by Laura Ann
“Mistletoe Magic”
It’s All About the Mistletoe #1
By Laura Ann
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
MISTLETOE MAGIC
First edition. October 7, 2019.
Copyright © 2019 Laura Ann.
Written by Laura Ann.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NEWSLETTER
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 1
DON’T FORGET!
DEDICATION
Every first book of a series is dedicated
to the man who makes this all possible.
Without your support and love
I would never have put finger to keyboard.
Thank you, my Love.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
No author works alone. Thank you Victorine,
You and your sister make it Christmas every time
I get a new cover. And thank you to my Beta Team.
Truly, your help with my stories is immeasurable.
NEWSLETTER
You can get a FREE book by joining my Reading Family!
Every week we share stories, sales and good plain fun.
To get in on the action, just click HERE
PROLOGUE
“Okay... everyone here?” Lane quickly counted all the little squares on her computer screen.
“Me and Lane make six!” Wren shouted from just behind Lane’s head.
Lane quickly put a hand over the offended ear and scowled at her best friend and roommate. “Geez, Wren, we can hear you just fine.”
Wren shrugged unapologetically. “Sorry. I’m a little overexcited.”
“Ya think?” Lane mumbled bringing her gaze back to the computer screen full of smiling faces.
“It’s just that we haven’t seen each other in FOR-EV-VER!” Wren made a silly face at the screen, causing it to erupt in more laughter.
“It may have been years since we were all together, but Wren, I don’t think you’ve changed at all,” Faye said through a snicker. Her purple-tinted corkscrew curls brought a burst of color to the screen full of faces.
“Wren might not have changed, but some of the rest of us have,” Britta frowned and looked down at her lap.
“Yeah, well, you needed to put on a few pounds, Girlie.” Wren sniffed. “Now you actually look like an adult instead of a little girl.”
“Wren!” Lane scolded and elbowed her friend. “Be nice.”
“I am!” Wren made a face. “She looks great. I was just telling her that.”
“Then just say she looks nice,” Lane said with exasperation. “You don’t have to-” Lane shook her head. “Nevermind.” She turned back to the computer and smiled. “How about we get to the point of this video call, huh?”
A round of ‘here, here’s’ rang through the room.
Lane cleared her throat. “As you all know Evanwood’s Christmas Ball is coming up,” she started.
“Can you believe it?” Grace said with a laugh. “I swear time goes faster each year. We all graduated ten years ago, people!”
“No kidding,” Faye added. “That stupid ball is just a constant reminder of how swiftly it all goes.
“I don’t know,” Esther added. “It sure feels like ten years to me,” she said softly.
“That’s because you stayed in that podunk town,” Faye said with a shrug.
“Ladies!” Lane snapped when she saw Esther wince. “We’re not here to pick on each other.” She huffed in exasperation. “I thought we were all friends?”
“Sorry, sorry.” Faye put her hands up. “You’re right.” She looked pointedly at Esther. “Sorry, Esther. Just because you made different choices than me doesn’t mean they were wrong.”
Esther kept her gaze on her lap, but nodded.
Lane rubbed her temples. She loved these girls, but this was proving to be more difficult than she had expected. In high school, their differences had brought them closer. They were a group of misfits who had found comfort with each other. But now as adults, it seemed their differences were driving them apart.
“Come on, Girlies,” Wren said. “Let’s get on with it. We called this meeting because of the upcoming ball... and the fact that every, stinkin’ single one of us... is still single.”
“What exactly are you expecting us to do about it?” Britta narrowed her eyes. “So we’re single. Most of us aren’t coming home for the ball, anyway.”
Lane sat up straight, jumping back into the conversation. “That’s exactly what I was hoping to change.” She bit her lip before continuing. “I think we should all meet up. Like we said, it’s been years since we’ve been together and ten years since we graduated. Don’t you think we should all take advantage of the opportunity?”
“Why?” Grace asked as she scrunched her nose. “Like you said, it’s not like we have anyone to show off to the town, and we keep up with each other on social media. Why bother coming to the ball?”
Lane squished her lips to the side. “I just...” she glanced at Wren, who nodded in encouragement, “I just thought it might be nice to see each other and to show the town what we’re up to.”
Faye frowned. “What exactly are you getting at?”
Wren pushed her face back into the screen. “Haven’t you guys received your invitation yet?”
“No,” Faye huffed. “What does it say?”
Lane sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Mostly the usual, but then it makes a remark about bringing a significant other, or not coming at all.”
Gasps came through the tinny speakers, followed by silence.
Lane leaned back in her seat, suddenly weary from all the anxiety this had been giving her ever since the invite arrived in the mail.
“Who the heck came up with this idea?” Faye snorted.
“Camille,” Esther said softly. When the rest of the girls looked at her, she shrugged. “I already have my invite as well. I’m sure it reached me earlier since they know where I live. Anyway, Pastor Larsen needed help this year and Camille volunteered. She decided she wanted it to be more exclusive, so she’s only allowing you to come if you have a date.”
