Page 12 of The Secret Mistletoe Promise
‘Accidentally buying too many wedding decorations isn’t frivolous. It shows that you care; that you’re not one of those men who leaves all the wedding prep to the bride.’
‘So, go on then. How do I put this in perspective? I’m willing to accept all forms of help.’
Imogen was about to repeat her sorry storyagain– she really was in purgatory – when a voice cut her off. ‘Harry – there you are. What’s this problem you need my help with?’
Imogen’s breath caught when she saw who was walking towards them, the weak winter sun choosing that moment to peep out from behind the clouds. Dexter, her saviour. She would have to stop thinking about him like that.
‘Hello,’ she said, as their eyes met.
‘Hey. How are you doing?’ Dexter asked.
‘A bit better.’ She was on the other side of the fence to them, facing off with Harry, Felix and now Dexter. ‘I’ve had a couple of good nights’ sleep, some of Birdie’s special tea, sea air and retail therapy.’ She lifted her bag. ‘And this gargantuan coat isn’t anywhere near as tight as my wedding dress was.’ At that, she thought she saw the faintest blush on Dexter’s cheeks.
‘Birdie’s coat?’ Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
‘Birdie’s coat. If I owned something like this, I wouldn’t have packed it for Mauritius.’
Harry frowned, because she hadn’t explained her situation to him yet. But now she wanted to focus on his problem, not hers. ‘I really want to help if I can.’
‘Me too,’ Dexter said, ‘though I don’t know what’s wrong yet.’
Harry told Dexter about the mistletoe mishap, gesturing to the bundle at his feet.
‘Right.’ Dexter shoved his hands into the pockets of his navy jacket. It was halfway between casual and smart, with large, copper buttons, and it looked great on him, the upturned collar emphasizing his jawline. He was so … unapologetic, somehow. ‘Couldn’t you just have gathered the mistletoe yourself?’
‘Are you mad?’ Harry stared at him, his jaw tight. ‘You think, in the run-up to my and Sophie’s wedding, which is also the run-up to Christmas and involves sorting out whatever we’re going to do about the Oak Fest, I should have been scaling trees to gather mistletoe as well?’
‘I mean, you could have?’
‘It’s a moot point, because now I have ten times morethan I need, and I’d rather work on fixing the problem than discussing all the ways I could have avoided it in the first place.’
‘Fair enough,’ Dexter said with a grin.
‘Though potentially,’ Imogen piped up, ‘if you wanted to get rid of some of the excess, you could sort ofgive it backto the trees? Put bunches back up, and nobody would be any the wiser.’
Dexter burst out laughing. ‘That’s a great idea. What do you think, Harry?’
Harry rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Are you two volunteering? I know how much you love climbing ladders, Dex.’
‘Well …’ It was clear from his expression that Dexter didnotlove climbing ladders.
Imogen grinned. ‘I wasn’t being serious. What I wasactuallythinking was that you could gift it to other villagers, tell them that, because your wedding is mistletoe-themed, they could hang some on their front doors as a celebration of you and Sophie. We could even paint some of it gold or silver. That way it would look like you’ve been a thoughtful groom by including the locals in your wedding celebrations. Though I suppose that only works if you’re inviting them.’
‘We’re having it at the manor, and everyone is invited,’ Harry said. ‘Imogen, you …’
‘Sorry if I’ve overstepped, or—’
‘I think he’s trying to say that you’re a genius,’ Dexter said. ‘It’s a brilliant idea.’
‘It is?’ Imogen bent, putting her nose close to Felix’s, suddenly self-conscious.
‘Youarea genius,’ Harry said emphatically. ‘It’s an excellent idea, and Sophie will love it, too.’
‘You’re going to own up to ordering too much?’ Dexter asked.
Harry laughed. ‘Of course I am. I would never keep anything from Sophie, even if it was something I could hide, but this way I’m going to her with a problemanda solution. Thank you, Imogen. You should come by the house sometime. We would love to have you over for dinner.’
‘That’s such a kind offer. I don’t know how long I’m staying, but I would love that, and if you’re doing any mistletoe spray-painting and I’m still around, then count me in.’
