Kate Hardy - A Mistletoe Vow

“I still come in, though mostly at night for study groups. I just don’t have much reason to hit the children’s section anymore unless I’ve got one of the little ones with me.”

Her father and stepmother had two children together, in addition to the four Wade Dalton had had with his first wife, who had died tragically in childbirth.

Natalie turned her attention to Olivia and Flynn. “Hi, there. Welcome to The Rock. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Natalie.”

Celeste felt as though she had the manners of a dried-up turnip right now. “Sorry. This is Flynn Delaney and his daughter, Olivia.”

She smiled at them both. “Hi, Olivia. Hi, Flynn.”

“We’re here celebrating a certain young lady’s seventh birthday today,” Celeste said.

“Happy birthday!” Natalie exclaimed, beaming at her and holding her hand out for a fist bump.

“Thank you,” Olivia said. She didn’t meet her eye, and though she raised her hand halfheartedly to bump Nat’s, she quickly lowered it again and looked at the floor.

What had happened to the animated birthday girl who had chattered in the car about her favorite Jan Brett Christmas book? Now she seemed nervous and uneasy, as if she wanted to be anywhere else in the world than the best pizza place in the entire region.

Celeste placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. When she’d first arrived in Pine Gulch after their Colombian ordeal, it had taken her a long time before she could completely relax in public places like this. She imagined Olivia was feeling the same way.

“I’ve got the perfect table for a birthday girl,” Natalie said, her cheerfulness undeterred by Olivia’s reticence. “Follow me, guys.”

Indeed, she led them to an excellent table overlooking the Christmas lights on Main Street. From here, they even could see the fun display in the window of the local toy store.

“Thanks,” Flynn murmured. Olivia slid into the booth first and Flynn went in after her. Celeste slid across from them.

“What’s good here?” Flynn asked, scanning one of the menus Natalie left them.

“Everything,” she answered honestly. “The pizza, the pasta, the sandwiches. You can’t go wrong.”

“I wanted pizza,” Olivia said, her voice still small.

“Pizza it is,” Flynn said. “Why don’t we order three personal size? Then everybody can choose the toppings they like.”

“The personal size is usually huge,” she told him. “At least enough for two people.”

“That’s okay. Pizza leftovers are one of the true joys in life, right?”

When he smiled, she thought he should have been the movie star in the family instead of his mother and former wife. He would break hearts all over the world with those completely natural good looks.

Her stomach jumped all over the place again. Oh, this crush was so embarrassing. She would be lucky if she could eat any pizza at all.

At least she was able to talk casually when he asked her to help him choose between pizza selections. A few moments later the server, Lucy Boyer—Natalie’s cousin—headed over to take their order.

She beamed when she spotted Celeste. “Hey, Ms. N. How are things?”

“Great, Lucy. How are you?”

“Can’t complain. I’m working on my college essays and it’s such a pain. You probably love that kind of thing, since you’re a genius author and all. You might not know this, but for some people writing is hard .”

She didn’t want to burst that particular fantasy by telling her the truth, that sometimes every single word was a struggle.

“Hey, what’s this I hear about a Sparkle movie in the works?”

How on earth did rumors spread like that? She hadn’t made her final decision yet, though she knew she couldn’t wait much longer.

“A movie?” Olivia exclaimed. “Really?”

For some reason, Flynn’s easy expression had tightened, and he was gazing at her with his brow furrowed.

“I don’t know yet. Possibly.” Probably.

She still wasn’t sure she wanted to see her baby on the big screen, but at this point she didn’t know how to stop that particular train.

“That’s seriously cool. I’ll be the first in line to buy tickets. That’s such a great story.”

“It’s my favorite, too,” Olivia said.

“Cool! I heard from a little squirrel that you’ve got a birthday today.”

Olivia nodded. She looked as though she was torn between withdrawing into herself to hide from the attention and any kid’s natural excitement about being the star of the day.

“We’ll make sure your pizza is perfect, then. What kind do you want?”

Olivia ordered cheese, which Lucy assured them would come with a special birthday surprise. Celeste picked her favorite, margherita, which came with fresh basil and the hand-pulled mozzarella The Rock was famous for, and Flynn went for the meat lover’s delight.

After she left, Flynn picked up the conversation.

“A movie?” he asked.

“We’re in talks,” she answered. “It’s a terrifying proposition, to be honest.”

“Will the real Sparkle be in the movie?” Olivia asked.

Celeste smiled. “It’s going to be animated, so no.”

She and the little girl started talking about their favorite holiday films—Olivia’s was Elf , while Celeste still favored It’s A Wonderful Life .

In no time, their pizza arrived. Olivia’s surprise was that her pizza was shaped like a Christmas tree.

The pizza was every bit as good as usual, cooked just right in the wood-fired oven.

Flynn apparently agreed. “Wow,” he said after the first bite. “That’s a good pie. If I’d known how good, we would have been eating here every night since we came to town.”

“Doug and Jacinda DeMarco, the owners, are big on the artisan pizza scene. They make their own mozzarella and burrata and try to use locally sourced produce and meats wherever they can. They have an extensive greenhouse where they grow their own fresh herbs and vegetables year-round. It’s quite an operation.”

“Who would have thought I could find such a good pizza in the wilds of eastern Idaho?”

She smiled, proud of her little community. While it might be primarily a ranching town, Pine Gulch was gaining a reputation as a foodie destination and a magnet for artists.

“I understand they get customers from as far away as Jackson Hole who read about the pizza online and want to try a slice.”

She was finishing her second slice when she spotted her friend Caidy Caldwell coming in with her husband, the local veterinarian, and their children. Caidy had grown up in Cold Creek Canyon and had been a friend for a long time. Celeste loved seeing her so happy with Ben.

When she spotted Celeste, she waved, said something to Ben and the kids, then headed in her direction.

“Hi, Celeste! I’m so glad I bumped into you. Great story time last week. The kids really enjoyed it.”

“Thanks. It was great to see you there.”

“I don’t know how you always manage to find such absolutely charming stories—old favorites and then so many that no one has ever heard before.”

“That’s my job,” she said with a smile. That was one of her favorite parts about it, seeking out the new and unusual along with the classics everybody expected and loved.

“You do it well,” Caidy said. “Almost too well. We might have to quit coming to the library. Every time you read a new book the kids have to buy it.”

“Because they’re all so good.” Her stepdaughter, Ava, had joined her.

“Right. But now the shelves of our home library are bulging.”

“You can never have too many books,” Celeste answered.

“That’s what I always say,” Ava exclaimed. She turned to Olivia. “Hi. I’m Ava Caldwell.”