“Should have known,” Britta muttered under her breath.
“She probably married some hotshot lawyer and wanted a better chance to show off her diamonds,” Wren said with a smirk.
“I don’t think she’s married, but she is dating a doctor. Plastic surgeon I think,” Esther supplied.
“Then it’s not diamonds she’s showing off.” Wren snickered until Lane elbowed her again.
“How do you know all this?” Faye asked.
Esther shrugged. “The gossip mill around here hasn’t slowed down one iota since you all left.”
“Nothing was stopping Camille from bringing her date to the ball anyway, why get all snooty about those who don’t have one?” Grace asked.
All eyes turned to Esther, who blushed bright pink. “Uh... all I know is what the old ladies at church are saying.”
“Do share,” Wren encouraged with a mischievous grin.
“Well, I guess Camille has moved the ball from the church to the Evanwood’s ballroom and is really going all out.”
“Meaning?”
“She’s trying to make it all high-society and stuff, I guess.” Esther shrugged.
“But the date thing I guess was to weed out... undesirables.”
“Undesirables? Are you serious?” Britta squeaked. “That’s ridiculous!”
Esther made a face. “All I know is the rumor. I haven’t spoken to Camille in person. She doesn’t actually live here anymore.”
“Then how the heck did she come to be in charge?” Wren demanded.
“Beats me. But she does visit a lot. Her parents and grandma are still here.”
“Who the heck is she to say we have to have a man? Can’t we all go stag? Buck the rules a bit?” Grace asked.
“Oh sure, until she has her dad arrest us for breaking the rules.” Faye rolled her eyes.
“Only Camille would be able to get away with that,” Britta grouched. “Stupid, sheriff’s daughter.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Grace leaned into the screen. ”What I don’t understand is why Lane is so set on us all going.” All eyes turned to Grace, and she immediately sunk back in her seat. “None of us are friends with Camille, never have been. So why are you set on us going to the ball? We can just ignore it like we have for years?”
Lane chewed on her inner cheek. She didn’t want to admit her reasons for wanting to go this year, but she knew the girls wouldn’t agree until they understood.
“Because Camille sent her a personal note along with the invitation,” Wren supplied.
“Wren!” Lane screeched. She turned to her best friend, hot shame boiling in her chest. “You promised!” she hissed.
Wren shrugged. “Desperate time, Girlie.”
“What did the note say?” Faye interrupted and all the other girls nodded, wanting to know as well.
Lane sighed. “She wrote me a nice little letter about how sad it was I wouldn’t be able to come and that maybe I would have better luck next time.”
“You can’t be serious!” Esther gasped.
“Serious as a caffeine addiction,” Wren said glibly.
Faye whistled and folded her arms over her chest. “We’ve been gone ten years and that girl still can’t leave you alone? What the heck is her problem?”
Lane shrugged. “I’ve never done anything to her, so I don’t know why she hates me so much.”
“It’s just because you were prettier and nicer,” Britta piped in. “It’s a classic tale of jealousy.”
Lane smiled and shook her head. “Don’t I wish. Anyway, I guess I... I don’t know. It’s dumb and I shouldn’t be intimidated by her petty bullying.”
“Alright, everyone, listen up.” Wren pushed her way in front of Lane and got her face right into the webcam. “As much as we might not want to admit it, we were total losers in high school. Every. Single. One of us. Now, we have the opportunity to shake it up a little. One of our own is being taunted by a prissy know-it-all who needs to be taken down a peg or two. Are we all really going to say that after ten years we still can’t get a date to a dance? Are we willing to carry the banner of ‘loser’ on our foreheads for the rest of our lives?” Wren clucked her tongue and shook her head. “I, for one, am not. For once, just once, I want to show up with the hottest guy in the room and make all those wimpy, cheerleading snobs envy me.” Wren put her hands in the air. “Call it pride, call it ego, call it whatever you want, but I’m sick and tired of coming in last and this is our one chance to come out on top. And! Best of all, in doing so, we are defending Lane’s pride.”
Britta scrunched her nose. “You’re being dramatic, Wren.”
Wren pointed at the screen. “Maybe so, but you have to admit I have a point.”
Lane watched all the other ladies reluctantly nod.
Faye folded her arms over her chest. “So, what are you proposing?”
Wren scooted to the side and Lane got back on the screen. “All we’re trying to do is help each other out. I thought between the six of us, we could help each other find a date and maybe save some face on the dance floor.”
“So we’re looking for fake boyfriends?” Grace asked with wide eyes. “Really? That sounds so... naughty.”
Lane winced but nodded. “Yeah. Kinda, I guess. I mean... no one has to know but us, and the guys of course. But I think that’s better than trying to find a real boyfriend on a short timeline. Talk about awkward.”
The ladies were quiet for a moment while they all contemplated the plan.
Faye slapped her hand on the table she was sitting at. “I’m tired of Camille coming out on top, too. I’m in.”
