by Leah Atwood
Phoebe’s smile reached her eyes. “I didn’t hang it there until tonight.”
The invitation to kiss her didn’t hit him until she’d disappeared inside the house with poinsettia.
When Phoebe returned, she adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. “Ready to go?”
“Not yet.” He wouldn’t miss the opportunity a second time. Without giving it another thought, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. “We can’t waste the mistletoe.”
Her voice had dropped low and breathless. “That would be a shame.”
Full, pink lips greeted his mouth. He wished the kiss could last forever, but he kept it short and innocent. One day soon, if his prayers were answered in the way he wanted, they’d have the liberty to indulge in longer, more passionate kisses.
He held her hand for the brief walk to his truck and then opened the door for her. She would never complain about his vehicle or think it beneath her, no matter what destination they had in mind.
She buckled her seat belt and twisted to face him. “Do I get to find out where we’re going yet?”
“It’s a surprise.” He smirked and reached for the penny hiding in the dash. “I don’t even know yet.”
“Then how do we know where to go?”
Grasping the penny, he held it up. “This. Have you ever heard of a penny date?”
She clapped her hands, and her eyes opened wide. “I saw that on the internet a few months ago and loved it. Is that really what we’re doing?”
He nodded and pointed his thumb to the rear seat. “We’ll have a picnic dinner wherever we end up.”
“In the cold?”
“If need be.” He wagged his brows. “I’ll keep you warm.”
“Hmm.” A lazy smile tugged at her lips. “I like the sound of that.”
“Before we leave, you have to pick a number from one to twenty.”
She tapped a finger against the corner of her lips. “Twenty.”
“You know the rules, don’t you?”
“Why do you think I said twenty?” Mischief danced in her eyes. “More time together.”
“Twenty turns it is.” His heart grew two sizes. “I like this side of you.”
“What side?”
“Bold. Flirtatious.”
“Now that I don’t have to hide how I feel, I’m free to let it out.” She flipped the coin, and it landed on heads.
He took a right out of the driveway. “Freedom is good.”
“I’d have to agree.”
Bittersweet joy surrounded him. “We wasted a lot of years not being honest with each other.”
“All we can do is learn from our mistakes and pray we don’t make them again.” Her reassuring smile lit the dark car. They came to a stop sign, and she handed him the penny. “You flip this time.”
He flicked his thumb, and it landed on heads again. “At this rate, we’ll make a circle.”
“Don’t you mean a square?” She giggled at her own joke.
“Only you.” Amused, he shook his head and made the turn. “Eighteen more to go.”
“This is fun. I wonder how someone initially thought of this?”
“They probably got bored with going out to eat all the time and never finding good movies playing at the theater.” He’d rather watch her but had to keep his eyes on the road, especially at this time of year and in the evening when deer showed up often. “Or lived in a small town with few options.”
“Or,” she drew out the word, “maybe the person was a romantic with a whimsical side who enjoyed exploring with the person they loved.”
“Whatever the reason, I’m enjoying this. It’s different.”
“Me too.” She opened her purse and took out her phone. “I want pictures to remember this by.”
“I doubt you’ll capture much. It’s too dark out.” They came to another stop, and the flash blinded him temporarily. “You’re lucky we weren’t moving.”
“I wouldn’t have taken a picture if we were moving.” She stared at the screen. “And you’re wrong. I captured what matters.”
Taking a look, he saw the picture of himself on her phone. He kept one hand on the steering wheel and wrapped his other around hers. “We both did.”
They found themselves on a long stretch of road, and it was seven miles before they made another turn. Phoebe had quieted down, and it concerned him. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“I’m not sure if I should say.”
“No more hiding, right?” He squeezed her hand. “We should be free to say anything to each other.”
“Okay.” She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “I was wondering if you’ve heard anything from Deena?”
“No, and I don’t expect to.” Mac shrugged off the reminder of his short-term relationship.
“It’s strange, though. There’s nothing online about it either.”
He jerked his head around, surprised she’d looked and not sure how he felt about that. “You searched?”
“No, Darla told me.”
“That makes more sense.” His muscles relaxed.
“You thought I went around being nosy?” Her tone darkened with sadness.
“Well… yes. I’m sorry.”
“I’m teasing—I would have thought the same.” Her voice lightened, and he heard her smile. “I told Darla about us. Is that okay?”
“I told my friends and family, and I’m sure everyone at church figured it out on Sunday when we showed up together, sat together, and you made eyes at me.”
“I did not make eyes at you, whatever that even means.”
Laughter rumbled from deep in his chest. “Just making sure you were still listening.”
She swatted his arm. “Anyway, as soon as I told Darla, she must have gone online because she came back twenty minutes later to report she couldn’t find any mention of a breakup. She’s checked every day since.”
“Who knows?”
“The filming is supposed to wrap up Wednesday, and today our office got the notice of her vacating the cabin.”
Mac stopped the car and gently guided her face to look at him. “Tonight is about us, not Deena. She’s in the past, and even if it’s the recent past, I’d rather leave her there and focus on you and me.”
