Mistletoe Mischief

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  Her gratitude for the crutches vanished when both girls raced down the stairs in full-throttle begging mode. He’d done it again, asking in front of them so if she refused she’d be the bad guy. She forced another smile to cover her annoyance, but kept her tone firm. “I’m sure you have plans, we don’t want to intrude.”

  “Our plans consist of calling Figaro’s Pizza and roasting marshmallows for s’mores after dinner.”

  Over the heads of the still-pleading girls, she glared at him for not taking her obvious hint. He met her gaze, then crossed his arms over his chest. Unlike earlier when he seemed confused about her reserved demeanor, now he just appeared defiant. A determined glint in his eyes sent her heart hammering against her ribs in anticipation.

  Good Lord, it isn’t fair. She broke eye contact in an effort to maintain her waffling resentment.

  Heather tugged on her arm. “Come on, Mom, you love Figaro’s.”

  She didn’t even have to look up to see Eric’s smug grin at that statement.

  “Daddy says I make the best s’mores—I’ll make you one,” Reese added.

  She looked from one precious face to the other, knowing she’d lost but not sure how to concede gracefully. And without Eric thinking he’d won, the slimy snake. Unfortunately, her mind seemed to have jumped on the bandwagon with her body, because she couldn’t think of a single sentence that would put him in his place and accept his invitation to dinner at the same time.

  She concentrated on Reese. “Do you burn the marshmallows, or toast them golden brown?”

  “I toast them,” she answered. “Daddy always burns his, that’s why he says mine are better.”

  “Then as long as you make my s’mores, we’ll stay.”

  “All right!” Heather threw her arms around Marissa’s waist, making her hop back a step to keep their balance. “Thanks, Mom.”

  Marissa hugged her daughter back and finally allowed a quick glance at Eric. He smiled, but surprisingly, no triumph gleamed in his expression. He dropped his gaze to his daughter.

  “Reese, I had a surprise for later, but since Heather is here, I might as well tell you now…I finished the treehouse this week.”

  Reese’s eyes rounded and a grin split her face. She launched herself into her father’s arms. “You’re the best!”

  “Why don’t you two go check it out?”

  Reese wriggled free of Eric’s hold. Heather wasted no time running after her through the French doors in the kitchen and down the porch stairs to the patio. Marissa maneuvered to the window with the crutches and watched them cross the yard to a tree in the back.

  Once they were up the ladder of the tree house, and she was sure they would be occupied for a good long time, she rounded on Eric with her heart pounding.

  “You’ve got some nerve.”

  Chapter Six

  Marissa’s verbal attack sent Eric’s eyebrows skyward. She wore a fierce scowl, her body as rigid as a piece of lumber in his shop. He decided it was high time he figured out what the hell was going on.

  “For what?” He shoved his hands into his pockets to hide his clenched fingers. “Kissing you under the mistletoe, or offering dinner?”

  Her cheeks flushed crimson. From anger, or did she remember their kiss with the same sensual clarity as he did?

  “For making me the Wicked Witch.”

  Anger. The desire to stride over and haul her against him battled his control. “When did I do that?”

  “When you brought up the ride home, coming inside, and staying for dinner, always in front of the girls, where I’d look like the bad guy if I said no.”

  Ah…yeah, she did have a point, but in his defense, only the last time had been intentional. “What do you expect?” he asked, fingering the crushed mistletoe leaves in his pocket. “With all the conflicting signals you’ve been giving out today, I had to use any ammunition I could find.”

  “Oh, please.” Yet she avoided his gaze by limping toward the kitchen. “Only a jerk uses kids for his own personal gain.”

  “And what the hell would I have to gain from this?” He gave a disbelieving laugh as he followed her. “You’re the one who switched gears the moment we got back from the reindeer rides. I’d just like to know what happened.”

  “So it’s my fault?” She shook her head. “How typical.”

  He released a frustrated breath and took hold of her arm, turning her to face him. “I’m not blaming you, Marissa, but how do you explain see you around right after I like what you’re thinking? And don’t even try to tell me you didn’t know exactly what was on my mind.”

