Page 48 of Mistletoe Kisses

“How do you feel about spending more time with him?”

I smiled for the first time since leaving Lucas’s house. “I like that idea a lot.”

And maybe with more time, I could work up the nerve to tell my secret to my family.

“I can help you pay for more time at the B&B if they’ve got room or help find somewhere else. Riggs told me if I needed a place to stay, I could stay at his place, and he won’t charge me.”

“Oh really?” I elongated the word.

“Don’t give me that tone, mister.”

I laughed, but the familiar flutter filled my chest as I considered new logistics to worry about. “We need to postpone our flights.” The thought of doing that without a plan for where I was staying and how long triggered an uncomfortable thrum under my skin.

“Right. I guess that means we need to decide a new date. How about another week or so? We can get home right before Christmas.”

I exhaled. “That works. Hopefully, Richard will have work started by then.” And then I could spend Christmas with Keaton’s family like usual. “Are you sure about this?”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’ll get more money, but we’ll never have this time again.”

I grabbed onto those words with everything I had and hoped they’d give me the strength to tell Lucas the news. I hoped he meant what he’d said last night about wishing I was staying longer.

* * *

LUCAS

“Why are you so antsy?” Kayla shot me a strange look when we passed each other in the kitchen at work.

I let out a rough breath. “That obvious, huh?”

“Uh, yeah. You jumped when someone dropped a fork on the table.”

I stacked plates on my arm to deliver for the brunch crowd. “Arlo leaves today.”

“Oh, honey. I’m sorry. You really like him, don’t you?”

“I do. Silly to fall for a guy so quickly who lives states and states away, huh?”

She squeezed my shoulder. “We can’t help who we fall for. If we could, I wouldn’t have put up with my asshole ex for two years. I hope something works out.”

I smiled. There was no use in wishing for that when we lived half a continent apart. And forming dreams for the future based on knowing someone for a week? Ridiculous.

I needed to pull myself together so I didn’t fall apart when Arlo swung by to say goodbye on his way out of town.

Fortunately, I managed to deliver food and drinks to several tables over the next twenty minutes, only dropping a knife. Not bad for being frazzled. It didn’t help my nerves that I kept darting glances toward the door.

A short while later, I returned from the kitchen to find Arlo chatting with Kayla by the bar.

I winked at him before delivering food to another table. Just seeing him—even though it might be the last time—calmed me. Something about his presence called to me on a molecular level, which was absolutely absurd.

“Hey. Are you heading out now?” The words cut like broken glass.

Arlo looked at his feet. “Um, about that.”

My heart rate kicked up. I busied myself doing some prep work at the bar while there was a brief lull, and I waited for him to say whatever had him shifting on his feet.

“Keaton and I decided to postpone flying home for a week.”

My head snapped to him. “What? You’re staying?” An enormous smile spread over my face.

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