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

by Sabrina York

  “I don’t see why not, since school’s out,” Amanda answered, grinning. “When’s graduation?”

  “Friday night,” Noah said, grimacing.

  Amanda reached for Mia’s flowers. “I’ll put these in water for you. Alright?”

  “That would be great,” Mia answered, reluctantly handing them over.

  Amanda gave her a knowing look and winked.

  Noah opened the front door for Mia. “See you later, Amanda.”

  “Drive safely.”

  Mia rolled her eyes and walked through the doorway ahead of Noah.

  Turning into the driveway, Noah had watched Mia’s reaction as he drove up to his grandparents’ house. The first thing Mia had done was exactly what Noah had after arriving here when his mom had died five years ago. She’d rushed from the truck, approaching the lakefront, apparently drawn by the scenic view of Pebble Lake.

  There were fewer homes along the lakefront here than on Crystal Rock Lake, and there were stands of pine trees and birch in the huge wildlife park located further north past the Birchwood Resort, which had been established more than fifty years ago.

  The overlook was high above the shore, where Noah had joined her, and they’d stood there together for several lingering moments until Noah heard Brad, Chris and Mike begin practicing without him.

  Noah had promised he would bring her back another afternoon during the summer, so they could explore the caves and maybe take a swim at the beach below.

  A few hours later, the band was ready to quit for the day. Mia had been giving them pointers about moves they should make for emphasis depending on their song choice, along with making suggestions about positioning each one of them onstage.

  Brad asked Mia a question when they began packing up. “What about our look? Should we be dressing any differently than we do?”

  “It’s not your clothes that don’t work. Jeans and t-shirts are great in similar colors but not style. You should all keep your individuality.” Mia cleared her throat. “But it would definitely be better to wear clothes onstage that don’t look like you’ve been rolling around in the mud, and maybe comb your hair every once in a while.”

  Brad looked at Mia in consternation, as Noah gave a whoop of laughter while Chris and Mike snickered.

  Noah finally quit laughing. “That’s what we’ve been telling him for the last year.”

  “Hey,” Brad answered, feigning indignance. “You try and set up all the speakers, lights and equipment and then come onstage and perform.”

  “Well, there is such a thing as bringing along a change of clothes,” Chris answered.

  Everyone laughed again.

  “Why not just wear dark clothes?” Mia grinned. “You know what would be really cool, with the kind of music you guys perform? Some kind of a solar system background with different sizes and shapes of lights that could look like stars and a big blue moon. You want it to look realistic, so maybe start by having an image blown up and decoupage it to whatever you use for your frame. Otherwise it will look like a grade school science project. If you have it ready to go in sections with the lights pre-attached, it might save you some time, because all you’ll need to do is stand it up and plug it in. I’ve seen something similar at dance recitals.”

  Brad looked at Mia in amazement. “That’s a great idea. I can’t believe it’s something we never thought about ourselves.”

  Mike spoke for the first time. “You know, we might be able to whip up a background with scraps of plywood and two by fours. I’ll bet Callahan Construction would be willing to help us out with some of their leftovers.” Mike looked at Mia. “I work full time in construction when we’re not performing.”.

  “Callahan Construction? You guys are the ones who built our house,” Mia said.

  “Where’s it at?” Mike asked.

  Noah answered. “The old Whispering Pines Resort, near the beach.”

  “Whoa. That house?” Mike grimaced. “We all worked on that one. It was quite a job.”

  “You don’t have to tell me,” Mia said, scrunching her nose. “I’ll bet my dad was, ah…”

  “Difficult?” Noah asked, becoming even more concerned about how her father would react to Noah when they met, because Noah knew it was only a matter of time.

  “That’s putting it mildly,” Mia answered. “I’m sorry if he gave you guys a hard time.”

  “Hey,” Mike said. “That’s nothing you need to worry about. Thanks for all the advice about the band.”

  “You’re welcome,” Mia answered.

