Stella’s eyes were red from crying. “I saw them earlier and Rafe dropped a bombshell. They’re having a baby. Did you know that?”
Lucy sucked in a shocked breath and shook her head. She hadn’t heard the news. She wasn’t sure how much more Stella could take. To lose her fiancé and have him marry someone else so quickly was a stab in the gut. Everything else was just plain torture.
“I didn’t mean to project my heartache on to you and Dante. I just don’t want to see you get hurt all over again. It’s bad enough that I’m walking around with an empty cavity where my heart used to be. I don’t want you to join me.” Stella’s voice was laced with so much anguish it made Lucy think she might break down in tears herself. She hated Rafe with everything she was worth for shattering her sister’s heart and breaking her spirit.
“Stella, I’m going to be fine. It’s you I’m worried about. I want you to lean on me whenever you need to cry or vent. Or punch a wall if need be. I’ve done it a few times myself.”
Stella began to chuckle. “I won’t be punching any walls. That sounds really painful. With my luck I’d break my hand.”
Lucy laughed along with her. “Well, it’s all right if you do. I’ve got your back. And in case I haven’t made it clear, Rafe is the world’s biggest fool, bar none. I know it might be difficult to hear, but he did you a major favor by calling things off. This way you can move forward and find the one.”
The one. Ever since they were teenagers Lucy and Stella had talked about finding that one magical person who would be their forever. In their endless conversations they’d fantasized about dream weddings, tropical honeymoons, and white picket fences. Sadly, it seemed that neither one of them was even close.
“Let’s hope we both find him,” Stella said. “Unless of course you already have.” Stella locked gazes with her, issuing a challenge with her words that Lucy wasn’t sure how to respond to. Years ago she’d thought of Dante as being her one, but she hadn’t gone down that road in a long time. They were friends now…with kissing privileges.
Suddenly, Dante reappeared minus the red-and-white Santa costume. Lucy hadn’t ever been so happy to see anyone before in her life. It saved her from having to get real by answering Stella’s loaded question.
“Hey, I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Dante said, holding up the Santa suit. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to give this back to you.”
Lucy laughed and took the suit off Dante’s hands and placed it back in the garment bag. “Don’t forget to add this gig to your acting résumé, Dante. You were a picture-perfect Santa. You’re going into the master list for next year,” she teased. She knew it was highly unlikely he would be back in Mistletoe this time next year, but she wanted to see him squirm a bit.
Dante winced and shook his head. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for a repeat performance. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I’ll pass.”
The look on Dante’s face was comical. He’d been such a lifesaver earlier by stepping in and playing Santa. Dante had singlehandedly rescued the Santa’s Village event. She’d been so desperate to find someone to assume the role, Lucy had even considered donning the Santa suit herself. She knew without a shadow of a doubt it would have been a hot mess.
“How would you ladies like to walk around the festival with me?” Dante asked, looking back and forth between them. “I’m thinking some holiday baked goods and poutine fries.”
Lucy darted a glance at Stella. She still looked shaken by her run-in with her ex-fiancé. And walking around the town green with the most famous face to ever grace Mistletoe wouldn’t give Stella the privacy she needed. As much as Lucy wanted to stroll around the Christmas Frolic with Dante—maybe hold his hand or sneak a kiss—her sister came first.
“I think Stella and I are going to talk some more,” Lucy said. “Maybe we’ll catch up to you later on.”
“Okay, then. More Yule log cake for me,” he said, rubbing his stomach as he strode away from them. Lucy watched him as he walked off. Her stomach twisted a little at the sight of him leaving. She knew soon enough he’d be taking off for good and all these moments they’d shared would be nothing but memories.
Although she’d been tempted to walk around the holiday fair with Dante, she knew Stella needed her far more than Dante ever would. Not to mention that she was a bit leery after seeing her sister’s heartbreak up close and personal. It served as a reminder that being romantically involved with Dante made her vulnerable. Even though she kept telling herself that she was just going to live in the moment and enjoy their relationship until he headed back to California, Lucy wasn’t being honest with herself. If she lived to the ripe old age of one hundred and four, Dante West would always own a piece of her heart. And the very idea of losing him a second time hurt like hell.
