wreath headpiece. She tutted over Mia’s lack of a costume and insisted on giving her a unicorn headband with fuzzy ears and a rainbow-colored horn, before pointing her toward the booth selling mulled wine.
Mia armed herself with a cup of the unseasonably hot beverage before seeking out Madison’s booth and allowing herself to be talked into buying a buttermilk pie. By the time Mia caught sight of Ray’s metalworking booth, the wine had supplied her with enough courage to stop by and say hello to Antonio and his father.
They both greeted her warmly, and Ray was kind enough not to betray any hint that he’d noticed she wasn’t coming around the farm anymore or that he knew anything about why that might be. Mia admired his intricate metalwork ornaments and bought a holly leaf for her sister, a snowflake for her mom, and a dove to give Birdie later.
After that, Mia wandered aimlessly for a bit, figuring she’d go back home as soon as she got bored. Only instead of getting bored, she wound up perusing all the booths and buying a few more gifts to take home to her family, along with another cup of the mulled wine and a bag of spiced nuts to nibble on.
She was in the middle of deliberating whether to buy herself a kebab for dinner or try the Polish dill pickle soup served in a bread bowl—or maybe get both—when she nearly ran smack into Andie. She was dressed as a pirate, and between the eye patch and tricorn hat, Mia didn’t recognize her until they were face-to-face and it was too late to avoid the encounter.
“Hey.” Andie drew back a little, regarding Mia with a look of surprise. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Mia bobbed her head and lowered her gaze to the ground, overcome with guilt for being out enjoying herself while Josh was probably home all alone feeling miserable because of her. “I didn’t expect to come.”
“So,” Andie said. “This is weird and awkward.”
Biting her lip, Mia braced herself to face Andie’s fury. “I guess that means you heard about—”
“You and my brother breaking up?” Andie flipped her eye patch up to better level Mia with a penetrating look. “He didn’t go into any detail. All he’d tell me was you two weren’t together anymore.”
It sounded so final.
It was final. Mia had made that choice, but hearing that Josh had said it like that drove home the fact that it really was over. He wasn’t trying to get her back. He’d given up on them.
“Is it true?” Andie asked. “Did y’all break up?”
Mia swallowed. “We did, yeah.”
“Damn. I was hoping maybe it was just a bump in the road. Josh has a tendency to blow things out of proportion. He can be oversensitive sometimes.”
“He’s got a right to be.”
“I guess.”
The weight of Andie’s gaze was too much to bear. Mia looked down at her shoes again. “The winter solstice is the longest night of the year, regarded by many cultures as a time of death and rebirth.”
Andie ignored the tangent, having long since grown used to Mia’s nervous tic. “I really want to ask you whose fault it was, even though I know I probably shouldn’t.”
“It was mine,” Mia said without hesitation.
“Did you—” Andie stopped herself, pressing her mouth closed. “Look, whatever happened between you and my brother is between you and my brother. As long as you didn’t, like—I don’t know—cheat on him or record him without his consent and publicly humiliate him.”
“I didn’t.” Mia met Andie’s gaze, hoping she’d believe her. “I would never do either of those things.”
Andie seemed to consider this. Eventually, she nodded. “Then we’re square. You and me are still friends, okay?”
Mia blinked. “We are?”
“Like I said, whatever happened between you and my brother is between y’all. It doesn’t have anything to do with you and me.”
“That’s awfully big of you.” Mia didn’t think she’d be able to stay friends with anyone who’d hurt her sister, even inadvertently.
Andie shrugged. “Relationships are hard and complicated. I’m in no position to judge anyone for messing one up.”
Mia opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything else they were accosted by Wyatt. He draped his tattooed arms around both of them, drawing them into a vigorous three-way hug. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”
He was shirtless, clad only in a Santa hat, a pair of fuzzy Santa pants that hung low on his hips, and the small gold medallion