“Yeah, well, it’s not blue today. Hey, look at me being all argumentative. I’m a rebel without a Claus. Ha. Get it?Claus!”
Uriel grabbed a large linen tote from behind the counter, then began turning off lights as he walked to the door.
“Oh, come on. That was a good one.”
Uriel grunted. “You’re making me allSanta-mental.”
Joe followed Uriel out the door and waited until he’d locked it. “Wait, Santa-mental as in sentimental? Or am I legit making you mental? Honestly, it could go either way, so I’d appreciate some clarification.”
Uriel put his hand back on Joe’s neck and began walking. “Both.”
Joe bumped his hip against Uriel’s as they walked. “Not the first time I’ve made you question all your life choices. You shouldsnowthe drill by now.”
“You’ve been spending entirely too much time with Linus.”
“Possibly. But also, I’m feeling freakily festive. Even though a certain guest at the inn did give me a littletinselitis.”
Joe snuck a peek at Uriel to see his epic eye roll. It didn’t disappoint. He put a moratorium on the puns before Uriel decided to keep the large linen bag in his hands. Joe needed his books.
“Hey, would you go with me to pick out a tree from Weston’s Tree Farm this week? I kind of want one for the carriage house.”
They passed Uriel’s house before making the turn onto the street where the Tinseled Inn was located.
Joe groaned when he saw Javier sitting on the front porch. “Honesty, can’t I catch a break?”
“Don’t worry about him,” Uriel said. “Tree’sa crowd, and we’ve got plans tonight.”
Joe ignored Javier waving a hand in an attempt to gain his attention. Oh no, he couldn’t take his eyes off the pun-master extraordinaire walking beside him. And the moratorium was over. He couldn’t let Uriel win.
“You like to have the finalsleigh, don’t you?”
“Now you’re catching on.”
Joe had no doubt at all that he’d been caught. He glanced toward the inn again, only to find Linus bolting out the front door toward them.
“Joe, Uriel. Come quick. There’s been acarrot-tastrophe downtown. All hands on deck.”
5
URIEL
“Carrot cake muffin?” Nyall asked, not bothering to hide his smirk as Uriel walked into the Mistledough Bakery two days later.
Which reminded Uriel that he hadn’t done anything to torture York for his disastrous misuse of magic. Not only had he spent entirely too long cleaning up carrots from town square, but he’d learned his cousin’s magic was at fault.
As a result, Uriel should not have been forced to clean up the mess. A Lad should not correct mischief caused by another Lad. What was Uriel supposed to say, though? It wasn’t as if he could refuse to help Joe.
Of course, that had led to Joe canceling their plans for the evening. Eldon had dragged Joe to an emergency meeting with the mayor which Uriel had outright refused to attend.
The next morning, he’d had to be at the bookstore early for the arrival of a large shipment that had taken him two days to sort. In the meantime, Eldon had whisked Joe away for some sort ofurgentbuying trip he apparently couldn’t handle on his own.
Right.The shopping king of Mistletoe Falls couldn’t handle a buying trip without assistance. And Uriel was none other than Santa Claus himself.
He forced a smile as Nyall handed over his weekly order of pastries, then made his way toward the bookstore. Adding to his ire was the fact that Javier continued to lurk around town, ignoring all of the less-than-subtle hints he received to vacate the premises.
Until he spoke with Joe, Uriel wouldn’t act on the matter. However, his patience with the situation wouldn’t last much longer. Out of habit, he glanced into the Snowda Shoppe as he passed.
Joe turned at the same moment and their eyes met. A breathtaking smile spread across Joe’s face, and he rushed for the door. “Uriel!”
