Puppy Love at Mistletoe Junction

Chapter Two Manic Monday

Lucy Buchanan was pretty sure she was experiencing the Mondayest Monday that ever Mondayed.

It had all started when her alarm hadn’t gone off that morning. She hadn’t had enough time to blow-dry her hair before work, so she had to go out into the cold November air with wet hair, which was why she was freezing for most of the day.

The thing was, she was usually cold these days as she spent most of her time in the drafty auditorium of Mount MacCallion High School. The heater only worked when it wanted to, and it wasn’t every day.

It was a little bit ironic that Lucy found herself teaching at Mount MacCallion, considering that some of the worst years of her life had been when she’d gone to school there. Lucy had been a freshman when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and a sophomore when she’d died. She’d dealt with the loss in incredibly unhealthy ways, and her life had spiraled out of control in those years.

Though there’d been a couple of bright lights, little beacons to guide her through the darkness. The biggest one had been Lucy truly discovering her love of music, something that her favorite teacher, Mrs. Griffith, had helped her figure out.

Janet Griffith had been the music and drama teacher at Mount MacCallion for thirty-five years. Lucy would put good money on the fact that she was the most beloved teacher who had ever worked in that building. Even kids she’d never taught adored her. Which was why it had been so heartbreaking when she’d had to take the current semester off.

Mrs. Griffith’s husband, Brandon, had been in a terrible car accident before the school year had started. He’d broken both of his legs, his collarbone, and had one of his lungs punctured. He’d been lucky to survive. Even with insurance, the medical bills had been astronomical. As always, the town had rallied and raised money to help them out. But even with that, they hadn’t been able to get around-the-clock medical care, so Mrs. Griffith had decided to do it herself.

It had been Mrs. Griffith’s idea for Lucy to take over for the semester, and as Lucy knew her old teacher wouldn’t entrust just anyone to take on the position, she’d decided to do it despite her reservations.

Besides, it was kind of perfect; the job was temporary, and so was Lucy’s stay in Cruickshank. When she’d come back six months ago, she’d had no intention of it being a permanent move. It was just until she got back on her feet . . . got over the failure that had been her seven years in Los Angeles. But if she was being honest with herself, LA had never been her favorite place; she’d just picked it to put as much distance between herself and this town as she could.

It wasn’t that she didn’t love Cruickshank—or the people in it—she’d just known that she’d needed to get away. To move on from her past.

Though there was no moving on from her past at the moment, not when she was roaming the same hallways she had as a teenager. At least she wasn’t sleeping in her old bedroom anymore. She had that going for her.

Her sister, Caro, had lived in the tiny apartment above their father’s garage for fifteen years. That was, until Max had come back to Cruickshank and Caro had moved in with him. Wanting a little space to call her own, Lucy had taken over the loft. And a little space was exactly what it was. Not even four hundred square feet, it offered a kitchen, living/bedroom, and a bathroom.

Though that bathroom was pretty great. Caro had gotten their father and brother, Jeremy, to remodel it a few years ago and it offered a glorious tub that Lucy sank into multiple times a week . . . usually with a glass of wine and a good book.

If not for the fact that tonight was girls’ night, it would’ve been her plan for that evening. Mainly because her feet were killing her.

In her rush to get out the door that morning, she’d grabbed the first pair of shoes she’d put her hands on and didn’t even think about the fact that they were the flats she hadn’t broken in yet. Not even a box of Band-Aids could save her from the blisters that had formed on the backs of her heels.

Her sore feet were yet another thing that had contributed to her Mondayest Monday that had ever Mondayed.

There was also the fact that she’d lost all of the grades she’d uploaded the week before. Not only that, but when she’d tried to upload them during her free period, they disappeared again. She knew she’d saved them to the system correctly, but no matter how many times she’d told that to Barty Brooks in IT, he told her she hadn’t. There was nothing that could ruin her day quite like having to deal with him and his smugly superior attitude. Every time she had a problem, he always asked her if she’d restarted her computer first.

She’d finally snapped and told him she always tried everything before having to deal with him. He’d just given her another one of his stupid smug smiles.

