Mistletoe Between Friends by Samantha Chase Page A

Lily knew that was really a tactic so they could present a united front and wouldn’t have to deal with either set of parents on their own. Once again, he was her knight in shining armor. She leaned over and kissed his cheek and murmured a thank-you to him.
    â€œWell,” Richard Greene said as he stood up, “I guess we can work out all of those details later. For now, why don’t we break out the decorations and get things going here?” Everyone stood and they all knew the drill because it had been a tradition for years.
    When Lily started to walk away, Cam took her hand and held her back. “You okay?” She nodded, still unwilling to speak. He forced her to look at him. “Hey, it’s me. Are you sure you’re all right? Because if not, I’ll make an excuse for us and we can go.”
    She smiled weakly. “I’m fine. I know I shouldn’t let those little comments get to me, but they do. And really, it’s not like they enjoy having me around, so I don’t see what the big deal is if I miss a couple of days. If anything, you’d think they’d be glad. A little less time they have to spend staring disappointment in the face.”
    â€œThat’s enough,” Cam said with more force than he intended. “I’m not going to stand here and let you keep putting yourself down. I’m done listening to it, Lil. I should have spoken up and put an end to this years ago, and I’m sorry I never did. But from now on, they’ll have to deal with me if they open their mouths against you.”
    Tears filled Lily’s eyes, and she didn’t even try to wipe them away. “You really are my knight in shining armor. You know that, right?”
    Cam actually blushed at her praise. “I don’t know about that.”
    â€œIt’s true. No one ever stands up for me except you, and I want you to know I really love—”
    â€œHey, you two!” Angela popped back into the room and walked toward them with a big smile on her face. “We’re about to start.”
    Cam looked from his mother to Lily and then back again. “Uh, Mom…could you just give us a minute?”
    â€œOkay, but just a minute because we have a ton of decorating to do, and you know it takes all of us to get it done.” She gave them a knowing grin and a wink before leaving the room.
    â€œYou were saying…” Cam prompted.
    Lily could have kicked herself. She had almost blurted out that she loved him in the middle of his parents’ living room. What was wrong with her? “I just wanted you to know I appreciate you being such a good friend.”
    Disappointment flooded him. Cam had been certain Lily was going to say she loved him. True, she could have been about to say she loved him as a friend, but he had a feeling it was more. Was that even a possibility? Could she really feel more for him than friendship, or had their vacation fling simply confused her? Cam hoped that wasn’t the case, but he was too afraid to get his hopes up.
    â€œI’ll always be here for you, Lil. Always.” He kissed her forehead again, and together they joined their families to get the Greenes’ house ready for the holidays.
    * * *
    Standing back, everyone admired their handiwork. “Great job,” Angela said as she stood beside her husband and beamed at the way the house had been transformed. “I love the way we all come together to get this done. Every year it just comes out better and better.” They all nodded in agreement. “But…” she said with a big smile, “there is one final touch and I saved it until the end.”
    Cam did not have a good feeling about this. There was never anything left until the end. His mother ran holiday decorating like a five-star general, and there was never any room for surprises. When she reached behind her and pulled out a box, he had a feeling that he and Lily were about to be