“Maybe nature will take its course?”
He wasn’t at all sure what she meant by that, but he wouldn’t admit that.
“And if you won’t help, fine.” She shrugged and flicked her fingers. “I’ll do it myself.”
“Do what?” Although he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.
“I don’t know yet,” she said. “But I’m going to do some research. I’m going to put together all the elements necessary for the human brain to think it’s in love. Then I’m going to make it happen. Yes, I am. If you don’t help, I don’t care.”
He stared at her, thinking about the hurricane category scale they’d learned in science this afternoon. Olivia Hampton was a Cat 5. A human tornado. An avalanche. Name a disaster, and she was it.
Kat barked again, then promptly dove into a snowbank, emerging covered in white. Olivia brushed her fur. “See? Even Kat believes.”
“Kat’s trying to hide from your insane ideas.”
She let out a laugh that sounded like the bells around Copper’s neck when he was pulling the sleigh.
“Do you want to be kept apprised of my plans or are you one hundred percent out?” she asked.
Apprised? Who said apprised? Besides Benny, no one. Except…Hurricane Olivia. “Keep meapprised,” he muttered, turning away. “I better get back to the bakery.”
A minute later, he slumped into a seat across from Grandpa.
“How’d the debrief with your partner in crime go?”
Benny shook his head. “She’s still scheming. No matter what I said, she was, like…determined.”
“Women. Can’t live with ’em, can’t bear life without ’em.”
Oh, Benny could bear it all right.
Grandpa leaned back, eyes twinkling under bushy brows. “So, what’s the latest plot?”
“She wants toprovemy mom and her dad are secretly in…” He couldn’t say the word love. “Into each other,” he finished. “Or do some kind of wacky experiment that will help them get there. What am I going to do?”
“When you’re in a swamp called ‘lady logic’? There’s no easy way out.”
Benny huffed out a breath. “But she wants to do this and I should help, just to make sure she doesn’t do something that really upsets Mom, but if I help,thatwill upset Mom.” He grunted, hating circular logic.
Grandpa leaned forward, with that same look he’d given Benny on the ice. “You got a good heart, Benny-bean. That’s why you keep getting yourself into trouble. You want everyone to be happy.”
“Is trying to make everyone happy bad?” he asked.
“Nah. It’s what makes you a Starling man.” He reached across the table and tousled Benny’s hair. “Which we’ve been missing for a few generations. All those girls!” He rolled his eyes. “You just learn to pick your battles. Like, say, don’t pick one with your mama.”
Hismama. The one who would kill him, ground him, remove all computer privileges, and probably take away any hope of getting that phone if he did exactly what Olivia was thinking about doing.
Benny looked out the window, just in time to see Olivia walk inside Craving Clean with her dog, making his whole chest feel…weird.
Was that because maybe Olivia was right? Or because he just couldn’t say no to that girl?
“…and remember,” Eleanor Locke announced, clutching her clipboard to her chest, “the day and night is called ‘Mistletoe on Main’ for a reason. We want bushels of mistletoe for this one. We will expect no less than a hundred kisses, three proposals, and at least one spontaneous wedding!”
Nervous laughter rippled through the crowded Park City Community Hall. Sitting inches from Marshall, Gracie waited for the warm rush of blood to her cheeks at the thought of…kissing.
But there was none, thank goodness.
Next to her, Marshall leaned a centimeter closer, making her aware of nothing but his masculine scent and the light pressure from his shoulder.