Then they’d run out of chicken sandwiches at lunch and Lucy had to settle for spaghetti. It wasn’t that the spaghetti wasn’t good—everything was good—it was just that it wasn’t what she’d wanted. Her favorite cafeteria lady was Beatrice, and she always saved Lucy a sandwich, but Beatrice wasn’t there . . . so no sandwich for Lucy.

But the final kick in the teeth happened that afternoon. As the music and drama teacher, Lucy was in charge of the semester’s musical, a musical that was about four weeks away. She’d ordered the costume for the lead two months ago, a beautiful flowing red gown. The dress that showed up today was bubblegum pink.

There wasn’t enough time to send it back and get it remade, or enough money. Lucy had already pushed the budget to the limit. The only option she had was to fix the dress, but that was a conversation she was going to have with her sister that evening.

If anyone knew how to do it, it was Caro.

Lucy might not be getting that bath tonight, but a good venting session with her friends along with some wine and something sweet would do the trick. And she knew exactly where to go to get that last part.

She had indeed won the game of darts against Theo. They hadn’t even gotten to the third round as she’d soundly beaten him in the first two. Maybe going to collect on some of her spoils would lighten up her day.

Much like many of the shops in Cruickshank, Browned Butter was downtown. Alexander Avenue and Malcolm Lane were the two main streets, and they intersected almost right in the middle of town. From there, a handful of other streets branched off, with their picture-perfect storefronts and cobblestoned sidewalks lined with dogwoods. The leaves had all changed from green to crimson reds and deep purples, but the trees were quickly losing their color as those leaves fell.

It was just after four when Lucy parked her car in the small lot by the bakery. The shop front was made of beautiful carved wood stained a rich chocolate, the bold white letters of Browned Butter popping against it. One of the windows offered a view of the few tables and chairs while the other had a magnificent display of cakes.

Theo was the one who usually decorated the cakes these days, for everything from birthdays to weddings, and they were all masterpieces. He’d gone to Chicago a couple of years ago to learn from a legendary pastry chef and he’d only gotten better since. Ridiculously so.

What with the way certain social media videos were trending these days, Theo’s little sister, Gia, had started an account for the bakery. One of the more popular posts was when she filmed Theo decorating. The videos hadn’t gone viral or anything, but they had a pretty decent follower count.

Browned Butter had never been hurting for business, but its popularity had grown. They’d started shipping their soft and gooey cookies all over the United States a couple of years ago, and to get them now required being on a wait list to buy a box. But it wasn’t cookies or cakes that Lucy was after. Well, not a whole cake. What she wanted was cupcakes, a lot of them.

When she walked inside, she was greeted with the scent of a spicy vanilla. Cinnamon, cloves, and cardamon also perfumed the air. She looked up to the chalkboard sign to find the fancy calligraphy of Juliet Taylor—Theo’s mother—announcing the flavor of the day: Cruickshank Vanilla Chai Cupcake.

Well, she knew one thing she would be getting. Lucy loved vanilla chai, so much so that it was the scent of her current bodywash and lotion.

There was a bit of a line, and Lucy could only see Gia and her best friend, Chloe, filling the orders. The girls were freshmen in high school. They were both in Lucy’s drama class, but Chloe was also taking choir. She had a beautiful voice but she was still too shy to go solo.

They were a comedy act if Lucy had ever seen one. It was why they’d been cast as the Dynamic Duo—Rosie and Gilda—in that semester’s musical. They weren’t the leads, but they started and ended every scene and would be just as memorable. There hadn’t been a single rehearsal where someone in the cast didn’t crack up while they were performing.

It wasn’t until the customer who was paying shifted position that Lucy spotted Theo working behind the register. He lifted his gaze and when his blue eyes landed on her a frown pulled down the corners of his mouth.

Lucy couldn’t help but grin, one of the few times she’d done it all day.

In the years since she and Theo had spent those months fooling around, she’d avoided him like the plague. As they hadn’t exactly ended things on the best of terms, she’d kind of had to. But ever since she’d been back in Cruickshank, she’d found that she really enjoyed driving him crazy. He still had the ability to push her buttons unlike anyone else, but that constant back-and-forth between them was fun.

Well, for her at least.

It took a few minutes for the line to move, and when Lucy stepped up to the counter, she found that her smile had gotten even bigger. “Hello, Theodore.”

