Page 70 of Meet Me on Mistletoe Lane

“Yes, it is.”

Aunt Sofia waved her fork toward my uncle. “Then how did I dream about Gabriel before I met him?”

Bianca stopped eating. “You dreamed about Dad before you—”

“I did take a little French in high school,” Uncle Gabe said as he rose with his empty wine glass and walked toward the back door.

“Surely, you don’t eat any peanut butter now, right?” Nico asked James.

“Wait. What?” James asked. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Crap.

The entire room went still.

Nona’s oven timer dinged.

The back door banged shut, and Uncle Gabe stood frozen by the door, holding his refilled glass. “What’d I miss?”

“Oh, not much,” Marco said.

“Just Gianna’s boyfriend possibly killing her,” Nico added.

Sam tensed next to me.

“Whipped to perfection.” Aunt Sofia pushed some of the cheese around her plate, inspecting it.

I held up my hand. “He didn’t know—”

Bianca leaned forward. “How does your boyfriend not know you’re deathly allergic to peanuts?”

“And tree nuts!” Leo added.

“Boyfriend?” Mr. Bailey turned his head toward our end of the table. “Is this true, James? I mean, you barely know the girl—”

“She’s not my girlfriend.” James shifted in his seat. “I mean, we’re not ruling that out someday, but…”

“But we’re just getting to know each other,” I finished. “I haven’t told him things like my food allergies yet.”

Or my shoe size.

Or how I still check under my bed before I go to sleep.

Must’ve missed that memo.

“Seems like an important thing to mention to someone you’re kissing.” Marco’s eyes narrowed in on me.

Sam coughed into his water glass.

“Ew,” Leo mumbled.

“We’re not kissing,” I said, staring down my cousin.

“Yet,” James added with a smirk.

Okay, definitely not helping here, bud.

“Bradley Cooper rowed crew in college,” Mom blurted. “Did you know that? He went to Georgetown.”