Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

by Stacey Kennedy

  Maybe she was being too hard on herself…maybe… “Okay, then maybe I will.” She smiled at him then set her gaze on the two women filling the boxes of cinnamon buns, cakes, pastries, and so much more.

  People loved Christmas. The warmth of it. The magic. Penelope didn’t know why exactly, but she had a feeling this was one step closer to finding out.

  Most people didn’t surprise Darryl. He had a knack for reading people, most times seeing right through them. Penelope surprised the hell out of him. Sure, over the years, he had wondered about the girl that captivated him intently during those five days at camp. She’d been so full of life, then. Unlike any girl he’d met before. And when he kissed her, he hadn’t regretted it. The kiss had felt right. But today, he saw a different side of Penelope, a softer side, a sweeter side. He liked that side, as much as he liked how she didn’t seem to take life too seriously.

  Damn. He could use a little of that in his very routine world.

  The Christmas breakfast had gone off without a hitch, and the two hours after they had returned from the bakery, he knew that not only was his first Christmas event a huge success, but Penelope had made it so. Behind the large table, he had finished cleaning out the crockpots after packaging up boxes of food for anyone that wanted to take it with them, since most people there filled up on the treats from the bakery. He finished packing up one slow cooker in a box, settling it next to the others, and then found Penelope hugging Al, a war veteran who had many rough times in his life. An odd warmth carried through Darryl watching the exchange. She’d grown into a fine woman. A good woman. Kind in ways that he began believing not many knew about her.

  When Penelope waved a final goodbye to Al, she caught Darryl looking at her, and gave him that bright smile. She wore jeans and flat shoes and a bright red sweater that happened to hug her body in ways he couldn’t ignore. Matched with that Santa hat atop her head, Darryl couldn’t help but wonder what she’d look like naked wearing only that hat.

  She finally reached him, and asked, “Do I pass at my first community service event, Officer Wilson?”

  “With flying colors, Ms. Carter,” he said with a smile.

  Her lips parted but then a soft voice interjected, “Oh, my dear, you are just the sweetest thing River Rock has ever seen.” Mrs. Evans, a retired kindergarten teacher, smiled at Penelope, sidling up to her. “Keep this to stay warm.” She wrapped a knitted scarf around Penelope’s neck, whose eyes suddenly widened. “And for that beautiful heart of yours.”

  Penelope blinked rapidly, glancing from Darryl to Mrs. Evans. “Thank you, but honestly, this was nothing.”

  “To you, maybe not, dear, but look at those smiles.” Mrs. Evan gestured at the crowd sitting at the tables, laughing and enjoying the baked goods. “The joy you brought them today is a very real and big thing.”

  Penelope’s mouth opened then shut.

  Darryl smiled, leaning against the table behind him and folding his arms. Being surprised looked good on her.

  “Mrs. Evans hit the nail on the head with that statement,” Jason, the man who ran the homeless shelter across town, said. He offered his hand to Penelope. “What you did today, Penelope, was kind and generous, and I’m not sure I could say enough thank-yous to repay this.”

  “No repayment needed,” she said, wringing her fingers together, obviously uncomfortable with the compliments.

  Sad. Penelope was this bright light, exuding life, and he wondered how a woman like this wasn’t told everyday how incredible she was? Which, in turn, made him feel like the world’s biggest asshole. He’d done what maybe everyone in her life had done: expected that she would screw up in some epic way, and somehow her fuckup would make him look bad.

  His gut told him that Penelope was greatly misunderstood. He’d been wrong to judge her. He intended to fix that too.

  Darryl said his goodbyes to Mrs. Evans and Jason after Penelope did.

  When they were alone again, Penelope turned to him. “Okay, so you weren’t kidding about how the townsfolk would be.” She gave an easy laugh, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “Good grief, it’s like I saved the town from aliens or something.”

  “They’re just a kind bunch,” Darryl explained. “They like to acknowledge good people.” Though she had no idea what she started. “But trust me, you haven’t seen anything. Word hasn’t even hit the street yet.”