  Everyone scattered and began packing up music and instruments before they were on their way, and soon Noah and Mia were alone, walking toward the house to eat an early dinner with his grandparents.

  Mia bit her lip, looking at Noah as they walked up the staircase onto the back porch. “It worries me, the way my dad has changed.”

  “To tell you the truth,” Noah said softly. “I’ve been a little worried about meeting him myself.”

  Mia answered, “I wish I could say we didn’t need to be concerned.”

  Noah opened the door into the kitchen and Mia stepped inside.

  It was the we she’d included in the sentence that Noah appreciated. Until now, he still hadn’t been sure if she was as much invested in this relationship as he was. To him, money wasn’t important in the scheme of things except for when it came for necessities. But Mia had mentioned her dad had made his money after her mom passed away, and that’s when everything had changed for her, and not always in a good way.

  “Hi, Mia. Just in time,” Gram said, giving them each a smile as she closed the refrigerator door. “I’ve set the table on the porch, and your grandfather said the hamburgers are done so he’s taking them off the grill. I’m surprised Brad didn’t stick around like he usually does.”

  “His parents are having some kind of family get together tonight to celebrate his graduation.”

  Gram looked at Noah. “Probably to celebrate the fact that he is going to graduate. I know his mom was worried. She’s so grateful you’ve been helping him out with math.”

  Noah shrugged, grabbing some chips from the bowl Gram was holding in her hands. “He needed to learn some basic tricks to understand equations better. Math comes easy to me.”

  Gram murmured, “You’re such a good boy.”

  Noah nearly choked on the chips he was chewing, and Mia began laughing while smacking him on the back.

  He was sheepish after Gram left the room, heading toward the doorway leading into the screened in porch, but Mia seemed to get a kick out of the way his grandparents doted on him, because it took her a while to quit laughing.

  Mia’s face was suddenly arrested, glancing into the living room, and she strolled toward Gram’s display set up on the shelves beside the fireplace. “Wow. What’s all this?”

  Noah followed her into the living room.

  “It’s everything that belonged to my dad, grandfather and even my great grandfather.” Noah cleared his throat. “They were all in the Air Force.”

  Mia’s eyes went wide. “Is that the Purple Heart?”

  “Both Dad and Gramps.” Noah glanced at Mia’s face, and he suddenly realized why she was interested in the display. “Alright—fess up. How long have you known?”

  Mia gave him a sad smile. “Since Friday. When were you going to tell me?”

  Noah sighed heavily. “Not until I had to. I go to boot camp at the end of the summer, after I’ve turn eighteen, and then I’ll probably be home for Christmas before I’m assigned.”

  “Okay. Let’s not talk about it for at least a few weeks,” she answered.

  Noah wrapped an arm over her shoulders, steering her toward the porch. “I really wish I would have approached you sooner.”

  As they stepped inside the porch, Mia sighed and grinned. “Me, too.”

  “But I’ve got some other news I hope you’ll be happy about.”

  “Hi, Mr. Erikson,” Mia said, as Gramps scooped the remaining burgers f
rom the grill.

  “Hi there, Mia,” he answered. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Same here. Thanks so much for having me for dinner,” Mia answered.

  “You’re welcome. Mia,” Gram murmured. “It’s about time Noah had a girlfriend.”

  Coincidentally, Noah’s mouth was filled with chips again, and he began coughing. Gram usually wasn’t so outspoken.

  Mia started laughing, and suddenly stopped. “What were you going to tell me, Noah?”

  “Later,” Noah answered dryly. “Gram is being too much of a smart aleck, and I’m almost afraid to hear what she comes up with after she finds out what I was going to tell you.”

  Everyone laughed.

  14

  Mia screamed at the top of her lungs.

  And Noah kept on laughing as the chamber cage where they were locked inside stopped moving, leaving them flipped upside down.