  His gaze lowered. Even now, the lure of her lips, the desire to really, truly taste her, was hard to resist.

  She shrugged his hand away and took a deep breath. “Maybe I’m just not interested anymore, did that cross your mind?”

  “Maybe? Anymore?” He dipped his chin to get a better look at her face, but she frowned and turned her back to him. He relaxed a little with her silent answer and leaned in close against her back to speak next to her ear. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  She ducked her head to the side, tossing him an annoyed glance over her shoulder. “No, we’re not, and I’m sure the girls would like dinner sometime tonight.”

  “Marissa. If you want me to leave you alone, all you have to do is say so.”

  She drew in a breath as if prepared with a reply, but then…nothing. After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly straightened her shoulders. “Yes, of course that’s what I want. I want you to leave me alone.”

  He chuckled. “Who are you trying to convince, me or you?”

  She turned around. “What?”

  “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t like me.”

  She gave a short laugh, her gaze fixed on his chest. “Wow, I should’ve known with your looks you’d turn out to be arrogant.”

  A loud snort accompanied the slide of the screen door behind him. “Eric is arrogant in spite of his looks, not because of them.”

  Eric spun around at the sound of his brother’s voice. He flashed him a look. Impeccable timing as always, bro. Mark lifted his shoulder with a smart-ass grin and walked up to Marissa with his hand extended.

  “Mark Riley. And he can’t be arrogant about his looks because I’m the good-looking one.”

  She shook his hand, and Eric swore her laugh held a note of relief.

  “Marissa Wilder. It runs in the family, doesn’t it?”

  Mark’s smile widened. “Yes, thank you.”

  “I meant the arrogance.”

  Mark clutched his chest with his right hand. “Ooh, ouch.”

  Eric chuckled then, enjoying her quick-witted sparring with his brother, and the fact that she thought he was good-looking. Him, not his brother. He raised an eyebrow at Mark, wondering how much he’d heard through the screen. “So, what’s up?”

  “Nothing much. I saw the truck and figured I’d stop by to see my niece. I didn’t know you had company.”

  “Reese is in the treehouse with Marissa’s daughter, Heather.”

  Mark leaned back to look outside. “I thought I heard voices out there.”

  “Only our conversation sounded more interesting, right?” Eric asked.

  “Hell yeah,” Mark agreed without apology. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation, leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Please, continue.”

  Marissa fit the crutches under her arms and shook her head. “Sorry, that conversation is definitely over. Besides, my ankle is starting to hurt again, and I’d love something to drink.”

  Mark’s backhand caught Eric on the same shoulder where Butch had smacked him. “You didn’t offer the lady a beverage?” Before Eric could mount a defense, Mark shook his head in apology at Marissa. “Younger brothers, I tell you. What can I get for you?”

  “That depends on what he’s got.”

  Mark opened Eric’s refrigerator. Eric crossed his arms over his chest and mimicked his brother’s ea
rlier pose as Mark proceeded to give Marissa a list of options including water, beer, soda, milk, wine or Kool-Aid. She chose red wine and the two of them critiqued the quality of his bottle from the Chianti Classico region of Italy.

  Eric glared at his brother’s back; Mark didn’t know shit about wine. Jealousy stirred in his gut despite the fact that he knew his brother was purposely trying to rile him.

  Mark steered Marissa toward the door leading to the porch before turning back to pour a glass of wine. “You relax out there and elevate your foot while I teach Eric some manners.”

  She gave Eric a sassy grin and limped past with the crutches. Mark pushed the full glass into his hand. “Lesson one: never keep a woman waiting.”

  “Paybacks are a bitch,” Eric warned in a low tone before striding over in time to slide open the screen door for Marissa.

  “What’s for dinner?” Mark asked.

  “Not sure what you’re having, but we’re ordering pizza.” Eric set the glass of wine on the patio table before pulling over another chair and arranging the cushions for Marissa to prop her foot on.

