Page 47 of Just Add Mistletoe

He kind of wished he were still asleep on her couch. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt comfortable around her. And that dang kitten was pretty cool too. But mostly, Lori was easy to talk to, easy to be with, easy to be himself around, and of course, not hard on the eyes.

Okay, so she was beautiful, and he loved how it was all natural. Not primped and preened like Penny. He thought back to the moments before he’d zonked out the night before when she’d gotten that phone call from her mom. Hearing part of the one-sided conversation, he could tell her mom was asking about him—and Lori was trying to brush it off quickly. Which was fine. They were just friends, after all.

His phone rang, jolting him out of his straying thoughts. Penny was calling.

There was no way he was taking her call. And yes, he’d checked to see that his company email account had been disabled—which he’d have to inform his lawyer about. Besides, he’d rather talk to his brother instead of Penny, which was saying a lot. He sent the call to voicemail.

Then he called his lawyer.

LORI’S GROUP CHAT WITH HER friends had been lighting up all evening with chatter about their planned dinner the next night. Everyone, including significant others, would be meeting at Everly and Austin’s place. Lori was determined to go since she still felt a little guilty about leaving the weekend getaway early.

She set her hands on her hips and surveyed the light bulb strip above the bathroom mirror in her parents’ old house. The once-silver base was faded and chipped. It would have to be replaced. How hard could it be to replace a light fixture? She’d simply go to the hardware store, buy a light fixture and follow the instructions.

Does 6:30 work for everyone?Everly wrote in her text.I have to take Jessica to a friend’s birthday party at 6:00 p.m.

Sure, that works for us,Julie wrote.

Everyone else put a check mark on Everly’s text.

Lori pocketed her phone. She’d tackle this project tomorrow, or the next day. She needed to do a final check on the shop, something she always did, even when Marci closed. She turned off the lights, left the house, and headed back to her place.

As she pulled around the shop to park, she noted with pride how great the window display looked with the Thanksgiving decor in place. Marci had put in a couple of extra hours to help, which Lori was grateful for. She climbed out of her car and headed through the back door of the shop.

A quick check told her everything was in order, and she went upstairs to her apartment.

Tiger greeted her at the door, and she scooped up the furry bundle. “I missed you,” she crooned to the kitten.

Tiger licked her chin, then began to purr. Oh, how she’d missed having a pet.

“Malcom is missing out,” she told him. “I wonder what he’s up to.”

She hadn’t heard from Malcom all day. She’d even taken over some cookies from the local bakery, but he hadn’t answered when she’d knocked on the door of his trailer. His truck had been parked nearby, so maybe he was on a phone call or something. Or even napping. Whatever was going on, she didn’t want to pester him with a text or phone call.

Lori stroked her fingers over Tiger’s furry back as she walked into the kitchen to get a drink. The kitten purred away, sounding like a rumbling motorcycle.

The group chat was now in the throes of deciding the food for tomorrow night’s dinner.

What can I bring?Lori wrote. She’d have to find time to grocery shop tomorrow since she was pretty much out of everything. Which was kind of ironic, considering the note she’d left Malcom that morning to help himself to anything in the kitchen. She wondered if he’d looked around and found nothing.

Potluck 100% or assigned potluck?Brandy wrote.

Let’s get crazy,Everly wrote.Potluck 100%.

Not even assigning main dishes or desserts?Stephenie asked.

Come at your own risk,Everly texted.Or should I say, eat at your own risk.

A series of laughing emojis from all the women filled Lori’s phone screen. She’d definitely bring a main dish. It would be funny if everyone brought a dessert, but not very satisfying.

Are you bringing Malcom?Brandy texted.

Lori groaned. Leave it to Brandy to bring him up—and in front of the whole group. Now there would be a bunch of questions.

You’re worse than my mom,Lori texted.And that’s saying something.

“Friends” are welcome,Brandy wrote, then added a winking emoji.

Lori didn’t commit to anything. She just added ahahato Brandy’s text.

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