred dollars,” I say, more urgently, pulling out the money.

“For a hat?” the woman asks, her eyes widening. She pauses, then shakes her head. “I’m sorry, but I really like this one.”

She turns to leave, and I realize I need to do something drastic. I tap her on the shoulder one more time. When she turns around, her brow creases in frustration.

“It’s me again,” I say with a smile.

“I know,” she barks, obviously annoyed. “I thought I told you no already.”

“It’s just... I really like that hat.” I slide off my sunglasses and wait to see if she recognizes me. It’s not like everyone knows who I am, but I’m gambling on the fact that this lady might.

Her mouth slowly falls open. “Wait, I know you. Are you that singer?” She stops and tries to recall who I am. “What’s his name?”

“Jace Knight?” I prompt, hoping this works.

She snaps her fingers. “Yes, that’s it!”

“I am.” I nod toward the hat. “I was hoping to get that hat as a gift for my assistant. And I’m still willing to pay whatever you want for it.”

She pauses, then smiles. “Would you take a picture with me?”

I grin. “You bet.”

She hands over the hat without hesitation.

As I hand her the money and pose for a picture, a few people look up and start snapping pictures. If I don’t hurry, I’m going to get mobbed by the small crowd that’s gathered around us.

When I glance around for Mia, she’s standing at the candle booth, and our eyes finally meet across the room.

She frowns, like she’s trying to figure out why I’m surrounded by people taking my picture. She’s never seen me with my fans before, and something passes across her face.

When I finally finish, I hurry across the market to catch her, hiding the gift behind my back.

I tap her shoulder. “Miss me?”

“You were gone like five minutes,” she says with a laugh. “What was going on over there?”

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