Page 89 of Meet Me on Mistletoe Lane

“I dunno.” I looked back at the mirror. “Have you seen what happens if I go to bed with it wet? I’d make an excellent home for any magpie.”

We laughed before she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, squeezing me tightly as I pressed my nose against the hood of her sweatshirt and breathed her in.

Clay.

Oil paint.

And eucalyptus—her attempt at covering it all up.

When she let go, she wiped my cheeks. I hadn’t even realized tears had fallen.

“You look beautiful, but you are missing one thing.” She stepped back and put a finger on her chin.

“I am?” I checked my wrist for my watch and my right ring finger for my claddagh ring. Yep. Both there.

“Yep.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out one of my favorite pairs of earrings, small white drops in the shape of irises. Her favorite flower.

I gasped. “Are you sure I can borrow these?”

“For my daughter? Psh. Anything.” She laid them in my palm and pressed my fingers closed around them. “Your father gave me these before I opened Designs by Alice, and they’ve brought me luck ever since.”

I kissed her damp cheek and hurried over to the mirror to put them on.

Mom appeared behind me and rested her chin on my shoulder. “Perfetta, cara.”

I ran my fingers over them, the way I’d seen my mother do before a big event in town, and smiled. She was right.

They were perfect.

“I miss him, too, you know,” I whispered to our reflections that blurred behind new tears, my throat tight. “Sometimes I miss him so hard that I can barely breathe.”

Mom kept her chin on my shoulder and tilted her head against mine. “Me too.”

“It’s been so many years.” I sniffed. “I worry I’m starting to forget things.”

“Like?”

“I dunno. Little things?” I turned around to face her. “Like the way he’d throw open our front door every day after school…or how he took his coffee at the breakfast table, or the sound of his laugh—”

“Gianna,” Mom said, cupping her hand on my cheek. “Some memories will fade over time, but others will always stay with us.” She sighed and released her hand. “He used to drop his bags on top of everyone’s shoes after he got home. It drove me nuts because he could’ve easily hung them up on the wall, but he would say that he couldn’t wait. He was too excited to see everyone.”

I laughed. He did say that.

“He drank his coffee with a tiny splash of whole milk,” she added.

“That’s right!” I said, suddenly remembering how he used to tease my mother about her sugary creamer.

“And as far as his laugh goes, well…” She brushed a stray hair off my forehead. “I get to hear it every day, thanks to you and Leo.”

“Well, it’s not hard when you have annoying cousins who live right next door…” I nodded toward my Aunt Helen’s house.

“Good point.” She winked.

The doorbell rang, making us both jolt.

“That’ll be your hot date.” She beamed. “Better get down there!”

I grabbed my crossbody, double-checking that I had my neffy, before hurrying down the stairs. I did some of Leo’s deep breathing as I slid into my boots, but my nerves were still jumpy when I opened the door. James stood before me beaming and wearing dark jeans, boots, and a collared shirt under a light blue sweater, which turned his eyes a stunning robin’s-egg blue.