Page 18 of A Mistletoe Mix Up
“You have fake snow all over you.”
I brush my hand through my hair. “Looks like we finally got the first snowfall, huh?”
She shakes her head, her whole body shaking in laughter. A sound of pure joy rings in my ears. Her face lights up, her eyes bright, her cheeks pink.
“Here, let me…” Her fingertips graze my forehead, sending an electric current down my spine.
She continues to dust off the snow. “There, all better.” Her eyes meet mine with a satisfied smile.
It’s just us in this moment of pure, chaotic happiness. She’s like an untamed flame, flickering and casting a warm glow. And right now? I’m basking in that glow.
Gramps lets out a deliberate “Ahem.”
I drop my arms as she moves off me, her cheeks burning brighter than the red nose on her reindeer antlers.
I scramble up, extending my hand to help her. She takes it, still chuckling, and lets me pull her to her feet. A playful smirk curls her lips as she dusts herself off. My eyes follow every movement, fully captivated by her.
“Your cheek!” Tandy gasps. “Oh my. I’m so sorry, Gray. Let me get you ice.”
Tandy hurries toward the kitchen. I watch her go until I feel Gramps’s eyes on me. When I turn, he’s shaking his head.
“What?” I ask defensively.
He shrugs, taking a sip. “Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.”
I sigh and glance in the entryway mirror at my throbbing cheek.
“Don’t move.” Tandy cups my jaw with both hands. The cold ziplock bag meets my skin with a jolt. Her eyes find mine. “I really am sorry. You scared me.”
I swallow hard, fighting the urge to lean into her touch, to turn my face into her palm.
“That was Gramps yelling for you.”
“Oh.” A sheepish grin spreads across her face. “Still scared me half to death.”
I shake my head, unable to suppress a smile. “You’re a walking catastrophe, Bookworm.”
A beautiful catastrophe, I think.
“I prefer to think of myself as ‘enthusiastically unpredictable,’ thank you very much.”
Grandpa stands from his chair and walks past us. “I’m going to get myself some more hot cocoa. Want some, Grayson?”
“Yes, thank you.”
He shuffles past, eyebrows arched in my direction.What’s gotten into him?
“Guess I should start cleaning up,” Tandy says, already humming along with the music again as she gathers the garland.
I press the ice pack to my cheek, watching her dance around the living room before following Gramps to the kitchen. He hands me a steaming mug, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Tandy sure is something, isn’t she?” he says casually.
“She’s one of a kind.”
Gramps glances toward the living room, then back at me. “You know, when you look at her, your face does the same thing your dad’s did when he met your mother.”
“No, I don’t—”