Chapter Fifteen
As Dante wandered around the Christmas Frolic, he couldn’t help but wish he had Lucy by his side. He understood that Stella needed some TLC. He wasn’t sure what was going on with her, but her puffy eyes and tearstained cheeks spoke to her fragile state of mind. The Marshall sisters had always shared a tight and loving bond. It was nice to see nothing had changed in that regard. He truly envied them. Earlier today when Dante had spotted Troy in the crowd, he’d yearned for things to be different between them.
Along the way several people paused to talk to him and a few kids asked about his upcoming movie, Fatal Implosion. It would be the last film in the popular franchise and fans were already clamoring to see it. When he went back to California he would be busy promoting the film, sitting down for interviews and traveling to premieres. In addition, he would be finishing up this film he was directing. He still hadn’t come up with a title for the movie. All the internal memos referenced it as the Mistletoe project. Dante had been waiting for the perfect title to pop into his brain, but so far, it eluded him. Maybe he was being too sentimental about it.
As he walked past the gazebo, Dante ran straight into Lucy’s parents, who were walking around with Tess. Dante enjoyed a mini reunion with the Marshalls. When he was a kid, their home had always been wide open to him. He’d eaten more meals at their dinner table than he could recount. At Christmas, Dante had helped them trim the tree and he’d always left a gift for Lucy underneath it so she could open it up on Christmas morning. Before parting ways with him, they reminded him not to be a stranger and invited him to pop over to the house before he went back to California. Just knowing he was still welcome made him a bit emotional. After things had gone so terribly wrong between him and Lucy, he’d figured that Leslie and Walt had written him off. It was gratifying to know they hadn’t.
After saying his goodbyes to the Marshalls, Dante continued to explore the event. He grinned as he passed the pie-eating competition. This year it was pumpkin and apple, two of his personal favorites. The sight reminded him of his dad and how much pleasure he’d taken in being a part of Mistletoe’s holiday celebration. Dante could picture him sitting at the table stuffing his face with pie and grinning from ear to ear when he won the contest. For the first time in years he could think of his father without guilt swallowing him up whole. Not all the memories of him were painful.
“Dante!” a high-pitched voice called out his name as he stood in line at the concessions stand. When he turned toward the sound, he spotted Missy standing about twenty feet away waving wildly at him. Unsurprisingly, she was smack-dab in the middle of a crowd of teenagers signing autographs. He could tell she was in heaven, judging by the look on her face. Missy loved being a celebrity far more than she enjoyed the craft of acting. She was a good person, but somewhere along the way her priorities had shifted.
Missy had poor impulse control. On several occasions she’d put the moves on him, even though he knew for a fact she wasn’t single. He’d always let her down gently, telling her he didn’t want to cross any romantic lines with her because they were colleagues. He was halfway telling the truth. Although Missy was attractive and sweet, she wasn’
t Dante’s type at all.
Lucy’s face suddenly appeared before his eyes. She was, and would always be, his very definition of beauty. With her sepia-colored eyes and toasted-brown skin, she radiated like the sun. He could easily picture her twenty years from now with slight crow’s feet surrounding her eyes and strands of silver by her temples. She’d always be a knockout.
Before he knew it, Missy was beside him, clutching on to his arm. “Dante. I’m so happy to see you here. Come join us. We’re about to take a sleigh ride.” Dante looked behind her where a group of his cast and crew had congregated. He waved, happy to see them enjoying their downtime. The next few days would be filled with intense shoots and long days and nights, so it was nice they could experience the festival and get a taste of the town’s holiday vibe.
Suddenly, Nick strolled up, providing a convenient out for him with Missy. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hang out with his cast and crew, but after spending so much time on set, Dante needed a break. He wanted to revisit the Christmas Frolic through the lens of his childhood and reconnect with old classmates and teachers. He wanted to figure out how he could continue giving back to his hometown.
