Page 4 of Christmas Kisses (Majestic Falls: Christmas Spice #2)

Micha

“Okay…what sort of pizza place is this?” Jessica peered at me over the top of the menu, her dark brown eyes seeming to dance with a mirth I hadn’t seen before. “It’s called Just Pizza , but they have mac and cheese.”

“Mac and cheese pizza ,” I corrected.

“That seems kind of…extra.”

“Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” I smiled behind my own menu, because it really was kind of extra. It was also extra good. Kids, especially, loved it. “Breadsticks?”

“Are they normal? The breadsticks, I mean.”

“Yes.”

“Just checking.” She glanced back at her menu. “Have you actually tried that pizza?”

“Once or twice. I’m more of a pizza purist, though. If I’m getting pizza, I want something more normal.”

“Just cheese then?” She closed her menu and set it to the side. I set mine atop it.

“Not quite that much of a purist. So, what do you want? Breadsticks? What kind of pie?”

“They have pie? Blueberry?”

I slow-blinked at her, not picking up the bait. She amused me more than any woman I’d ever met.

“The veg-a-holic? And, of course, breadsticks. Who doesn’t eat breadsticks? Probably the people who eat mac and cheese pizza.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Probably.”

The waitress came over and took our order, then I turned my full attention to Jessica again. “So how do you like Majestic Falls so far?”

I really wanted to say, so tell me everything about you and what you do in Colorado , but I figured that might be too forward. Pushy.

“So far, everyone’s been very…friendly. Of course, I’ve pretty much met you, Maple, and our waitress. From what I’ve seen, the town is adorable, and the shop is cute.”

I glanced out the window. The sun had set, but the street was lit by the posts lining the sidewalks, the decorated storefronts visible in the suffused glow. “It’s a great place to live.”

“What’s your favorite thing about it?”

I shrugged. “There’s no place like it, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.

The scenery is breathtaking, and the lake is…

perfect. I’ve lived here so long that I sometimes have to slow down and appreciate what’s around me.

The mountains, the water, all the trees, our quaint town. There really is no place else like it.”

“Yeah, I think it’s like that everywhere. We get so used to our surroundings we don’t notice how unique they are. It’s easy to get caught up in the rush of life and forget.”

“True,” I agreed. “Whenever I catch myself in that cycle, I try to be more present. Get out in nature and touch grass.”

“I know what you mean.” Her fingers trailed back and forth along the edge of the table, her brows drawn together. Her head shook slightly before she aired her thought. “I guess…for that matter, we can forget how special the people in our life are…until they’re gone.”

“Spoken like a life coach. Or someone who’s experienced loss.”

“Guilty. Both of those.” She grimaced, looking sad again as she traced a crack on the slate tabletop with her fingernail.

I barely quelled my urge to cover her hand with mine and offer support.

“I just lost my mom to cancer,” she continued. “Then Doris.”

Two people she loved, lost in such a short span of time… “I’m sorry—”

She shook her head and briefly held up a hand to stop me. “Losing my mom was hard. Probably the hardest thing ever. But I’m healing. They say you never really heal completely from that, and I think it’s true. But I’m doing okay. Getting there. And Doris…”

She hissed out a hard breath through her teeth. “I didn’t really know my grandma. When I was little, she and my mom had some sort of huge disagreement that turned into a lifelong rift. I don’t even know what it was about. I’m sad I didn’t know her, though.”

My heart ached for her. I couldn’t stop myself.

Now, I did cover her hand with mine, giving it a squeeze.

I hoped she knew I was here to support her, even if we’d just met.

Affection for Jessica grew inside me, something more than being attracted to her, and that surprised me as much as anything today.

But my foremost concern was her wellbeing, so I shoved aside anything else I felt.

“Maybe, you can get to know her through the people who did know her,” I suggested.

“Maybe. I hope, wherever she and my mom are, they’re figuring out things between them. That thought actually makes me happy. And…now that I’m here, I’m looking forward to hearing stories about Doris. I’m sure Maple has a few.”

“Yes…” I nodded, studying her face and wondering. Didn’t Jessica know? “She is—was… My grandma was Doris’ girlfriend.”

“I bet they were something together. Troublemakers. I can…” She hesitated, studying my face.

