Page 1 of Just Add Mistletoe

She’ll do anything to stay invisible to the male eye. But he can’t seem to notice anyone else.

Lori loves the holidays, and if her holiday store isn’t a huge indicator, she dresses for each season. It makes her happy, and no man—so far—has been interested in her idiosyncrasies. But that doesn’t matter since she’s sworn off dating because of a series of flops. She’s more than content, or at least that’s what she thinks, until Malcom moves across the street from her. Literally. In a construction lot where he’s taken up residence in a trailer.

Lori decides his housing choices are none of her business—but the two keep crossing paths and discover they have plenty in common. And all the things they are opposite in only add fuel to her attraction. Besides, he’s not put off by her broomstick earrings, autumn leaf sweaters, or mistletoe hairbands. The only catch is that he’s also sworn off dating. One of them will have to cave first.

LORI HARDING’S FRIENDS WERE DROPPING like flies. Well, not like dead flies, but the type of dying off that came with husbands or even serious boyfriends. The dynamics of friendships changed. Weekends changed. Social lives changed. Or more accurately—died.

Lori hated labels, but she lived in a labeling world. So if she were to label herself, it would be a classic introvert. She didn’t consider herself shy, but she was perfectly happy to have quiet nights at home, and she didn’t mind much when social plans were canceled.

Until lately.

She could blame it on herself if she were to be perfectly honest, becauseshehad in fact canceled the last two times on her friends. Saturday lunch, and then a few days later, they all caught a movie—with the exception of Julie, whose baby had been sick.

Lori’s excuse? It was early October, which signaled the beginning of the busy holiday season for her small store, Holiday Express. And she was up to her neck in ordering and stocking.

Speaking of her friend group, a text buzzed her phone. Lori set down a box of Halloween decorations by the large front window. The shop was open already, but business was slow this morning.

Pulling out her phone from her pocket, Lori read Brandy’s text:Who’s all in for the retreat? I need to send the deposit soon.

Replies quickly came through from the other women in the group—all former high school classmates who somehow managed to stay friends more than ten years later.

I’ll talk to Austin tonight,Everly wrote.I’m sure one of our moms will be happy to watch Jessica. Or even both. Haha.

Everly and Austin were newly married and completely devoted to each other. Jessica, Austin’s seven-year-old daughter, rounded out the darling family.

Perfect,Brandy wrote.

Lori set her phone on the window ledge, then tugged off the tape from the box. She opened the cardboard flaps to see dozens of small plastic skeletons, forming a string of lights. She hoped they’d be as cute in the store window as they’d looked in the catalog. Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced at it.

Dave and I are in,Julie wrote.My mom is going to stay here for the weekend. She’ll be getting serious superwoman points.

Oh, she’ll love it,Everly replied.Your kids are adorable.

Except when they’re not,Julie wrote, following with a winking emoji.

We’re in too,Stephenie texted.Our neighbor is going to keep an eye on Pops.

Yay!Brandy wrote.

That situation had been up in the air for a couple of days. Stephenie and her boyfriend Cal were the caretakers of her step-grandfather. And now . . . they were down to one person who had yet to answer—Lori. She still hadn’t committed even though she didn’t have to consult with a boyfriend or husband, and she didn’t need to find a sitter for kids or someone to watch over a grandparent.

Nope. Lori was single, through and through. Her friends had bantered around the idea of her bringing a plus one—but since there was no plus one, the idea had fallen flat. The whole idea of a retreat sounded divine, if Lori were to say so herself. She rarelytook more than a day off since opening her store, and even more rarely two days off.

Their small town of Everly Falls—yep, her friend shared the same name—wasn’t exactly a hopping tourist destination, but it got its fair share of shopping during the holidays. Which meant that Lori couldn’t do everything herself and had hired a part-timer, Marci—another former high school friend.

So Lori had dragged her feet on the retreat idea since she’d be the only one without a significant other coming. It just all felt . . . awkward. Not that her friends, or their boyfriends-slash-husbands, had ever made her feel that way. In fact, she liked the men and always enjoyed their times together when they did things as a group. But Lori would definitely be the odd one out. And if she brought that up, then Brandy would say her mom could come, or maybe one of their other single friends. But that would change up the dynamics once again—pulling them out of their close-knit circle of girlfriends.

And . . . here it came. The text from Brandy.Lori—any update on scheduling Marci for the weekend?

The text was innocent in its actual words, but the screen glowed mockingly at her.

Now was her chance to completely back out. She’d feel sad to miss it, though. Envious, mostly. But would she be more miserable missing it than if she went and was constantly surrounded by her friends snuggling up to their men?

Lori picked up the phone and stared at the text, weighing all the pros and cons in her mind. She didn’t want to be a downer. If she didn’t go, she’d forever hear about how much they’d “missed” her. If she did go, she’d have to stuff down all of her envious feelings where no one could draw them out.

If she didn’t go, she’d get tons of work done at the shop, then spend more time at her parents’ old house, getting it ready to put on the market by next spring. She’d agreed to do the workso they could move to Florida sooner. Besides, once the house sold, part of it would be her inheritance, bringing in money she sorely needed to expand the shop. Her parents had first told her she could live in the house, but she knew they were also counting on the proceeds from the sale to supplement their retirement. Besides, Lori really loved living right above her shop. She was thirty seconds from her work.

But . . . if she did go to the retreat, she wouldn’t miss out on spending time with the people she loved most. The people who actually cared about her.

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