Page 19 of Mistletoe Mischief

Alia groaned. “It’s six o’clock. Can’t we just order food and go out tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Nothing will be open.”

“What about Starbucks?” Alia asked, hopefully.

“Did you see a Starbucks when we drove in?” Alia shook her head, and Ryler held her hands up. “There’s your answer.”

“You mean we are going to be stuck here until Friday morning with nothing to do?”

“Of course not! I’m going to head into town now and get some groceries. Maybe we could even find a restaurant to hit for dinner.”

“Preferably one that doesn’t serve roadkill,” Alia muttered.

“Let’s go,” Ryler said, holding the door open for Alia, who passed through slowly. Ryler locked up the house, and when they were back in the car, she did a three-point turn in order to get out of the driveway. Alia sat in the front seat, staring out the window, sulking.

“Do you want to look up a grocery store for me? I remember seeing one, but I’m not sure where.”

Alia tapped the screen of her phone, silently searching as Ryler read the signs of businesses they passed.

“Oh! Pike said that Lord of the Fries diner is good.”

“Who is Pike?” Alia asked without taking her eyes off her screen.

“He’s the guy who recommended Mistletoe.”

“What kind of name is Pike?”

“I don’t know, a name his parents gave him?” Ryler heard the edge in her voice and took a deep breath. Alia never paid attention to the details or the people that made their trips possible. “He’s the one who owns the guided tour company. I signed us up for a couple of adventures, like snowboarding, snowmobiling—”

“I found the store,” Alia broke in. “Take a left at the next street.”

“Alright,” Ryler said, giving up on convincing Alia this would be fun. “Neil and Kit should be here early afternoon Friday. I figure that will give us plenty of time to get up Friday morning and find a Christmas tree.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Ryler ignored her sarcasm and parked toward the front of the store, noting the limited number of cars. As they exited the SUV, Ryler spotted a woman in a police uniform leaving the store and called out, “Excuse me, Officer?”

The woman turned their way, her delicate features friendly. “Hi, can I help you?”

“Yes,” Ryler said, moving closer. “We’re staying in a house just outside of town for the holidays, and I was wondering if there is a place we could grab dinner and maybe a drink?”

“Sure, Brews and Chews Bar and Grill. You just follow this road,” she said, pointing to the right, “and it will be on your right-hand side about a mile up.”

“Thank you, Officer”—Ryler read her name tag—“Wren.”

“My pleasure. Enjoy your stay.”

“Not likely,” Alia muttered, but Ryler ignored her snark. They were going to have a great time, even if she had to force the fun down her cousin’s gullet.

Ryler’s phone pinged, and she pulled the device out of her purse. An Instagram notification flashed on the top of her screen, and she noticed @PikenAround, so she clicked on it. She smiled as she read his comment on her picture of the Mistletoe sign.

Mistletoe is ready to give you the warmest welcome! Thank you!

Ryler almost snorted at the professional message. She preferred the funny, candid Pike to the guy trying to play the role of the proper business owner. Ryler couldn’t wait to meet him in person and find out if he was as funny offline. The fact that he was probably expecting a male assistant tempted her like crazy to mess with him, but the last thing she wanted to do was offend him when they would be there for several weeks. Although Ryler planned on staying at least through Christmas, Neil and Kit would probably duck out earlier than that to spend the holidays with their families. Her aunt and uncle were spending the holidays with friends and hadn’t extended invitations to Alia or Ryler to join them, but that was fine. Her aunt and uncle behaved more like doting benefactors than family to their only child, let alone their niece, and while Ryler had felt bad for Alia at first, she realized that her cousin didn’t mind being away from her parents. Their complete detachment was the opposite of Ryler’s upbringing; she was surprised Alia was able to form attachments at all as an adult.

“I need to find the bathroom,” Alia said as they walked through the automatic doors. “I’m feeling a bit nauseous.”

“Do you want me to come?” Ryler asked.