Page 51 of Mistletoe Mischief

Ryler, Neil, and Kit got to work decorating the tree, while Alia sat on the couch, directing where the ornaments should be hung. The stockings wouldn’t be ready until Monday, but they covered the top of the fireplace with garland and four stocking holders that spelled out NOEL. Ryler put a little figurine of a Christmas gnome holding presents in the middle of the kitchen table and lit two of the same scented candles that Holly had been burning in the store, placing them at opposite ends of the house. Now that the rental smelled like her mother’s kitchen and the decorations were all in place, it was really starting to feel like Christmas.

“All you need is stockings and a Santa hat, and this will be the jolliest place on Earth,” Alia joked.

Ryler laughed. “And it only took four hours.”

“What should we do tonight?” Neil asked.

“We went to a little bar and grill the other night,” Ryler said. “It had a dance floor and darts.”

“And animal heads on the wall,” Alia said.

Ryler stuck her tongue out at her cousin. “But the food was good.”

Neil pulled up his phone. “I’ll see what our options are. Brews and Chews.”

“That’s the place we went,” Ryler said.

“There’s axe throwing.”

“That could be fun,” Kit said, pantomiming throwing something overhand.

“There’s another bar that sounds a little sketch,” Neil said.

“Why does it sound sketch?” Ryler asked.

“It’s called the Wolf’s Den.”

“Yeah, let’s not go there,” Alia said.

“Looks like we’re either axe throwing or Brews and Chews,” Neil said.

“We can axe throw before we go get dinner and drinks,” Kit said, checking his watch. “It’s still early.”

“I know we’re getting a guided tour tomorrow, but we could go explore the outskirts of town now,” Neil said.

Alia groaned. “I really don’t want to be stuck in a car for hours if it’s all the same.”

Ryler frowned at her cousin’s pale face. She really didn’t look like she felt good. “Are you going to be okay for tomorrow?”

Alia shrugged. “Neil got me something to help with my stomach, so hopefully that takes care of it.”

Ryler thought about Kit’s revelation that Alia didn’t want to be the face of the podcast’s Instagram anymore. Could the stomachache be a ruse so she didn’t have to admit to Ryler that she wanted to quit?

Ryler said, “What if I asked Pike if he knows of any fun things to do on a Saturday night? I bet there’s lots of events he knows about that we wouldn’t.”

“Sounds good,” Neil said.

Ryler squatted down next to her cousin and placed a hand on her knee. “Why don’t you go lie down and rest while we figure out tonight’s plans?”

Alia got up from the couch and nodded. “Thank you.”

“Do you need anything?” Neil asked in a surprising show of concern.

Alia smiled. “No, I’m alright. Thank you.”

When Alia left the room, Ryler raised her eyebrow at Neil. “Since when are you worried about my cousin’s well-being?”

“Just because I think she is a pain in the ass doesn’t mean I don’t care about her.” His tone was admonishing, and it left Ryler immediately contrite.