Page 37 of The Mistletoe Makeover

“I had to take some pictures with fans.” I pause, then pull out the hat. “I couldn’t leave without buying this.”

She stares at it for a moment, shocked. “You bought it... forme?”

“Yeah, some lady purchased it first, so I had to get it from her.”

“Wait. You took a hat from someone?”

“I didn’t take it—Ioffered her a price she couldn’t turn down.” I won’t tell her I paid four times the price for it.

Her brow creases, like she’s trying to make sense of this. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did. You’re cold. Don’t you know how much body heat you lose from your head?” I slide the hat over her strawberry-blonde hair to prove my point.

“But you just blew your cover,” she says, still frowning. “What if you get followed today? Or someone hassles you?”

“I know what you’re thinking,” I say. “And it won’t happen here. Evergreen is like Maplewood. And I wanted to surprise you. Despite being a Scrooge, I don’t like to see people suffer in the cold.”

She touches the hat, like she’s amazed I went to all this trouble for it. “Thanks,” she says softly. “I’m not taking it off for the rest of today.”

A slow grin curls the edges of her lips, and my heart does this weird squeeze, like there’s something wrong with it. The problem is, I know what’s wrong... and I need to forget it.Because I already promised myself I’m not dating anyone. Not after what happened with Ava.

“Where to now?” she asks, looking at the schedule on her phone.

“I’m kind of hungry for lunch.”

Her mouth twists into a disbelieving grin. “Lunch? We just ate breakfast.”

“Well, I’m still hungry.”

She shrugs, like she’s officially given up on her schedule. “Then let’s eat our way through Evergreen.”

For the next few hours, we eat and shop, munching on fresh gingerbread cookies, chocolate-covered nuts, a white chocolate trifle, and circling back to the bakery when they pull out fresh apple strudel from the oven.

When the carolers stop on the street corner, we join in singing carols until Mia checks her watch. “Oh no, we’re late for the next sleigh ride.”

“What sleigh ride?” I ask, taking the last bite of a buttery sugar cookie that melts in my mouth. “And do I have to go? Sounds kind of cheesy.”

“You need the full Christmas experience, Jace. Our day wouldn’t be complete without it.”

She grabs my arm and tugs me toward a shortcut to the barn. We hurry down an alleyway and then turn off on a side street before we arrive at a barn on the edge of town.

For someone in dress boots, she sure can run when she needs to.

“You didn’t tell me it was a race,” I say, panting hard from our mad dash across town. I lean against the fence for a break.

“You’re not tired, are you?” she says with a grin. She barely looks like she’s broken a sweat.

“No,” I say, even though I’m sweating under my coat. “But I’m still not crazy about this idea. I’m not a big horse fan.”

She stares at me, then bursts out laughing. “Aren’t you a country singer?”

I frown. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Because people expect you to like big trucks and farm animals.”

“I do,” I say, shifting uneasily. “Just not horses. I fell off one as a kid.”

“Let me guess... now you’re traumatized.” She doesn’t buy my fear of horses.

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