  Since it was the final day of the carnival, many of the vendors were already packing up, so when the two of them had arrived a few hours earlier, they’d decided to go on a few rides.

  This one was called the zipper.

  “I hope they flip us back over pretty soon. This is making me feel a little nauseous,” Mia said, grinning.

  “Your hair is really long. Isn’t it?” Noah answered.

  “Yes. I don’t have it cut too often.” Hanging upside down, it was touching the floor—or, rather the ceiling of the compartment. She noticed half of Noah’s belly exposed and she swallowed. Geez, he was in good shape.

  Reaching out, she tickled near his belly button.

  Noah laughed, his eyes going wide. “Hey.”

  “You’re ticklish,” Mia scolded, and grinned.

  “Yeah, I am,” he admitted, still laughing.

  The cage suddenly went into motion, and they were gradually turned upright, traveling higher before they were dropped back down.

  Mia watched Noah shake his head dazedly when they reached the platform. After quickly picking up the change that’d fallen from Noah’s pocket, they were ready to exit the zipper compartment, and the operator in charge stepped up, unlatching the door.

  “I wouldn’t mind something to drink. How about you?” Noah asked, his hand wrapped around hers as they walked along the midway.

  “Alright. But please let me pay for this? You bought the tickets for the rides and the hot dogs, not to mention the carnival admission,” Mia said.

  Noah sighed heavily. “On one condition?”

  Her eyes went wide. “What?”

  Noah pointed. “You let me try and win you a prize over there at that shooting gallery?”

  Mia flashed a smile, squeezing his hand. “I’d love to have a souvenir from our first date.”

  After buying a few cokes, Mia stood watching Noah at the shooting gallery, which consisted of a toy gun mounted inside a box, with a limited capability for reaching only the targets mounted on the upper rear wall of the booth.

  One—two—three, Noah’s aim was straight on, and each arrow the vendor wedged into the gun stuck to each target’s bullseye with the rubber suction cups.

  Mia’s jaw dropped.

  The vendor grinned wryly. “Let’s see you do that again, Kid, and you can have your choice of anything here.”

  “Alright,” Noah answered, with a grin at Mia. “Pick out something you’d like.”

  Mia watched Noah do it again.

  And the vendor laughed along with Mia.

  Mia pointed. “How about that cute floppy-eared dog right there?”

  The vendor reached up, unhooking it and handing it over.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’ve always wanted a dog.”

  “You two have a good night,” the vendor said. “Time for me to wrap things up.”

  “Thanks,” Noah answered. “The same to you.”

  As they continued walking through the midway, Mia unzipped her purse, sticking the dog inside with his head peeking out. “What shall I name him?”

  Noah looked thoughtful. “I used to have a dog when I was young. Mom said he never left my side.”

  Mia asked, “What was his name?”

  “Sammy.”

  “Sammy, huh? That’s a nice name.” Mia laid her hand over the head of the stuffed dog and patted it. “Sammy, it is.”

  Noah laughed.

  She was having a fantastic time, but then again, she knew she would.

  Next, they were going to check out the band, which was playing for the entire audience since the beer tent had already closed for the evening. And later, they’d use their last few tickets to take a spin on the Ferris wheel before leaving.

  It was only nine o’clock and Noah knew where he wanted to spend a little extra time with Mia before taking her home.

  He gave her a side glance as he drove past the driveway leading to her house.

  She grinned, seeming to be equally happy that their date wasn’t ending. “Where are we going?”

  Noah answered, “I thought we might take a walk along the beach before I take you home. Just so we can spend a little more time alone.”

  Before long, he was pulling into the beach parking lot.

  Slipping into her heavier jacket, Mia stepped out from the truck when Noah held open the door.

  Noah grinned, touching the furry blue ear muffs she’d pulled over her head. “Cute.”

  Mia smiled.

  Reaching out and grabbing her hand, Noah admitted, “It does get chilly pretty quickly at night during this time of year.”

  “Yes, it does,” Mia agreed, clasping his hand warmly.

