Muffins And Mistletoe (A Starlight Hills Holiday Novella)

by Debora Dennis

  The open sign in the window flashed to life and Johnny Mathis crooning "Winter Wonderland" filtered into the small shop to complete the festive mood. The rest of the committee would be there any minute, so she had to move now.

  "Jimmy, I'm sorry. I don't need any more time. I know we fit."

  He blinked, clearly shaken, and took a step back—directly under the mistletoe.

  She stood on her tiptoes, reached for his shoulders and kissed him.

  * * *

  Jimmy realized he was under the mistletoe less than a second before her lips were on his. Hot coffee in one hand and a bag of muffins in the other, he couldn't put his arms around her even if he wanted to. And he wanted to.

  Corinne's fingers pressed into his shoulders and her soft lips crushed against his. While Johnny Mathis sang about chestnuts roasting on an open fire, flames of a different kind flooded through every inch of his body. Her warm fingertips touched his neck and along his jaw, then her lips parted and he was powerless to do anything but accept the invitation her mouth offered. He inhaled her intoxicating scent, something floral, a little spicy—or maybe that was just the cinnamon drifting in from the kitchen behind him. With the tender feel of her lips on his, he couldn't resist kissing her back.

  His tongue danced along the edge of her mouth, tasting the sweetness of her morning coffee and the remnants of minty mouthwash. When her fingers tunneled through his hair, knocking the hat off his head, he thought his hair might catch fire. Her other hand cupped the side of his face, keeping him captive. His skin sparked wherever she touched, and at that moment he would indulge her anything. He let out a deep and primal groan, and his lips continued tasting, prying. Hungry for more, he crushed himself against her, his tongue darting in and out, tracing the tips of her teeth and then dueling with her own eager tongue. The warmth of her mouth spread like a fast-moving blaze along every nerve. All he could think about was his lips exploring the curve of her jaw, down her neck and into the sexy hollow of her throat.

  Suddenly he couldn't catch his breath. The bag he'd been clutching fell to the floor and his arm went around her waist. He didn't want only the sweet kisses she offered, he wanted more. So enamored and caught up in the moment, he didn't even care they stood in his mother's deserted bake-shop.

  He leaned in, sealing his mouth possessively against hers, and in two steps had her back against the wall beside the door. His fingers traced the edges of her arm along the bulk of her coat and finally found the opening in front. Without hesitation, his hand slid inside and around her waist and found the small of her back to drag her up against him. She arched to meet his embrace, her form fitting perfectly to his. She released her own groan of desire and his pants grew snug. The coffee in his hand landed on the ground at their feet.

  Without missing a beat, or breaking their connection, he moved her to the side as his hands landed on the wall beside her head. Their bodies locked together, her arms went around his waist and her hands splayed across his back locking him to her.

  His fingers found the nape of her neck and then tunneled through the thick tangle of her silky golden curls. Lost in the abyss, he felt her heart beating frantically within the folds of her sweater. The next thing he knew, they were sliding down the wall.

  He was losing his grip on her; he leaned forward, his arm wrapped around her waist.

  The swinging door opened and together they tumbled through and lost their balance. With a thud, Corinne landed on the floor with him on top of her. Too stunned to say anything, for a second he simply stared into her beautiful green eyes. She took a deep breath and a slow, tentative smile turned up the edges of her lips. His pants became uncomfortably tight and if he didn't move soon, he would kiss her again right there on the floor. Quickly he scrambled to his feet and offered her his hand. As he helped her up, she tugged her coat back into place, and he reached out to brush the curls from her shoulder. His fingers lingered on the side of her face, caressing the soft skin.

  "Are you okay?"

  She looked down at their coffee-stained boots and then back up at him, giving him the brightest smile he'd seen in days. "Oh, yeah."

  He couldn't help but smile back, lost in the moment. Then he took a step back and remembered where he was. He turned and there they were—his father, with his arms crossed over his chest and leaning against the stainless island, and his mother, hands on her red-aproned hips with a look that he could only describe as sheer joy lighting up her face.

  He knew better than to say anything. If he stood there for an hour, he'd never find the right words to express the way he felt at that moment. Embarrassed? Invigorated? At the very least, confused. Kissing Corinne set everything right in his world, ignited his soul, and he finally felt whole again for the first time in over a week. But, while she'd said they fit and that she didn't need more time, she'd never actually said she wanted to marry him.

  He glanced at Corinne with her hopeful, wide eyes and then again at his parents. Sure, he could get down on one knee right now and ask her again, but he wouldn't. Not there. Not in front of anyone. While no one had the power to ignite his passions the way Corinne did, no one else could hurt him the way she did either. Right now he was the one who needed time.

  With a deep breath, and as the three of them watched, he walked to the coffee urns and poured two more cups of coffee. He felt their stares burning a hole in his back, knew if he looked at them they'd draw him into a conversation he didn't want to have. Outnumbered, he had to get out of there and clear his head. Keeping his eyes on the coffee, he snapped lids on each one and gave a nod to Corinne and his parents.

  "Sorry about the coffee on the floor, but I gotta go."

