Page 3 of Mistletoe Magic

“Can’t you forgive and forget? Move on already.”

“Oh, I have forgiven you and Matthew. I won’t forget because I can never trust you again. I don’t want you in my life. I will not be attending your wedding, so I won’t help you shop or plan anything. Goodbye.”

I hang up on her as I sit down on the bench, crying. I spend a good ten-minute like that and then stand to wash my face. I have work to do. Maisy and I spend the next three hours booking rink time for Christmas and birthday parties, and printing schedules for practice for the play rehearsal.

“Your mom is calling again. She keeps calling. She sounds very upset.” Maisy stands there with the phone in her hand. I told her what happened with Michele. She doesn’t blame me one bit and applauds me. Jack heard us talking and promised to buy me a beer when I didn’t have Timmy.

“Let her know I’ll call her from the car. I need to get Timmy from school. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Mrs. Storm should be here soon. Mr. Davis will be here as soon as they have picked the last kid up from school. So, I’ll beat him here. This week is going to be nuts, and it’s not even tourist season yet.” I chuckle as Maisy groans.

CanI stand my ground with my mother for this wedding?

Hunter

It’sthe week of Christmas, and I’m sitting in the airport lounge waiting for my flight to be called. I grabbed a bunch of files to work on so I can hit the ground running when I get back in January. I’ve been so busy this past month I haven’t even researched the place we’re going to. I have some time to do that now, but first, coffee. I know I saw a Starbucks after I checked in… now to find it without getting too lost. As much as I travel from this airport, I should know where the hell everything is. I grab my carry-on bag, which holds my laptop and files, and start walking. The aroma of coffee tickles my nose as I finally find the shop after ten minutes of walking. It was on the other side of the terminal.

Standing in line, I Google Celebration, Florida. The weather is in its seventies. Who wants to sweat their balls off for Christmas? We should be freezing them off while our hands wrap around hot chocolate mugs in front of a fireplace. The town looks like the North Pole. Uncle Denny loved Christmas, and I can understand the appeal of this place. He went here more than just Christmas. As I’m scrolling down, I catch his name in bold print.

“Come by Christmas Eve for the Dennis King Memorial Celebration. We will dedicate Celebration Ice to the man who brought the ice rink to our very own North Pole. Then stick around for the presentation of the Christmas on Ice performed by the King’s Shaker Hockey Team, Celebration Ice Skaters, and the King’s Special Olympics Boys and Girls. Tickets are on sale through the website and by stopping at the ice rink.”

Uncle Dennis owns an ice rink? I don’t remember hearing about that. I wonder if Dad knows? I go to the web to buy a ticket and then forward it to Brad and Tony.

King brothers Group Chat: ME: Did you know about this?

I thank the barista who hands me my Mocha Frappuccino and head back to the other side of the airport terminal. The hotel my parents booked for us has a shuttle that runs twenty-four hours, so my dad said I might have a bit of a wait, but it shouldn’t be too bad. I hope I can buy some skates since I now have a place to go to be cold.

The flight seemedlike it took forever but was only a few hours. Once I grab my suitcases, I head outside to see if the shuttle is here. I scan the area and watch many family members and couples reuniting. The hugs and squeals of excitement coming from around me kind of make me wish I had that special someone to share in the holidays. It’s been years since anyone has held the title of girlfriend. The shuttle arrives after about thirty minutes of pacing back and forth. I walk across the road, and the man takes my suitcases, and I grab a seat. My phone dings.

King brothers Group Chat: Tony: I just grabbed tickets for us. I didn’t know.

King brothers Group Chat: Me: I did too. We have a hockey team. How cool is that?

King brothers Group Chat: Brad: I snagged a couple of tickets too.

King brothers Group Chat: Tony: Chrissy can’t wait. She’s sitting here talking about seeing if she can help with the pageant. She doesn’t know how to stop being a teacher.

King brothers Group Chat: Brad: I’ll be shopping, probably.

I can’t help but laugh out loud at his comment. I bet he will be. I didn’t buy any Christmas presents as I wanted to buy them from the town. Since we’re going to be here through the New Year, I figured we might as well make the best of it.

“Do you mind if we stick around for about a half-hour? Traffic is crazy, and I don’t want to miss anyone,” The driver asks me.

“Sure. I’m answering emails and checking out the town.”

“First time here?” the driver asks.

“Yeah. My dad wanted to come here to honor my uncle. I guess he loved it here.”

“That’s great. Celebration is a great place to come for Christmas. It’s Christmas all year round, and the business owners and workers act like it’s Christmas every day. The kids who live here love it.”

“What do you know about Celebration Ice?”

“The former owner sold it to his former manager, and she’s done great things with it. She’s always looking for new ways to get the kids involved in different projects to keep them out of trouble or keep herself busy after what happened to her six months ago.”

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” I’m intrigued. Why would Uncle Denny sell it to someone not in the family? The driver, Jack, tells me about how, for three years of her relationship with her fiancé, he was sleeping with her sister. The sister and the ex are getting married on Christmas Day in Celebration. “What a slap in the face! That is horrible.”

“Ava is one tough chick, though. She’s one of my best friends, and I’d protect her at all costs. I told her to find a hot tourist to take to the wedding and flaunt him around.” He looks me up and down. “What are you doing on Christmas?”

“Spending it with my family,” I laugh. They will not set me up with a total stranger. He pulls out his phone and hands it to me. I whistle. “I may have to rethink that. She’s a fucking goddess. Curves in the right places, fire engine red hair, and I bet a temper to go with it.” He laughs, agreeing with me.

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