  “Great,” Mark said from inside. “That leads right into lesson number two: no onions.”

  Eric hung his head in defeat. Marissa covered her mouth, but he still heard her laugh and couldn’t help a smile of his own. Despite Mark’s obnoxious act, Marissa seemed to have relaxed some, so maybe he wouldn’t kick his brother’s ass just yet.

  “Hey, by the way,” Mark called, his voice muffled by the refrigerator door. “I ran into Charlie in Redemption this afternoon.”

  The mention of fellow EMT Charlie Russell made Eric straighten quick and head back inside.

  “Your guy from that accident this morning has been upgraded from critical to serious. He’s still in intensive care, but things look good,” Mark continued.

  “That’s great news. Listen, I wanted to—”

  “Are you talking about the accident on the highway earlier?” Marissa asked before Eric could change the subject. “It was all over the radio this morning—I had to take a detour to the zoo.”

  “Yep.” Mark clapped Eric on the shoulder. “The driver of the SUV probably wouldn’t have made it if Eric hadn’t been there.”

  Much as he was glad to hear the man would recover, he wasn’t comfortable getting into details in front of Marissa. Eric grabbed a glass and the bottle of wine to pour a drink, giving Mark a slight frown to discourage further elaboration. “We do what we need to, you know that as well as anyone.”

  “Yeah, but I also know we don’t always hear how they’re doing.” Mark took a swig of the soda he’d swiped from the fridge.

  “Mark’s a medic in the army just like I was, only he lasted longer than I did.” Eric explained to Marissa, hoping to detour the conversation.

  “How long is that?” she asked.

  “Fifteen years next month. I’m home for my last week of leave before I get out in December.”

  “What are you going to do then?”

  “I’ve been thinking about investing in a business or something around here. Maybe look into opening a small resort.”

  “I didn’t know about this,” Eric said as Mark stepped out onto the porch by Marissa.

  “I’ve been toying with the idea for a little while.”

  “What kind of resort?” Marissa asked.

  “Something with cabins, near a lake so there’d be swimming and water-skiing in the summer, and snowmobiling and ice-fishing in the winter.”

  “Anything near water is going to cost a pretty penny,” Eric commented as he stepped outside and slid the screen shut again.

  “I haven’t spent much in the military, so I’ve got a bit saved. Plus, after helping you with this place, I figure I’ll get some free labor down the road, right?”

  “You can count on it,” Eric said.

  Mark pulled out a chair as if he planned to join them for the evening. Normally Eric would relish the chance to visit with his older brother, but right now he was feeling somewhat territorial over Marissa. He hadn’t met anyone that interested him like she did since his divorce, so the way he saw it, his selfishness was justified.

  Just as he was trying to come up with a nice way to tell his brother to bug off, Mark looked over and caught his eye. With a knowing grin, he indicated Eric should take the seat.

  “I’m going to get going, but you’ve got Reese all weekend, right?”

  Still standing, Eric nodded. “I talked Nina into a couple extra days. I’m guessing the pregnancy has her pretty tired, because it didn’t become the war I expected.”

  “Good, then I’ll let Reese play with her friend and stop by tomorrow.”

  “Speaking of tomorrow, would you have some time to give me a ride back to the zoo to pick up Marissa’s car?”

  “Sure.” Mark winked at Marissa. “Anything for a pretty woman.”

  She shook her head. “Even a blind person could tell you two are brothers.”

  “Taught him everything he knows,” Mark boasted.

  “Oh, God,” Eric groaned. “How about we just see you tomorrow—please?”

  Mark took hold of Marissa’s hand. “Keep this guy in line.”

  “I’ll try. Nice to meet you, Mark.”

  “Sweetheart, the pleasure is all mine.” He bent and lifted her hand to his lips.

  Eric gave him a shove on the shoulder, only half-joking. “Get the hell outta here.”

  Mark laughed on his way down the steps, waved when Reese hollered, “Hi, Uncle Mark!” but continued to his Jeep parked near Eric’s workshop. A couple honks of the horn and he was gone.

