Page 2 of Five Mistletoe Moments
“He wouldn’t have even known about it if it wasn’t for Zaire. I still owe him for that one.” Jermaine had overheard Alana’s twin brother teasing Mia about having to beat back all the men who were going to bid on her trip. Despite her refusing to give him the name, Jermaine had somehow found the online auction and placed a bid. The good thing was he hadn’t won. That would’ve ruined her holiday for sure.
“Anyway, back to you being in love. Who is it?”
“Remember the guy I met here on Black Friday?”
“The one you spilled the drink on?” Alana asked with an amused smile.
That hadn’t been Mia’s best moment. She was good a numbers and accounting,notwaiting tables and had no idea what prompted her to try to carry a drink, and on a tray no less. A lie. She knew why. Something about the man had captured her attention and held it tight—he looked like he needed a friend—and she thought it would be a good way to introduce herself. Despite the mishap, they hit it off immediately. “Yeah. We’ve been seeing each other since then.”
She spun around. “What do you meanseeingeach other? You told me he lives in Sacramento.”
“He does, but we spent the Thanksgiving weekend together and part of the next week. He flew down last weekend, and we talk almost every night.”
She held up a hand. “Wait a minute, Mia. You’ve only known this man a month. How can you be in love after a couple of visits and some phone calls?”
Mia buried her head in her hands and groaned. “I know it sounds crazy, and with my track record in the relationship department, I’m having trouble believing it myself. But I’m really feeling Dwight. He’s…different.”
Alana stared at Mia as if she’d lost her mind, came around the bar and grasped Mia’s arm. “Girl, come on before you’re late for your flight. It’s fine that you’refeelinghim, but don’t confuse good sex with love.”
Dwight’s bedroom skills were off the charts and he could turn her on with just a look. But was she really confusing the two? One side of her wasn’t so sure. And now she had to spend the next four nights in Puerto Vallarta with a man she didn’t know. Mia never would’ve signed up for the auction had she known she’d meet Dwight. After being alone for the past few holidays—hanging with the Black family didn’t count—she’d wanted to add some spice to her Christmas, and maybe a little mistletoe action. But Alana had her second-guessing her decision. However, she couldn’t back out now and disappoint the children. She sighed inwardly. At best, the man would turn out to be someone nice and they could have a few friendly dinners. At worst… She shuddered.I don’t even want to think about it.
Once in the car, Alana asked, “What did Dwight say when you told him about the trip? I can’t see any man being okay with the woman he’s dating going on a trip with someone else.”
Mia leaned against the headrest and closed her eyes. “He said he understood that it was for a good cause and that he’d talk to me when I got back.”
“That’s it? No ‘you’d better not give him my goodies’ oranything?” She snorted. “Obviously he’s not as into you if he’s not worried about another brother trying to get in your panties.”
Mia rolled her head in her friend’s direction. “Or maybe he just trusts me.” She shrugged. “Worst case scenario, he’s an asshole and I’ll have to demonstrate some of those self-defense moves your brothers taught us.” Alana’s brothers thought of Mia as another little sister and had protected her as fiercely as they did Alana. By the time the lessons ended, she and Alana could drop a two-hundred pound man without blinking.
Alana smiled. “You have a point. But be careful,” she added.
“I will.”
“By the way, who’s the lucky guy that gets to enjoy this vacation?”
“I have no idea. The only name on his email address is BigSexySanta37.”
Alana burst out laughing. “You havegotto be kidding me!”
“I wish I was,” she said, joining in the laughter. “Girl, the visions that went through my head…” She sincerely hoped she wasn’t going to be stuck babysitting some man old enough to be her father or grandfather.
As if reading Mia’s thoughts, she said, “With a name like that, I’d be expecting somebody’s grandpa. You’d better send me a picture as soon as you meet him. And I don’t care how you have to get it.”
“I’ll send it.” They shared a smile.
Ten minutes later, Alana dropped her off in the chaos that was LAX with Mia promising to text when she arrived in Mexico. After an hour and a half wait at the gate, Mia was on her way.
Once she landed and made it to the resort, her nerves started to get the best of her. Mia stepped out onto the balcony, inhaled deeply and released the breath slowly. Memories of coming to the resort with her parents surfaced. The yearly visits had been the highlight of her summers. But it all changed when she lost them both within a year—her father to an explosion at his office building and her mother to a ruptured brain aneurysm. Their deaths had shattered her seventeen-year-old world and had it not been for the Black family taking her in, she didn’t know where she’d be now. It had taken her almost a decade to come to back this place her parents often called paradise. Pushing the sadness aside, she sent an email with the resort’s address and her room number to her guest, then took a seat in one of the loungers.
Mia still couldn’t believe she’d booked a one-bedroom, as she usually did, instead of two this time. She had plenty of timeshare points and had tried to upgrade, but with it being the high season, no larger rooms were available. Thankfully, there was a pullout sofa.What the hell were you thinking offering a vacation as your prize, Mia Lynne Broussard? You couldn’t do something reasonable or sane like a five hundred dollar shopping spree?She scrubbed a hand across her forehead. The questions had bombarded her since she signed up, and after she received the notification that her winning bid had gone to BigSexySanta37. Her mother had often said that Mia’s impulsivity was going to get her in trouble one day. Today was that day.
Her thoughts strayed to Dwight. She would’ve loved to spend the time with him. But with Christmas only days away, chances were he’d be with his family and they wouldn’t be able to get together until the new year.You’ve only known this man a month. How can you be in love after a couple of visits and some phone calls?Alana’s words came back to her, once again making Mia second guess herself. Growing up, Mia had always been the romantic of the two friends and believed in a fairy tale happily-ever-after love, while Alana was a realist and thought those kinds of relationships only happened to a select few, not the general populace. With her track record, Mia had begun to think Alana might be right. Until Dwight. But then all her relationships had started hot, then fizzled out within a month or two, and she wondered whether this thing with Dwight would end the same way.
Mia’s stomach rumbled softly. She hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and it was after four. Coming to her feet, she went inside to shower, then headed downstairs the beach grill. Not sure what her dinner plans would be, she considered just having something light, but she was starving and opted for a cheeseburger with French fries and a Mayan sacrifice cocktail. The drink consisting of half strawberry daquiri and half Midori sour was one of her favorites. Mia ate while listening to the waves crash against the shore. Several people had claimed loungers or lay on blankets spread out on the beach. A couple walked by smiling and holding hands, and a vision of her and Dwight doing the same floated in her mind. If things worked out between them, maybe she’d invite him to accompany her when she returned next year.
After finishing her meal, Mia sat out on the beach for a little while before going back to her room. Her “roommate” would be arriving soon and she figured she should probably be there to greet him. Less than fifteen minutes later, she heard the knock at the door. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the room, opened the door and her mouth fell open.“Dwight?What…what are you doing here?”
Dwight lifted a brow. “I had the winning bid in the auction.”
