Page 97 of The Mistletoe Kisser

“This is a travesty,” the man wailed.

Sammy couldn’t agree more.

“Amethyst and I are not cut out for prison. Orange washes out her complexion,” Bruce muttered as he walked away.

Ryan’s call was over. She held her breath as he returned to her. One last hope butterfly struggling to stay in the air.

“They want you back?”

He nodded. “My clients are unhappy with Bart Lumberto stepping in. The partners think they were too hasty and want me to fly back tonight for a meeting in the morning. A fresh start.”

The last little butterfly in Sammy’s stomach hurled itself into the bug zapper.

“Tonight? Wow,” she croaked. Her eyes were filling with tears. Tears she had no right crying after only a few days. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.”

“Corporate accountants aren’t big on the holidays,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

She shook her head and blinked hard. “Congratulations, Ryan. You got what you wanted. I’m happy for you,” she said with feigned brightness.

“Then why do you look like your eyeballs are going to pop out of your head?” he asked. He nudged her chin higher.

“What are you talking about?” she scoffed, looking everywhere but his face. Looking at him would force her to face the fact that she was losing what she’d only just found.

She blinked, and her right eye promptly overflowed.Crap.

“Look at me, Sparkle.”

“No, thanks.” She stared down at their feet.

Again, he took her chin in hand and lifted it. “You’re killing me, Sam,” he said softly.

“I’m not sad,” she lied. “I’m…”Dejected. Miserable. Ruined for all future non-glittery sex.“Happy for you.”

“This doesn’t have to be over. Isn’t that what video calls and plane tickets are for?” he said gripping her arms.

She gave him a small, watery smile. “You work sixty hours a week. I have an erratic schedule. And I can’t stay up late enough for West Coast sexting.”

“I’ll reschedule the meeting,” he insisted. “Those grant applications aren’t going to fill themselves out.”

She shook her head. “This is what you wanted. Losing it showed you how much you loved it. There’s no point delaying it. You need to go home.”

“What about your grants? The wreaths?”

“It’s time for me to face facts. I spread myself too thin and now I’m learning my lesson.”

“I don’t want to leave you like this,” he said earnestly.

“Me? You should be more worried about Bruce. I told him you weren’t going to be able to help with that whole auditor thing.”

The man in question was behind them loudly lamenting his fate to the vegan wiener lady.

“Sam,” Ryan began. “I’m not ready to say goodbye to you.”

“Doc!”

They both looked up and spotted Sheriff Donovan Cardona jogging toward them across the park.

The Beautification Members scattered like cockroaches.