Lane smiled and her tension melted in relief. “Great!”
“Me, too.” Grace shrugged. “I mean, why not? Unless the guy’s a total weirdo, it should make for a pretty fun night.”
Britta nodded. “Yeah. It will. I’m in as well.” She smiled. “Plus, I don’t want Lane to have to take all of Camille’s nastiness.”
All eyes turned to Esther, who was chewing her lip.
Lane held her breath. Esther hadn’t dated since she and Elijah had broken up at graduation. They’d been highschool sweethearts, but Elijah had had no intention of staying in their small town and Esther had no intention of leaving. She’d always been content with her simple life, but that proved to be too much for first and only love. Elijah wanted out and in doing so, broke Esther’s heart.
“I guess so,” Esther finally agreed. “It’s not like I have anything better to do.”
“Woo hoo!” Wren put her hands in the air and hollered, once again making Lane nearly deaf in one ear.
Lane glared at her friend, holding one hand on the side of her head. “That’s great, guys. I think we’ll do much better with us all planning together.” She smiled. “We have one month until the ball, so that should give us plenty of time to come up with potential candidates.”
Faye chuckled and Wren snorted at Lane’s description.
“So, for our first assignment, everyone needs to make a list of men they know, who might be willing to help us out. You can even pair them with a specific partner if you think a certain person would get along with them the best.”
“On it!” Grace said with a smile.
“Sounds good!” Faye added.
All the other women nodded and after a few more minutes, they logged off.
“Good grief, that was harder than I thought,” Lane grumbled, slouching in her seat and closing her eyes.
“Oh, Girlie, you have no idea...” Wren said in an overly ominous voice.
Lane cracked open an eye and frowned. “What?”
“We have to come up with a list of guys,” Wren stated baldly. “That’s going to be way harder than wrangling our best friends into submission.”
Lane groaned and threw an arm over her face. “Why do you always have to be right?”
CHAPTER 1
Lane dragged herself through her apartment door and flopped onto her worn couch, not bothering to take off her coat and scarf. She threw an arm over her eyes and groaned. “Once a loser, always a loser,” she grumbled.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What’s going on here?” Wren asked with a frown. Lane’s best friend and roommate leaned over the back of the couch and picked up Lane’s arm, so she could see her friend’s face. “Rough day at the hospital?”
Lane shook her head and sighed. “Nah. Nothing unusual. In fact, I only got puked on once today. It was great.”
Wren rolled her eyes and dropped the limb. “Only you would think that was a win.” She walked back toward their small kitchen. “But perk up! In two days we go to the beautiful Mistletoe Ball and no one will be puking at all!” She paused and grimaced. “At least I hope not. It would be just like some of those football dudes to get drunk.”
Lane groaned again and brought her other hand up to cover her face. “I’m not going.”
Wren jerked to a stop. “What? Of course you’re going. We’re taking down Camille and you have a hot date!”
“No, I don’t.”
“Uh, yes you do. Don’t you recall Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome? AKA Dr. Carter? The guy who is a total stud but you only think of him as a friend?�
� Wren rolled her eyes to say what she thought of that situation.
Lane sat up and pushed her hair out of her face. “He’s not taking me anymore.” She bit her lip as an ache hit in her chest. “He told me tonight he’s met a woman he wants to date, and he doesn’t think taking me to my reunion will look good for their future relationship.”
“Are you serious? He can’t wait a whole two days to ask her out?” Wren screeched.
Lane winced and shook her head. “You can’t blame him. It’s only a couple of weeks until Christmas. If he wants to get to know her, now is the time. Soon everyone is traveling and stuff.”
Wren folded her arms and pinched her lips. “Still doesn’t make it right. You were going to have the hottest guy there! And a doctor to boot!”
“And now it doesn’t matter, because I’m not going.” Lane threw herself backward on the couch again.
“Oh no you don’t.” Wren marched over and grabbed Lane’s arm, pulling her upright. “We’ll simply have to find you another date. I refuse to listen to Camille gloat all night.”
“Oh, sure,” Lane drawled. “Who the heck are we going to find this late?”
“Aren’t there any other doctors who might go with you?”
Lane huffed and folded her arms. “I’m a nurse, Wren. We don’t normally get all chummy with the doctors. Besides, half of them are old enough to be my father.”
Wren squished her lips to the side before grinning. “You could always let Jared take you.”
“Oh, heavens! I’d rather go stag and risk being arrested by Camille’s dad, thank you very much.” Lane went to drop down again, but Wren stopped her.
“I know. That guy is a total slimeball, I was just joking. The pastor should ban him from our church. Jared only comes to find dates, anyway. If you tried to take him, I’d have to do something drastic.” Wren chewed her lip. “But there has to be someone.”
Lane walked over to the door and started taking off her winter gear. “I can’t think of anyone. Let’s just face it. I was a loser in high school and I’m a loser now.” That ache resurfaced and Lane rubbed her chest. Tears pricked her vision, but she did her best not to let Wren see how hurt she was.