She ran her fingers over her swollen lips. It should have been one and done. She hadn’t planned to kiss Dante again, but when it came to him, she had zero willpower. All he had to do was look in her direction and Lucy was putty in his hands. She wrapped her arms around her middle. Little by little she was being pulled back into Dante’s life and she was placing her heart in the danger zone. All the warning signs were flashing in her face. If she wasn’t careful she would soon become a member of the Lonely Hearts Club. Again.
Lucy shook her head. She wasn’t going down this road with the man who’d stomped on her heart once before. It was way too risky, and she wasn’t a woman who took chances. She knew her aversion to risk was all tied up in the heartache she’d experienced. Maybe that was why she’d spent most of her time safe and sound in a library. Perhaps it had become a fortress against having her heart trampled on.
Moving forward she had to be on her toes with Dante. It was okay to maintain a cordial friendship with him, but anything more would be reckless. Sharing kisses with Dante was off-limits for obvious reasons. The more she kissed him, the more Lucy wanted to be with him. She needed to try to nip these feelings in the bud while she still could. According to town gossip, he was leaving town right after Christmas and heading back to his glamorous Hollywood life. This time around, she vowed, he wasn’t taking her heart along with him.
Chapter Ten
As promised, the very next day Lucy carved out some time in her schedule to drop by Dante’s shoot. She wasn’t showing up for Dante’s benefit, she told herself. As head librarian it was her duty to be knowledgeable about everything taking place within the library’s walls. It was a historic moment, in fact. And it was only fitting for her to observe the action. If the Free Library of Mistletoe was going down in movie history, Lucy wanted to be a witness to it. For history’s sake, of course.
The scene being filmed was an amalgamation of all the times Lucy and Dante had hidden among the library stacks, sharing stolen kisses in the middle of their study sessions. It was lighthearted, and Lucy imagined it would evoke romantic and heartwarming feelings in filmgoers. The sweet and tender emotions depicted by the leads brought a tear to her eye. It felt as if she’d walked back in time to a more innocent phase in her and Dante’s lives when falling in love had been the easiest thing in the world.
Seeing these scenes being brought to life made Lucy wonder about the ending of Dante’s film. In real life, their parting had been full of angst, anger, and broken promises. She snorted. Not exactly a happy ending for a movie.
When the scene wrapped, Dante made a beeline for Lucy. Although she’d tried to shrink into the background as she watched, clearly he’d spotted her. Maybe he’d heard her clapping enthusiastically once he’d yelled cut. She’d been so transfixed watching the scene unfold that she hadn’t been able to resist cheering them on once it was done. She felt awestruck about all of Dante’s accomplishments. Regardless of the way things had gone down between them, he was a hometown boy who was doing amazing things with his life. He’d come a long way since the days of high school theater productions.
“You made it,” he said, his face lit up with pleasure. “So, what’s the verdict?”
“I think it may go down as the best scene ever filmed at a library in cinematic history,” Lucy raved. Of course she was exaggerating a little, but she wanted to hype him up a teeny bit. She didn’t want to sound like she was fawning over him—something told her women did that all the time—but he deserved her kudos, especially when she’d always been so critical of him. And of course she thought the scenes were all fantastic because it was her library being showcased.
Dante’s eyes widened. He pressed his hand over his heart. “Such high praise. I’m honored.”
Lucy’s eyes felt as wide as saucers as she studied the lights, cameras, crew, and actors assembled in the library’s south wing corridor. They’d just finished filming in the study room. That particular space had always been one of Lucy’s favorites because of the glorious stained-glass windows, the ornate wall sconces, and the gleaming mahogany bookshelves. It was by far the most sumptuous space in the building. This area of the library had been the vision of the town’s most generous benefactor, Miss Prudence Merriweather. Back in the early 1900s she had commissioned a local architect, Ezekiel Jones, to build the room as a tribute to her late parents who’d perished in a boating accident. The result had been breathtaking in more ways than one. Ezekiel and Prudence had fallen in love and enjoyed forty-two years of wedded bliss.
