Page 89 of The Mistletoe Switch

I'm wearing reindeer antlers, they're fake, plastic and as heavy as they look, with my favorite faux fur coat and fuzzy knee-high boots.

"Just five minutes to go." I look around at the merry crowd, feeling something pretty damn close to belonging.

My mother and aunt, who are in ridiculously tight jeans with ugly Christmas sweaters and no coats, should be immediately visible because of their light up headbands. I insisted they wear them, because I'm not losing sight of them again. I've already had to break up a bar fight they started and drag them out of a boutique before they shoplifted jewelry.

On one hand, I'd love to figure out how to get them the hell out of town, but on the other, they're family and it's Christmas and I love them. Mom has made many, many mistakes and she can be an emotional vampire, but she's promised to be on her best behavior and be gone by New Year's Day. The little girl in me is thrilled to have my mother's full attention for a few days.

Blue is less thrilled to have her mother here, probably because Aunt Natalie has already made Peach cry three times. She's manipulative and selfish and makes herself feel better by using sarcasm as a weapon and insulting her children. Blue's got a thicker skin than an alligator, but Peach takes her mother's words to heart and is really struggling. For her sake, I hope Mom and Aunt Natalie leave sooner than later.

I look around again. "Um, guys, where's Mom and Aunt Natalie?"

"Damn it." Blue frowns, but she's staring off into the distance. "I got distracted by that guy in those jeans that hug his perfect ass like a—"

"Where?" Francis scans the crowd, eyes wide with excitement.

"Focus." I grab their shoulders and give them a little shake. "Hot guy later. Find Mom and Natalie now."

"Usually you'll find them wherever the hot guys are," Peach points out.

"Right. Where's the guy with the butt-hugging jeans?"

Blue points and we all take a moment to appreciate the perfection that is the ass of the tall, silver fox a little way ahead of us and to the left. "Okay, wow," I say.

"You aren't kidding." Francis licks his lips, pupils dilating.

"I don't see the moms over there." Blue finally looks away, worry clear in her expression. "Have they said anything about shopping or getting drunk? Did they meet anyone last night they might be meeting up with now?"

"They were bitching about the lack of decent ornaments on Cherry's tree this afternoon." Marcus' own ornaments shake as he speaks, his concerned expression an odd contrast to his costume.

I look at Blue, whose expression probably matches mine: wide eyes and dropped jaw.

I turn to Peach, whose brow is furrowed with worry. "They wouldn't do that." It sounds more like a wish than certainty.

"Sorry, honey." Certainty and dread overtake Blue's expression. "They absolutely would."

"What?" Francis stomps a foot. "I hate it when you three do that talking without words thing."

"The tree, man." Marcus, ever calm, points at the drapes. "Natalie and Alanna are stealing ornaments from the tree."

"How the hell did they get in there with no one seeing them?" Blue asks.

We scan the crowd again, hoping to see their headbands.

"This probably helped." Francis straightens from a crouch and holds up two lighted headbands.

"How can they be so stupid?" I ask. "The drapes are dropping in three minutes and they're going to get caught."

"They did have two bottles of wine between them before we came." Francis rubs his temples, joining us on the freaking out train.

"Oh, no." Peach hugs her arms around herself, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. I don't want to go to jail again."

"You won't," Blue says. "You and Francis stay here. We'll get Mom and Aunt Alanna."

Francis wraps an arm around Peach's shoulders, and she snuggles up to his side.

"Marcus." Blue grabs his hand. "You're with us. You can be our lookout once we figure out how to get in there."

"Whatever you need." Marcus gives Peach a quick side hug and steps closer to me and Blue.

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