Christmas at Mistletoe Lodge: New Holiday Romances to Benefit St. Jude Hospital

by Sabrina York

  Mia shrugged. “Stuff I say to Dad goes in one ear and out the other.”

  “Yes. I understand. Most of the time, he’s like that with me too. But still…” Amanda was studying her with definite concern. “So—what makes you think your dad won’t approve of this boy?”

  “Besides the fact that Noah wears an earring and has a goatee?” Mia wore a mischievous smile as Amanda’s eyes went wide. “He drives a Harley.”

  After suffering through a paroxysm of coughing, Amanda finally stopped, and grimacing, she answered dryly, “There’s a pretty good chance that you might be right about your dad not approving.”

  Mia snorted, and they both began laughing.

  4

  Noah stood onstage behind the scenes, watching the performing band getting ready to run through their final set. He was sure going to miss singing with his band once he entered the Air Force. Noah had suggested the idea of hosting community concerts to Emily Richardson during his freshman year of high school after noticing the neglected bandstand here at the beach, and he’d been as much a part of coordinating the weekly concerts as she had. He’d been kind of a head case back in those days. He’d ridden his bicycle around town and spent a lot of lonely hours here brooding the loss of his mom, along with his own existence.

  Once his grandparents had given Noah the guitar he’d been longing for, everything had changed. Putting all his focus into learning how to play, after only three short months, he’d mastered the basic chords and was even writing his own music a few months later.

  Music had been his salvation, along with Emily Richardson’s extended family of talented musicians and vocalists who gathered at her home, where she was intent on paying it forward. And none of it would have happened without the support of his grandparents, who’d encouraged him. It wasn’t even the music as much as it was the motivation to make something of his life.

  Scoping the audience, and noticing his grandparents sitting in some lawn chairs away from the crowd, Noah climbed down the staircase from the stage, approaching the concession stand, where he purchased some drinks and snacks.

  The band onstage began playing and Noah grinned, walking towards his grandparents, handing over popcorn and lemonade before sitting on the sand nearby.

  “These concerts seem to get better every year. Everyone playing sounds so professional,” Gram said. “I noticed there was some buildup with a band playing mellower music first, and as the evening moved forward, the music’s become current.”

  “Yep. That was deliberate,” Noah admitted. “What do you two think? Since we want to promote this as a family event, Emily and I decided the music should target different generations.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Gramps answered. “By the end of the evening, you’ve got the families with the younger kids moving out of here, leaving the beach open for the younger crowd to dance or do whatever you want to do after knowing you’ve gotten rid of us.”

  Noah laughed, but when he turned and glanced at the crowd, his heart nearly stopped beating when he noticed Mia Michaels sitting in the distance, with her eyes focused on him.

  “Uh, oh,” Gram turned to Gramps, whispering in a sing song voice. “She must be here.”

  “Hmm…,” Gramps answered, his eyes searching the crowd.

  Noah looked at them, rolling his eyes before he grinned. “I’d better get back onstage. We’re up next. I should be home in another hour or two.”

  “We can wait, Noah. In fact when you’re finished, why don’t you let us grab your guitar and load any equipment you want at home?” Gramps said. “We’ll drive up to the bandstand once the beach isn’t as crowded.”

  Noah stood up. “Are you sure? It might be another hour before we’re finished.”

  Definitely looking resigned, Gram answered, “It’s starting to hit home that we’re not going to be seeing much of you after this summer. We need to take advantage of every opportunity we get.”

  Whatever words Noah thought about saying out loud choked up in his throat.

  Finally he sighed heavily and agreed. “Okay. See you both a little later.”

  By the time Noah walked back onstage, the girl band which was playing was running through the final notes of their last number.

  As soon as they finished, Noah’s crew of friends came scrambling onstage, gathering the girls’ instruments and moving them out of the way, so Noah’s band could quickly set up the rest of their own equipment.

  Emily Richardson’s teenage daughter Rose was a member of the band which had just performed, and when she saw Noah, she gave him a huge smile. “Noah. It’s good to see you again.”

  “Hey, Rose. Home for the summer—huh?”

  “I am. Since Drew enlisted, I’ll be taking his place as an advisor at camp this year.”

  Noah’s eyes went wide. “What? Drew enlisted? He didn’t make it back to Northwestern?”

  Rose definitely looked troubled. “Marielle is a wreck.”

  Noah frowned. “But her career has really taken off—hasn’t it?”

  “It has. But she’s so distracted, worrying about Drew. Supposedly, he and his dad had a huge falling out.”

  Noah frowned. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”

  Composer Drew Kendall had assisted Emily at her music camp during the previous two summers. Last year, when vocalist Marielle McKinnon had arrived as a camp participant, they’d fallen for each other hard.

  Rose bit her lip. “Drew writes the most incredible music and lyrics.”

  Noah gave her a wry smile. “He got even better after he began seeing Marielle.”

  Rose suddenly giggled. “You noticed too?”

  Noah saw Brad motioning him onstage. “Oops. Guess we’re up. I’m glad you’re helping out at camp this summer, Rose. At least I’ll see one familiar face.”