  The color drained from her face. She sputtered something incoherent then said clearly, “Okay, remember when I said I’m not really big into the whole Christmas cheer thing?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I meant that.”

  He laughed. Damn, she was cute. “I’m sure you did, but around here, Christmas is everything. They’ll treat you like you’re this year’s Christmas angel.”

  She cringed. “It was baked goods.”

  He leaned in and dropped his gaze to her eye level, inhaling that sweet scent only belonging to her. “I never said they couldn’t be a bit much, at times.” He chuckled to himself and then moved to the rest of the slow cookers and began packing those up in the boxes to return to his fellow cops who had lent them. Penelope settled in next to him, her arm brushing his. With that simple touch, heat filled his groin. His plan had been to keep things platonic today, ensuring nothing could go wrong with his promotion, but with that heat tempting him, and seeing this new side of her, he asked, “Got any plans tonight?”

  She closed the box. “Maisie was talking about watching sappy Christmas movies all night.”

  “How about I give you a pass on that?” He rose and dropped his gaze to her as she stayed on her knees. Weakness flooded him, followed by hot desire to see her right there when they were both naked.

  “What kind of pass?” she breathed, obviously reacting to the heat tormenting him.

  “Come away with me somewhere for the night.”

  “Hmmm.” She slowly rose until her soft curves were pressed against his hard planes. “And pass up Christmas movies…I don’t know, that’s a real tough one.”

  He grinned, tucking her hair behind her ear. “What if I promise you that tonight will be more romantic than those sappy Christmas movies?”

  She slid her hands up his biceps. “That’s a hefty promise.” Need coursed through him, and he brought his mouth close to hers.

  Right as his lips brushed across hers, a surprised voice said, “I don’t believe it.”

  He glanced sideways finding Clara. For a moment, he thought Clara was surprised about Darryl nearly kissing Penelope. He quickly realized that he had it all wrong when Clara added, “You did all this, Penelope?”

  “God, no,” Penelope gasped, taking a step back, her cheeks notably flushed. “Darryl put this event on. I just helped by getting some treats at the bakery.”

  Clara watched her cousin for a long moment then placed her hands onto her hips. “That’s it. Fess up, what in the hell is going on here? Why are you helping with this? I thought you hated Christmas.”

  Darryl quickly turned away and went for the next slow cooker to stay the hell out of this conversation. The last thing he wanted to do was put Penelope in the hot seat with her cousin, considering she’d done so great today. But he also knew Clara from high school. She was one tough cookie. Clara had dated his best friend in high school, Sullivan Kenne. He’d moved away when the National Baseball League signed him, but Darryl had seen Clara back then—she had a huge heart beneath all that toughness. Her annoyance at Penelope was pure worry.

  “There’s nothing up,” Penelope defended. “Can’t a person just help out?”

  Behind Darryl’s back, Amelia’s voice joined in. “I think it’s so great, Penelope. Seriously, way to go. You’re the talk of the town.”

  Clara’s voice softened, just enough to warm. “And it’s really true? You bought out the bakery?”

  “Yeah, I bought some baked goods,” Penelope said quickly. “No biggie. People are making way too much out of this. God, it’s not like I saved a baby from a burning building o
r something.”

  “It’s a very kind thing to do,” Clara said, obvious pride in her voice. “So, hurry up and get over here and hug me.” There was some shuffling around, and then Clara added, “You made us all super proud today.”

  “Well, ah, I’m glad,” Penelope said tightly.

  Darryl smiled to himself and shut the box, suddenly aware of the heavy silence at his back. Feeling all the laser-focused feminine eyes watching him, he drew in a deep breath then turned to them and smiled. “Hi, ladies.”

  Clara’s hard expression slid back into place. “We all set for the barn dance on Christmas Eve?”

  He nodded. “We are.” Three Chicks Brewery was donating beer to the barn dance to raise money for the literacy program at the school. Darryl suspected for Amelia and Maisie, the move was about donating to their town, but for Clara, he didn’t doubt in the least she thought of the donation as smart business. Which it was. “I’ll send some of the guys over to help load up the kegs, if that works.”

