Muffins And Mistletoe (A Starlight Hills Holiday Novella) Read online

  While April did her best to flaunt her cleavage in Dalton's face, Jimmy stood back and shook his head. They'd been friends forever, Dalton an inch or two taller, with his full head of sandy hair and green eyes that attracted more than his share of women over the years. But Jimmy had never been jealous or envious of the way women threw themselves at Dalton because he'd fallen hard for Corinne in the fifth grade. And he'd been stuck on her ever since.

  Now he had to wonder if Dalton had the right idea.

  Being unattached meant less aggravation and less pain. Having his proposal rejected in front of everyone he loved and cared about sucked. And that was one feeling he never wanted to experience again.

  FIVE

  Bitty Crane walked into Anita's Salon, the red basket in her hands filled with gingerbread muffins and red velvet cupcakes. One might call it a bribe—she preferred calling it a peace offering.

  "Elizabeth, I told you I'm booked solid. A basket of your baked goods won't change that," Anita said with a shake of her bleached blonde head. She held scissors in one hand and a comb in the other, and had Linda Cramer in her chair. Linda just smiled, but then again, she had an appointment and her hair would look perfect tonight.

  Bitty gave them both a big smile and placed the basket on the front desk. "I'm not asking for special treatment, I'm just bringing a friend some goodies."

  "Yes you are. And it won't work."

  Bitty ignored her and took a seat by the window. She picked up a magazine and pretended to become immediately engrossed in whatever was on the glossy page. She paid no attention to the clicking heels headed in her direction until they were directly in her field of vision. Putting the magazine on her lap, she slowly looked up, taking in the long, thin body of Anita Dixon. From the tips of her three-inch red heels to the v-neck of her red sweater covered with Santa's face all in sequins, she was her usual gaudy self. Someone really needed to tell her that sixty-year-old women shouldn't dress like Christmas hookers, but it wasn't going to be her. Especially not today.

  "Anita, I love your sweater."

  Anita's hands, with her perfectly manicured acrylic nails, landed on her hips as she glared down at Bitty. "I know you hate this sweater. Flattery won't get you an appointment either."

  "How's Bob?" She changed the subject to Anita's husband of thirty years, expecting it to at least lighten the tension between them.

  Anita pivoted on one heel and went back to Linda in the chair. "Bob's fine. Don't worry, the parking lot will be plowed in plenty of time for your gala."

  "I'm not worried. I have complete faith in Bob."

  "You just didn't have faith in me and my decorating ideas," Anita huffed while snipping Linda's hair. Poor Linda's eyes widened as she watched in the mirror while the scissors moved through the air to punctuate Anita's ramblings. Anita was nothing if not dramatic.

  Everything Anita did was flamboyant. It came as no surprise that she decorated the same way she dressed. Bold and shiny. Bitty felt bad that she had to shoot down her idea of disco balls hanging from the ceiling, but this was a Christmas fundraiser for the Gallagher Movie Theater. She wanted a classy event. No one wanted strobe lights and a disco ball. If Anita had her way, the poinsettias would even be covered with tacky glitter. Bitty had offered a compromise and gave her free decorating reign for the Valentine's Day party, but apparently Anita still held a grudge. Holding Bitty's hair appointment hostage wasn't playing fair.

  "Anita, honey. Can't we get past this? I promise. The Cupid Cotillion is all yours! It's been a rough few weeks, cut me some slack."

  Her scissors froze in midair over Linda's head, her expression immediately softening. "I know, Bitty. I'm so sorry to hear about what happened with Jimmy and Corinne. And in front of everyone, no less. How's Jimmy?"

  "Being a stubborn man."

  "Corinne's got an appointment later. From what Katie tells me, she plans to make quite an appearance tonight. And she's not the only one—I've been booked solid all day. And Jimmy becoming single has been quite the hot topic. I wouldn't worry about him, if you know what I mean." Anita winked at Bitty as she grabbed a round brush and the blow dryer from a hook on the wall and got to work blowing out Linda's new style.

  Bitty suddenly had a very uneasy feeling. She hadn't anticipated competition. Everyone knew Jimmy was crazy about Corinne. Who would even think about trying to pick him up on the rebound at the gala? Panic bubbled in her chest and she didn't even have any antacids in her purse. She looked around the shop. The two other hairdressers in the salon were busy with their own customers, both older married women. The shop was bustling today with everything from nail appointments to dye jobs, but none of these ladies were threats to her plan.

  As Linda slid from her chair and made her way to the receptionist to pay, Bitty left her basket on the desk and made a beeline for Anita.

  "Who else was in here today?"

  "You know I can't gossip like that." Anita moved a broom around the floor, pushing the hair clippings into a pile. "Why do you want to know? You think it will change anything if you do?"

  "I'm sure Katie told you—"

  "Katie tells me everything."

  Bitty took a deep breath and resigned herself to doing the unthinkable. She had to give Anita credit, but not quite yet. "I thought you liked Corinne."