  “Knock ‘em dead,” Rose muttered, moving toward the edge of the stage.

  “Will do,” Noah answered.

  Walking onstage and reaching for his guitar, Noah strapped it over his shoulder. Since Brad was the unofficial soundman of their band Blue Moon, Noah was happy to have him hook up the speakers and adjust their lighting beforehand.

  The audience went silent.

  And then Noah began to sing the haunting refrain.

  ‘Dark night,

  No moon or no stars

  An endless journey for me

  I hear you calling to me

  But why can’t I see where you are?’

  And then Noah struck a lone chord on his guitar, continuing to sing as Brad joined on keyboard while his buddy Chris played bass. Mike manned percussion; an occasional light twist of his wrists to the drums.

  The audience remained quiet while Noah continued with the song. Dark Night was one of the first he’d ever written and was dedicated to his mom.

  After they performed a few lighter numbers, Noah was restless. With the positioning of the lights, it was nearly impossible to see the expressions on the faces of people in the audience.

  It had never been important to him with girls before, but right now, Noah really wanted to see Mia’s face.

  Noah turned to Brad, muttering, “This mic runs on batteries too. Right?”

  Brad gave him a look that was definitely wary. “Yep. What have you got in mind?”

  “A little interaction with the audience,” Noah answered.

  “Yeah, right,” Brad answered, shaking his head with obvious resignation. “You’re whipped, and you don’t even know it yet.”

  Noah grinned, pulling the guitar strap over his head and laying down the guitar before unclipping the mic from its stand.

  Brad asked dryly, “Got a specific number in mind?”

  “Star-crossed,” Noah answered abruptly.

  Brad glanced at Chris and Mike. “Hear that?”

  They both shook their heads in acknowledgment.

  Brad rolled his eyes. “I should have figured you wrote it for her.”

  Picking up Noah’s guitar and switching
it out with his, Chris looked unusually perceptive. “You’re the last guy I thought would pull a Maroon 5 on us.”

  Noah grimaced, realizing Brad and Chris were right. He’d been thinking about Mia when he wrote the lyrics, and this would be the first time he’d performed the song. It was fast-paced, but romantic too, which was something he’d always steered away from in the past.

  Chris began strumming the opening chords as Noah moved across the stage and down the staircase into the audience, amidst wolf whistles and cat calls from some of his fellow classmates.

  Noah grinned, winking at his grandparents, who couldn’t seem to quit laughing as Noah stalked through the crowd, gyrating his hips with the music.

  He took in a deep breath, approaching Mia, his heart missing a beat when she turned, staring into his eyes and looking stunned.

  ‘When I looked into your eyes,

  A shooting star dashed through the sky,

  And I finally figured why,

  I’m hypnotized.’

  Chris and Brad sang along with the keyboard in the background.

  ‘Star-crossed, star-crossed.’

  And when Mia smiled, there was a light in her eyes, so Noah smiled back at her, moving closer as he continued to sing.

  ‘I’m hypnotized,

  By cerulean blue eyes.’

  Chris and Brad joined in again.

  ‘Star-crossed, star-crossed.’

  Noah finally keyed up into a falsetto.

  ‘I’m star-crossed,

  I’m hypnotized,

  Cause I know I see forever in your eyes.’

  5

  Half her heart fell when he approached through the audience without taking his eyes from her face. The other half of Mia’s heart stopped beating for a moment when Noah began singing, and she realized he’d written a song for her. But it was the falsetto that solidified her feelings, setting her heart racing madly. He had a beautiful voice.

  But how could she be certain what she was feeling was real? After all, she’d never once spoken with Noah Erikson. Not only was she clueless about what she should do, she was totally out of depth.

  She’d never even had a boyfriend.

  As he continued with the song, Mia was melting from the warmth in Noah’s chocolaty brown eyes when he stared intently into hers. She hadn’t caught a word of the second verse, she realized, hearing the other band members repeating the chorus onstage.

  ‘Star-crossed, star-crossed.’

  Noah smiled, his voice moving back into falsetto.

  ‘I’m star-crossed,

  I’m hypnotized,

  Cause I know I see forever in your eyes.

  Star-crossed, star-crossed.’

  The background music suddenly went quiet, and Noah’s voiced slowed as he transitioned beautifully into acappella.

  ‘Cause I know I see forever in your eyes.’

  Continuing to hold her gaze, he tucked the microphone into his jean’s pocket, and then, reaching out and laying a hand on each side of her face, he bent down, lightly brushing his lips against her forehead.

  Even the touch of his lips was electric, and heat went shooting straight through her.

  Inhaling deeply, she felt like she needed to say something. “Your band sounds great. The song you just sang was beautiful.”

  Noah’s smile went wide. “The dancing wasn’t half bad either, was it?”

  Mia grimaced. “Truthfully? You could use a little help with that part of the performance.”

  For a moment, Noah looked at her in apparent consternation.

  And then he barked out a laugh and couldn’t seem to stop. The microphone was still turned on, so everyone at the beach must have heard her, because even the guys from his band were snickering loudly onstage.

  “In that case Mia, I’m definitely going to need your help,” Noah said, starting to walk away.

