Page 76 of The Mistletoe Trap
Julie trudged faster as she turned onto the road leading to town, as if she could escape any of her awful discoveries and the despair that came along with them. Not only that, how could she possibly return to the Frosts’ and face everyone?
Honestly, she wasn’t sure how she could ever talk to Gavin again without bursting into tears, and that meant she’d also ruined their intrinsic friendship.
A car slowed beside her, one not registered to anyone in her family or second family, and she heard the window unroll. Gavin wasn’t behind the wheel, and as irrational as it was, that somehow pushed the pain deeper.
It wasn’t unusual to see a familiar face around town. However, Kory’s was the last one she expected to see. In a lot of ways, their rocky date seemed like weeks ago instead of last weekend.
“Need a ride?” he asked.
“More like a destination.” Thankfully, her voice only wavered a little.
“We can find one of those.”
Against her better judgment, she glanced back the way she came, only to find a whole lot of stark white nothing.
Ugh. She’d been the melodramatic person she claimed not to be, storming out like that, but her pride wouldn’t let her take it back.
The first couple minutes of the ride ticked by in silence. She’d always appreciated people who allowed her time to gather her thoughts. While she was considering which parts of this week she’d undo, she supposed she should return to the night of her date with Kory and try harder.
The fissure in her heart yawned, enough misery glugging out that she supposed it wouldn’t have mattered. Which led to another conclusion: she’d never be able to consider anyone else with Gavin around.
So hooray for living in different states.A fresh wave of tears formed, and no amount of blinking could keep them at bay.
“I don’t know what to say,” Kory said, and Julie sniffed.
“That makes two of us. Sorry. This is twice I’ve crashed your holiday vacation.”
“I wouldn’t put it like that.” He glanced across the car and sighed. “Does this have anything to do with your parents and the Frosts’ plan to get you and Gavin together?”
Everything inside her froze. “You knew about that?” Confusion blurred her whirring thoughts. “Why on earth would you have dinner with me if you knew there wasn’t any point?”
“Well, that sorta was the point. Plus, I’m a fan of dinner.”
How could someone who’d barely moved here be in on their Reverse-Parent-Trap Plan? She grimaced, and then tugged on the thread so she could finish unraveling the whole messy picture. “Did they bribe you to take me out?”
“Before we get into the nitty-gritty, I just want to say that when they first posed the idea, I was against it.”
That blow sufficiently shattered her sense of self and everything she’d foolishly thought she’d overcome this trip. “So yes.”
“Not exactly. They did give me a gift card to pay, but they said they already had it so…” Kory shrugged and affected a sheepish expression that left her unsure who to aim her ire at.
Her parents? The Frosts? Gavin? The whole freaking town and their obsession with coupling people together?
Kory slowed for a stop sign. “I really stepped in it this time, didn’t I?”
Julie crossed her arms. While she would’ve liked to believe she was scary enough to get answers that way, presumably it was the red-rimmed eyes that did Kory in.
“Your mom and Darlene were asking me how I was single, and I told them that every woman I dated realized she was in love with her best friend. Same way I was beginning to realize I’m in love with mine.” He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. “They both seemed so excited about the news, which seemed odd, but most of the people I’ve met from this town are kinda…” He winced. “Sorry. I tend to put my foot in my mouth a lot.”
“No worries. I do it all the time. Plus, we are an odd lot—my family and second family, especially.”
“They asked me to take you out, keep things light, and report in if anything went off-book. I think they also thought it would make Gavin jealous.”
“Fat chance.”
Kory’s forehead crinkled. “I’m certain that part worked. Although I wasn’t sure how you felt at first, since you asked me to join you in the bathroom. I actually texted your mom to see how I should respond. Don’t worry, I kept it vague, but just said you seemed into me, and what should I do if you went for a kiss, or seemed to want…more.”
Julie smacked a hand over her face and attempted to melt into the seat. “That was a misunderstanding. Gavin was trying to help me be better at flirting, and…” She hesitated and then decided there was no salvaging herself now anyway, so he might as well get the whole story. “He was in my ear. Evidently I was doing such a poor job that we needed to talk it out by the bathrooms, but I said that part aloud, and now the reason why I’d go to such lengths is likely becoming frighteningly clear.”
