Page 80 of 10 Things I Hate About Mistletoe

“Not where I shop. You ever want to take a road trip, I’ll show you some hidden gems with fantastic finds. Can I get a glass of that?”

Delilah poured her a cup and passed it to her. “So, I apologize, but who is Alia Cole?”

“Ah, Instagram travel blogger Alia Cole? She’s the gorgeous blonde over there. She’s my cousin and boss.”

“Is that weird?”

“Sometimes.” Ryler leaned over, lowering her voice. “Full disclosure?”

“Um, sure.”

“I was in the car with Pike on Sunday. When he saw you with … what’s his name? Anthony?”

“Oh, yeah. That was—”

“None of my business. We were on our way to meet Alia when he saw you.”

“I didn’t get out of the car until you were gone. How did you know it was me?”

“I heard your name and put two and two together. He was on a pretty good tirade on Sunday.”

Delilah’s face burned. She could only imagine what he’d said about her to this stranger. “Just to be clear, I’m not in the habit of causing issues between friends. I try to avoid drama.”

“Are you kidding? You were not the issue. He had nothing negative to say about you at all. Anthony, on the other hand, was getting a lot of heat, but I think they made up.”

“Well, I hope they make up soon. They’ve been friends a long time.” Delilah studied Ryler with a smile. “Sounds like you’ve been spending a lot of time with Pike.”

“Yeah, he’s taking me around Mistletoe so I can do research … for Alia, I mean.”

“And how do you like Mistletoe so far?”

“It’s beautiful. I’ve heard all about your holiday festivities and I’m excited to hang around and join in.”

“Where are you from?” Delilah asked.

“Boise originally, but I think I’ll be traveling quite a bit after this.”

“Well, if there’s one thing Mistletoe goes all out for, it’s Christmas.”

“Not a fan?” Ryler asked before taking a sip of her wine.

“It’s not about being a fan. I’m just not as diehard as my best friend.”

“Which is an amazing Christmas movie, by the way.”

Delilah laughed. “Don’t say that too loud or you’ll start a rumble. That is a hot-button topic.”

“Gotcha. I love your shirt, by the way.”

Delilah glanced down at the electric blue off-the-shoulder sheath she’d pulled from the back of her closet, a new purchase she’d snagged over the weekend. It made her feel fancy and feminine, and she’d bought it to wear out with Anthony.

So much for that.

“Thank you. It made me feel pretty.” She shared a small smile with Ryler.

“You’re gorgeous.”

“I appreciate that. You’re not trying to butter me up and sell me something, are you?”