“Hey, Nick!” Dante said, effusively greeting his friend with a pat on the back.
“Hey there, Santa,” Nick said with a wink. “Miles can’t stop talking about his visit with Mr. Claus.”
Dante put a finger to his lips. “Shhh. I’m trying to keep the mystery going.”
Missy knitted her brows together, clearly unaware of what they were talking about.
“Nick, this is Missy North,” Dante said. “He and I grew up in Mistletoe. We used to play football together.”
“I’m Nick Keegan,” Nick said, reaching out to take Missy’s hand in his. “It’s nice to meet you.” Missy turned her attention to Nick and flashed him her best Colgate smile.
Dante couldn’t remember Nick ever looking so awestruck by a woman other than Kara. Maybe his friend was ready to stick his big toe in the dating pool after all, although he knew Missy wasn’t exactly available. She was keeping it on the down low, but Missy had gotten married a year ago. Despite some bumps in the road between her and Scott, they were still hitched.
“This town sure has its fair share of handsome men. There must be something in the water,” Missy quipped, her eyes roaming over Nick’s physique in full admiration. She turned her gaze to Dante. “I’ll take a rain check on the sleigh ride.”
“You saved me,” Dante said in a relieved voice as Missy walked away.
“From what?” Nick asked, his gaze trailing after Missy. “She doesn’t look like the sort of woman a man needs saving from. Have mercy!”
Dante shook his head. The awe on Nick’s face was comical. “You have no idea. Proceed at your own risk.”
Nick laughed. “No, thank you. I know better than to pursue a woman who only has eyes for you. I learned that lesson back in high school.”
Nick had had a crush on Lucy back in the day, but he’d gotten over it once she and Dante had become an item. There had been no hard feelings and his friendship with Nick had never wavered. Shortly thereafter, Nick had fallen for Kara. And they’d all been happy and coupled up. At least for a little while. Every now and then, Dante wondered what his life might have been like if he had stayed in Mistletoe. Would he have been stuck working at the family hardware store? Or would he have gone to college like Lucy? Perhaps he would have ended up with Lucy and forged new dreams. Although he loved the life he’d built in California, he regretted missing out on the possibility of a life with Lucy. Was he just being sentimental? Or was it something more?
“Speaking of Lucy, how’s it going between you two? I know you’ve been filming at the library.” He made a face. “Town chatter has been in overdrive since you came home.”
“It’s been going pretty well,” he admitted. “I won’t say all is forgiven, but we’ve managed to forge something new out of the ashes. I guess you could say we’re friends.” Dante didn’t want to tell Nick he’d reignited a romance with Lucy without her okaying it. Clearly she hadn’t wanted her own sister to know the truth. He couldn’t really blame her, considering that she would be facing the rumors head-on once he finished filming in Mistletoe. The very thought of leaving caused a funny feeling in his gut.
“Friends, huh?” Nick said with a snort. “In case you didn’t know, something happens to your face when you talk about her.” Nick pointed to Dante’s eyes. “Right there. There’s a special light in your eyes. That’s the only way I can explain it. But it’s there.”
“You’ve been watching too many of those romance movies you like so much,” Dante said, rolling his eyes.
“Hey! It wasn’t me who loved those movies. It was Kara. I just watched along with her,” Nick protested. “Haven’t you ever heard of Netflix and chill?”
“Whatever you say, Nick,” Dante said, chuckling as he shook his head. Nick was a huge fan of romantic movies and it had permeated his relationship with his wife. His friend was a romantic soul at heart. Dante believed he wasn’t the type of man who should walk through life alone.
Nick’s eyes focused on something behind Dante. “Hey, Lucy. Your ears must be burning,” he said, his eyes twinkling.
“Hey, Nick. Dante. Were you guys talking about me?” Lucy asked as she walked up. She looked back and forth between them. Dante shot Nick a dirty look.
“I was just telling him about the great Santa Claus experience and how I was the jolliest Kris Kringle this town has ever seen,” Dante fibbed. “I told him you killed it as Santa’s favorite elf.”