  FOUR

  Without saying a word, Corinne grabbed some paper towels to help Bitty and George clean up the coffee from the floor. Every time they looked at her she couldn't help feeling her cheeks explode with color that gave the red apron around Bitty's waist a run for its money. What could she say? She'd just tried to seduce their son, in their muffin shop, and they had fallen through the doors into a passionate pile.

  She'd never done anything that impulsive before. Blame it on the mistletoe.

  Even though Jimmy hadn't said anything, she'd felt him respond to her, knew he still had feelings. He'd returned her kisses and held her tight to his chest as if he never wanted to let her go. That made her believe she still had a chance to win him back, to make this right.

  Tonight at the gala, everything would fall into place and she'd be in Jimmy's arms forever. Of course, her impulsive moment of passion under the mistletoe could have had the opposite effect and scared him away. What if he didn't show up tonight?

  She looked at Bitty, expecting her to shake her head with disapproval, but she simply smoothed her hands down her apron and smiled at her.

  The little bell over the door jingled, and the rest of the gala committee entered the shop in a loud burst of laughter. A flurry of coats and bags were deposited on empty chairs, and almost in unison they proclaimed the need for caffeine. Corinne sighed and offered what she hoped was an apologetic look at Bitty.

  "I'm so embarrassed and sorry about this mess."

  Bitty pulled the mop from the bucket and shooed Corinne away with a wave of her other hand. "Embarrassed? Whatever for? And as for this, it isn't a problem, honey. You join the ladies, and George will get some muffins on the table. I'll be right over."

  "Are you sure?" She plucked the empty cups from the middle of the spill and stood there while they dripped into the puddle.

  Bitty took the cups and winked. "I'm positive. It's all good."

  Corinne took off her coat and grimaced at the edges of her coffee-stained skirt. With a sigh she slid into the chair opposite Katie Dixon, her best friend, and gave her half a smile. Katie was the only other person who knew she'd enlisted the help of Jimmy's mother to work out her problem. Katie would be there to offer support, whether she agreed with her tactics or not. Fortunately, Katie was totally on board and had plenty of id
eas of her own on how to get Corinne and Jimmy back together.

  While the older women chatted about decorations, music and food, Katie narrowed her eyes, leaned forward and mouthed the words, "What are you up to now?"

  She could lie and say nothing, but her friend knew her better than that. "I may have rushed the plan."

  George set a tray of assorted muffins on the table and both Corinne and Katie quickly grabbed the cranberry crumbs before they disappeared. Katie, still dressed in her nurse's scrubs from her overnight shift, tore off a piece of muffin and arched her dark brown eyebrows. "Judging from the smeared lipstick, I'm guessing it went well."

  Corinne pulled out a small mirror from her bag and ran her fingers along the smudged edges of her lips, then quickly reapplied the color before anyone noticed.

  Bitty brought a tray filled with steaming cups of coffee to the table and gave Corinne a comforting pat on the shoulder before she sat down to join the group at the opposite end of the table. Corinne wrapped her hand around a mug, peered into its dark liquid depths, and wondered if she'd made things better or worse. She finally looked up at Katie through the steam. "Did it go well? I honestly have no idea what to call it."

  "You obviously kissed him, the question is did he kiss you back?"

  Corinne looked sheepishly around the table, feeling the pink tint returning to her cheeks. The other ladies were busy discussing what they were wearing tonight and who'd managed to snag which hairdresser—all between bites of muffins and sips of coffee. No one paid the least bit of attention to either her or Katie.

  With a giddy grin, she scooted her chair closer to Katie so she could answer in a whisper, "Oh yeah, he kissed me back. It was completely impulsive. I got him under that mistletoe and caught him off guard. He melted like the butter on this warm muffin."

  "But…"

  "But," Corinne said, sighing, and absently pulled apart her muffin while her mind replayed the kiss. "Right before I kissed him, I told him I didn't need more time to think about his marriage proposal. But he didn't respond. He kissed me back and then ran off as if his life depended on it."

  Katie scrunched her lips. "Ouch."

  "I know. I should have waited for tonight. It's bad, isn't it?"

  Katie wiped the napkin across her face, clearing away the muffin crumbs. Auburn hair and deep brown eyes accentuated the spray of freckles across her nose. The burgundy scarf wrapped around her neck gave her a warm, approachable vibe. Still, she was unattached. Katie always claimed her hours at the hospital made dating difficult, but Corinne knew she'd been hurt and had closed the door on her heart a long time ago. There had to be a man in this town for Katie. Corinne quietly sipped her coffee and pondered the sad state of their romances. At least she had a plan for some holiday magic. Katie didn't even have that.

  From the corner of her eye, she caught Bitty laughing with the other women. Maybe Jimmy's idea—that she interview Bitty for the Hometown column—was a holiday present all in itself. A great interview would get her noticed and Bitty's insight into what made a couple click might help her help Katie.

  First, she had to get her own affairs of the heart in order.

  Katie offered her a warm smile while reaching for a second muffin. She dropped it on her plate and looked at Corinne. "No. It's not bad. Jimmy just needs another demonstration to prove that you were wrong and you really are ready. You know you have to look stunning tonight. You're wearing that black dress, right?"

