Page 13 of Mistletoe Kisses

He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the counter as I reached for a book to busy myself. It was a thriller I’d heard good things about.

“How’d you come up with that idea?”

“I used to work at a publishing company. We held special events and did that activity occasionally.” I’d wanted to be more involved with planning those events, but besides giving ideas to my colleagues and doing a bunch of invisible work behind the scenes, I’d never gotten the chance. On paper, my job had been mostly admin, but in actuality, I’d been involved in many parts of the publishing house because people knew they could come to me for help.

“A local publisher?”

I shook my head as I pretended to read the back cover copy. “No. In Minnesota. I’m just here on vacation for the week.”

“To Dahlia Springs, huh? Family in the area?”

His question caught me off guard, and I choked on air.

“Oh, um, my best friend and I booked surprise trips for each other for Christmas. He sent me here.” Even if I couldn’t find the nerve to share the true reason Keaton had sent me to Dahlia Springs, I wanted to be as honest as possible. I was a terrible liar.

“He picked a wonderful place for you to visit. The Festival of Lights is a great time. The festival grows longer and longer each year as it incorporates a variety of traditions and holidays. It’s become a delightful and inclusive event.”

I nodded and managed another small smile.

“Where did you send your friend?”

“Oh, um, Arizona. The Flagstaff area.”

Ron whistled. “Beautiful place. Lots of snow this time of year.”

I bit back a groan.

He tapped his fingers on the counter in a repetitive beat. “I should probably get started trying to figure out this book thing.” Ron looked at me eagerly. “Got any advice?”

While walking around, I’d spotted covers for several familiar books I could easily create label notes for. I quickly gathered a few and brought them to the counter. “These were published by the place I worked for, so I could tell you what we used to put on the labels for these.”

“Yeah? That would be great.” He handed me a sticky pad and pen. “Are you working at a different publishing house now?”

I started scribbling on a sticky. “No. I got laid off from the last one. Between jobs at the moment.”

“Foolish of them to let you go.”

I hummed. They sure hadn’t seen it that way.

Ron filled the silence by chatting about some of his favorite books from Winchester Publishing and some of the big flops, which made me laugh. I found myself responding, and we got into a good conversation about our favorite thrillers and fantasy novels.

He drew me out of my protective shell, and I opened my mouth several times with the urge to tell him about our familial connection, but I kept chickening out. That was okay though. I still had the bulk of a week to make it happen.

I finished the sticky notes on the books I’d gathered, and he read through them. “These are great! This would be fun to do again.”

“You could do it with romance novels on Valentine’s Day.”

He snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “Yes! I can get wrapping paper with hearts on it.” Then, a thoughtful expression took over his face. “I need to get some paper for these. Maybe I’ll go for a neutral winter theme.”

“Good idea.”

“Hey, if you have the time, can you swing by tomorrow to look at what I’ve done? I could use your professional eye. And take any books you want with you.” His expression turned serious. “I would really like to make this a successful event.”

“Of course. I have plenty of time.” I could visit after spending the morning panicking and talking myself in and out of telling him a hundred times. It wasn’t like I had anything better to do this week. Spending time in a bookstore was my ideal vacation anyway. And, if all went well, spending more time with him might help me work up the nerve to have the conversation I needed to.

Chapter6

Lucas

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