Page 54 of The Christmas Arrangement

“Rachel, this is Noelle Winters, our library director and my dad’s fian—wife.”

Noelle laughs warmly. “We’ll all get used to it eventually. It’s so nice to meet you, Rachel. Welcome to Mistletoe Mountain.”

"It's lovely to meet you."

"Dash didn't tell me he was doing story hour.”

"He didn’t know,” Noelle says with a grin. “Jack sprang it on him at the last minute. Apparently a lot of the kids know who he is and are very excited that he’s the guest reader.”

Rachel nods. “That makes sense. The Vampire Quarterback is streaming now. There’s a whole new generation of Vlad Graves fans.”

"Let’s catch the end of Dash’s dramatic reading of And Tango Makes Three,” Noelle suggests, leading us toward the hallway to the children’s wing.

“Wait, that’s a board book. Preschoolers aren’t watching The Vampire Quarterback. Are they?”

Rachel shrugs, and Noelle grins. “There may be more older siblings than usual sitting in on this one.”

I suddenly wonder how many preteens currently have posters of Dash plastered on their bedroom walls? I decide I don’t want to know.

When we reach the doorway of the children's reading room, Evie Robinson spots me and nearly dumps her little brother Jalen off her lap and onto the floor in her excitement. “Ivy’s here!”

“Looks like Dasher isn’t the only celebrity around here,” Rachel observes.

Dash waves me waves me over. "Hey, Ivy! Come say hi to everyone." He’s giving me that crooked smile that makes my stomach flip.

“Hi, friends,” I say brightly, stepping into the room. I can sense Rachel following behind me. The photographers stationed near the door start snapping pictures.

His gaze shifts past me and his smile freezes.

“Mom?”

Rachel steps forward with her hands stretched out wide. “Surprise, sweetheart!”

For a moment, nobody moves. The kids stare. The parents stare. From just inside the doorway, Noelle stares. The photographers’ cameras click rapid-fire.

Finally, Dash stands, setting the book aside carefully, and crosses the room to his mother. They hug, laughing, and I relax my tense shoulders.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ivy invited me.” Rachel’s smiling, but her eyes are alert, taking in the cameras and the watching crowd.

Dash turns to me. “You called my mom?”

I can’t read his expression.

I nod, suddenly uncertain again. “To surprise you. You said you never had a real Christmas together, and there’s nothing more real than a Mistletoe Mountain Christmas.”

“She’s so sweet, Dasher,” Rachel enthuses.

Dash opens his mouth, but before he can respond, Caitlyn Chen tugs on his sleeve. Uh-oh.

“Is your mom a vampire, too?”

His laugh sounds genuine. “No, she’s not.”

A boy calls out, “What about Ivy?”

I turn toward the kids, grateful for the interruption. “What about me?”