His frown deepened. “How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that?”

“Not sure yet.” She shrugged. “But I’ll let you know. You’re looking particularly lumberjacky today.”

He had on a blue and green flannel shirt that somehow made his eyes even brighter. She didn’t know how that was possible. But his eyes weren’t the only thing she was paying attention to. His brown hair was longer than usual and his beard a little thicker. She’d noticed it when they’d been playing darts on Friday.

“It’s lumberjack chic,” Gia said as she bagged cookies for a waiting customer.

“Yeah, Ms. Buchanan, it’s totally in this season,” Chloe added.

“As much as I enjoy being the butt of your jokes, can we move this along? There are people waiting.” He waved to the line behind Lucy.

“Calm down, we weren’t making fun of you, Theo.” Gia patted her brother on the shoulder before moving on to fill the next order.

“Yeah.” Chloe grinned. “We all think you pull off the look pretty well.”

“It’s a lot better than your grunge year when we were in high school,” Lucy said.

“Wait, what?” Gia had been popping a box open, but her hands stilled as she rounded on him. “You wore grunge in high school? How did I not know about this?”

“Because it was my freshman year when I was an obnoxious little punk. And you weren’t even born,” Theo said.

“Yeah, but there have to be pictures somewhere.” Chloe pulled a Browned Butter sticker from the roll, sealing the box of cupcakes she’d just filled and passing it across the counter.

“Oh, there are pictures,” Lucy told the girls.

“You’re the worst.” Theo shook his head at her.

“I know.” She nodded as she pulled a napkin out of her purse and placed it down on the counter. “I’m also a winner.” She put her finger on the napkin and slid it across to him. It was the same napkin they’d used to keep score the other night.

“A sore winner.” He pulled it out from underneath her finger.

“Act like you don’t rub it in my face when you win.”

“Me?” He put his hand on his chest. “I’m the model of a humble winner.”

Gia barked out a laugh while Chloe coughed liar.

“Don’t ever play him in Uno,” Gia whispered conspiratorially to Lucy. “He’s brutal with the draw fours.”

“And he’s so smug about them,” Chloe added.

“Enough from the two of you.” He pointed to the girls.

“What?” they asked in unison. “Us?”

Theo might’ve let out a frustrated huff as he looked back to Lucy, but she didn’t miss the twitch at the corners of his mouth. Even he couldn’t resist their antics. “All right, Lucy, what are you getting?”

“Four cupcakes for girls’ night. We need something to soak up our wine.”

“Well, make your picks.” He waved to the display before hitting a few buttons on the register. When the drawer popped open, he scrawled a number on the napkin and put it inside. “I’ll make sure to deduct this from your tab.”

“You do that.” She gave him another smile before she moved over to where Gia was waiting for her. “How good are the chai ones?” she asked as she leaned forward to get a better look at the few remaining cupcakes in question.

Gia made a face of pure delight, her eyes crossing for emphasis. “So good. They’re topped with a vanilla and cinnamon buttercream frosting that will blow your mind. Theo was truly inspired with this one. They’re amazing. They’ll be gone by the end of the day.”

“I don’t know that there’s anything Theo has ever made that wasn’t delicious.” Lucy looked over at him to find that he was staring at her with a puzzled look on his face. “What?” She straightened, something weird shifting in her chest.

“Nothing.” He shook his head slowly, his eyes still intently focused on her. “You just paid me a compliment. I’m not used to you being nice to me.”

Lucy rolled her eyes before she looked back to the display case. “I’m nice to you all the time, Theodore. You just don’t listen hard enough.”

“Right.” He let out a huff, and even though she wasn’t looking at him, she knew he was frowning at her again.

“Okay, I’ll get one of the chai, a chocolate bourbon pecan, crème br?lée, and caramel apple. I think that’s a good variety.”

“Agreed.” Gia nodded as she went to grab a box.

“Throw in the s’mores one.” Theo pointed to a slightly bigger box before he gave the change back to the customer who was ordering, clearing out the end of the line.

“You’re giving me a free cupcake?”

“They’re all free.” He shut the register.

“Yes, but this one isn’t going against my tab.”

He shrugged. “I guess I can be nice too.”