Lucy couldn’t help but think of their love story whenever she entered this magnificent space.
It was a bit jarring to realize that she wasn’t in California at a fancy studio or a glamorous set. All the magic was taking place at her beloved library. It was way more thrilling than she’d initially imagined. Seeing the characters come to life under Dante’s instructions had been surreal. All the cast and crew showed such respect and admiration for Dante, which said a lot about his directing skills. For the first time, Lucy could really see that Dante had been destined to follow this path.
“How did you learn to do all of this?” Lucy asked Dante, her voice full of awe.
Dante let out a throaty chuckle. “It took some time. I’ve been shadowing directors every single film I’ve made. Luckily, I worked with some really generous directors. And my good friend Chet Thibedoux has been my mentor for years. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him, but he’s one of the most accomplished directors in the world.”
The name was vaguely familiar to Lucy, but she didn’t know much about him. “It sounds familiar,” she said. She would never admit it to Dante, but he was the only celebrity she’d ever seriously followed. Every now and again Lucy looked him up to see what he was up to in his career. It had always made her feel rather foolish, as if she was clinging to the past.
“I’ve worked with most of the cast and crew before, which is great because I went into the project knowing that they’re all hard workers. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s all turning out.” He rubbed his hands together gleefully. “I don’t want to jinx it, but we could have a hit on our hands.”
If the rest of the film was as captivating as what she’d seen, Dante didn’t have a thing to worry about. She had a good feeling in her gut about the movie’s success. It could end up being a classic movie like The Notebook or Love and Basketball.
Lucy glanced over at the actors who were assembled in a small group. They were sharing a lively conversation. She almost did a double take at the sight of one person in particular—Missy North.
The woman was radiantly beautiful. With her big black lashes, flawless honey-colored skin, and Coke-bottle physique, Missy exuded sex appeal. Lucy had seen her face plastered on the covers of celebrity magazines enough times to recognize her. Missy had gained fame as a cast member of the reality show 30 Days to Love, in which six single females were placed on a remote island in Tahiti with twenty men. Over the course of the thirty days, each woman was supposed to find the love of her life. Missy became the breakout star of the reality show when she’d made a fiery speech during the finale about not needing a man to be content in her life. Since the airing of the finale, she’d exploded in the world of pop culture, earning six-figure endorsements along with television and movie roles. A person had to have been living under a rock for the past few years not to recognize her.
Missy had a rumored past with Dante and now she’d shown up as a member of his cast. Lucy wondered if something romantic was going on between them. Not that it was any of her business, she quickly reminded herself. Despite the kisses they’d shared, Lucy and Dante weren’t an item. Far from it. She was still working on forgiving him for the way he’d ended things with her. Although she had a better understanding of the intense situation he’d been faced with in California, she struggled to understand how pride could have cost them both so much. It still hurt.
She had to acknowledge that they’d come a long way in the short time he’d been
back in town. At least now she didn’t hate his guts. Her stomach no longer churned at the thought of him being given a hero’s welcome in Mistletoe. Perhaps his return would finally give her the resolution she craved.
Dante jerked his chin in the direction of the actors and crew members.
“Would you like to meet some of them?” he asked. His eyes were bright with excitement, his expression animated. For a second he reminded her of a pint-sized version of himself. Dante had been an adventurous and bold child. Even as a kid he’d been full of personality.
Lucy didn’t hesitate to say yes. She recognized a few of the main players, and the idea of meeting them was exciting. This wasn’t an opportunity that was likely to ever come her way again. She might as well embrace it with gusto.
“Missy, this is Lucy Marshall. She’s the head librarian here and an old friend.”
“Lucy, it’s great to meet you,” Missy said, flashing a perfect Colgate smile. For a moment she was mesmerized by Missy’s amazingly white teeth. Veneers? Caps? She felt a bit catty wondering, but it was rumored that Missy had undergone lots of plastic surgery during her rise to the top. Either way, she was stunning.
