Excerpted from MEET ME ON MISTLETOE LANE by Cassie Miller:
“Have they heard anything else regarding Mr. Paxton and The Market?” I asked her.
“Not really, other than the back taxes being really bad.” She grabbed her cocoa and reclined in her chair. “They did say that Mr. Bailey came in a couple days ago while on a phone call, and that he was talking about an ‘outdated gem of a property’ in a town that held ‘potential.’ ”
“Potential,” Sam grumbled while flipping through his flash cards.
“Well then, I guess it’s good that I’ve agreed to this whole fake-dating thing with James,” I said while logging into my school account.
Another customer entered, bringing in a chilly breeze with her, as Eve switched her music over to an acoustic Christmas station. An older couple I didn’t recognize settled in at a table on the opposite side of the café, pointing to the black-and-white framed pictures from our town’s history decorating the walls.
Sam’s eyes searched my face. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
I avoided his stare and opened our Government Google Classroom instead. “I said I’d come up with something, and I did. Or he did.”
“Yeah, but why you?” Sam gripped his mug and kept eye contact before glancing at Jo for support.
“Don’t look at me,” she said. “I literally called Mr. Bailey a Krampus to his face. Besides, James didn’t ask me, did he?”
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Sam added. “We’re just supposed to buy this whole ‘Oh, let’s fake date so you can save The Market’ act? I mean, come on, it’s obvious what he’s doing.”
I finally looked over my Chromebook. “And what is he doing, Sam?”
Sam flushed pink. “He’s not interested in saving The Market, G. He just wants to . . . He’s using you.” He looked down and away before eating another piece of his scone.
“I appreciate the worry, Sam. Really I do.” I took another sip of my cocoa. “But I’m a big girl. Do you really think I’m so naive that I can’t tell the difference between someone who is sincere and who isn’t?”
“That’s not—”
“And okay, so maybe he is attracted to me. Is that really so hard to believe?” My heart pounded in my chest.
Sam held up his hands. “I didn’t mean it like that—”
“Do you have a better idea for how to get closer to that family? Does James give you some kind of awful vibe?” I asked him, lowering my mug but keeping my hands around it to help ground me and give me the courage to say what I needed to next. “Or can you give me any other reason not to date him?”
Jo’s eyes darted back and forth between the two of us as I waited for Sam to give me an answer. An honest answer.
Admit that he didn’t want me dating James because he had feelings for me.
Explain why he almost kissed me in the den before running away.
Tell me I wasn’t imagining the way the energy had changed between us.
But the only thing that had changed in those long, silent minutes was the song playing in the café.
Fine.
“I have to go.” I tucked my Chromebook and binder back in my book bag. “I told James I’d meet him at my house in a bit. I need to be there before he arrives, or Marco and Nico will harass him from next door.”
“Gianna, wait,” Sam said, standing. He opened his mouth and closed it twice before grabbing the index cards on the table. “You forgot your flash cards.”
Jo groaned and let her head fall in her hands.
“You can keep them,” I said, zipping up my coat and tugging on my earmuffs. “I’m ready.”
Excerpted from MEET ME ON MISTLETOE LANE © 2026 by Cassie Miller. Reprinted with permission, All rights reserved.
Will she fall for the big-city guy, or swoon under the mistletoe for her hometown friend? A holiday romance with all the warmth and charm of your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie!
Gianna Mancini is a Christmas romantic. She loves everything about the holiday— especially the Mullings Creek Holiday Market that opens every year in the center of town. While Gianna adores her small-town life, she still dreams about traveling the world and getting away from her overbearing family. But on the same day she receives an acceptance to a study abroad program, the town’s beloved market owner unexpectedly passes away, leaving the property to a literal Scrooge from NYC! The town has just thirty days to convince the new owner not to sell. His flirtatious son, James comes up with a plan: he and Gianna can fake date so she can bring her holiday flair closer to his family. While Gianna is on board with whatever it takes to save their beloved market, Sam—who has been secretly pining after Gianna for years—is not so keen on James snuggling up with his best friend next to the Christmas tree. But as the lines between Gianna and James begin to blur during gingerbread contests and candy cane hunts, so do the lines of friendship between Gianna and Sam under the glow of the town’s holiday twinkle light display. Soon both boys are ready to be under the mistletoe with Gianna. Who will be her first real Christmas kiss? The future of the market and her town just may depend on it.
Young Adult | Romance Comedy [ Viking Books for Young Readers, On Sale: October 6, 2026, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9798217320356 / eISBN: 9798217320363 ]
Cassie Miller is a former high school English teacher turned elementary librarian. She has a teaching degree from Radford University and library endorsement from the University of Virginia. She wears many hats but finds her favorites are "stage and lighting director," "eccentric storyteller," and "boy-mom." Cassie currently resides in southwest Virginia with her family and an ever-growing number of cardigans and nerdy bookish shirts.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2026