Page 53 of The Mistletoe Bluff
But that was a dangerous thought that I couldn’t let myself entertain.
Another text popped onto the screen.
Elsie
Consider it another chance to practice before the real dinner with his family!
Well, when she put it that way…
Me
Fine, I’ll ask him.
Elsie
Great! See you both tomorrow at seven!
I exhaled a long breath as I locked my phone and slid it back in my pocket.
“Everything okay?” Oliver’s voice tore me from my thoughts.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Um…” I wasn’t sure how to ask my fake boyfriend to come to Friendsmas. And why was there a part of me that was scared he’d say no?
Ugh. I was doing a terrible job of viewing him as the enemy and thinking of him far too much in…non-enemy ways. Flashes of our kiss in the Jeep went through my mind and my stomach fluttered, forcing me to duck my head.
In one smooth motion, Oliver moved his chair so it was next to me, and a warm finger appeared under my chin, tilting my face up to meet those blue eyes that I swore saw right through me.
“Maya?”
“Um…”
He leaned closer, his eyes flicking to my lips.
He was going to kiss me.
I needed to pull away, stop him.
But why didn’t Iwantto stop him?
Why wasIleaning forward too?
Just as his breath tickled my lips, I blurted, “Friendsmas!” and sprang to my feet, stumbling over the leg of his chair.
Oliver’s hands grabbed onto my hips to keep me from face-planting onto the floor, and then he cocked his head at me. “Pardon?”
I stepped out of his grip, the distance between us allowing me to gulp down a breath. “Tomorrow night is Friendsmas.”
“What is Friendsmas?” The way he sounded the word out in his accent was adorable.
Dang it, no it wasn’t! Oliver is not adorable!
I bit my lip to hold back my chuckle, and his eyes tracked the movement.
“Usually, I spend Christmas with either Elsie or Jameson and his mom, but they’re going out of town this year. So, instead, we’re having dinner tomorrow night to celebrate before they leave. Elsie, um, said that you’re invited.”
His eyes widened before that smug smile graced his lips.
“But only so we can practice!” I reminded him as he stood and took a step toward me. I couldn’t let him think he was invited because of any other reason.