“Nice to meet you as well. Welcome to Mistletoe,” Lucy said, reaching out and shaking her hand. Lucy couldn’t help but notice her expensive manicure—gel tips and all. Lucy loved getting pedicures, but because she used her hands so much as a librarian, manicures felt like a waste of money. Missy’s nails made her look glamorous and sophisticated. Lucy tried to stuff down the feelings of envy flickering inside her.
“It’s a lovely town. I’m only here for two weeks to film, but I’d love to explore it,” Missy said. She leaned over and lightly jabbed Dante in the elbow. “I’m hoping Dante will show me around during some downtime.”
Dante frowned and made a face. “Downtime? What’s that?” he asked with a laugh. “I’m working my butt off.” Missy laughed along with him. Lucy couldn’t help but notice Missy’s relaxed vibe around Dante. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off him either. It made Lucy feel slightly uncomfortable for reasons she didn’t want to examine.
From what she’d witnessed so far, Dante was a babe magnet. Matter of fact, he’d always attracted attention. Back when he’d been a high school football star, Dante had been the object of endless female worship. He’d been athletic and gorgeous, not to mention popular. All the stars had been aligned for him to go on to bigger and better once he left Maine.
But back then he’d been Lucy’s man, and everyone had respected their status as a couple. The rest of the girls had simply looked. No one had ever tried to get between them.
As Dante introduced her to the rest of his cast and crew, she found herself feeling really impressed by the people he was surrounding himself with on the project. They seemed solid and kind. All of them looked her in the eye and didn’t talk down to her as if she was a nobody. She’d always believed that people in the movie industry were stuck up and snobby. It was wrong to have judged people without even meeting them.
“I better get back to work,” she said to Dante. “This was really cool though. I’ll never be able to view the library in the same way ever again.” Lucy knew she was beaming but she couldn’t seem to stop smiling.
“Hey, would you like to grab dinner tonight?” Dante asked casually. He grinned at her and seemed very relaxed as he leaned against the doorjamb. “I’ll be wrapping up filming in a few hours. I’d love to check out that burger place down the street.”
A date? Was Dante asking her on a date? Pure adrenaline began racing through her veins. Easy there, Lucy. They were back to being friends, so most likely Dante just wanted to hang out. No strings attached.
“I promised Tess that I’d pick up a Christmas tree with her at Sawyer’s.” Lucy made a face. “She’s been nagging me about it for weeks.”
“You’re a great big sister. You seem to spend a lot of time with her.”
“She makes it easy.” She sighed. “My mom was diagnosed with MS last year after a lot of health issues began showing up.” Lucy massaged the bridge of her nose. Talking about her mother’s health condition was painful. “Her symptoms have gotten worse lately, so Stella and I have made a point to spend more time with Tess so my dad can focus on getting my mom through this rough patch.”
“Aww, Luce. I’m so sorry to hear that. Your folks were always good to me.” Compassion radiated from his voice.
Lucy nodded. “We’re all hoping it goes into remission, but for the moment, I’m happy to pitch in with Tess. It’s the least I can do.”
“Mind if I join you guys? You might need an extra pair of hands to carry the tree inside your house. Not to mention I’m treating for burgers and fries afterwards.”
She knew Tess would be ecstatic at the idea of Dante joining them on their hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. Having him take them out to dinner would cause her sister’s ten-year-old heart to skyrocket into orbit. But did Lucy really want to spend more time with Dante? Was it smart to hold her hand so close to the fire?
“Sure thing,” she said, the words slipping past her lips before she could rein them in. Ugh. She couldn’t even explain why she hadn’t been able to turn him down. You need to live a little before he leaves Mistletoe, a little voice buzzed in her ear.
“Great!” Dante said, grinning down at her. “Why don’t I swing by and pick you up at six?”