  Anita leaned on the back of the chair and smiled. "Of course I like Corinne. I love that girl and her brother like they're my own flesh and blood. But you know, Bitty, you and I have been friends for years and I think sometimes you get a little crazy about this matchmaking stuff."

  "Crazy, huh?"

  "I'm just saying why don't you let fate do what she's gonna do." Anita shrugged and stuck one manicured finger in her hair and gave it a twirl.

  "Because sometimes fate needs a little bit of help, just like the rest of us! Besides, you know as well as I do that they're perfect for each other."

  "So look at this as more like leveling the playing field. Maybe it would be good for both of them. A little competition makes things a bit more interesting."

  "You didn't feel that way when Brenda opened her salon down the street."

  Anita's jaw clenched, but she quickly recovered and narrowed her eyes at Bitty. "I got over that. There's enough hair in Starlight Hills to go around. Besides, every successful party needs three things: good food, good music and a healthy dose of drama." Anita walked over to the basket on the front desk and pried the red and green paper open to peer inside. "Mmm. Those red velvet cupcakes do look good."

  "Oh yeah, more drama is just what we need in this town." Bitty rolled her eyes and twisted her hands in front of her to keep from exploding. She wasn't buying her act, but she couldn't imagine Anita not wanting Jimmy and Corinne to be together. Whatever her ulterior motives were, Bitty still had to be prepared. She sat in Anita's chair and spun it around to face her where she stood, pulling off the paper from a cupcake.

  "One disco ball."

  "Two," Anita countered, then stuck her finger in the icing of the red velvet cupcake she held in her hand.

  "And you'll cut my hair and…chat?"

  "Deal." With a fiendish grin, she finished her cupcake and waved Bitty over to the sinks on the other side of the salon. She quickly washed her hands to clear the crumbs, talking as she went. "I'm exhausted. You know I've already done two up-dos earlier this afternoon. Those red curls were my challenge for the day. You just want your usual cut, right?"

  Bitty smiled, knowing Anita was referring to the Fortunato twins, Ashley and Tiffany. Those two could spell trouble for Corinne if they tag-teamed Jimmy with their store-bought ta-tas.

  "Annalise Kendall was here this afternoon. It's good to hear Jimmy's keeping busy hanging lights at her mom's house today."

  Bitty sat in the chair, visions of all three women in their low-cut dresses vying for Jimmy's eye. What was a mother to do? "Well, it looks like there will be some drama at the gala tonight after all. Let's just hope all the female attention doesn't go to Jimmy's head."r />
  Anita secured a towel around Bitty's neck and raised a brow. "Oh, no," she said with lighthearted sarcasm. "Why would a single man even notice all that attention?"

  "Am I early?"

  The two women turned their heads toward the familiar voice.

  There, in front of the reception desk, stood Corinne.

  * * *

  Corinne felt like the naked Emperor. All eyes in the room were on her. Their sympathetic expressions sent a rush of embarrassed heat down her neck. From the way Bitty and Anita stared at her, you'd think they were guilty of spilling the deeply guarded secret ingredients of Bitty's gingerbread muffins.

  Though the truth did sting to hear it out loud, somewhere in the back of her mind she had considered the possibility that Jimmy would be fair game tonight. She could name a few vultures who wouldn't care if he was on the rebound or not. And the name at the top of her list was Annalise Kendall. Her older sister April had been after Dalton for years. Those two girls were definitely skilled in their blatant seduction techniques—or "BS," as she and Katie had dubbed their behavior. And if Annalise had already been at the salon, Corinne had no doubt she was pulling out all the stops.

  But none of them knew Jimmy the way she did, and never once had he made her feel he was more interested in how she looked more than what was inside. Not that he didn't enjoy the view when she wore her tight jeans or a low-cut shirt. Her whole body tingled with the memory of his hands on her behind and his lips trailing between her breasts.

  Her little black dress immediately flashed before her eyes. Low cut and form fitting, it was just the dress to catch Jimmy's eye. Katie was right; she had to look stunning tonight. She had to look better than stunning, she had to be eye-popping, so that when she begged and apologized and finally got Jimmy under the mistletoe again, he'd forgive her anything.

  Bitty and Anita headed toward her, both wearing matching expressions of concern. Bitty, with her hair wet and a white towel wrapped around her neck, reached Corinne first and touched her arm. "Honey, don't you get discouraged. Everything is going to be great tonight. You'll see."

  "Nothing more romantic than kissing under a disco ball," Anita said, a huge grin on her red-lacquered lips.

  Bitty shot a look at Anita that had disgust written all over it, and Corinne couldn't stop the smile that slid across her own face. "I thought we weren't going with the disco ball and glitter theme."

  Anita tilted her head and raised a brow in Bitty's direction. "There was a last-minute change of plans. Isn't that right, Bitty?"

  "My hair appointment was held hostage and I was forced to negotiate with the glitter terrorist over here." Bitty shook her head and took Corinne by the elbow and led her to the window seats. "Pfft. Don't listen to Anita. We've got more than enough mistletoe to do the job."

