Page 41 of The Mistletoe Mix-up

“Like he dodged a bullet being created seventy years ago, because no one would watch his boring-ass cartoon now!” She stopped in his path and turned, hands on her hips. “Besides, when Santa goes missing and their presents try to eat them, it teaches people what the true meaning of Christmas is.”

“Shooting down fake Santa?” Sam teased, following Holly into the kitchen.

Holly flipped him off over her shoulder without looking back at him. She wore snowflake pajama bottoms, a white T-shirt, and blue slippers on her feet that made slapping noises against the floor as she rounded the corner to the coffee maker.

“I do not need your lack of Christmas cheer this early in the morning.”

Sam chuckled. “Maybe you should add a little Christmas cheer to my coffee?”

Holly grinned. “What time do you go to work?”

“This afternoon.”

She squatted down, disappearing below the counter, and stood back up with a bottle in her hand. “I guess a wee bit wouldn’t hurt.”

“I love it when you get all Irish on me,” Sam said, taking his cup of spiked coffee with relish.

“Hey, now, no flirting, or Declan will poison your burrito.”

“You’d think he’d have figured out by now that I never stood a chance.”

Holly shot him a warm smile over her steaming cup of joe, brown eyes twinkling. “Honestly, I love his grumbles. Who knew I’d be into the broody, possessive type?”

Sam took a sip of his coffee and shrugged. “They say opposites attract.”

“Whoever they are might be onto something.” Holly set her mug down on the counter. “I’ve got to grab the ring lights from the spare bedroom. Declan wanted to try this new recipe out this morning, so I hope you don’t mind being a live, studio audience.”

“Not at all.” Sam watched her disappear down the hall and return with her arms full of four different ring lights. Holly had given up her YouTube channel last year in favor of starting a new channel with Declan where he teaches her to cook, and they argue the entire time. Although it was a complete leap from her Adventure Elf channel where she would perform outdoor sports in an elf costume, millions of people watched their videos, and they even had a cookbook in the works that would release in a few months. It was Holly’s side hustle since she ran a year-round holiday shop called A Shop for All Seasons in town, so it was on Declan to market and promote their channel.

“Does Declan ever miss running the hardware store?” Sam asked, referring to his family’s store that Declan sold to Anthony Russo and Pike Sutton to become their outdoor sports store.

“Not at all.” Holly positioned the ring lights in a half circle around the kitchen counter, facing them toward the stove. “The store was his dad’s life, but Declan loves to cook and be creative. He’s such a loner that you wouldn’t think he’d like being the center of attention, but Declan thrives on it. He’s animated and funny—”

“Your grumpy, gruff, grumbling boyfriend?”

“Har har,” Holly said, flicking him on the arm. “You don’t get to see his good side because you are always messing with him.” Holly grabbed her cup again, arching a brow at him. “But I have a feeling that you didn’t come over to talk about Declan’s virtues.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna leave that one alone. Too easy.”

Holly grabbed a dish towel and tossed it at him. “Spit it out, or I might poison you!”

“Alright, but no mocking me.”

“Ohhhh, no promises. I have a feeling this is going to be good.” Holly took a drink from her mug, leaning her hip against the counter. “Hit me with it.”

Sam took a deep breath, his heart pounding. Talking about women wasn’t natural territory for him, and he wasn’t sure exactly how to begin. “I had an old friend over last night to catch up, and the minute we finished, she bounced out the door.”

“Annnnd we didn’t want her to?” Holly asked slowly.

“No, we didn’t.”

“Hmmm, interesting.” Holly leaned across the counter. “Tell me more.”

“I just . . . I’m not used to women not . . .” God, any way he said it, Sam was going to come off sounding like an arrogant jackass. “Enjoying my company.”

“What you mean is that you aren’t used to women bouncing before you do.”

Sam’s mouth thinned. “Yes.”