The front door opened and Carina walked in, Jeremy in tow, both bundled up for the cold weather. She stopped, giving a quizzical glance at Kieran, then at Emmy. “Are we interrupting something?” she asked, covertly tilting her head in Kieran’s direction.
“No,” Emmy said. “This is Kieran O’Neill, Sheryl’s brother and an old friend from high school.”
“Emphasis onold.” Kieran held out his hand to Carina.
“Oh right. Sheryl’s mentioned you a few times.”
“Uh-oh,” he said. “Whatever she told you, I plead the Fifth.”
Carina laughed as she shook his hand. Emmy expected him to look shocked, as most people did when they found out she and Carina were mother and daughter. If he was, he didn’t show it.
“I thought you two were on a date,” Emmy said.
“We were.” Carina smiled at Jeremy and moved closer to him. “The bowling alley is closed for repairs.”
“The roof over Lanes 1 to 6 caved in last night,” he added. “They’ll be shut down for a few days.”
“Oh no,” Emmy said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“So we figured we’d come here and help you decorate.” Carina glanced at Kieran again. “But maybe we’re not needed now.”
“There’s still plenty to do,” Emmy said. She watched as Kieran shook Jeremy’s hand. Carina’s boyfriend was a good-looking kid.His brown skin was several shades lighter than Carina’s, his tight black curls were in a buzz cut, and he was well over six feet tall.
“Nice to meet you, lad,” Kieran said.
“You’re not from here, are you?” Jeremy asked.
“Yes and no,” Kieran said with a small smile. “It’s a long story, that.”
“Ooh,” Carina said, taking off her coat. “I’d love to hear it—”
“Some other time.” Emmy put her arm around her daughter and guided her toward the opposite side of the shop.
***
Kieran shrugged at Jeremy. Quite the abrupt exit, but Emmy was right. There was still a lot of work to be done. He and Jeremy followed mother and daughter.
Now that he’d met Carina, Kieran was full of questions. The two women couldn’t have looked more different from each other. Emmy was fair-skinned and blond, Carina dark-skinned with short, black twisted braids. Had Sheryl ever told him about Emmy’s daughter? Again, he wasn’t sure, and he had to admit that it wasn’t just because he’d tuned out his sister’s incessant talking. Once he left Mistletoe, he had little interest in what was going on in his hometown. But now wasn’t the time to ply Emmy with questions. It was bad enough she knew how clueless he was about Mistletoe.
The next hour flew by as everyone pitched in to decorate. More than once Kieran saw Carina and Jeremy casually move over to the mistletoe sprigs hanging in the shop to sneak a kiss or two. If Emmy noticed, she didn’t let on. The two seemed smitten with each other, that was for sure.
As Kieran hung tiny gold and silver ornaments on the pencil-style tree in the corner of the store, he stole a few glances at Emmy. She hadn’t taken off the silver garland and he wondered if she’dforgotten she was wearing it. Holly berry crystal earrings winked from her small earlobes as she hummed along with the music and set up a book tree in the middle of a round, antique side table near the front door. She was even more fetching than she had been on prom night.
He glanced at the hanging mistletoe again.What would it be like to kiss Emmy now?
Nay, he shouldn’t be thinking that. Last thing he needed was to start a romance with anyone while he was in Mistletoe. He would only have to end it when he left.
It was almost ten by the time every nook and cranny in the store was covered in sparkly Christmas adornments. Carina and Jeremy picked up their coats from the rack near the front door. “Y’all up for some Chinese food?” Carina said as she pulled her hat from one of the coat pockets.
“Not tonight,” Emmy said.
“Rain check for me too.” Kieran grabbed his coat and put it on.
“Okay.” Jeremy opened the door. “See you later.”
Emmy waved as the couple left. Then she sighed. “I think they might be getting serious,” she said. “At least they better be, considering how many times they kissed under the mistletoe.”
He wrapped his scarf around his neck. “You saw that too?”
