Julie sighed. “We weren’t making out. It was a wardrobe malfunction—well, two of them at once. Thanks for the heads-up about the costumes, by the way.”
Mom and Peggy exchanged a glance, their features spilling over with false innocence.
“Oh, did we not mention that?” Suddenly Peggy’s priority became rearranging the treats on the table.
“I suppose you also wouldn’t appreciate the mention of the mistletoe hanging above your heads?” Mom pointed at the dangling clump of green leaves and white berries that hung from the center of their sign.
Now it was Gavin’s and Julie’s turn to exchange a glance. His gaze homed in on her lips, and he was half tempted to dip his head and just kiss her already. It wasn’t like it’d be a hardship. If anything, it’d be a relief to press his lips to hers, see how it went, and deal with the aftereffects later.
But then Julie crossed her arms and addressed the moms. “Does this mean you’ve abandoned the idea of setting me up with Kory?”
The question jerked Gavin out of his own head, and what the hell? He was daydreaming about kissing her, and she was thinking about some other guy?
“No,” Peggy said. “We were just…”
“Spreading Christmas cheer,” Mom finished for her, and they both nodded. No idea why he hadn’t noticed it before, but their mothers were nearing evil genius range.
“Do Gavin and I need to deliver another speech on how we’re grownups who are fully capable of living our own lives and making our own decisions?”
It probably shouldn’t be a surprise that their parents—particularly the moms—didn’t take their speech very seriously, considering they delivered it while wearing character costumes from the movie Frozen. But considering how adamantly they insisted they’d heard them the first time, they didn’t want a replay.
Which reminds me… In all the hustle and bustle, I forgot that Kristin’s probably around here somewhere. Using his height to its full advantage, he scanned the surrounding area, preparing himself for a run-in. As two adults who’d once loved each other, they’d sworn to remain on friendly terms.
It hadn’t happened, but he’d meant what he’d said the day she moved out, about how he cared about her and wished her the best.
After they exchanged a quick hello and updated each other on their lives, he was going to swallow his pride and ask Kristin for forgiveness. After all, he’d persuaded her to move twice, despite how homesick she’d been, and how clear she’d been about not enjoying city life. There at the bitter end, he’d done exactly what she’d accused him of. He’d thrown himself into football, spending all his extra time hanging with the guys, and left her alone without a support system.
Maybe she stayed away, since my mom and Julie’s mom help spearhead the bazaar every year. Does that mean she’s still holding a grudge?
A tug on his pants leg stole his attention. The kid who’d worried he was too scrawny to be a good ballplayer stood there, football in hand. “Can you show me that trick you were talking about? The one that makes you throw extra far?”
He tapped Julie, indicated he was going to go throw with the kid, and that he’d circle back. She nodded and settled in behind the table with their mothers.
Gavin went to the biggest open space he could find and instructed the kid how to hold the ball and pivot his hip to give him extra oomph behind his throws. They tossed it back and forth, and within a few minutes, the kid got the hang of it.
“Thank you so much, Gavin,” he said. Then he scrunched up his little face. “Um, some dude is making a move on your girl.”
Gavin was embarrassed by how quickly his head whipped toward the spot where he’d left Julie. Kory was at the table, his palms braced on the top of it as he smiled and chatted with Julie.
“That’s my best friend,” Gavin said, one eye still remaining on her and Kory. Great. The guy had noticed the dangling mistletoe, and he could kick himself for not taking the opportunity to kiss her while he’d had the chance.
“Yeah, my best friend is my girlfriend, too. She’s right there.” The kid waved at a girl with long brown braids. She grinned, showing off a mouthful of braces. “I won her that stuffed bear she’s holding. You should try that. She gave me the biggest hug after.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out, buddy.” Gavin ruffled the kid’s hair. “Any pointers on which booth I should hit up for one of those bears?”
Chapter Thirteen
Julie rolled over and cracked open her eye so she could see what time it was.
The stuffed teddy bear she’d snuggled up to last night greeted her instead of her alarm clock—that’s right. She was at the Frosts in Colorado, not her apartment in Phoenix. She flicked the jingle bell on the end of the bear’s hat and grinned. She’d been chatting with Kory, doing her best to throw out flirty lines that were safe around the Holiday Bazaar crowd.
He’d mentioned the mistletoe, and a shrill, alien-sounding laugh came out. As she’d remained glued to her seat, awkwardness had crowded the space, and she’d made a joke about waiting until her two moms weren’t breathing so heavily over her shoulder while darting a glare at both of them.
In truth, as she considered giving in to the tradition, all she could think was that she wished it were Gavin instead. If she’d kissed him earlier, that would require a twenty-four-hour cooling off period before she planted her lips on another dude, right?
She’d been mentally beating herself up for not seizing the opportunity—and honestly, she hadn’t been sure with which guy she even meant—and then Gavin had strolled over.
“I won you somethin’,” he said with a grin so wide it should come with a UV warning. With a flourish, he slipped a teddy bear from behind his arm brace. “This is the bear that looked the most like me. Brown skin, big and strong, and check it out”—he tugged on the green fuzz that made up the stuffed toy’s elf costume—“a uniform so tight it’s practically painted on.”
The bell on the tip of the bear’s hat jingled as Gavin shook it at her, and she’d squealed and hugged the stuffed toy to her chest. No boy had ever won her a prize before. She realized he was merely being considerate and kind because that’s who he was. Still, she’d forever treasure the elf bear, and the memories it evoked of their wardrobe-malfunction scandal.
Kory had wished her goodbye—reminding her that he was there—and the relief that spread through her made it pretty clear which guy she wanted to kiss. If only it wouldn’t end up being a total disaster. As simple as a kiss sounded, she couldn’t just go swapping spit with her bestie and expect it to not affect their entire relationship.