  It was in moments like this that Corinne missed her own mother. Since she had remarried ten years ago and moved to Florida, Corinne and Dalton hardly ever saw her. A once a month phone call usually left Corinne feeling sad and more alone, never confiding in her mom anything more than the general tidbits of her life. Her mother didn't even know about the Thanksgiving debacle. It was probably for the best.

  Corinne looked into the warm and loving blue eyes of Elizabeth Crane and let the woman's enthusiasm seep into her bones. Jimmy was so much like her, always with a kind word, always confident that things would work out for the best. "You don't think I'm too late, do you? What if he avoids me tonight?"

  "You don't really believe that's going to happen, do you?"

  Corinne heaved a depressed sigh. "All that mistletoe is what I'm afraid of. With Annalise and the twins—"

  "They're not you."

  For a moment Corinne sat in silence next to Bitty and let her words sink in. She was right, of course. Those girls weren't her. Now all she had to do was hope that Jimmy still wanted her and not what the BS girls offered.

  While Anita transformed Bitty's brown curls into perfection, Corinne slipped out to grab a cup of coffee from Charlie's Coffee Hut next door. She needed a small shot of caffeine to go with the to-do list on her cell phone that seemed to be growing instead of the other way around.

  Just inside the entrance, the bank of coffee carafes offered enough variety to satisfy almost every tastebud in Starlight Hills. She found her favorite holiday brew and filled a large cup. The popular local radio station played in the background, a welcome change from the constant holiday music. After she snapped the lid on her cup, she looked down as phone in her hand beeped notification of a new text—and walked right into Jimmy.

  "Still don't watch where you're going when that phone pings, do you?"

  "J-Jimmy," she stuttered.

  He sidestepped to let her pass, arms awkwardly pressed to his sides. He quickly glanced at the cup in her hands. The twinkle in his eye that made her heart do backflips appeared when he smiled. "Careful, we don't want a repeat of this morning."

  She looked at his coffee-stained pant leg and boot and returned his smile. "I guess I should apologize for that."

  Slipping the phone into her coat pocket, she kept her fingers safely tucked inside the fur-lined depths. If she didn't, she knew she'd be tempted to run her hand along his arm or reach for his hand. She'd never be sorry for that kiss under the mistletoe this morning. Her heart beat a wild staccato in her chest and her eyes lingered on his lips a little too long before she found something else over his shoulder to focus on.

  As if he knew about the war waging inside her, he took a small step back. The cup in her hand trembled from a nervous shake. Then his hand was on hers, steadying the hot brew and searing her flesh with his touch at the same time. "Apology accepted."

  "If only everything was that easy," she said, maybe a little too wistfully, but she didn't care. At this point all she wanted was this man back in her life.

  "Yeah. Not a big fan of anything complicated these days."

  "Jimmy, I didn't mean to complicate anything. I don't know what I was thinking…" Her hand slipped out from her coat pocket and landed on his arm. She searched his eyes for the spark of magic she always saw there. She thought she saw it flash as he blinked and those blue eyes devoured her for the space of a heartbeat. Then it was gone as he turned his head.

  "Listen, Corinne, I gotta go. Annalise just texted Dalton that they need help getting their driveway cleared or they won't make the gala tonight." He gave her an apologetic shrug and headed toward the door. "Hold on to that coffee."

  "See you tonight," she called as the door closed behind him.

  He waved and disappeared into the crowd on the sidewalk.

  Corinne took a long sip of coffee and everything in her head cleared. Jimmy didn't want complicated. Neither did she. Tonight she was going to make it easy for him. Four more hours and either she'd be the laughing stock of the whole town or she'd be engaged.

  SIX

  Corinne stood on the steps of the Starlight Hills Civic Center, her breath misting out around her in the cold night air. Music drifted from the open doors in front of her. The lights from inside lit the way to what would surely be the event of the season. A glacial burst of wind swirled the hem of her black dress up around her knees while she considered running back down the steps and going home. She looked toward the parking lot at the patches of ice she'd gingerly walked over in her stilettos only moments before and then back at Dalton as he held the door, impatiently tapping his foot. What the hell was she doing here? If her plan backfired, or if Jimmy outright refused to get up on that stage, how would she ever live down that humiliation?

  Probably the same way he'd been dealing with his own embarrassment since Thanksgiving.

  "Are you coming?" Dalton called, his voice muffled in the night wind.

  She teetered on her heels, taking one step at a time, and walked through the open door with clear determination to set things right. Inside, Dalton helped her out of her coat. She watched him in silence as he hung it with the others in the coatroom off the entrance. The same silence they'
d shared at home and on the drive into town still hung in the air between them. They'd always been close, but since Thanksgiving, Dalton either avoided her or simply kept his mouth shut. He was in the awkward position of being her brother and Jimmy's best friend, so asking him to choose sides wouldn't be fair.

  But tonight wasn't about being fair to him, and with neither of their parents in town, she needed someone at that moment to reassure her.

  "You think I'm making a mistake?"