“You’re right.” She covered his hand with hers, and whispered, “You and Me. Us.”
“Together at last.”
Chapter Fifteen
Christmas Eve arrived like a scene from a movie. A fresh blanket of snow covered the fallen pine needles, adding an extra crunch to Phoebe’s steps. She burrowed into her coat for the short trek into the office.
Her three-day weekend ended on the first day when Ted’s mom had to be taken in for emergency surgery, leaving Phoebe to manage any situations that arose at Jasper Properties that couldn’t be addressed by the front desk.
Unfortunately for her, Deena had arrived at the office thirty minutes ago and announced the cabin had not lived up to her expectations and insisted the studio receive a full refund. Yet, she’d not made a single complaint the entire length of the almost three-month-long stay.
When Cameron called to inform her of the issue, Phoebe reluctantly postponed the drive to her parents to address the problem with Deena. She entered through the back door of Jasper Properties and dropped off her purse in her office.
Voices in the adjoining room gave her pause. She recognized them as Deena and Lynz, and they appeared to be in a disagreement.
“You’ve pulled a lot of stunts, but this isn’t right.”
“I don’t recall asking you.” Deena’s voice dripped with disgust.
Lynz growled. “Someone needs to stand up to you.”
“Another word and it’s your job,” Deena sneered. “I have a dozen numbers I could call right now of people who would replace you instantly.”
“So be it,” Lynz countered. “Taya Faye’s been trying to get me for months.”
Deena gasped. “You wouldn’t!”
�
�Oh, but I would. Less drama and more money.”
“I’ll blacklist you,” Deena hissed.
“When word gets out about your affair with Dante Torio, your power in Hollywood is gone.” Smug satisfaction resounded in Lynz’s voice.
“Nobody will believe it, and my publicist already has a backup plan in case anyone does.”
“Mac was your backup plan, and you ruined it.”
Deena’s laugh was anything but joyous. It rang of mockery. “I tried but looks alone can’t make up for his boring personality. Every moment with him was a fight to stay awake.”
Anger swelled in Phoebe. She should make her presence known, clue them in to the fact she could hear, but she couldn’t. For Mac’s sake, she wanted to hear this conversation through.
Lynz snorted. “You fell for him hard. You’re just mad because he saw through you. Any man worth dating is going to have self-respect, and you did everything you could to rip that from him.”
“Whatever.”
“Seriously, Deena.” Lynz sighed. “We agreed you’d find a boy-next-door to date while here filming to secure your reputation if the news of Dante broke. You couldn’t have kept it up for a few more months?”
“What was I supposed to do?” Deena’s disgust changed to frustration. “He broke up with me.”
“Then you should have made nice and tried to get him back instead of going all loco and stirring up trouble with his new girl.”
“Phoebe’s so perfect it’s disgusting.”
“You’ve never been an outwardly jealous person. It doesn’t look good on you.”
Phoebe clutched her chest, shocked at what she heard. She’d known something was up, and she didn’t understand exactly what happened but put enough pieces together to know Mac had been used, and Deena had serious character flaws.
“What am I supposed to do?” Her emotions seemed to have calmed down, and Deena spoke in a quieter, more reasonable tone.
“First of all, drop this nonsense about the rental. It’s not even your money paying for it, and you loved your stay there. Second, you go back to Mac, apologize for your behavior, and ask him for a second chance. And for the love of everything, don’t have any more affairs with married men.”
Phoebe had heard enough—she could admit her life had been sheltered compared to many, but she couldn’t imagine leading a life like Deena’s. Affairs, using people, manipulating others. It was no way to live. Any jealousy she’d harbored toward Deena faded to pity.
For the sake of them all, she thought it best if Deena and Lynz didn’t know she’d overheard their heated conversation. She quietly left her office, leaving the door open to create as little noise as possible. She tiptoed to the front and sat in the chair next to Cameron.
He gave her a tight smile. “I’m sorry to call you in on your day off. I tried everything to reason with her, but she wouldn’t budge.”
“It’s okay. I’ll handle it then be on my way.”
“If they ever stop shouting at each other.” Cameron eyed the side room where Lynz and Deena were. “Sounds like they’ve calmed down finally.”
Phoebe swallowed before she admitted to eavesdropping. “We’ll give them a few more minutes, then knock on the door.”
“Any big Christmas plans?” Cameron said.
“My family and Mac’s are having Christmas Eve together. We’ll all attend the candlelight service then have a late dinner at his parents’ home.” Joining their families for Christmas could have seemed like a big deal in their relationship, but the idea came naturally. The siblings and parents had all been friends for years, and it only made sense to celebrate the holiday together. “Do you?”
“My little sister is an angel in this year’s program at our church.” He pointed to her in the family portrait on the desk. “As soon as I close up here, I’ll pick up my girlfriend, and we’ll head to the church.”
“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”
A mild blush appeared on his cheeks. “It’s in the early stages.”
“I wish you the best. She’s a lucky girl.”
“Thanks.”
A door closed, followed by two pairs of footsteps.
