Page 54 of That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe
Dude. That’s not being honest. That’s BRUTAL honesty …
Ford
Just a bit of wisdom from the future limbo champion of the Aloha deck.
My fingers freeze, and I stare at my phone screen instead of responding. Is this text thread for real? I reached out to Ford expecting a swift kick in the teeth, or at the least a gentle reminder to stop wishing Sara and I might have potential as a couple. Instead, the man’s encouraging me to share my truefeelings with her.
Ford
Speaking of limbo, I gotta go. But I do love you, brother. So good luck with Sara. Just remember to trust your gut. And maybe trust her too.
Whoa.
I stick my phone in the charger, and meet my own gaze in the mirror. Trust Sara? Trust my gut? Both feel impossible when my insides are churning. The thing is, Sara still doesn’t know the reason I ended things. And telling her how I truly felt about her—why I did what I did—could make her angry. Or hurt her more. That’s a risk. So is rejection. But I think it’s finally time to be real. I want to be honest about our past and move forward.
The question is, will Sara?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sara
“What the … what?”
Three’s gaping at me from the hallway, probably because I just finished displaying my haul from the Five and Dime next to the Christmas tree. Propped along the wall is a trio of pink lawn flamingoes, four purple pineapple lanterns, and six tiki torches with a collection of leis hanging from them.
“Surprise!” I chirp. “Merry Hawaiian Christmas luau!”
His gaping turns into a crooked smile. “I must admit, I did not see this coming.”
I let out a breath of relief. Maybe I was only imagining that he’d seemed a little off when we were finishing dinner. “I had some help from Cami at the Five and Dime,” I admit. “By the way, you didn’t tell me she was on the basketball team. Maybe you can wear this to your next game.” I toss him the green Hawaiian shirt, which is so big, he can slide it on directly over his long-sleeved henley.
My red one’s too small to fit over my cardigan, but I have a tank top layered underneath, so I slip thesweater off, and exchange it for the Hawaiian shirt. “So what do you think?” I twirl around, modeling it for him. “Are we liking these shirts?”
“Absolutely.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “But … why?”
I glance at the bowl of popcorn, the strips of construction paper, and the bag of extra lights beside the ornaments. “I just wanted to add a little bit of island spirit to all our pre-existing yuletide decor.”
He blinks, his eyes softening at the corners. “Is this because I’m missing the cruise?”
“Because you’re missing yourfamily.” I pluck one of the leis from the tiki torch and slip it on. “Luckily plastic flowers can survive in snow, unlike real hibiscus.”
“Good news.” Three crosses the room, takes a lei for himself. Then he stands in front of the flamingoes, surveying their spindly legs. “Am I crazy, or are these guys dying to keep Henry company?”
“Ummm … yes to both questions.”
“And we could stick these tiki torches along the front of the house too.” A grin stretches across his face, and I can’t help smiling back. Three’s embracing the Hawaiian Christmas spirit even more than I’d hoped. He looks down at one of the bags by the Christmas tree stand. “What about these leftover lights? The tree branches are already full, and we haven’t even put the ornaments or popcorn on. I was thinking we’d return these extra lights, but maybe we should hang them on the porch instead.”
“We could do that,” I say. “But the tiki torches and flamingoes will already be out there.”
“Don’t forget Henry.”
“I’d never forget Henry.” I fake a scoff. “But maybe we should spread the holiday fun inside the house.” I nod in the direction of the den off the living room. I only went in there once to check the space when I arrived, but it was definitely lacking in holiday cheer. “Let’s string up the extra lights in the den.”
“I like the way you think.” Three flashesanother crescent of a smile. “You want to get started on that, while I introduce our little pink friends to Henry?”
“How are you feeling? Not dizzy at all? Light-headed?”
“I’m great after that grilled cheese.”