  He suddenly turned back, and Mia could swear she saw uncertainty in his eyes. “Later?”

  When Mia smiled, she couldn’t seem to help it when she nodded her agreement. “Later.”

  Mia was in a daze during the rest of the concert. After she began thinking about the fact that Noah was a guy in a band, most likely being pursued by a bunch of other girls, she wasn’t quite as starstruck as she’d been earlier, when he’d been standing right in front of her.

  But when she looked over at Bree a few minutes later, Mia was surprised to see she’d been crying.

  Mia wrapped an arm around her friend. “Bree? What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

  “Mia. That’s gotta be one of the most romantic things I’ve ever seen—not even in the movies.” Bree sniffed, scraping the tears from her face. “There’s something I should probably let you in on. I know a few of Noah’s friends and according to them, he’s never been interested in anyone like this before. He doesn’t even bring dates to any of our dances, even when his band’s performing, like they did at prom.”

  “How do you always seem to know what I’m thinking?” Mia asked. “I didn’t even know he was serious until tonight. I imagine he gets lots of girls chasing after him?”

  Bree shrugged. “It goes with the territory. Plus he’s really hot. I’m sure he’s dated. But not much. He takes life pretty seriously, that’s why I got such a kick out of you making him laugh so hard. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do that before.”

  Mia grinned. It surprised her to realize how much better Bree’s words made her feel. “Really?”

  Bree nudged her in the ribcage and waved at an older couple sitting in lawn chairs near the beach.

  “What?” Mia asked, giving Bree a side glance. Her tears seemed to have evaporated with her smile.

  “Wave back,” Bree answered.

  Mia smiled and waved, asking, “Who am I waving at?”

  Bree laughed. “Noah’s grandparents, of course.”

  Mia grimaced. “Oh, geez. You should have pointed them out sooner.”

  “I thought you saw them earlier, when you were watching Noah,” Bree said.

  “You notice everything, don’t you?” Mia muttered. “To tell you the truth, I was too busy checking him out to pay attention to who he was talking to. He seems to know just about everyone. Kind of like you, as a matter of fact.”

  “Checking him out—huh?” Bree laughed again. “Those tight black jeans, and that thin t-shirt with the sleeves cut off?”

  “Bree.”

  “What?” she answered. “There’s no law against checking him out, even if he’s interested in you. Is there?”

  Mia suddenly giggled. “He doesn’t just sit around playing music all day, does he? Did you notice the size of those arms?”

  “I was too busy checking out his…”

  “Bree.” Mia stopped her before she could say more. Mia realized she was a person of interest now with her fellow classmates, and too many people around them were listening to what was being said.

  Looking into each other’s eyes, they both began laughing madly.

  6

  Noah was keeping an eye on the audience, hoping he could speak with Mia one more time before she and her friend left the beach. A lot of people were hanging around after the concert tonight, probably because it was a Friday night as opposed to Sunday. During the rest of the summer, they would hold the concerts after the town’s ski show like they had in the past.

  It was a beautiful warm May night, and the sunset sparkled across the lake like prisms, reflecting along the edge of the sandy beach in hues of rose and golden amber.

  Brad had finished disconnecting all the lights and speakers and now everyone was busy packing up instruments.

  Driving his truck along the edge of the parking lot, Noah’s grandfather backed up to the stage.

  Stepping outside from his truck, he dropped the cab’s rear door, so Noah and Brad could slide in the speakers along with most of the instruments. The band practiced whenever they could on weekends, along with a few days during the week, using Noah’s grandparents barn, where they didn’
t have to worry about bothering neighbors.

  “Where’s Gram?” Noah asked, after everything was loaded up.

  Gramps winked, and then grinned. “They’re coming.”

  “They?” Noah glanced past the truck, giving Gramps a wry smile when he saw Gram walking toward the bandstand with Mia and her friend, who appeared to be talking nonstop.

  “Pretty girl,” Gramps said. “Sweet too. Both of them are. You’re Mia’s a little shy, I think.”

  Noah frowned. “Tonight was the first time I ever talked with her.”

  Gramps laughed. “You remind me so much of your dad. What have you been doing, mooning around her for months?”

  “Pretty much,” Noah answered and grinned. “You ought to hear her sing. She’s got the voice of an angel. Operatic, actually.”

  “Really?”

  Noah pursed his lips. “You might be right about her being shy. I just happened to hear her singing when I was looking for some music I left in the next classroom one day after school. I peeked inside, and she was sitting by herself playing the piano. She’s not half bad at that either.”

  “So you have music in common. You know, that’s how your Gram and I met? We were in a record shop, arguing about who’d sung a certain song we both liked which was popular back then.”

  Noah blinked. “How come I’ve never heard about that?”

  “I’m sure you did when you were younger, when we were visiting your mom and dad,” Gramps answered.

  But Noah was distracted.

  As Mia approached, he hooked his thumbs over his front pockets, just watching her. He loved the way she walked, and the way she flipped her hair over her shoulder before turning to Gram, obviously answering a question. Every move she made was graceful, the expression on her face, the intensity in those cerulean blue eyes. There was more to her than met the eye, and Noah wanted to know everything there was to know.