Muffins And Mistletoe (A Starlight Hills Holiday Novella) (6 page)

"If only everything was that easy," she said, maybe a little too wistfully, but she didn't care. At this point all she wanted was this man back in her life.

"Yeah. Not a big fan of anything complicated these days."

"Jimmy, I didn't mean to complicate anything. I don't know what I was thinking…" Her hand slipped out from her coat pocket and landed on his arm. She searched his eyes for the spark of magic she always saw there. She thought she saw it flash as he blinked and those blue eyes devoured her for the space of a heartbeat. Then it was gone as he turned his head.

"Listen, Corinne, I gotta go. Annalise just texted Dalton that they need help getting their driveway cleared or they won't make the gala tonight." He gave her an apologetic shrug and headed toward the door. "Hold on to that coffee."

"See you tonight," she called as the door closed behind him.

He waved and disappeared into the crowd on the sidewalk.

Corinne took a long sip of coffee and everything in her head cleared. Jimmy didn't want complicated. Neither did she. Tonight she was going to make it easy for him. Four more hours and either she'd be the laughing stock of the whole town or she'd be engaged.

SIX

Corinne stood on the steps of the Starlight Hills Civic Center, her breath misting out around her in the cold night air. Music drifted from the open doors in front of her. The lights from inside lit the way to what would surely be the event of the season. A glacial burst of wind swirled the hem of her black dress up around her knees while she considered running back down the steps and going home. She looked toward the parking lot at the patches of ice she'd gingerly walked over in her stilettos only moments before and then back at Dalton as he held the door, impatiently tapping his foot. What the hell was she doing here? If her plan backfired, or if Jimmy outright refused to get up on that stage, how would she ever live down that humiliation?

Probably the same way he'd been dealing with his own embarrassment since Thanksgiving.

"Are you coming?" Dalton called, his voice muffled in the night wind.

She teetered on her heels, taking one step at a time, and walked through the open door with clear determination to set things right. Inside, Dalton helped her out of her coat. She watched him in silence as he hung it with the others in the coatroom off the entrance. The same silence they'd shared at home and on the drive into town still hung in the air between them. They'd always been close, but since Thanksgiving, Dalton either avoided her or simply kept his mouth shut. He was in the awkward position of being her brother and Jimmy's best friend, so asking him to choose sides wouldn't be fair.

But tonight wasn't about being fair to him, and with neither of their parents in town, she needed someone at that moment to reassure her.

"You think I'm making a mistake?"

He shook his head. "You're a big girl. You don't need my approval."

"I'm not asking for your blessing, Dalton. He's your best friend. Just tell me I'm not acting crazy." She fought the urge to wring her hands and scream. The last thing she wanted was to appear to be losing it.

"I was surprised you turned him down in the first place. So what exactly would make this plan crazy?"

He had a point. This wasn't crazy; it was logical. She'd embarrassed Jimmy in public, so she had to make it up to him in public, too. He was everything she'd ever dreamed of, and the thought of losing him because of a momentary lapse in judgment made her physically ache with sadness.

She stood in the doorway of the coat room. Dalton cleaned up nice when he wanted to. She'd thought for sure he was going to make a statement tonight and show up wearing flannel and work boots. Instead, the crisp midnight-blue shirt he wore perfectly complemented his sandy hair and he'd actually polished his dress shoes. He'd had a rough year and this party could be just the push he needed to get back in the dating game. Maybe with a little bit of holiday magic they'd both end up under the mistletoe.

"I bet you'll turn a few heads," she said, pushing her own fear of rejection deep into the recesses of her soul.

He shrugged out of his own coat and hung it next to hers. When he looked over, his eyes softened. "I'd say the same about you, but I think there's only one head you care about turning."

Even without him mentioning Jimmy's name, Corinne's body tingled in response to the thought of him. Happy memories flooded her mind, and her body swayed ever so slightly to the music as she imagined being in his arms. She looked over her shoulder and through the doorway draped with fresh pine roping as it twinkled with white lights, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Too many people filled her vision; some were dancing, others moved around the room carrying drinks or small plates of food. It was impossible to pick him out of the crowd.