  She nodded, warmth filling her gaze. “We’d appreciate the help.” She turned to Penelope. “We’ll see you at home later?”

  “You will.” She smiled.

  “Mommy, donuts.”

  Clara spun around. “No, those are for—”

  Darryl smiled, watching her hightail it after Mason who was beelining toward the pastry table.

  Amelia rolled her eyes. “He takes after his aunts. He loves sugar. I don’t know why she denies him such deliciousness.”

  Penelope laughed and waved at Amelia before she walked away.

  “He’s a handful,” Penelope said, turning back to Darryl. “But damn is he a cute handful.”

  “Like someone else I know too.” He winked.

  Penelope gave a sweet smile before turning back to Clara, who snatched her son up the moment he shoved a donut into his mouth. “A fast handful too,” he said with a dry laugh.

  “She’s a good mom, though,” Penelope said. “I don’t know how she does it all on her own.”

  “Single moms are the strongest women I know.” His mother included.

  Penelope nodded then packed up another Crock-Pot.

  “No kid or mother deserves a deadbeat father,” Darryl added, staring at Mason, whose cheeks looked like a hamster’s full of food. Every time Darryl looked at the kid, he felt like he was looking at his best childhood friend. “I once thought my buddy Sully was Mason’s father.”

  Penelope turned to him with wide eyes. “Clara’s ex?”

  Darryl nodded. “Mason looks like him.” Had from day one, and that still hadn’t changed. “I confronted Clara once to see if Sullivan wasn’t doing the right thing by her. I was ready to go to Boston and knock some damn sense into him, if that was the case.”

  “What did Clara say?” Penelope asked.

  Darryl recalled that tense conversation. “Clara told me that Mason wasn’t Sullivan’s. That she’d been with someone she had met right after they broke up, and he didn’t want a child.”

  “What a bastard,” Penelope clipped.

  Darryl watched Clara go down to one knee and talk sternly to the boy. He still wasn’t convinced the child wasn’t Sullivan’s. Mason had his friend’s eyes.

  “You don’t believe her, do you?”

  Darryl jerked his gaze to Penelope, finding her watching him closely. “It’s not my place to believe or not believe her.” He’d told Sullivan about Mason, not once, but twice, and Sullivan had called Clara. Darryl didn’t know the outcome of that call. It wasn’t his business to ask. “She’s a great mom,” Darryl added. “He’s a lucky kid. That’s all that matters.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Penelope gave him a sweet smile. After a long look, she finally exhaled deeply. “Yes.”

  He frowned, trying to catch up. “Yes?”

  “Yes, I’ll go with you tonight.”

  “Ah.” He took her hand and tugged her close. “I won over the Christmas movies, then?”

  That addictive heat returned to her eyes in a flash, and she pressed her warmth against him, all soft and perfect. “Definitely.”

  By the time evening rolled around, Penelope had finished her laundry, had dinner with her cousins, and packed an overnight bag. She got momentarily distracted by a text from her mother.

  Your gifts to the kids haven’t arrived yet. Did you get them to the post office on time?

  Penelope found the tracking number and confirmed the order before texting back. Delivery says it’ll arrive by tomorrow morning.

  Her mother’s response was immediate. You really shouldn’t leave these things until the last minute, Penelope.

  Penelope didn’t respond after that. What would she say? First, they were her half-siblings that she barely even knew. They probably wouldn’t even recognize her face out of a picture or know her name. She was like that aunt that only visited every handful of years. And second, the only one who gave her anything for Christmas was her father, and that was money she never wanted. She still had yet to figure out why she needed to participate in Christmas when they made sure not to involve her. Mom obviously wanted to look like she had a perfect happy family to her friends, no doubt.

  Her heart clenched tight, not allowing her mother’s coldness to affect her. Most times, Penelope could shut out that pain. She’d learned to turn off her emotions and carry on with life. When her internal protective wall fell, she ended up skating drunk on fountains. Not wanting to let her good mood become spoiled, Penelope turned off her phone and ignored the world. Most of all, her family.

