Page 10 of A Curvy Carol

Whit nodded.

“And number three,” I said, crossing it out. “Already did that one too.”

“But we’ve gotta go back,” Whit chimed in. “I want to try everything on the menu.”

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. Then I bit my lip as I realized we’d left something off the list.

“What?” he asked. “Did we miss one?”

I hesitated. There was another big thing that people did in Garland, although it was more of an unofficial, clandestine sort of activity. “Let’s just say you can’t really buy a ticket for this one.”

Whit’s brow furrowed. “What is it? Tell me.”

Struggling to make eye contact, I told him. “Just know you’ll need to find someone else to do it,” I said, probably a little too forcefully. I could feel my face turn hot.

Whit looked even more confused and a little amused too. “What are you talking about, Carolynn?”

I took a breath. “Mistletoe Hill.”

“What do you do at Mistletoe Hill?” he asked, but I could see the wheels in his head starting to turn.

“Yeah,” I replied, putting the notebook and pen down on the table. “What you think happens there, happens there.”

He raised his eyebrows, seeming more amused than ever. He grabbed the notebook and pen, then began writing. “Kiss a pretty girl at Mistletoe Hill,” he sounded out.

I rolled my eyes, fighting the heat on my neck.

He hooked the pen through the spiral. “Okay, I think this is a great list, don’t you?”

I mustered my most sarcastic voice. “I can’t wait.”

He grinned. “Me neither. We’ll start with Scrooge’s after we get off the Garland Express.”

I shook my head but didn’t fight him on it. I definitely wasn’t going to admit that a small part of me was actually looking forward to spending more time with him.

6

WHIT

On the way to Scrooge’s, Carolynn finally told me about the crafting stuff she had in her bag.

“Cross-stitching?” I said. “I thought only grandmothers did that.”

She gave me a shove. Not nearly enough strength behind it to do any real damage, but I pretended to fall anyway.

“Just so you know, plenty of young people cross-stitch,” she replied. She sounded offended, but I was pretty sure she was just teasing.

We kept walking. “Do you knit too?” I went on.

She put her hands on her hips and stopped walking. “Actually, yes. And I crochet too. What of it?”

I laughed, and she shoved me again, but it only made me laugh more. I was actually having fun with her–and feeling a lot less lonely. “Nothing’s wrong with crafting,” I replied. “It’s kind of cute, actually.”

She rolled her eyes, and we kept walking, but I could see the hint of a smile on her face. Her green eyes always smiled before her lips followed.

This had worked out way better than I could’ve imagined so far. I had to admit that I really liked Carolynn already. I liked spending time with her.

We made it to Scrooge’s and went inside, getting out of the cold. I held open the door and gave a playful bow. Carolynn led the way, and we made our way to a booth tucked in the corner.