  Just thinking about that little dress gave Corinne hives. She looked down at her plate and bit down on her lower lip. "I guess."

  Katie leaned back in her chair and tugged off her scarf. "What does that mean? We shopped for that dress for days! You have to apologize and you have to wear the dress."

  "I know. It's just so low cut. And short. You think it's appropriate for the gala? I mean, half the town will be there. As the assistant editor of the Herald, I'm not sure…"

  "Oh my God, you've got to be kidding me."

  Corinne slumped in her seat. Katie was right. She'd bought that dress to make a statement. A little cleavage, a little leg, all Corinne Mackenzie. It was time for her to stand up and win back her man.

  And she was going to do it in front of the whole town.

  * * *

  By the time Jimmy climbed into the F150 pickup, the last person he wanted to see was Corinne's brother. A wet coffee stain down one leg, no muffins, and a frustrated hard-on—and it was only seven in the morning. He had a feeling the day was going to go downhill from here. The look on Dalton's face confirmed his suspicion. Too bad it was too late to call in sick.

  "Where's my muffin?" Dalton asked from the driver's seat.

  "On the bakery floor." Jimmy slammed the truck door closed and glared at his friend. "And I don't want to talk about why."

  "I bet I can guess, but that's not going to make my stomach stop grumbling."

  "Stop at Charlie's, I'll grab you a donut."

  Dalton cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Seriously? You're not going back for my breakfast, are you?"

  "Just drive."

  "Sure, you've got woman problems and I starve," Dalton said as he turned the key and the engine kicked over.

  "She's your sister."

  "Don't try to blame this on me." Dalton reached for his coffee and raised a brow in Jimmy's direction.

  The truck pulled away from the curb, tires crunching on the snow, and Jimmy did his best to quell the emotions swirling in his gut. He took a long sip from his hot coffee and wished it were something cold enough to douse the flames currently burning up through his groin. What the hell just happened in there? He had the distinct feeling he'd been ambushed. And who hangs mistletoe in a bake-shop?

  He grumbled under his breath and looked out the window, avoiding Dalton and his questions. Corinne was right. He wasn't in a good mood and now he was hungry, too. Perfect.

  As they drove along Main Street, he noticed the Christmas wreaths hanging on the lampposts. Most shops were decorated for the holiday with festive lights in their windows and red bows everywhere. Last week he'd had big plans for strolling along these streets with Corinne. Those plans included walks under the star-filled night sky holding her close, spiked hot chocolates beside the tree in Triangle Park and ending up in front of a blazing fire at his place. Preferably naked. Now he just wanted to survive the season and forget the worst Thanksgiving dinner of his life.

  Their first scheduled job this morning was to hang lights at the Kendall home. The two-story farmhouse would have been an easy job yesterday, but after the eight inches of snow that had fallen overnight, getting those lights along the second-story rafters would be a little more treacherous this morning. He needed to stop thinking about Corinne and the way she'd felt in his arms and focus on his job. The last thing he needed was to be distracted and fall off a ladder. The way his luck was going this morning, Dalton would leave him in a heap on the ground.

  The truck pulled up in front of the Kendall house, and Dalton drank half his coffee before he turned to Jimmy and smirked. "You might want to wipe my sister's lipstick off your face before we go inside."

  Damn. Jimmy rolled his eyes and wiped the back of his hand along his mouth. "It's not what you think."

  "You mean there's a difference between what I think and what I know?"

  Sometimes Dalton could be a pain the ass. "She kissed me. End of story. Let's get to work."

  Dalton grabbed his arm to stop him from getting out of the truck. "If it was just a kiss, then where's my breakfast?"

  "Bite me."

  "Jimmy, trust me, from my experience, you're better off single."

  He shook off Dalton's hand and opened his door. They got out of the truck, both slamming their doors behind them. As they walked to the back of the truck to get their tools, their breath puffed from their mouths like vaporous clouds of smoke and quickly dissipated in the cold morning air.

  Jimmy snapped his vest closed, grabbed his toolbox, and met Dalton'
s stare across the truck bed, his boots grinding into the snow as he leaned against the side. "You want everyone to be as unhappy as you? Is that it? It's been a year, Dalton. Go on a date, but don't fill Corinne's head with your shit."

  "I don't want her to get hurt. Not to mention look what she's doing to you."

  On his way to the front door, Jimmy stomped his coffee-stained boot on the snow-covered mat. Dalton rang the doorbell and they stood shoulder to shoulder. Jimmy thought about keeping his mouth shut and getting through the day, but he couldn't.

  "Are you forgetting I asked her to marry me?"

  "And for some reason she didn't say yes. Count your blessings, friend. Why do you want to get married anyway? You should consider yourself lucky you didn't get sucked into that mess."

  "You're out of your mind. You need to get laid."

  The door flew open and April Kendall stood there in a silk robe tied loosely around her waist. A steaming mug in one hand; she waved them in with the other. Jimmy knew that seductive look, and it was aimed at Dalton. And Dalton couldn't care less. Since Melanie had left him, he'd grown more cynical about women and relationships. God only knew what crap he spouted to Corinne every morning on the drive into town.