It was then that the door to the bakery opened again, the little bell above it ringing. Lucy wouldn’t have turned around except she noticed the change in Theo’s face, a smile pulling up the corners of his mouth and his blue eyes lighting up.

He hadn’t looked at her that way when she’d walked in.

Not that she cared how he looked at her . . . but then why was there a weird and uncomfortable thing tightening her chest? Maybe that was what had her turning around to see who he was smiling at. Maybe that was why something leaden dropped into Lucy’s stomach when her eyes landed on the absolutely stunning woman coming toward them.

Her hair was a warm honey blond, not a strand out of place as it flowed down her shoulders and back. She was wearing a black-and-white houndstooth pencil skirt and a silk white blouse, her slim waist accentuated in all the right ways. The woman also had the longest legs, which ended in the tallest high heels.

They were no doubt some fancy designer label that probably cost more than Lucy’s two-week paycheck.

“Hello,” Theo greeted the woman as she made her way up to the counter. “Well, this is a nice surprise. I thought I wouldn’t be seeing you until six.”

“Yes, well, it’s been a bit of a long afternoon, and I needed a little sugar rush before our date.” Her pretty pink lips turned up in a flirty smile as she pointed to the display of petit fours.

“I think we can find you something.”

Gia let out a very loud throat clearing, and Theo didn’t look over at her as he waved a hand in her direction. “Joss, this is my little sister, Gia, and her best friend, Chloe. Gia and Chloe, this is Joss.”

“Nice to meet you,” Joss said to the girls.

“And you.” A mischievous gleam now lit Gia’s eyes. “You’re going on a date with my brother tonight?”

“I am.” Joss nodded.

Why did those two words have Lucy’s stomach bottoming out? She didn’t care who Theo dated. Never had and never would.

“You have a date and you didn’t tell me?” Gia lightly punched Theo on the shoulder before turning to Joss. “How did he get you to agree to it?”

“Yeah? Did he hypnotize you?” Chloe asked. “Or a bribe?”

“No! Blackmail!” Gia snapped her fingers as if that were the answer.

Chloe leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Blink twice and we can help you get out of it.”

Joss laughed, but Theo closed his eyes, shaking his head at the pair of them. “This is why I don’t tell you anything.”

“Oh, come on.” Gia grinned. “We’re your favorite and you know it.”

“We’re everyone’s favorite. Just ask Ms. Buchanan.” Chloe nodded to Lucy.

It was true, Chloe and Gia were her favorite students . . . she’d never said it out loud, but facts were facts.

Chloe had recently moved to Cruickshank. Chloe’s father was the new captain down at the firehouse. He’d taken the position a few months ago, moving his three daughters from Charlotte after a messy divorce. From what Lucy knew, his ex-wife had just picked up her life one day and moved to Florida with the man she’d been having an affair with for years.

It hadn’t taken Lucy very long to develop a soft spot for the girl.

As for Gia, Lucy had babysat the youngest Taylor for about a decade. She was like a little sister.

“Buchanan?” Joss asked as she turned to Lucy. “Are you related to Caroline?”

Lucy straightened her shoulders, for some reason needing to fortify herself before talking to the woman. “Yes, she’s my sister.”

“Oh, she and Max have mentioned you. I’m working with Max on the Kincaid project.” She reached her hand out to Lucy. “Jocelyn Fairbanks.”

“Lucy Buchanan,” she said as she grabbed the woman’s hand.

Joss had a good handshake, firm but not too tight, and she looked Lucy right in the eyes with a genuine smile on her face.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Joss said.

“You as well,” Lucy lied before she let go of the woman’s hand. “I should get going.” She took a few steps back toward the door, wanting desperately to get out of the bakery, but stopped when Gia called out.

“Don’t forget your cupcakes!” She held the sealed box out and over the display.

“Oh, yes, the whole reason I came in here.” She walked back up and grabbed the box. “See you girls tomorrow,” she said to Gia and Chloe, giving Theo and Joss another nod before she hightailed it out of there.

When she walked outside, the crisp fresh air did absolutely nothing to clear her head. What in the world had all of that been about? She didn’t know, and she was pretty sure she didn’t want to find out.

* * *