Page 12 of The Mistletoe Mix-up

Ouch, man!” Mitch Denton glared at Sam from his prone position in the tattoo chair. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, why?” Sam placed a hand on Mitch’s shoulder, but his friend refused to go down.

“Because I feel like you’re pounding me with the tattoo gun.”

Sam snorted. “Maybe you’re getting soft in your old age.”

“Ha, don’t you mean ‘our old age’?” Mitch hiked a dark eyebrow, grinning. “You’ve got a few months on me, if I remember right.”

Sam’s mouth flattened into a thin line at the reminder. “And yet, I’m not whining about a little discomfort. Don’t you know what they say? No pain, no gain?”

“That’s in regard to bodybuilding, not tattoos!” Mitch said, lying back again. “Besides, it was your technique I was concerned with. You’re usually a gentle hand at this sort of thing.”

Sam bit his tongue, unsure of what to say to Mitch. They hadn’t gone to school together, as Mitch had moved to Mistletoe in his early thirties from Montana. When Sam had come back to town, they’d started working at the shop together and bonded over their love of art. Mitch’s work was flawless and intricate, and Sam had several of his tats across his back and shoulders. They were late-in-life friends, without the shared history, and talking about Wren seemed out of bounds somehow.

“I’ve been a little preoccupied lately, I guess. Getting my name dragged through the mud will do that to a person.”

Mitch winced, his blue eyes watching him sympathetically. “Oof, I’m sorry, man. When I heard about what happened, I’ll admit, I laughed a little and thanked the Lord that it wasn’t me.”

“Understandable,” Sam mumbled.

“However, it isn’t fair of women to drag your name without taking responsibility for their part in the situation.”

Sam stopped buzzing and looked up. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you were honest and forthright about what you were looking for. If someone thought they could change your mind, they didn’t listen, and their heartbreak is their fault.”

“That’s great. Wanna go on air and tell them that?” Sam asked dryly.

“No, thank you. I’m just showing support for you, my guy,” Mitch said, grinning. “From the safety of the sidelines, of course.”

“Right.” Sam went back to shaking for several moments, but when he felt Mitch jerk under his hand, he sighed, talking over the gun. “Why don’t you talk about something that will calm me down, then, and maybe I’ll stop drilling you?”

“I can do that. Oh, have you seen that new female cop? She is fine— Ow! Fuck!”

“Shit, sorry. Not her either,” Sam growled.

Mitch studied his shoulder before turning his attention back to Sam. “Damn, dude, is there any woman who isn’t on your bad side?”

“My sister-in-law and Holly.”

“Oh yeah, pretty little Holly Winters.”

Sam caught Mitch’s grin before his friend turned away, letting him get back to work. He knew what that look meant and braced himself for the questions that came up any time one of his friends mentioned Holly.

“How come you didn’t snatch that girl up when you had the chance?” Mitch asked.

Sam had answered this question a hundred different ways, but people still didn’t seem to understand that Holly was the one woman he’d never wanted to sleep with. From the moment they met, they understood each other, had connected like they’d known each other for years, and even if he had been interested, he’d never have ruined that by sleeping with her.

“Because I didn’t. Have a chance that is. She was hung up on Declan for years.” Sam added with a chuckle, “Besides, she’s the Garcia to my Morgan.”

“What in the hell are you talking about? Who is Garcia?” Mitch asked.

Relaxed now, Sam went about his work as he explained, “From Criminal Minds. Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia have incredible chemistry, they’re always flirting, but they both know they are better off as friends.”

Mitch stared over his shoulder at him like he was speaking a foreign language, and Sam realized how he sounded. He’d started watching the show with Holly a few months ago at her place, and apparently her thoughts and insights were rubbing off on him. Maybe that was why she was in a functioning relationship and he was single.

“It’s a TV show,” Sam grumbled.