Page 99 of Meet Me on Mistletoe Lane

I nodded again.

Jo dried the mixing bowl and pinched her lips together, her focus moving around the kitchen until it landed on the bag of crushed candy canes, a slow smile then spreading across her face. “I think I have an idea.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Peppermint! What I’ve been searching for all my life!”

—Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Jo, true to form, held off telling any of us about her “brilliant master plan” until we were all together at Wanderin’ Eats Diner for lunch after our Pre-Calc final the next morning. She sat next to Sam, who was busy looking anywhere but at me—which was fine.

It’s not like I’ve replayed our second almost-kiss a hundred times in my head since it happened.

I was far too busy thinking about my super-awesome, exciting kiss with someone who actually wanted to reciprocate.

But by the time that someone came in, our multiple orders of fries and chocolate shakes were already half empty.

“Sorry!” James announced as the diner door flew open, bringing in a bitterly cold wind that blew two menus off the counter. “I had to help Dad find his laptop, and it took longer than expected.”

He threw his jacket on one of the empty hooks by the door and slid into the booth next to me, absentmindedly kissing my cheek when he did.

See? How is that so hard?

Sam’s attention immediately snapped toward the two of us, but I pretended not to notice as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and cleared my throat. “Your dad lost his laptop?”

James smirked. “Well, he didn’t lose it, per se. I hid it.”

Jo laughed. “And how did that go?”

“Honestly, it was a great plan for the first hour.” James grabbed a fry and dunked it into some ketchup before popping it into his mouth. “I convinced him that he left it at Eve’s, so he went there first and got a coffee. And then he called me all flustered and said it wasn’t there, so I told him to check The Market—”

“Brilliant,” I said before taking a sip of my milkshake.

“Thanks.” He rested his arm on the back of the booth seat behind me. “But apparently when he got there, he ran into your mom, who was arguing with your Nona. Something about how she left mistletoe all over her studio?”

God, not again.

I thought Mom had changed the locks after last year.

I fell back against the seat. “I bet I’ll hear all about that later.”

“Without a doubt.” James reached for another fry at the same time Sam did, but Sam pulled his hand back and said, “Go ahead.”

“Thanks!” James grabbed it and took a bite. “Long story short: Nona asked my dad to help your mom with some cookie deliveries—”

“Santa works hard. Nona works harder.” I rolled my eyes.

“And by the time he made it back to the B&B, he was pretty pissed, so I did this whole ‘Oh, look, here it is!’ bit, but he didn’t buy it.” James took a long sip of his milkshake. “He told me to go down and ask your Aunt Sofia for a vacuum and duster and then made me clean the entire suite.” He sighed. “Those Christmas villages and elf statues were brutal.”

“Hermey’s hat is a nightmare,” I mumbled.

Bianca, Nico, and I had “elf statue” duty a few years ago when we forgot to close the freezer all the way after sneaking some ice cream.

“But I’m here now!” He clapped and looked at Jo. “So, what is this great plan?”

“Okay, here we go.” Jo rubbed her hands together and then pulled a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket. She hastily unfolded it, then pushed the fries to the side and flattened it out in the middle of the table.

Sam and I both tried turning the paper at the same time, and zips of electricity pulsed through my hand when our fingers brushed.