Page 119 of A Very Merry Mistake

“I didn’t do anything,” I admit. “It was Claire. She said she owed me for letting her stay at my cabin.”

“What?” he yells, and I hear his voice bounce through the woods and echo.

The crowd goes quiet, and I peek around the side of the shack, then back at him. I don’t know why I’m nervous. I never wanted this attention.

“Please explain,” Hudson says.

“I saw her last night at the festival,” I say. “She apologized and gave me that.”

“And then what happened?”

“Then she left.” I shrug.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Please tell me you at least told her how you feel and you didn’t let her show up, pay off the family’s debt, and then leave.”

“No, I didn’t mention that at all. It was a weird night, so excuse me for not pouring my heart out to her after I hadn’t seen her for a week. I have time, though.”

Hudson shakes his head. “I’m not following along.”

“She bought a house in town.” His mouth falls open, and he looks just as shocked as I felt when she told me. “I know,” I say.

I hear hoots and hollers from the long line of women waiting for me. They grow louder, and I know I can’t keep hiding. “We should probably go see what’s goin’ on out there,” I suggest.

He nods, places his hand on my shoulder, and squeezes it before we round the building that was providing privacy. I stop in my tracks as I come face-to-face with Claire. She looks just as confused as I am. Whispers float through the crowd as I approach her, and some pull out their cell phones.

“What are they doing here, and why did they burst into cheers when they saw me?” she asks, as if I have all the answers.

Considering there’s a crowd forming, and I don’t want to put on a show for anyone today, I grab her hand and lead her to the golf cart I just arrived on.

As we drive away together, they erupt into applause.

“Uh, can you pretty please tell me what’s going on?”

I burst into laughter as we escape. Once we have some privacy, I stop driving and turn to her. “Your sister made a post online.”

She places her face in her hands. “Do I want to know what she said?”

“Probably. Considering it was about you and me.”

“Please tell me this is a joke.”

When I shake my head, Claire pulls her phone from her pocket and unlocks it. She goes to her sister’s social media profile and begins reading the same post I just speed read. Then she scrolls the comment section, and I notice her cheeks are rosy red. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know she was going to post this. I’ll tell her to remove it immediately.”

I smirk, finding it adorable that she’s embarrassed. “It’s fine. I noticed she called you CeCe. I dunno if that still works, considering.”

“And I thought you did your research on me.” She bumps her body against mine. “My middle name is Caitlyn, so it still works. Were all those women lined up for you?”

“Yeah, apparently so.” I sigh, then meet her blue eyes.

“Guess that means you won’t have any issue finding your person. It’s like the Lumberjack Bachelor.”

I burst into laughter. “Darlin’, you jealous?”

She bites her bottom lip, not answering the question.

We sit in silence for a few seconds, then I ask, “Uh, so what are you doin’ here? Didn’t expect to run into you today. Not that I’m complainin’.”

“I thought I’d get a Christmas tree for my house. Everyone in my neighborhood has these beautiful trees in their windows, and I’ve never purchased one before.”

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