Page 110 of Mistletoe Mischief

“Really? Is this Holly’s street? I’ve been wanting to check it out but haven’t had the chance.”

“Yep, she’s the first house on the right. It shouldn’t take long to cruise through, but I thought we could eat dinner as we check out the lights before moving on to our next stop.”

“And what would that be?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Fun,” she said. “I love surprises.”

Pike adjusted the radio until jolly Christmas music filled the inside of the car. Ryler passed him the bag of tacos as she nibbled delicately at the one in hand. They moved up faster than she expected and when the street finally came into view, Ryler sucked in her breath.

“Wow!”

“Right? People from all over the state come through to see this. Even some out-of-staters.”

“It’s gorgeous, but dang! Do they do the same setup every year?”

“Nope, they change it up. A few years ago, that house”—Pike pointed to the house across from Holly’s—“did a display dedicated to their cat.”

“That’s Christmassy, I suppose.” Ryler laughed. She stared at Holly’s home as they drove past at a crawl, admiring the extravagance. It was made up to look like a giant gingerbread house with a forest of lollipops stuck into the front lawn. Several lit-up gingerbread men and women danced between the colorful candy stalks.

Each house had an elaborate theme, as if trying to outdo the one next to it. “Is there a competition for the best design?”

“Oh yes, the same for the window displays in town. We take our holiday festivities seriously. This year, Mistletoe is hosting their first winter games, and Anthony and I are in charge of it.”

“That must be a big job. When is it?”

“The weekend before Christmas.”

“Wow. I guess it’s a good thing the two of you made up, huh? Otherwise, you might not have been able to pull it off.”

“I would have pulled it off, with or without Anthony.”

“So cocky,” Ryler said, finishing her taco and cleaning up the wrapper and napkin.

“You’re only having one?” he asked.

“I told you that we were celebrating Neil and Alia’s happy news. I had dinner with all of them, but I am grateful you let me try your favorite taco place.” Ryler reached for his hand and covered it with hers, squeezing it. “And for bringing me here. It is truly beautiful.”

When she started to pull her hand away, he caught it, threading his fingers with hers. “I’m glad you like it. Which one is your favorite?”

“I think Holly’s is adorable, but this one,” she said, pointing to the Hogwarts-themed home, “would put Universal to shame.”

“I’ve never been to Universal or Disneyland. Or World, for that matter.”

“I think you would enjoy it,” Ryler said as they rounded the circle and the last house’s display left her puzzled. “Are those raisins?”

“Yeah, I think they’re from California, and they kept talking about some California Raisin Christmas special.”

“That’s an obscure theme to pick,” Ryler said.

“Hey, at least they participated. A lot of these streets are dying out because people don’t want to invest the time or money into them,” Pike said, making a left out of the circle.

“Well, where to now?”

“To the Wolf’s Den,” he said.

Ryler frowned. “Isn’t that the biker bar you said was too rough for Alia and me?”