Page 55 of Mistletoe Kisses

“Great! Oh god. Sorry. That’s the great part.” He laughed. “The terrible part is that Reed is using the momentous occasion to twist my arm to perform at Making Spirits Bright on Saturday.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

My heart went out to him. “If there’s anything I can do to help, I’m here.”

He snuggled me even closer to him. “Thank you. I promise I’ll let you know.”

We both needed something happier to think about.

“What do you want to do this week?” Lucas asked.

“Hang out with you?”

“That’s a given. Every moment I’m not working is yours. You’re also welcome to use my car if you want to return your rental and save money.”

“That’s a lot to ask.”

“Honey, you didn’t ask. It’s my weak excuse for us to hang out more while you’re here.”

I relaxed further and hummed. “Okay, thank you. I think I’m going to spend some time at the bookstore.”

“That’s a great idea. It seems to make you happy, and I like it when you’re happy.” Lucas kissed my neck. “I’ve got an idea. Can I plan something?” Excitement laced his voice.

I pulled back and studied Lucas. He wanted to plan something for me?Why me?I couldn’t wrap my head around it, but I didn’t want to focus so much on trying to understand it that I missed experiencing it.

“Okay.”

Lucas grinned. “You’re going to love it.”

I was sure I’d love anything Lucas wanted to do for me.

Chapter24

Lucas

Arlo was practically vibratingin the passenger seat as I pulled into the parking lot at the train station. We’d driven through a steady drizzle over the Oregon Coast Range, but fortunately, it wasn’t pouring at the beach.

The parking lot sat between Highway 101 and Tillamook Bay. The Pacific Ocean was on the other side of the bay, with a narrow peninsula in the middle. A few businesses stood between clusters of houses in the small beach town along the main drag.

As I parked, Arlo pressed his nose to the glass. “Are we going on the train?” He sounded like a giddy kid.

I loved how excited he was. “All aboard the Candy Cane Express.”

His attention bounced between me and the steam train, then he threw open the passenger door. “Come on!”

I laughed as I hurried to join him.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen. Do you have tickets?” A man with a white mustache and a black uniform greeted us.

I gave him my name, and he directed us to our car at the back. We were met by another man in a similar uniform who showed us to our table. The ceiling in the train car looked like distressed metal. Garlands swooped along the tops of windows with red bows and gold and silver ornaments hanging. Arlo’s head whipped around as he tried to take it all in.

Our booth was at the back. It was wood with aged dark-red cushions on the benches. We sat opposite each other, next to the sizable window overlooking the moody Oregon coast. The sky over the water was dark and overcast like a storm was coming in. I loved a stormy day at the coast. There was something so powerful about the wind, rain, and swelling ocean converging at what felt like the edge of the world. As a Leo, I was a summer boy, but an electric winter day at the beach was pretty special.

Arlo aimed his wide eyes in my direction. “I can’t believe you did this for me. When you said you wanted to take me on a date, I thought maybe the pizza place.”

I teased his foot with mine. “I want you to have the most incredible time while you’re in Oregon, and that means more than mediocre pizza.”

---