Page 59 of The Mistletoe Trap
Gavin shot to his feet, so fast the room spun for a second. “So, your gift… It’s not anything huge, and maybe it’s no good. I just saw it and thought of you, and I’d say you could totally take it back, but it’s personalized, so…”
Julie blinked at him. “Whoa. I think that’s the most words you’ve ever spoken, especially that quickly and all slurred together.” She stood and, without her heels, she was her extra-short self again. From this vantage point, he could also see down the front of her dress, and that settled it—Jules was definitely trying to kill him. “Are you okay? Did you get into the holiday punch?”
Hewished. That’d mean this frenetic energy coursing through him would eventually fade and he’d return to himself. After spending the last six days with Julie, he was starting to wonder if that was even possible. “I think it’s just hitting me that I have to leave tomorrow afternoon, and…” The right words wouldn’t come, so he simply exhaled.
Julie fiddled with the layers of her skirt, fluffing them only to smooth them into place. “I’m doing my best not to think about that.” Was it his imagination or did her voice crack on the end?
So he wouldn’t lose the rest of his sanity analyzing all that, he knelt in front of his suitcase, unzipped it, and searched the messy contents. An elf, he was not, and the wonky wrap job proved as much.
“Should I run to my room and get your present?”
“No, that’s okay. I just wanted to give this to you away from everyone else, so I actually have the chance to explain the meaning.” His nerves stretched too tight, one tiny string at a time coming apart as he straightened and extended the package her way.
An excited gleam flickered within her endlessly blue eyes, and he certainly hoped she wasn’t about to be disappointed. It was one thing to experience all these overwhelming emotions for her, but did they have to tinge every single thing they did together?
Julie slid her finger between the folds of paper, tugged the tape, and then ripped the rest of the festive wrapping off the tiny box. Her eyes flicked to him before returning to the box, as if she didn’t know how lids worked.
After seconds or possibly an eternity, she popped off the top and reached inside. Her jaw dropped, and if that was fake enthusiasm, she was a damn good actress. “A serotonin molecule?”
He pointed at the design at the top, a square withSein the center, so that it looked like one of the elements in the periodic table. “It’s the happy hormone, and I thought it fit because you’re like ten shots of happiness.” The last sentence he’d planned to say snagged on the roof of his mouth, but he forced it out anyway. “And because you make me happy.”
She pressed her lips together and batted her eyelashes faster and faster. When she lifted her face to his, her eyes were shiny. “Thank you. I love it.”
“Admittedly, I went back and forth a long time on whether to make the gemstone charm your birthstone or your favorite color.”
“And you chose red. My favorite, and also the color of most organs, FYI.”
“I didn’t so much choose it because of that,” he said.
Her forehead crinkled, and he held his breath. Maybe he’d read her wrong. “Okay, so silly question. Do you think the person who sells these knows thatSeis actually the symbol for selenium?”
A laugh slipped out. Here he was sharing a piece of his soul, and her mind was struggling to process the liberties the crafter had made with the periodic table. “I’d guess they’re aware. They probably didn’t realize they’d have to impress a scientific genius.”
That dimple popped in her cheek. “I know you’re just buttering me up, but I don’t even care.” She carefully removed the thin silver chain and studied the dangling molecule. “In case I haven’t made it clear, you make me happy, too. Honestly, this trip is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
“Same here,” he said, the words gruff. The privacy suggestion had been more about worrying he’d picked out a bad gift, but with both of their emotions cranked to high, he was glad they didn’t have an audience.
“Can you put it on for me?” She handed the necklace to him without waiting for the answer, and there was something comforting about that, too. She swept her hair off the nape of her neck, and he focused on working the preposterously small clasp. “Did you know that ninety percent of the body’s serotonin is located in the enterochromaffin cells in the GI tract. You’d think it’d be your brain, but if you ask me, it just proves that true happiness lies in eating yummy foods.”
“I did not know that, but that makes sense. Food and Julie. The best sources of happiness out there.”
A lock of her hair brushed his forearm as she shot a smile over her shoulder, and finally he managed to secure the tiny pin thingy. She slowly pivoted to face him, the glimmering charm still pinched between her fingertips. “Seriously, I love it so much. Thank you, Gavin. From the very bottom of my full, full heart.”
Afraid to step forward or backward, he remained in this limbo where he fought against his urge to kiss her, but not hard enough to shut down the idea entirely.
Then his phone vibrated in his pocket. Reluctantly, he lifted it to check the text.
Niki:FYI, I opened a few bottles of wine and got everyone nice and tipsy. Now I’ll be acting as DD and driving the guests home. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad are headed off to bed to pass out.
For a second, he wondered why his sister was giving him such a detailed rundown, but then her follow-up text popped onscreen.
Niki:Now you don’t have to worry about anyone barging in on you—you’re welcome.
Gavin extended the phone toward Julie, and her lips moved as she read over the message. “Can you find out which clue she and my grams acted out? Curiosity is getting the best of me.”
He did as requested, and a moment later, his little sister’s response filled the screen.
Niki:One horse open sleigh.