More than once over the past two days she'd tried to envision exactly how tonight would go. Her favorite dream had always been the one where he was waiting for her, right here in the archway, under the mistletoe. She'd hoped he was just as eager as she to put the past week behind them.

She bit her lip, her confidence wavering with Jimmy nowhere in sight. "You don't have any words of advice, Dalton? Or would you rather give me a stern warning?"

"Would anything I say make a difference?"

For a moment she lingered there, smoothing out the sides of her dress and thinking about his question. Could he say anything that would change her mind? Bitty assured her everything was in place. "I'm shocked. Seriously, you don't want to give me some dire warning about how I'm about to ruin my life?"

"I've decided to keep my opinions to myself tonight."

Her eyes widened in amazement. "There may be hope for you yet."

"I don't know about that," he said as he walked out of the coat room and made his way to the entrance of the main hall. She followed him into the entryway, where he stood beside the Christmas tree adorned with little red bows and glimmering tinsel. A sly grin slid across his face. He raised an eyebrow as he plucked a peppermint candy cane from the bowl beside the doorway. "Maybe I'm just tired of being ignored. Jimmy didn't seem to like my opinions any more than you do. Not that I didn't try to impart my wisdom."

Panic lodged in her chest. "Dalton, I'll never forgive you if he's not here because of your so-called advice."

"He's here," he said as he gazed out over the crowd. "But I don't think it's him you have to worry about."

Before she could react, Katie appeared from the middle of the dance floor and rushed over. With a wave of her hand, Corinne's attention turned to her friend wearing the emerald-green dress she'd impulsively purchased last week. Her auburn curls were piled perfectly on her head, with wispy tendrils framing her face. Dalton noticed her, too. His hand moved through his hair and he gave her an appreciative big-brotherly smile before he slipped away. Simply having Katie here by her side put her at ease and bolstered her self-confidence.

Katie touched her shoulder, her brows knitted in concern. "Don't let that tramp stop you. Stick to the plan."

A sense of dread pounded in Corinne's chest.
That tramp?
She turned her head to follow Katie's gaze into the crowded room and toward a couple under the mistletoe. There, pressed up against Jimmy, with her lips on his, was Annalise Kendall.

* * *

The minute Annalise leaned in for a kiss, Jimmy decided he hated mistletoe. How could one little leafy sprig cause so much havoc in a man's life?

From his little corner of the room, he'd been watching the front door for Corinne. Dalton had texted him when they left the house with one last sarcastic comment, something about running away now before it was too late. Jimmy had laughed it off. He hadn't rehearsed any lines, but he knew what he wanted to say to her the minute she walked through the door. He also knew that whatever happened between them tonight, it would be in private. He was done with public displays of any kind.

Then Annalise rushed toward him in her bright red dress. The plunging neckline barely left anything to the imagination. In fact, every guy she passed couldn't help but openly stare. She sauntered his way, her hips swaying, with a wine glass in her hand and a red-lacquered smile—aimed at him. He thought about moving too late, and before he knew it, she was in front of him, leaning in, and her lips were on his.

Stunned, he stood frozen, not sure what to do. He'd known Annalise almost as long as Corinne. He'd just never thought about kissing her before. Her body crushed against him, and her leg rubbed along his thigh in an awkward display of affection. She touched the side of his face and whispered, "I was hoping to get you alone tonight."

Was she purring in his ear?

With his hands on her shoulders, he nudged her away and stepped back. He looked into her pretty hazel eyes, searching for the right words. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but what if Corinne walked in and found him under the mistletoe with her? He tried to sound aloof. "Alone with two hundred other people? Annalise, I'm flattered, but—"

She slid up against him again and landed another kiss, her lips more insistent this time. "I can make you forget Corinne."

