Tanya Michaels: Mistletoe Hero

“I could use a friend,” he finally said. She knew the admission cost him. “I’m not used to business interviews, and I’m…”

“Nervous?” she supplied, melting a little at this show of vulnerability.

“Can I call you when I get back? If you can spare a few hours in the evening, maybe we can have a late dinner together and I can tell you about it.”

She shook her head. “You mean a dinner behind closed doors. Or, at best, an extremely platonic dinner in public that couldn’t be construed as a date.”

He glared, not pleased with the way she’d rejected his olive branch.

“I’m sorry, Gabe. You may have noticed I don’t do half measures well.” It wasn’t that she was purposely trying to give him an ultimatum, only that she had to be true to herself and protect her heart as best she could this late in the game. Relationship sacrifices were worth it when the participants were in a relationship. He was only willing to skate by on the shadowed edges. “I’m an all-or-nothing gal.”

“That you are.” He looked away, taking several deep breaths, then reached for the door. “Goodbye, Arianne.”

When Zachariah Waide came into the store after his dinner hour, Arianne didn’t even try to pretend that she was all right.

“Dad, can I leave early tonight? Please?”

His brow creased with worry as he looked at her. “Is this about that young man?”

Even though her father had been working last night at the store instead of attending the town meeting, she was sure he’d heard all about it.

“Yeah.” She swallowed, determined not to let tears well up again. “It is.”

With a sigh, he hugged her to him. “Go home, call some of your girlfriends, listen to some maudlin music or whatever it is you kids do to cope these days. It will be all right. Look at your brothers-if both those yahoos could find lasting true love, you will, too.”

She knew that her father adored her brothers and was only trying to make her laugh. He did get a watery little giggle out of her that made her feel one percent better. Now she just had to figure out what to do about the other ninety-nine.

Deciding that her dad had been on the right track, she climbed into her car, locked the doors and picked up her cell phone. She wanted to get in touch with Quinn before she started home since her friend lived in the opposite direction.

Quinn answered immediately. “Hello?”

“Thank goodness you’re there! It’s Ari.” She sniffled. “I could use a sympathetic ear. You free tonight?”

“Umm. For you, I can be,” Quinn said loyally. “I mean, Patrick and I were going to a movie, but-”

“Don’t you dare cancel! I’ll think of something.”

“Hang on. Brenna’s on the other line. She agreed to wait while I clicked over in case it was a telemarketer or something.” Quinn left without getting a response but was back just as fast. “She’s about to call you, okay?”

“Thanks, Quinn.”

Brenna must have dialed the second she disconnected her phone call with Quinn. “Hey, Arianne, everything all right?”

“No. Are you sure you don’t have plans tonight? I’m not trying to sabotage my friends’ love lives.”

“Adam’s surgeries got behind today, and he’ll be working late. I’m all yours. You want to meet at the diner?”

“Too public,” Arianne heard herself say. It was an ironic answer since it sounded a lot like what Gabe had said to her. But after facing down people last night at town hall, she wanted to minimize the chance of who she might run into this evening.

“Okay. You want to come over and talk at my house? I have ice cream.”

Her mind flashed to Gabe’s fully stocked freezer, and she bit her lip. “I’m on my way. But I think I’m off ice cream for a while.”

“IS IT WEIRD TO THINK I might be falling in love?” Arianne was tucked up onto a love seat, Brenna’s cat purring comfortingly in her lap. “I mean, I’ve known him my entire life-sort of-and then within two weeks, bam! Does that even make sense?”

Brenna set her bowl down on the coffee table with a shrug. “I’m not sure there’s a one-size-fits-all timetable, but it didn’t take me a full month to know I was in love with Adam.”

For Arianne’s brother David, it had been love at first sight. He claimed that he’d known the day he met Rachel that he wanted to marry her, but he’d waited to share that information with her so she wouldn’t think he was crazy. Tanner had been a different story altogether. It had taken him years-not to mention losing Lilah and later having to win her back-to figure out they should be together for the rest of their lives.

“I can’t actually be in love.” Arianne glowered. “I’m not really that self-destructive, am I? I’ve dated some nice guys, some cute guys, but there wasn’t that…connection. And now I fall for the worst possible man?” There’d never been anyone truly special she’d wanted to go to the Winter Wonderland dance with. Now there was, but he was hoping to be gone from town by then.

Brenna tilted her head, regarding her curiously. “After everything you said in town hall about his good qualities, why would you call him the worst possible man?”

“Because he wants nothing to do with Mistletoe or the people of Mistletoe,” Arianne said glumly.

“Oh. That might make his being Mistletoe’s Man of the Year a bit awkward.”

“You think?” Arianne sighed. “I know, I know, I should have thought the nomination through better.” She’d been trying to help, to show the town a different side of him, to show Gabe he could belong here.

“Look at this as a hiccup,” Brenna consoled her. “There was a time when I thought Adam and I didn’t stand a chance.”

“But that was because of geography and working out the complications with his children. There was no question that he wanted to be with you.”

“You don’t think Gabe wants to be with you?”

“Only under the cover of darkest night,” she said sarcastically. “He doesn’t want people to think we’re dating because he’s afraid it might hurt my reputation or something. And I don’t think he wants me to get too attached because he’s leaving.” The latter might actually be a valid point, except she was pretty sure the damage had already been done.

“He’s trying to protect you. That’s sweet.” At Arianne’s scowl, Brenna quickly added, “Misguided and outdated, but sweet. Maybe he just doesn’t know how tough you are.”

Arianne absently scratched the cat under her chin. “I don’t feel very tough.”

Brenna laughed. “You must not remember the advice you gave me when I was lovelorn. Quinn made some comment about loving and letting go and you were offended that women might be expected to just graciously let go. I believe you suggested that I should ‘track his butt down.’”

“That’s ridiculous,” Arianne scoffed, “and proof that people probably shouldn’t take advice from me. I mean, sure it sounds bold and proactive, but I can’t just club Gabe over the head and…Wait, can I club him over the head?”

Brenna smiled. “You might revisit talking to him first.”

Why not? Considering the depth of her feelings for him, wasn’t it worth another stab at conversation? It wasn’t as if she had anything to lose. She could give them both a few days to think, then call him after the festival. Maybe she’d be pleasantly surprised by the results.

And as for knocking him upside the head? Well, it never hurt to have a Plan B.

“LOOKS GOOD, MAN.” Nick Zeth smiled in approval. The festival was due to open its figurative doors in forty minutes, and the pirate plank was ready to go. Dele Momsen had even purchased some spongy foam swords for the youngsters to brandish…and an eye patch for Gabe that he’d put in his back pocket and was trying to forget about.