Page 96 of Meet Me on Mistletoe Lane

“Nope.” He apparently just enjoys confessing secrets about peanut butter and what it means when a guy “leans.”

“Do you think James will ask you?”

“He probably doesn’t even know about it.” I flipped up my hood and burrowed deeper into my jacket, hoping it would protect me from the biting wind.

“You’d have to live under a rock to not know about it while staying in this town,” Jo said. “What about Mr. Bailey? Think you guys can get him to go?”

I kicked a loose stone on the sidewalk into the street.

Why hadn’t James and I talked about that—about ways to get his dad to buy into Christmas at Mullings Creek—on our date?

Oh wait.

We were too busy ranking Christmas movies and discussing stupid cheesecake.

“You off in your thoughts?” Jo asked.

I nodded as icy guilt snaked its way around my stomach. “I should’ve thought to talk to him more about Operation Ho Ho Humbug last night. I mean, I didn’t even look to see if his dad came to see the movie! What the heck was I thinking?”

She looped her arm through mine. “You were thinking about yourself and your feelings and enjoying your date. And there’s nothing wrong with that, G.”

“So it definitely was a real date, right?” I asked. I mean, it felt like one.

Jo tilted her head. “Do you want it to be?”

I swallowed. “Yeah, I do.” Even though my stomach still felt tighter than my hair when Bianca braided it.

She smiled. “Then that’s that!”

That’s that? But what about—

“Hey.” She nudged me. “You’ve still got time to win over his dad.”

Psh. “Not really.” It was already December seventeenth. Eight days till Christmas.

And less than two weeks till the Baileys leave Mullings Creek.

All I had done since they arrived was help fix a chaotic mess of a gingerbread house and a couple rounds of Snowman Bowling.

Some help I’ve been.

A bark sounded behind us, making us stop and turn around to find Sandy waiting with something shiny in her mouth, her tail wagging. The red antler cap Aunt Sofia crocheted sat crooked on her head.

“Whatcha got now, girl?” I asked, letting go of Jo’s arm before I crouched down in front of Sandy and fixed her hat. She gently lowered her head to the ground and dropped an old, tarnished compass at my feet.

Something about it looked familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Did you want me to have this?” I asked her.

She replied with a short bark and then sat expectantly.

“You’re such a smart girl.” I smiled at her before bringing my book bag around front and opening one of my smaller pockets. I pulled out a Ziploc bag of small dog treats and tossed one to her.

She caught it mid-throw and then promptly got up and trotted back down the street.

“Where’d she get the hat?” Jo asked as I stood back up.

“Aunt Sofia.” I tucked the compass into my jacket pocket.