“Okay. We should probably take my truck to transport the tree, but we can figure it out later,” she said. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“It’s a plan,” Dante said as Lucy turned on her heel and made her way back down the corridor toward the main wing.
Lucy settled herself behind the main desk and began to check her work-related emails. She jotted down notes in her notebook and tried to focus on scheduling shifts and ordering books for the library’s catalog. She let out a little squeal of excitement as she read the message from Marjorie Brown accepting her invitation. Marjorie was an up-and-coming author of multicultural children’s books with whom Lucy had been trying to schedule a book reading at the library for almost a full year now. This was the part of her job that she loved the most—bringing talented writers to the Mistletoe community.
She bit the end of a pencil as her mind wandered to thoughts of this evening. She needed a foolproof strategy so she didn’t end up getting too close to him. With Tess being present, her little sister would serve as a buffer between them. It would work heavily in her favor. She was not going to kiss Dante tonight. Nope! Even though kissing him made her feel as if she was soaring above the clouds, she knew it would only lead to trouble.
Well, maybe that’s the type of trouble you need in your life, the little voice whispered. Lucy sighed. Part of the reason she’d been so annoyed at Dante’s return was because of what he’d always represented to her. A walk on the wild side. He’d brought out the spirited side of her personality. But if she was being completely honest with herself, her life had become a little too uneventful. She missed being spontaneous, unpredictable. Dancing with Dante in the rain and kissing him under the glow of a blue moon.
Admit it, she told herself. You would kiss Dante again in a heartbeat, if given the chance. Sure, it could lead to heartache, but maybe it would be worth it to have a holiday fling with a movie star. She would remember it for the rest of her days. It was a story she could pass down to her grandchildren if she ever had any.
Being practical hadn’t gotten her anything but a big fat dose of loneliness. Despite the fact that she was surrounded by family and a host of friends in Mistletoe, she ached for something more. She didn’t want to have peaked romantically at nineteen years old. The heart was a muscle and she needed to exercise it, whether it was with Dante or somebody else. For a little while at least, she was going to wade into deeper waters. If it accomplished nothing else, Lucy might get back a part of herself she’d lost over the years.
If Dante tried to lay one on her tonight, Lucy was going to lean in and kiss him for all she was wort
h. And she wasn’t going to regret it one little bit.
Chapter Eleven
That night, Dante showed up at Lucy’s house a few minutes before six o’clock. The idea of doing something in preparation for the holidays filled him with the type of pure joy he rarely experienced. Sometimes he got tired of being Dante West, the famous actor. It was refreshing to simply be Dante. Lucy didn’t have stars in her eyes when she looked at him, and he didn’t have to worry about putting on a show for her. He would wager that his status as an A-list celebrity meant very little to her. They were on track to becoming friends again, and he wasn’t going to mess things up by kissing her. Even though he wanted to do it more than anything in this world.
Sparkling white lights lit up the front of Lucy’s house. They dangled down from the roof like little icicles and hung off the railings of her wraparound porch, lending the home a festive air. It was yet another thing he missed about the Christmas holidays in Maine. California couldn’t compete with gently falling snow, snow tubing, and an entire town lit up in holiday splendor. Once Lucy had a decorated Christmas tree standing in front of her bay window, the house would look perfect for the holidays.
For the entire ride to the tree farm, Tess peppered him with questions about his life in California and all his famous friends. Do you know Lady Gaga? Do you live in a mansion? Did you always know you were going to be famous? Dante didn’t mind being grilled by her. She was spunky and spirited, bringing to mind a younger version of Lucy.
When they pulled into Sawyer’s, the place was lit up with so many lights that it made the decorations on Lucy’s street look like child’s play. Christmas was on everyone’s mind, judging by all the customers lined up to purchase trees. There was an electricity pulsing in the air that he vividly remembered from his younger years. He didn’t know how to explain it, but just being back in Mistletoe at this time of year made him feel hopeful, as if anything was possible.
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