Forget?
Was that what he wanted? That was what Dalton had suggested. Annalise's blonde hair brushed his neck as she purred in his ear. She probably thought he would drag her off into the coat room or to any dark corner and ease the pain of Corinne's rejection with her willing body. She cooed and ran a finger along his arm, but the only woman he could think about was Corinne.

He took a deep breath and wanted desperately to smell Corinne's familiar sweet perfume, instead of the hint of wine on Annalise's breath. He wanted to look into Corinne's eyes and trace her smile with his fingers. Without her by his side, his life would be boring and empty. He needed her laughter and love to be whole.

Again, he put his hands on Annalise's bare shoulders and used a little more force this time to push her away. From the corner of his eye he caught the red-haired Fortunato twins moving in. Boobs threatening to burst from their shimmering dresses, they each gave him a lecherous glare that conjured up visions of him being trapped between them and unable to escape. He shivered and knew he had to get away now.

"Jimmy, there you are," his mother said as she pulled him away from Annalise with a fun-loving wink. "We're getting ready to start and you're going first. Please excuse us, Anna."

He wasn't sure what his mother had planned or what he was to be the first to do tonight, and frankly, he didn't care. For the first time he was grateful his meddling mother had come to his rescue.

Minutes later, Jimmy found himself in the embarrassing position of being humiliated in public for the second time in a week. He'd agreed to build the catwalk down the center of the room, never guessing he'd end up walking it himself. Somewhere along the way he'd missed that his mother had planned a "Stud Muffins and Mistletoe" fundraising event tonight, and apparently he was "stud" number one. Had he really been that oblivious this past week?

Now, he stood behind the red curtain while his very own mother introduced him and planned to auction him off to the highest bidder! He should have known something was up when she insisted he wear a tux tonight.

"Ladies, get your checkbooks out for our first bachelor of the night, my adorable son, James Thomas Crane!"

For two horrifying seconds he stood rooted to the floor behind the curtain, his heart thumping to the beat of the music. Spotlights crisscrossed the platform he'd built yesterday while whistles and hoots filled the room. He was going to have a serious talk with his mother when this was all over!

He thought about making a run for it and sneaking out the back door, but he'd have to get by the oldest member of the Starlight Hills Preservation Society, and she already had her hands on his back. Eighty-five-year-old Mrs. Dempsey leaned into him and whispered, "Show 'em what you got, Jimmy. It's for a good cause." Then she shoved him out onto the stage. And, as if he wasn't humiliated enough, she gave him a swat on the ass as he walked out!

The women in the audience were on their feet, and the three women in the front row were waving their wallets.

"Turn around, Jimmy. Don't be shy," his mother called from the podium to his left, as if it were perfectly normal to pimp your own son. "And ladies, he's a handyman. He'll bring all his tools on the date."

The double entendre met with hoots from the women and groans from the men. Jimmy had a really bad feeling about this, and not just because there was just something so wrong about being auctioned off by his mother. He stared at his feet, not believing this was happening. This was crazy. No, s
he was crazy
.

"Bidding is open!" Bitty exclaimed in her booming auctioneer's voice. "Do I hear twenty-five dollars?"

"A hundred dollars."

Corinne.

Jimmy's head snapped up. He couldn't see her, but he knew her voice. Annalise leaned against the stage and bid one hundred twenty-five. Suddenly, Corinne was there—directly in front of him and raising her hand. "One hundred fifty."

Dressed in a black velvet dress with the lowest neckline he'd ever seen her wear, he found himself stepping closer to the edge of the stage. The single strand of pearls he'd given her last Christmas circled her neck and her long sandy hair was swept back off her face. Seeing her this morning had been torture. After kissing her in the bake-shop it had taken every ounce of strength he had to keep from pulling her into his arms and begging for her never to let him go. The sight of her tears nearly undid him. He'd been kicking himself all day for walking away. Dalton was wrong, he needed her. Now here she was, bidding on him—showing the whole town she was ready to be his wife in the most public way possible.