Page 33 of Under the Mistletoe
In fact, there were volunteers everywhere. Jess and Piper had been bringing cookies out of the house all afternoon. Hannah, Janie, and Olivia were working at the cocoa station by the edge of the pond, and Libby had just left. Devin didn’t even know what to do with this much help, which was obvious by the fact they all seemed to be doing the same thing. If she’d had any idea how to manage volunteers, she would’ve had a few of them help her bake some of the three hundred sugar cookies over the past two days. Maybe she needed to get better about being more specific when she asked for help.
Devin picked up a few Styrofoam cups that had missed the trash and walked them to the bin next to the cocoa station.
“You look like you need a cup of this.” Hannah handed one of the last steaming cups of cocoa to Devin.
“Thanks.” Devin took the cup, but her eyes stayed on the ice where Logan was skating around on a pair of hockey skates in a casual manner with his hands in his pockets. They hadn’t talked since he arrived a couple hours ago, but he had yet to have a moment when he wasn’t surrounded by kids.
Not just the Wallis kids either. He was like a magnet to children. One of the kids yelled something, and all of them started skating toward Logan. But even backward, he could outskate them. Tyce reached toward him to tag him but lost his balance and started to fall. Logan shifted directions and steadied him. She couldn’t hear them from over here, but whatever he said made them all laugh, even Alani.
“I know I’m biased”—Hannah stopped next to her, sipping at her own mug of cocoa—“but my brother-in-law is one of my favorite people.”
Logan was now down on his knee, helping each of the kids untie their skates by where they left their boots at the edge of the pond.
Warmth filled Devin’s cheeks. “Yeah, he’s a pretty good guy.”
“Even though Liam looks more like my husband, Logan and Luke sure act a lot more alike. Which—don’t get me wrong—is a great personality.”
“Of course it is.” Luke walked up and grabbed the last cup off the table.
Hannah fitted her arm around Luke’s waist. “But getting them to open up is like trying to open a can without a can opener.”
“She’s not wrong.” Luke downed his cup in a few gulps and poured a refill.
Hannah gave her husband a squeeze. “It’s not that they’re not willing to open up, it’s just…”
“You have to listen a little harder.” Luke finished off his second cup of cocoa and tossed it to the trash. “Wait a little longer.”
“And sometimes you have to barge in the front door and make yourself at home.” Hannah sent him a look that indicated there was a story behind that remark.
His eyes creased with a knowing smile. “I do advise against throwing spoons, though.”
Hannah shrugged. “You were being infuriating.”
Luke dropped a kiss on his wife’s head and moved off to where one of his kids was beckoning him.
What was Devin supposed to do with that? They acted like she was the reason she and Logan weren’t together, that Logan wanted to open up to her but was struggling, that he liked her but didn’t know how to say it. The joke was on them. He had known exactly how to say it last year. He wasn’t interested.
Devin was just trying to reclaim their friendship. But she couldn’t very well say all that without embarrassing herself or admitting why she was very confident he didn’t want her.
Devin tossed her cup away, then grabbed a few other stray cups. She had to focus less on Logan and more on her ability to manage volunteers. “Think you can still help at the stocking party?”
Hannah wiped down the table with a cloth. “I’ve blocked out all of Saturday for you.”
Right, because people were all about volunteering at the event. However, a lot of prep went into getting everything ready. But if Hannah had the time to help beforehand, she would have said. No, she had to get better about asking for help. What was the worst thing that could happen? “Any chance you’re free Friday to set it up?”
“Sorry.” And her face did genuinely look regretful. “Libby, Olivia, Janie, along with a couple friends you don’t know, have our annual Christmas party. The six of us have been friends since middle school, and we sort of absorbed Libby after I married Luke.”
Well, that pretty much took out her entire list of people she was going to ask. “No problem.”
“But we can show up early Saturday morning.” Hannah wiped down the table, then picked up the empty thermos. “Fallon said we can get in at ten, and Cole is all set to play Santa.”
“Then it sounds like we’re all set.”
Hannah headed toward the house.
“I’m not sure we’ve officially met.” A tall blond man in his mid-twenties walked up to her, a smile stretching across his face. His hair was trimmed short and his face, freshly shaven, only drew attention to his deep dimples and dark-brown eyes. “I’m Greyson Hart.”
Ah. Now all the girls’ reactions at church made sense.
