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Deep Fried Ice Cream And The Mistletoe

“Wow.” Trilby said. “Deep fried ice cream?”

“That’s a thing?” Marta asked.

Meghan turned to find the two friends gawking at her. “Hey, girls. Having a nice time?”

“We were.” Trilby’s head drooped.

Marta’s brow furrowed. “We still are.”

“Honey, what’s the matter?” Meghan spooned up some of her fried ice cream.

“You’re happily married and I’m happily married, but my best friend…” Her eyes widened as Marta jabbed an elbow in her side.

“So, you’re shopping for a husband?” Meghan scooped another spoonful of ice cream. “I know a guy who can help with that if you find somebody.”

“We did.” Trilby stepped out of elbow range.

“We? Are you both going to marry him?”

“Of course not, but if Marta’s unhappy, how do you think I feel?”

“Hmm, I understand.” She continued working on her ice cream.

“I was thinking…”

“No, she wasn’t. There’s very little thinking involved in this.” Marta rolled her eyes.

“Why don’t you pray on it for a while? If you can find common ground by Sunday, tell me then and I’ll see if I can help.” Meghan smiled as she turned to hustle up the hill in search of Greg.

“Well, that went great. How are you supposed to get with this guy if you won’t even help yourself?”

“I told you. It’s not the right time.”

“Anytime is—”

“No, it’s not. Knock it off and help me find a gingerbread golf bag ornament for my dad.”

Ryan was sweeping up as he searched the grounds for Earl. He stepped aside to let a young family pass by.

“Ryan?”

He turned to find Carol smiling at him. “Oh, hi. I was looking for Mr. Townsend.”

“Earl? He’s helping Bob change a light bulb up by the soft pretzel truck.” She was looking over his head.

“Great, thanks.” He looked up to see what she was so focused on. ‘Just some mistletoe.’ He saw she was stepping closer. “I’m about ready to call it a day. Thanks for letting me know where to find him.” He took a big step backwards, turned and struggled not to run.

She stood there under the mistletoe, watching him hasten up the hill. What would she have done if he hadn’t taken off? Was that a wound she really wanted to reopen?

“Waiting for someone in particular?” A familiar voice asked.

“Nope.” She closed her eyes. “It’s mistletoe. You know what to do.”

She felt his strong arms around her. Of course, he dipped her. She shivered, waiting for the kiss. Such warmth. Such tenderness. Such a rush. She didn’t notice the tickle of his mustache or the silly goatee scratching her chin.

She didn’t notice because it wasn’t there.

Carol opened her eyes to find Paul lifting her back to her feet. “Merry Christmas”

“Paul?”

“Mm-hmm. Hope that was alright.”

She just smiled and giggled. ‘Sarah is going to kill me.’

“Say, did you have any plans this evening?”

‘Oh, my! Is he actually asking me on a date? Sarah is going to kill me!’ She smiled and asked through clenched teeth, “Plans?”

“I only ask because I was going to surprise Jeb and Aundrea with some pizzas tonight. I thought you might like to come out and go over the plans for next week.”

‘You should ask if you can bring Sarah.’ She just smiled and giggled.

“I can have HEARTH send you the directions.”

She nodded and smiled and giggled. ‘I need to sit down or I’m going to fall down.’

“Great, what do you think? Maybe seven?”

She giggled and nodded and smiled. ‘Ask him if you can bring Sarah.’

“Oh, what toppings do you like?”

‘Oh, rats. He actually expects you to form a coherent sentence. Turn your brain back on and tell him you’re bringing Sarah.’ She tried to answer, but the syllables didn’t quite come together.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“I, I, I, uh, um, maybe supreme? Sarah likes green peppers.” She smiled. ‘What did you do that for? Jeez, you haven’t been kissed like that in…ever. Holy smokes, that kiss!’

“Sarah? Great idea. If we’re going to talk about plans, we might as well have everybody on the same page. So, green pepper for her and supreme for you. Awesome.” He smiled and strode away to sign more autographs.

The Christmas village was spinning around her. Benches. She hadn’t planned on public seating. Something to add to the list for next year, but she was in immediate need of a seat.

“Hey, Carol.” Sarah appeared from nowhere.

Carol screeched.

Sarah jumped. “What’s the matter?”

“Matter? Nothing’s the matter. Everything’s great.” She smiled and stepped out from under the mistletoe. “We’re having pizza tonight at Jeb and Aundrea’s farm.”

“With Paul?” Her eyes lit up as she hugged her clipboard.

“Yes, he invited us to talk about the plans for next week.”

“That sounds marvelous, but we’re not even done with this week.”

“True, but he meant the pizzas to be a surprise for Jeb and Aundrea.”

“Guess he was trying to multitask.” Sarah shrugged. She looked up at the mistletoe. “Wait, he only invited you. Didn’t he?”

“Not really. He knows we’re a package deal.”

“What did I miss?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

She tucked her clipboard under one arm and stared at Carol. “Spill.”

“I thought it was Nathan.”

“How could you possibly mistake Megaman for Nathan?”

“He was behind me.”

“He doesn’t look or sound like Nathan Anderson.” Sarah scowled at her.

“I was still reeling from what almost happened with Ryan.”

“Ryan? Oh my God, Carol. Is this a sprig of mistletoe or a kissing booth? How many people were you planning to make out with here?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“What was it like?”

“Ryan and I were together a long time ago. He was standing under the mistletoe, and…”

“And he wasn’t going for it, so you smooched the next guy to come along.”

“No. Yes. Not really. I thought it was Nathan. I was expecting it to be Nathan.”

“So, you didn’t kiss him. He kissed you.”

“I had my eyes closed, Sarah. I thought it was Nathan.”

Sarah’s eyes welled up. “That’s worse. I don’t want pizza.” She handed Carol her clipboard and stormed off. “I quit.”