Page 60 of The Mistletoe Makeover

“Jace, welcome.” She opens her arms and gives me a momma bear hug.

Ever since my grandmother died, I’ve missed these kinds of hugs. My parents aren’t big huggers, and the fact they don’t visit much only worsens the problem.

“Make yourself at home,” she says. “The twins are outside playing hockey, if you want to join them.”

I glance out the window to see two hulking young men racing around a small frozen pond, swinging madly at a tiny puck. I’d be insane to even try.

“You have your own hockey rink?” I ask Mia.

“If you call a makeshift ice patch a hockey rink, then yes,” she says. “The twins figured out how to make your own backyard rink when they were ten, which involved some digging and flooding of our yard, much to my mom’s dismay.”

I glance outside again. The rink isn’t fancy, but it’s big enough to skate on when they can’t make it to the practice rink.

Cora sets her pan aside to dry. “When they were little, I thought hockey would be a good way to get their energy out, if they didn’t kill each other first. They played in college and now both play on a minor league team, so I guess it wasn’t a far-fetched dream.”

The boys scramble into the house, their faces tinged red from the cold and exertion, their hockey gear wet with snow. They pile their skates on the floor and take a sidelong glance at me.

“When’s dinner?” one asks.

“I’m starving,” the other says.

“Boys, we have company. Say hello first.” Cora nods my way, and their eyes skate over to me.

“Jace, these are my brothers, Brax and Vale,” Mia says, pointing to each one. The twins look exactly alike—brown hair, piercing eyes, broad shoulders—and except for Vale’s longer hair, I could never tell them apart. Brax gives me a quick nod, while Vale looks me over. I can only imagine how much worse this would be if Mia and I were actually dating.

“Let’s eat before the pizza gets cold,” Cora says, directing us to the table.

Brax and Vale scramble to one side of the table, while Mia and I claim the other, leaving me to endure their steely gazes the entire meal. I feel like I’m under interrogation instead of enjoying a family meal.

“So, you play hockey?” I ask, trying to make conversation as Cora serves pizza.

Brax and Vale look at me for a second without blinking, like the answer is obvious. It’s a lame question, and there’s no way to backpedal after saying it.

“You play?” Vale asks.

“Oh, no.” I chuckle, remembering what Mia warned me about earlier. “Not at all.”

“I’m sure we could teach you a few things,” Brax says, eagerly.

And eat me for breakfast too.I shake my head. “I don’t skate very well.”

“We’ll take it easy on you,” Vale promises, but given his wide shoulders and giant frame, it wouldn’t take much to knock me down.

I shoot Mia a panicked look. She responds with a shrug and another bite of pizza.

“He has a concert to prepare for,” Cora interrupts, dishing out a slice of deep dish for herself. “He doesn’t have time for hockey or injuries. And frankly, neither do you. I need your help with the festival setup.”

Both of them groan. Brax and Vale are clearly not as excited about the festival as Cora is.

“Have you shown Jace the schedule yet, Mia?” Cora asks.

“No, I was waiting to see if the committee approves it first.”

“Of course they will,” she says, reaching over to the counter and handing me a paper.

“Jace doesn’t really need to see that,” Mia says, looking embarrassed that her mom is fussing over the festival details. She knows I don’t really care about the festival, other than my part in it.

“I don’t mind.” Maybe if I study this, Brax and Vale will forget about hockey.

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