  Eric turned to Marissa with a wry smile. “I am very sorry for all of that.”

  “Don’t worry about it. He was funny, and he seems like a nice guy.”

  “Seems being the operative word.” He glanced at his watch. “I better get dinner ordered—what do you and Heather like on your pizza?”

  She gave him their preferences and though it was stupid, Eric grinned when she didn’t ask for onions. It could be she just didn’t like the breath-destroying vegetable, but he preferred to look at it as a continuation of her ‘maybe’ from earlier. Hell, she’d totally avoided answering when he’d told her to say she didn’t like him to his face. That had to mean something right?

  Hopefully the mistletoe would still be recognizable if—when—he got the chance to use it. No way he was letting that gift go to waste.

  “They’ll be here in about twenty-five minutes,” he called after he hung up the phone. “Can I top off your glass?”

  “Not until dinner, but thanks. So, any other brothers that might pop in?” she asked as he came out to take a seat kitty-corner from her at the patio table.

  “No, he’s one of a kind. I’ve got a younger sister in Ohio and though my parents only live about ten minutes from here, they usually call first.”

  Eric himself had never lived farther than a fifteen-mile radius from where he was born except for his six years in the Army. He supposed he should be grateful Nina left him for another Pulaski native. While the drama had set the town gossips’ tongues on fire, at least Reese remained close. He shook off those thoughts and returned his attention to Marissa.

  “How about you? Brothers? Sisters?”

  “One younger sister, Nikki. She lives a couple blocks away from me.”

  He gave her a thoughtful look as he searched his memory. “You didn’t grow up here, did you? I don’t think you’re that much younger than me, and Pulaski is not so big that I wouldn’t remember.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “And you are how old?”

  “Twenty-nine.” He paused, but went for it anyway. “Dare I ask the same?”

  “I’m twenty-seven,” she said with a smile. “And I grew up in Milwaukee, that’s why you don’t remember me.”

  “A big city girl. What brought you to our small town?”

  “Oh, God, it’s such a cliché.”

  Her laugh was slightly embarrassed and he guessed, “You
followed a guy.”

  “Yeah.” She dropped her gaze and tilted her wine glass, studying the liquid inside. “My college sweetheart, who turned out to be sweet on every girl but me shortly after Heather was born.”

  “He’s an idiot.”

  That statement got him another brief smile.

  “I’d already fallen in love with the town, so I didn’t mind staying after the divorce,” she continued. “My sister had just graduated high school and couldn’t wait to get out of the house, so she moved in with me and helped out while going to college. She bought her own place a couple months ago.”

  “It’s nice to have family nearby.”

  “It is,” she agreed. “Especially since my ex isn’t very involved.”

  His was too involved, but for all the wrong reasons. Eric finished off his glass and switched back to a previous subject. “I still can’t believe we live so close and haven’t met. Especially with the kids at the same school.”

  “But they weren’t until a couple weeks ago. Heather used to go to Hillcrest but when they rezoned the school districts, we were shifted to Lannoye. I signed her up for a couple summer school classes so she could hopefully make a few friends before the regular school year starts.”

  “Okay, that makes much more sense.” Laughter and and the sound of footsteps clambering down the tree house steps drew Eric’s attention. “And it worked—those two are quickly becoming inseparable.”

  Marissa smiled as the girls ran across the yard toward them.

  “Dad—pizza’s here!”

  ***

  After dinner, the girls cleared the patio table while Eric and Marissa finished their second glasses of wine. Eric marveled at how well the evening turned out after the shaky middle to their day. He wasn’t sure if the catalyst had been their argument, or somehow resulted from Mark’s annoying antics, but he’d take the camaraderie and easy conversation however he could get it.

  The girls had gone inside and he heard the dishwasher door open. The clink of silverware and and clatter of plates accompanied Reese’s voice through the screen door. “I always help Daddy ‘cuz he has no one to take care of him when I’m not here.”