Phoebe closed her eyes and whispered a brief prayer. “Give me guidance and wisdom to handle this situation in a manner pleasing to you, Lord.”
To her surprise, Deena walked directly out of the building without giving her or Cameron a glance.
Lynz stopped at the desk. “Deena has decided to retract her complaints. Have a Merry Christmas.”
Cameron stared at Phoebe after Lynz left. “Is it me, or was that weird?”
“I’d say we witnessed a Christmas miracle.” Her eyes remained focused out the window on the two women as they entered the limousine and rode away.
She doubted she’d ever see them again, and for that, she couldn’t muster an ounce of remorse.
Chapter Sixteen
Mac wound an arm firmly around Phoebe’s as they walked from the church to his truck. Despite the mens’ best efforts to clear the snow and spread salt, the parking lot remained an icy, snowy mess.
“I’m surprised the service had such a high turnout.” Phoebe took careful steps to avoid visible slick spots. “Bad weather usually keeps people away.”
“They all wanted to experience Pastor Gray’s last candlelight service in his official role as pastor.”
“At least we have six months until Elijah takes over, but Pastor Gray will be missed.” She stopped at the truck.
He opened the door and helped her in. On the way to the driver’s side, Mac hit a patch of ice and had to balance himself against the truck. He glanced inside, relieved to see she hadn’t seen his near fall.
Phoebe stared at her phone with worry etched into the lines of her face. Something was wrong—she hadn’t acted like herself all evening. Until they’d left the church building, she’d been abnormally quiet. He’d ask her about it once he started the truck, and they warmed up. If he could fix whatever bothered her, then he would. They’d waited too long to share Christmas as a couple.
Her frown disappeared the second he entered the cab, and she dropped the phone in her purse. “I’m starving. I can’t wait to eat your mom’s ham. That glaze she makes is to die for.”
“It’s an old family recipe.” An initial blast of cold air burst from the vents, followed by warmer air. The service hadn’t been long enough for the engine to cool down completely, and he was thankful they wouldn’t have to wait for heat.
He gripped the steering wheel loosely with one hand and looked at her. Should he let it go since she seemed fine now? Or had she only pretended to be for his sake? Considering how she’d abruptly stopped frowning when he’d gotten in the truck, he decided on the latter. “Can we talk?”
“What about?” Her even tone suggested she already knew.
“You’ve acted bothered all night. I can tell something’s bothering you.”
She sucked in a long gulp of air, releasing it after several seconds. “There is, but I don’t know if I should tell you.”
He shifted in the seat, clasped her shaking hands in his, worried about whatever upset her so badly. “You can tell me. I don’t want anything to come between us. Did I do something wrong?”
“No, you’ve been nothing but great.”
“Then what’s going on?” A million reasons for her worry flashed through his mind, and his imagination jumped out of control.
“It’s Deena.”
The reasons fled as quickly as they’d formed, and he almost laughed with relief. “What about her?”
“I overheard a conversation between her and Lynz today. It wasn’t pretty.”
“Unless they’re about to commit a crime you need to report, don’t let it bother you.” He regretted his joke when he saw a tear in Phoebe’s eye. “They aren’t really planning a crime, are they?”
“No, but Deena isn’t a good person, Mac.” The story as Phoebe had heard it spilled out.
“So she used me a
s an attempt to repair her reputation?”
“That’s how it seemed.” Her forehead wrinkled. “I’ve been struggling to know if I should tell you or not. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
The contrast between Phoebe and Deena glared at him. How could he have been dumb enough to waste his time with Deena, even before knowing he’d been used? “It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry.”
A slow smile crawled across his mouth. “I’m not. Deena’s opinion and actions don’t bother me, but I am grateful for her.”
Phoebe tilted her head and studied him. “That’s an odd statement.”
“If not for her, how much longer would we have avoided being honest with each other? We probably wouldn’t be sitting here tonight if not for Deena.”
“I hadn’t thought about it in those terms, but you’re right.” She twisted her hands from his. “There’s one more thing. I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, but there’s a chance she might come back to you, apologize for her behavior, and try to win you back.”
“I doubt that. Deena doesn’t strike me as the type to grovel.”
“If it benefits her, she will.”
He shrugged it off. “Either way, it wouldn’t make a difference. She could never compete with you.”
The moon peeked through a cloud, giving enough light to see shades of pink creeping up her neck. “Thank you.”
“I mean it.” Overwhelmed with love for her, Mac couldn’t keep it to himself. He took a strand of her glossy brown hair and wound it around a finger. “You’re smart, hardworking, innovative, creative, honest, selfless, generous, and beautiful. You do for others and expect nothing in return, and you look for ways to bring smiles. You’re dedicated to your family and faith, and you don’t look to tangible goods to bring you joy.” He unwound the tress and trailed a finger along her cheek. “You’re the whole package, Phoebe Graff, and that’s why I love you.”
A contented sigh glided off her lips, and she leaned into him. “I’ve dreamed of hearing you say that. I love you too.”
“I’ll say it often, every day for the rest of our lives if you’d like.”
