Page 39 of The Mistletoe Makeover

She tilts her head. “I didn’t know you were such a control freak.”

“I’m not,” I grumble.

She raises her eyebrows.

“Okay, I am.”

“What if you pretend you’re enjoying this?” she suggests. “Not that you’ll take my advice, but it might be a start. Just trust me.”

I let out an unconvincing grunt. I wonder if she realizes that’s the same thing I told her before we slid off the road.

She looks out at a snowy field. “What if you forget about the danger and imagine it all works out?”

If this year has taught me anything, it’s that you can’t wish your way out of things.

“Is that even possible?” she asks, waiting for me to answer. Until now, I would’ve said no without hesitation. But I’m rolling this idea around in my mind.

“Maybe.”

I can’t fix what’s wrong with myself, but I can pretend that things are different. That I’m just a normal guy, out with a beautiful girl.

Who even gets to do that?Me, that’s who. I’m the luckiest guy in Evergreen.

I take a deep breath, my shoulders loosening. As I lean back, I feel like, for once, my luck is shifting.

And that’s when I seeher.

My body freezes and my fingers tingle as I stare hard at the blonde woman in a nearby parking lot.

“There’s no way...” I squint my eyes, sure that it’s a mistake.

Not a mistake. Ava’s standing next to a massive black SUV. A man approaches, and she latches on to his arm and throws her head back in laughter.

“It can’t be,” I mutter, trying to figure out why she’s in Evergreen.

“Who?” Mia asks, frowning.

She follows my gaze to the parking lot.

“Are you talking about that woman over there? How do you know her?”

“She’s my ex,” I say, trying to hide my disgust.

“Do you know that man she’s with?”

“Oh, I know him,” I grumble. “But there’s no way I want to run into them today.”

TEN

Mia

Jace sits stiffly next to me, taking another glance at his ex. It’s obvious his thoughts are a million miles away. He probably wishes he was too.

“What do you think of Evergreen so far?” I ask, trying to get his mind off of Ava.

“Now that my ex is here?” he sputters.

“It’s my attempt to distract you.” I blame myself for how badly everything has gone. How was I supposed to know his ex would show up and ruin everything?

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