Margaret stepped forward and gently grasped my arms. “So, don’t go around thinking you’re going crazy. Max and Ben are real as you learned today. I know you called your best friend a million times today to see if she knew who they were. Believe me, she does. You told her about them at the Christmas Eve parties.”
And I did. It was still strange to know that all of that was real. I did a lot of things differently and said things I never would have before, especially to Jake. It made me wonder if anything had changed in his life.
Margaret squeezed my arms again. “I’m excited to see who you choose. Just know I’ll be around if you need me.”
A shimmering cloud of magic swirled around us, and in the next moment, I found myself back in my gallery. And sitting on the desk was a sprig of mistletoe, wrapped in a glittery silver ribbon. It was just like the one Margaret wore every time I saw her.
My fingers tingled the second I picked it up, and it shimmered as warmth spread through my body. Margaret told me in the coffee shop the other day that with mistletoe and Christmas magic, anything was possible. I was starting to believe that. She also said she believed it had helped guide her down the right paths. That was exactly what I needed.
The day went by in a blur because all I could think about was how I had traveled in time. That wasn’t something you could bring up at the dinner table with your family and friends. No one would believe me.
Once seven o’clock rolled around, I locked up the gallery and headed on my way to Hailey’s house for our girls’ night. She still hadn’t returned any of my calls, but she did text, saying she was busy and she’d see me tonight.
When I pulled up at her cabin, I marveled at all the Christmas decorations. I hadn’t been to her house since she decorated it. The whole front porch was wrapped in twinkling colored lights, and her Christmas tree was right in the centerof the giant window. I saw Hailey inside, dressed in red pajama pants and a Santa Claus T-shirt, moving around the kitchen with tons of food everywhere. She didn’t lie when she texted and said she had been busy.
I walked up to the door and didn’t even knock because Hailey was opening it wide, holding out a green-and-red gift bag to me. “Happy girls’ night!” she shouted. “I got something for you.” Inside the bag was a set of pajamas that looked exactly like hers. When I looked at her, she waved a hand toward the hallway. “Yes, I expect you to put those on. Now go change.”
Shaking my head, I laughed and walked past her into the house. “Did you know I’ve been trying to call youallday?”
I turned around to face her and she frowned playfully. “Yeah, I know, but I also knew I’d tell you everything I was doing if I talked to you. I wanted tonight to be a surprise.” She shooed me off. “Now go change and then we’ll chow down.”
Hailey wasn’t one to keep secrets, so I could see why she didn’t call me. Margaret confirmed she knew about Max and Ben, just like my sister. Not to mention, my grandmother was already having card dates with Max’s grandfather.
Her gaze dropped to the mistletoe on my sweater. “Oh, I like that; it looks magical. You’d better be careful when wearing it, though. You never know who’ll try to kiss you.” If she only knew where I got it from.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied, shaking my head and laughing.
I marched down the hall to the bathroom and carefully removed the mistletoe from my sweater so I could attach it to the Santa Claus T-shirt Hailey wanted me to wear. I didn’t want to lose it. It wasn’t every day you were given magical mistletoe by a Christmas angel. When I opened the bathroom door, she was standing there with a giant mason jar filled with her aunt Maria’s pickled shrimp in her hands.
“Surprise! Maria dropped off three jars for you today.”
I grabbed the jar and held it to my chest. “Oh, my God, this is heaven. Now I get to enjoy them all month instead of just Christmas Eve.”
Hailey bit her lip. “Well, not unless you have some left over. The reason she brought them by is because she’s not going to be here for the Christmas Eve party. She and my uncle Dan are going to Scotland for the holidays.” Hailey tapped the jar with her finger. “The jars are huge. You’ll be sick of them before Christmas is even over.”
“Definitely not,” I said, shaking my head. “Please thank Maria for me.”
Hailey grabbed my arm and pulled me into the kitchen. “I will. Now take a look at our spread.”
You couldn’t even see the counter because there was so much food. Mine and Hailey’s favorite cheese and sausage dip was in the Crock-Pot, and tortilla chips were off to the side. Besides that, there was a vegetable and fruit tray, a platter full of mini sandwiches, BBQ meatballs, and cookies galore. There was even a corner dedicated to various bottles of wine.
She handed me a plate. “Dig in, girl. And I haveNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacationready for us on the TV.”
“This is amazing, Hailey. Thank you.”
I filled my plate and poured some of Thistle Meadow Winery’s Lucky Black red wine into a glass. It was going to be a great night. I needed time to wind down after the day I had. I wished I could tell Hailey all about what happened with Margaret and how I traveled back in time, but it was probably best I kept that to myself. It’d be a secret I’d carry for the rest of my life.
Hailey and I sat down on the couch, and she took a huge gulp of her wine. “So, why were you so adamant about talking to me today?”
I sipped some of my wine and cleared my throat. “Well . . . it just so happens that I ran into two men from my past today. Do the names Max and Ben ring a bell to you?”
She gasped and waved a hand in the air, demanding for more and almost spilling her wine. “Are you serious right now? You ran into both on the same day?” When I nodded, she squealed. “I haven’t heard you say those names in forever. What happened? What are the odds of this?”
Her last comment made me chuckle. With the day I had, the odds didn’t surprise me.
I scooped some dip onto a tortilla chip and ate it quickly. “I ran into Max first at the retirement home. I hadn’t seen him in two years because his family had to move his grandfather out due to finances. Now he’s back.” I patted her hand. “And get this, I think my grandmother likes Max’s grandfather. She was putting on makeup and fixing her hair today because she knew she was going to see him.”
Hailey swooned and clutched her chest. “That is so sweet. Nana Amelia deserves to find love again. It might not be as epic as it was with your grandfather, but she could use the happiness.”
