Page 3 of Mistletoe Mischief

“Are you okay?” Delilah asked, eyes widening when he whooped loudly. He’d clicked on the post, and there it was!

Thanks to @PikenAround for the excellent recommendation, @ExcursionsPC will be trading out the bikinis and suntan lotion for beanies and snow boots! We’re headed to Mistletoe, Idaho, for the holidays!

“Fuck yeah, I am good! She picked us! She’s coming here!” Every word was an out of breath shout, but he was too excited to dial it back.

“Who?” Delilah asked.

“Alia flipping Cole!” She stared at him blankly and he followed it up with, “From Excursions, the travel podcast! This is huge!” Pike stopped jumping and took several deep breaths as he scrolled through his contacts. “I gotta call Anthony! He is going to flip out!”

“Alright, I’ve got to go, too,” Delilah said, taking a step around him with a pat on his arm, “but congratulations.”

“Thanks,” he said, barely looking up from his phone as he scrolled for Anthony’s name, bringing it to his ear, “I’ll call you!”

Delilah waved as she headed out the door, but Pike was too excited to think about anything but sharing the news with his best friend. The first time his call went to voicemail, but he tried again, frustration clawing up his throat as he hollered, “Come on, motherfucker, pick up your phone!”

On the third try, Anthony picked up with an impatient, “What?”

“Is that any way to talk to the man who just got us our biggest business break?”

“What are you talking about?” Anthony asked.

“I entered an Instagram contest and suggested for Alia Cole from the Excursions podcast to come to Mistletoe for the holidays, and she fucking picked us! She is coming here, man!”

Silence stretched on the other line. Finally, Anthony whispered, “Are you serious?!”

“As a damn heart attack!”

“Holy shit!” Anthony laughed and whooped, and Pike started jumping again, ignoring the stares from passersby.

“We are celebrating tonight, my dude!” Pike hollered. “Come by my place after work, and we’ll finalize the list of events for the winter games. I’ll grab the beer and pizza!”

“I can’t believe this,” Anthony said.

“Me neither, but I will never doubt the power of positive thinking ever again!”

Anthony chuckled. “Nice job, man. We’ll talk soon.”

“Later,” Pike said, ending the call and clicking on the Instagram post and reading it one more time.

So far today, he’d snagged a cute girl’s number and was about to meet his favorite podcaster. Things were definitely coming up Pike.

A message popped up in the upper right-hand corner of the app, and Pike clicked on it, shocked to see a DM from Alia at the top.

Dear Mr. Sutton,

I am Ms. Cole’s assistant. Thank you for bringing Mistletoe to our attention. While I was born and raised in Idaho until I was twelve, I admit that I had never heard of your little town. We are excited to explore and experience all the holiday fun it has to offer. You mentioned Adventures in Mistletoe, and after exploring some of the services you have listed on your website, we’d love to book the four excursions package for four people. I am arranging our travel now and should be in town and ready to explore on Friday, November 29. We will be staying in town until Christmas.

I would also like to know more about these hot springs! I googled pictures, and while the settings are amazing, that water doesn’t look habitable.

Sincerely,

Ryler Colby

Excursions Podcast

Ryler, huh? Strange name. Although Pike was hoping it would be Alia reaching out, it was nice to talk to another Idahoan who would at least be familiar with the area.

Pike checked his calendar and responded to Alia’s assistant, his fingers flying across the keyboard.