  It wasn’t long after that Darryl had gathered her for their night away, and when she slid onto the passenger seat of his truck, she was sick of the word thank you. Sure, her heart warmed knowing she had brought the people of River Rock so much joy, but she wasn’t expecting to be highlighted on River Rock’s Twitter page. And when she’d folded laundry that afternoon, hiding from the world to catch her breath, the townsfolk stopped in to say thanks. Apparently, River Rock was the town of nice people. Which she guessed shouldn’t be a surprise. The town was small and quaint, and everyone seemed to know each other, but that was just the opposite of what she knew. Most of the people she knew were transient workers or tourists who never stayed for more than a few days. And she knew why she was drawn to those types of people—having no one in her life permanently was way less scary than letting people in.

  The country music played through the speakers as Darryl’s truck lights showed off the glistening snowy night. Up ahead, a plow threw dirt onto the snow banks ahead of them, the yellow light on top of the truck nearly blinding.

  “You’re not afraid of snowmobiles, are you?” Darryl asked, breaking the silence.

  She glanced sideways, watching the relaxed way he drove on their three-hour drive into the wilderness. Yeah, he kinda proved already he could handle just about anything he faced. “Are you kidding me?” She guffawed. “I’m not scared of anything.” Okay, maybe letting herself be vulnerable, but he didn’t need to know that. “Where are we going, anyway?”

  “Now that’s a surprise.” His mouth twitched.

  A surprise, huh? She couldn’t remember the last time anyone surprised her—if ever. She crossed her legs, staring out at the mesmerizing snow in the truck’s headlights as they climbed the summit.

  When they finally reached the top, Darryl turned into a driveway that led to a cabin in what defined a postcard-perfect winter getaway. The log cabin was hugged by a mature forest of evergreen trees. With all the lights in the cabin turned on, the floor-to-ceiling triangular windows all but glowed, welcoming anyone into its warmth. “Geez, this place is gorgeous.” When he stopped the truck, she hurried out into the brisk cold night, lifting her scarf that she’d received today a little higher onto her neck.

  “It’s been in my family for generations,” he explained. “Passed down, and now belongs to me and Ashley.”

  Penelope took in the lights again, a sudden realization hitting her. “I thought you said your sister is in En
gland.”

  “She is.” Darryl pressed a strong hand against her back, leading her up to the front door, with their two bags in one hand. “I automated the cabin a couple years ago to switch the lights on and turn up the heat remotely so we’re good to go when we come.”

  “Convenient,” she said, kinda impressed by that. She could barely get her life together. Darryl seemed to be so far ahead of the game.

  Once she followed him in, she found a quaint cabin, with a cute and cozy living room with a big white faux fur rug in front of the stone fireplace and a brown leather couch. At the far back was a small galley kitchen and an island with tall chairs. The bathroom was set next to the staircase that had a loft-style bedroom.

  Darryl dropped their bags near the couch. “You can marvel over the cabin later. I’ve got a surprise waiting for you.” He moved to the coat tree near the front door. “This is all Ashley’s stuff.” He handed her an armful of snow gear, including snow pants and big winter boots. “You’re about the same size.”

  Well, no, Ashely was a size smaller, but Penelope squeezed into the gear as Darryl easily got into his.

  “Ready?” he asked once he finished.

  She nodded, wrapping her scarf around her face up to her nose. “Ready.”

  He led her outside to the small shed off to the right side of the house. After he vanished inside, an engine roared to life, followed by him exiting and pushing a snowmobile. He offered her a helmet before he fastened his own.

  “Good to go?” he asked.

  She gave a big thumbs-up with her enormous mittens.

  He adjusted her scarf until all that showed was her eyes. “It’s a cold one.” He grabbed his face scarf, placing it over his nose, then he got on the snowmobile and she settled in behind him.

  She wrapped her arms around him tight, and then they were off. Apart from feeling like a giant pillow in her snow gear, the ride was incredible. The moon was bright along the journey, guiding their way, as did the light on the snowmobile. Darryl obviously knew the area well as he went a decent speed through the forest on a snow-covered trail until the snowmobile slowed.