I waited, watching slow realization dawn.

“Oh. Wait. You mean… Like not just friends?” she said slowly. She sat back, both hands dropping to her lap, and her head tilted. “They weren’t old lady versions of Thelma and Louise? They were…in love? Like a couple?”

“Yes,” I said simply while I gauged her reaction. I would go to the death fighting for my grandma.

One side of her mouth lifted, then she chuckled. “You’re looking at me like you expect me to freak out. That news surprises me, but it doesn’t bother me.”

“Some people are pretty judgmental.”

“I’m not. Love is love, you know.”

“I do know, and I’m pretty protective of my grandma. I was of Doris, as well.”

“I would be, too,” she said, but her gaze was distant, as if seeing something far away.

“Unfortunately, that tells me the reason my mom and Doris didn’t see eye to eye.

I’ll love my mom forever, but she was pretty opinionated and rigid about how people should live their lives, who they were allowed to love.

It’s horrible to think that was the reason, but knowing my mother, it probably was. ”

“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.

She shook her head quickly. “Can’t change it now. But… Why didn’t Doris leave the shop to Maple? That would have made more sense.”

That was easier to address. And far safer to discuss than rocky familial relationships. “For one, Maple didn’t want it.”

“I’m still confused why the shop came to me.”

Before I could answer, the waitress brought our food, and we dished slices of the veggie pizza onto our plates.

“Doris adored you from afar,” I said after offering Jessica the basket of breadsticks. “You haven’t looked around her house much, have you?”

“No. When I got in this morning, I was anxious to see her shop. I dropped my bags there then headed over to Hard Candy Kisses .”

“She has pictures of you all over her place,” I told her as I picked up my pizza. “Despite their fight, I think your mom still sent them a couple times a year.”

Jessica’s mouth dropped open, and she set down the slice she’d just picked up.

“I… I don’t even… That is…so… fucked up ,” she exclaimed.

“Yeah,” I hesitantly agreed. “Kinda?”

To my surprise, my response drew a snort, and she shook her head, reaching for her pizza again. Her expression brightened when she looked back at me with a forced smile.

“Enough about me and my family drama. What I want to know is, is there an actual waterfall around here someplace or did the founders of Majestic Falls just think it was a good name?”

It was my turn to laugh, her question taking me by surprise.

“Yes, there’s an actual waterfall. Several, to tell the truth.

The one the town’s named after is a three-mile walk from Lake Main Street and partway up a mountain.

It’s a nice trek. We could do the trail sometime if you want.

I usually hike up there several times a year. ”

She grimaced, her face saying no, even as she told me, “Maybe. But now… What do you do when you’re not being the village’s good Samaritan?”

“I’m a composer. I write music, and shall we say, I massage compositions into usable configurations for one of the movie studios.

Sometimes, I take selections they get from rock bands and pop artists, and turn them into orchestral pieces.

And because I’m a glutton for punishment, I teach piano, too. ”

Her eyes lit up, and I was glad our conversation had changed directions.

“I’m going to ask you the question I’m sure everyone asks…” she started.

“Yes,” I replied, already knowing. “You’ve probably heard my music in something.”

She drew in a breath, her hand splayed on her chest, though the charade was completely playful. “So I’m having dinner with a famous person. That’s cool.”

“I’m just a guy,” I insisted. I pointed quickly at her as a reminder. “Nicest guy in town.”

“I don’t know about that. You were the one who made that claim, and self-assessments aren’t always the most accurate.”

I coughed into the side of my fist. “Life coach.”

“True, and we’re usually the least self-actualized of all. But this isn’t about me. Tell me something with your music score in it.”

“ Violet Moon .” Everyone on earth seemed to have seen that one, and it was getting all kinds of Oscar buzz, so I was pretty sure she’d at least heard of it.

“No…way…” she breathed then dug into her purse.

Pulling out her phone, she flicked her finger across the screen a couple times then held it up for me to see.

She had it open to her iTunes and the album with the score from the movie.

“I’ve been listening to it on repeat for over a month.

It’s haunting. I think it would make my life to actually see you play Fixing Broken Promises. ”

“I will. Anytime you want.”

“Tomorrow?”

“It’s a date.”