Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (Kinky Spurs 4)

Before he could show her that way, she needed to be sober.

He rose and then kissed her forehead. “Tomorrow, we’ll talk. Tonight, just sleep.” She kept her eyes shut tight as he closed the door.

Clara and Amelia got into the car, but Maisie hugged Darryl. “Don’t give up on her.” She leaned away and held onto his shoulders tight. “Promise me.”

The promise was easy. “You have my word, Maisie. The very last thing I’d do is walk away from her.”

Now he only needed to convince Penelope to commit in the same way.

Chapter Ten

On Christmas morning, Darryl felt moody and tired. The plan on his day off was to drive up to the summit and spend the day hiking with Tyson. He needed air to clear his head, trying to figure out his next steps. Last night, he had planned to kiss Penelope under the mistletoe at midnight and make things solid between them.

This wasn’t how he intended to spend Christmas morning.

The worst part was, he had no idea how to fix any of it. He didn’t know the right thing to say to make the rejection with her parents sting less. And he knew he had to get that right. One mistake on his part, and she’d bolt, and he wouldn’t blame her one bit. He also had no idea how to get her to stay. He needed a plan, and he hoped on his hike he’d find it.

“Come on, Ty,” he said after opening the door to his cruiser. The dog jumped in, and Darryl shut the door, only for Tyson to stick his head out the open window and give Darryl’s hand a lick.

Yeah, his mood with shit.

“I’m all right, bud,” Darryl said, giving the pup a well-deserved head scratch.

“You promised me you wouldn’t give up on Penelope.”

Darryl glanced sideways, finding Maisie, her hands on her hips. “I didn’t give up on her.”

She stepped forward, slipped a little on the ice, then placed her hand on the cruiser and frowned. “You must have, because she’s gone, so what did you do?”

This had to be some cruel joke. “What did I do?” he asked, flabbergasted.

“Yes. What. Did. You. Do?” Maisie tapped a furry boot against the snow-covered driveway. “Penelope changed her flight to earlier this morning and left in a big giant mess of emotions. She never gets like that, so you had to have done something to upset her.”

Darryl turned to fully face Maisie now, shoving his hands into his pockets. He had to give it to Maisie. Most people balked at authority. She didn’t even bat an eye. “I’m sorry to break it to you, but I haven’t heard from Penelope since I put her in Clara’s car last night. I planned to go see her after a hike.”

Maisie’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Is that the truth?”

“Yes,” he defended, not blind to how sharp his voice became. “Jesus, Maisie. I asked Penelope to stay here, with me.”

Maisie’s expression pinched. “Hmm…” She nibbled her lip, watching Darryl closely, obviously having more to say.

Darryl waved her on. “You haven’t held back yet. Why start now? What is it?” The Carter sisters weren’t known for being particularly quiet about how they felt.

Maisie’s expression softened as she moved closer to pet Tyson who still had his head resting on the open window. “Okay, so I’m about to do something I would never do.” She hesitated, giving Tyson a quick kiss on the head. “Actually, I’m going to do two things, if we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty.”

“Maisie,” Darryl said, urging her on.

She glanced up, moving away from Ty. “Get on with it, right?” At his nod, she said, “Number one, I don’t share private conversations.”

He hesitated, waiting for her to continue. When she didn’t, he said, “All right, I understand.”

“And you know that I’m only doing this because I think it’s really important, and usually I’m a vault, all locked up tight.”

Understanding what she needed from him, he said, “You’re a good person, Maisie. I know this.”

“Let’s hope Penelope still thinks so after this.” She sighed, folding her arms, leaning a shoulder against the cruiser. “So last night when I was putting Penelope’s drunk ass to bed, she started sobbing, like really sad crying that comes from the gut, you know? When a heart bleeds and just won’t quit.”

“Yes, and…?”