Page 37 of The Mistletoe Trap
“You okay?” Gavin asked, and she propped the corners of her mouth into a smile.
“Totally,” she said, but in her head, alarm bells rang out, much louder than theching-chingof jingle bells on her costume. Because, for one glorious instant, she’d let herself believe she wasn’t the only one experiencing the magnetic pull that’d started…who even knew when?
What she did know was that if she wasn’t careful, she’d ruin her friendship with Gavin, which wasn’t just one of her favorite things.
It was the best thing besides work that she had going in her life.
…
“What’s this I hear about you two making out at the toy booth?” Peggy asked as he and Julie approached their parents’ goody display.
As usual, Mom and Dad were wearing their matching outfits—jeans and red Christmas sweaters with Frosty the Snowman—although he knew that only because he’d crossed paths with Dad earlier. Currently, the dads were nowhere in sight, which meant they were likely challenging each other in an endless game of Christmas Skee-Ball that involved tossing plastic ornaments in wreaths.
“Don’t get us wrong,” Mom said, placing her hands on her hips—a move that didn’t come across as very stern, since her expression was light on the chastening and heavy on the joy. “We’re thrilled, but the time and the place was a bit disconcerting. We got quite an earful from Mrs. Trabanino.”
Julie sighed. “We weren’t making out. It was a wardrobe malfunction—well, two of them at once. Thanks for the heads-up about the costumes, by the way.”
Mom and Peggy exchanged a glance, their features spilling over with false innocence.
“Oh, did we not mention that?” Suddenly Peggy’s priority became rearranging the treats on the table.
“I suppose you also wouldn’t appreciate the mention of the mistletoe hanging above your heads?” Mom pointed at the dangling clump of green leaves and white berries that hung from the center of their sign.
Now it was Gavin’s and Julie’s turn to exchange a glance. His gaze homed in on her lips, and he was half tempted to dip his head and just kiss her already. It wasn’t like it’d be a hardship. If anything, it’d be a relief to press his lips to hers, see how it went, and deal with the aftereffects later.
But then Julie crossed her arms and addressed the moms. “Does this mean you’ve abandoned the idea of setting me up with Kory?”
The question jerked Gavin out of his own head, and what the hell? He was daydreaming about kissing her, and she was thinking about some other guy?
“No,” Peggy said. “We were just…”
“Spreading Christmas cheer,” Mom finished for her, and they both nodded. No idea why he hadn’t noticed it before, but their mothers were nearing evil genius range.
“Do Gavin and I need to deliver another speech on how we’re grownups who are fully capable of living our own lives and making our own decisions?”
It probably shouldn’t be a surprise that their parents—particularly the moms—didn’t take their speech very seriously, considering they delivered it while wearing character costumes from the movieFrozen. But considering how adamantly they insisted they’d heard them the first time, they didn’t want a replay.
Which reminds me… In all the hustle and bustle, I forgot that Kristin’s probably around here somewhere.Using his height to its full advantage, he scanned the surrounding area, preparing himself for a run-in. As two adults who’d once loved each other, they’d sworn to remain on friendly terms.
It hadn’t happened, but he’d meant what he’d said the day she moved out, about how he cared about her and wished her the best.
After they exchanged a quick hello and updated each other on their lives, he was going to swallow his pride and ask Kristin for forgiveness. After all, he’d persuaded her to move twice, despite how homesick she’d been, and how clear she’d been about not enjoying city life. There at the bitter end, he’d done exactly what she’d accused him of. He’d thrown himself into football, spending all his extra time hanging with the guys, and left her alone without a support system.
Maybe she stayed away, since my mom and Julie’s mom help spearhead the bazaar every year. Does that mean she’s still holding a grudge?
A tug on his pants leg stole his attention. The kid who’d worried he was too scrawny to be a good ballplayer stood there, football in hand. “Can you show me that trick you were talking about? The one that makes you throw extra far?”
He tapped Julie, indicated he was going to go throw with the kid, and that he’d circle back. She nodded and settled in behind the table with their mothers.
Gavin went to the biggest open space he could find and instructed the kid how to hold the ball and pivot his hip to give him extra oomph behind his throws. They tossed it back and forth, and within a few minutes, the kid got the hang of it.
“Thank you so much, Gavin,” he said. Then he scrunched up his little face. “Um, some dude is making a move on your girl.”
Gavin was embarrassed by how quickly his head whipped toward the spot where he’d left Julie. Kory was at the table, his palms braced on the top of it as he smiled and chatted with Julie.
“That’s my best friend,” Gavin said, one eye still remaining on her and Kory. Great. The guy had noticed the dangling mistletoe, and he could kick himself for not taking the opportunity to kiss her while he’d had the chance.
“Yeah, my best friend is my girlfriend, too. She’s right there.” The kid waved at a girl with long brown braids. She grinned, showing off a mouthful of braces. “I won her that stuffed bear she’s holding. You should try that. She gave me the biggest hug after.”