“Aww. That’s nice of you to say,” Lucy said. He could tell she was pleased at the compliment by the way she was beaming. “It was a lot of fun. It really set the tone for a wonderful festival.”
“I feel bad that I missed it. Our sitter took Miles. I just got off work, but he raved about it as soon as I saw him,” Nick said. “Great job, guys.”
“Don’t forget it’s your turn as Santa next year,” Lucy said, looking at Nick pointedly.
“Why don’t we just ask Dante to come back and suit up again?” Nick asked, playfully slapping Dante on the shoulder.
“That is so not happening,” Dante muttered, making sure Lucy didn’t hear him. Nick had to stifle a laugh with his hand.
“Did you guys get food yet? I’m starving,” Lucy said, peering around Nick to check out the concessions area.
“Not yet,” Dante said. “I think I ran into everyone I’ve ever known on the way over here, all the way down to my nursery school teacher, Miss Botts.”
“That’s how small towns are,” Lucy said. “Plus, you’ve been gone for a long time. I imagine folks are wondering if you’ll ever come back.”
Dante wasn’t sure if Lucy was simply stating the facts or dinging him. She had a pleasant expression on her face, but there was a slight edge to her voice. He shouldn’t be surprised. It wasn’t as if he could sweep back into town and instantly patch everything up with his magic wand.
“I better go find Miles so he doesn’t overdose on Christmas goodies. We’ll catch up to you guys at the tree lighting ceremony,” Nick said, practically racing away from them. Nick had clearly sensed something off in Lucy’s tone and he’d chosen to get out of Dodge. That was pure Nick. He avoided confrontations at all costs.
Dante didn’t bother telling Lucy he would definitely be coming back to Mistletoe. Talk was cheap. He would simply show her through his actions that he wasn’t going to be MIA any longer. Being home in Mistletoe was restoring something inside of him he never imagined he’d get back. And he never wanted to lose it again.
“Is Stella okay? She looked pretty broken up earlier.” He wasn’t trying to pry, but perhaps Lucy’s mood was tied up in Stella’s sadness. It made sense with them being so close.
Lucy quirked her mouth. “Not really, but she will be. Someone kicked her heart around a little bit and it’s going to take some time to heal those wounds,” she explained. “I managed to cheer her u
p a little bit, but she wanted to make an early night of it. I tried to convince her to stick around for the tree lighting, but her heart wasn’t in it.”
“I’m sorry,” Dante said. “Not just for what Stella’s going through, but for what I put you through as well. I can’t say it enough.”
Lucy simply nodded. Hurt lurked in the depths of her eyes. Even though he’d made progress with Lucy over the past few weeks, he was beginning to realize that he couldn’t erase how he’d made her feel. The damage was done. It didn’t matter that his heart had been broken as well. He’d been the one to set everything in motion, so he had to take ownership.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Stella’s situation brought back memories of her own heartbreak. Maybe that’s what he was sensing lurking under the surface with Lucy.
“I ran into your parents a little while ago,” Dante said, changing the subject. “It was great to see them looking so well. They looked like a couple of teenagers.”
Lucy’s face lit up. “They do, don’t they? Rest and relaxation has helped my mom so much. She has a doctor’s appointment soon and we’ll find out if she’s in remission.”
“I’ll think good thoughts. Care to get some food?” He sniffed the air. “It smells delicious.”
“Sure,” Lucy said, rubbing her stomach. “I could go for some apple cider and cheesy fries. Oooh, and maybe a pecan twist. And a hot dog and corn fritters.”
“Good thing you’re not hungry,” Dante teased as they got in line. He liked a woman who enjoyed her food. Lucy’s love of food had given her curves in all the right places, and he thoroughly approved.
A few minutes later they’d ordered enough food to feed half of Mistletoe. Each of them carried a tray to a nearby table they’d been lucky to claim from a family who’d just finished eating. In keeping with the holiday theme, all the tables were decorated with garlands and candy canes. In the center sat a beautiful crimson poinsettia. The entire town green had been transformed into a true winter wonderland.
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