Page 41 of Gotta Have Mistletoe

“Who’s that girl?” I ask Anders while Max and King Erik chat.

“Which one?”

I smile. Anders’ voice is definitely higher pitched than normal. “She has long, straight blonde hair.”

“That’s Tina,” Anders says. “She’s in my class.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Yes. But she’s also smart! She gets the best scores in chemistry.” Anders’ cheeks turn a ruddy color, and I try not to smile. Sometimes he looks exactly like his father.

“Why don’t you say hi to her? Maybe you can ask her to the Christmas Ball.”

“I can’t do that! She might say no.”

“Maybe. But then you’ll know, right?”

“I’ll have to see her every day.”

“I would think being a prince is some sort of advantage.”

“People are used to it. They all know me.”

“It can be embarrassing to get rejected,” I say.

Anders’ shoulders slump. “It’s not only that.”

“You can tell me anything. I’ll be gone in a few days.”

“True,” Anders says, and my heart tightens.

“My father misses my mother,” Anders says, which doesn’t make the strange feeling in my heart ease. I nod though. “Maybe I should wait to date until I’m older.”

“Your dad wants you to be happy.”

“Then why is he always criticizing me?”

I try not to grimace. “Sometimes people who know you well aren’t used to seeing new things. He loves you though. And you should speak with Tina.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Guess you can’t ask her to pass the beaker at the Christmas market.”

Anders snorts.

“Maybe you can say hello and ask her what is her favorite Christmas market stall.”

“I guess I can do that.”

“You can buy her something from her favorite Christmas market stall.”

“Uh—”

I take out some Solbergian kroners and give them to Anders. “You probably don’t carry money around.”

“She probably has money.”

“Reckon you’re right. You want to make her feel special. And if it goes well...”