  They walked across the sand toward the beach. The concession stand was closed but beginning Memorial Day weekend it would be open until eleven at night.

  Noah was quiet as they walked along the beach. The water was calm tonight and the lingering remains of the sunset cast a warm golden glow. They continued to walk past the edge of the beach toward Crystal Rock.

  Finally, he spoke. “Have you ever made it to the top of Crystal Rock?”

  “I have,” Mia answered. “Bree and I like hiking around here. Sometimes we just sit inside the cavern up there and talk—even during the winter.”

  Motioning at the path, Noah said, “I thought we’d walk up there? The owners of the inn even had lighting installed along the path, which is really nice.”

  There was also a lot of superstition associated with Dragonfly Pointe, along with tales about fate, so Noah thought it was exactly where they needed to be tonight, during their first date. There was something so special about what was going on between him and Mia, that he wanted to hold onto it forever.

  Although Mia had on a short skirt, she’d been sensible wearing low heeled brown suede boots, so they walked easily along the steep path, stopping occasionally to admire the view.

  Finally they reached the top, and Noah grinned, glancing at Mia’s face as she stared across the lake. “So, I wanted to tell you that I’m slated to be your advisor at Emily Richardson’s music camp.”

  Mia’s smile went wide. “Really? I’m so glad. I can’t believe I never considered you’d be working at the camp, since you’re going into boot camp at the end of the summer, and already have a job at the café.”

  Noah gave her a wry smile. “I can pick up hours any time I want at the café, but they pay instructors pretty well at camp. This will be my second year.”

  They stood silent for the next few minutes watching the sun descending, leaving a faint warm glow illuminating the horizon.

  When a rosy purple light shone down brightly on Mia’s face, Noah knew it was time, and lifting her chin with his fingers so he could gaze into her eyes, he drew in a deep breath, pulling her into his arms.

  “If you knew all the things that have been going through my mind since I’ve met you…” he murmured.

  She pulled away, answering, “I’ve been feeling the same about you too.”

  Noah laughed softly. “I’m going to kiss you, Mia.”

  “It’s about ti
me,” she muttered.

  Noah grinned. “Since we’re doing this for the first time, I wanted to make sure it was right.”

  Mia inhaled a deep shaky breath when Noah lifted her chin, staring into her eyes once again.

  And then she closed them—probably because she was nervous.

  She looked beautiful with her eyes closed and her head tipped upward, waiting for the kiss.

  He was a little nervous himself when he lightly laid his lips over hers.

  “That’s so nice,” he whispered against her mouth.

  “Yes, it is,” Mia laughed softly, with her mouth still pressed against his.

  He covered her mouth again, running his tongue gently over her lips. She tasted like bubble gum and cotton candy, and Noah couldn’t get enough.

  He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

  And this time, Mia began kissing him back.

  Whoa. It just about drove him crazy, feeling her warmth and the softness of her skin as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

  Everything about her in his arms just felt so right. And even though he’d been kissing girls for a while now, no one had ever affected him like Mia.

  Nuzzling his face against hers, Noah simply held her in his arms because all he really wanted to do was be with her.

  He cleared his throat, answering hoarsely, “I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you, on the first day of school.” He gave her a mischievous smile. “And now that it’s finally happened, I understand why.”

  She answered in a shaky voice, “I’ve felt the same way too, since that very first day.”

  She stepped back into his arms.

  “You could’ve fooled me,” he whispered softly into her ear.

  “I’ve never felt that way about a guy before, so I was clueless about what to do.” She cleared her throat. “Kiss me again. Please?”

  “Sure.” He grinned. “I was planning on it anyway.”

  But this time it really scared him, the way she was making him feel. Like he never wanted to let her go.

  It was getting all hot and steamy around them, like they were melting the snow. In fact, it felt like the temperature had risen by twenty degrees, and before it could go any further he decided it was time for them to stop.