Page 69 of Just Add Mistletoe

The tight hug turned into something that was more of a caress, until Lori said, “We really should leave. I can’t wait to see which book you’re giving me.”

Malcom groaned and released her. “You’re such a taskmaster.”

Maybe she was, but she also liked to be at the airport in plenty of time. And he was right, it was a crazy day to travel, but by some small miracle, their plane left on time. Once they were in the air, Lori pulled out the wrapped book she’d carried in her purse.

Malcom took his out of the front pocket of the seat, where he’d stored it. “Ready?” he asked with a sly smile.

“Ready.”

They swapped wrapped books and opened them at the same time.

Lori laughed as she read the title. “The Man Who Died Twice.”

Malcom held up his book. “The Thursday Murder Club.”

They were both by the same author, and the same series.

“Are you happy?” he asked, after she stopped laughing. “Or is it corny?”

“It’s perfect,” she said. “I read the first book, of course, and this book was on my list. You’re a smart man.” She leaned over and kissed him. The whole plane could know how smart he was.

Malcom grinned. “I think you kissing me on a plane is definitely a girlfriend move.”

She slipped her hand into his.

He leaned close to her ear. “And if I thought giving you a book was the way to your heart, I would have done it weeks ago.”

She turned her head for another kiss. Yeah, they were going to bethatcouple. “Okay, now be quiet and start reading,” she whispered. “We’re on vacation.”

“I hope we can do more than read,” he murmured, then opened to the first page of his book.

Lori was surprised that he actually did start reading, and as he turned pages, her mind was wandering more and more. Butterflies milled around in her stomach as she thought about how this was actually happening. Malcom was going to meet her parents. Maybe it wasn’t all that momentous to other people, but for her, it was definitely huge.

She flipped back a couple of pages and started reading from the beginning. She didn’t want to miss a single red herring.

“Are we racing?” Malcom asked.

“No, of course not,” Lori said, but she noticed that every time she turned a page, he turned a page.

By the time they landed in Florida, they were both over one hundred pages into their books.

Lori texted her parents about arriving—they’d insisted on picking them up.

Malcom turned on his phone as they waited for the aisle to clear in front of them. When his brows tugged together, she asked, “What is it?”

“I need to call my mom,” he said. “My dad’s in the hospital.”

“What? What happened?”

He read the text to her. “‘Call me ASAP. Dad’s been taken to the hospital. Something with his heart.’ She also left a message. And there’s a voicemail from Bronson.”

Lori met his gaze, seeing the worry there. They both knew Bronson reaching out meant this was a pretty big deal.

They hurried off the plane when it was their turn to head down the aisle, and as they walked into the terminal, Malcom phoned his mom. “She didn’t pick up.” He shot her a text, then said, “I’ll try Bronson.”

They paused by a restaurant as he called his brother. Lori could only hear one side of the conversation, but it didn’t sound good.

“Surgery? When?”

---