Don't Mock the Mistletoe

By Evie Lester

Would you kiss a stranger under the mistletoe? Would you kiss a stranger under the mistletoe if it meant finding true love? Cassie Bishop wouldn’t. Not for all the snow in Maine.
Cassie is not superstitious about such things, but even if she were, she wouldn’t accept a kiss under the mistletoe at the Mistletoe and Holly bakery because there is a catch. The legend goes that anyone who kisses under the mistletoe there will find true love before the next year dawns. Or...they will lose that which was never really theirs to begin with.
Cassie has had too much bad luck when it comes to love to not know the outcome if she kissed a guy under the magical mistletoe. Disappointment and loss. She won’t tempt fate. No thank you.
But filming the stories of other superstitious couples kissing under the legendary sprig might just change Cassie's life. And the life of her best friend whose marriage to her beloved high school sweetheart is in serious trouble.
Lucky for Cassie there are still lots of people who believe in the legend of the mistletoe at Mistletoe and Holly. Including the gorgeous hunk with sensitive eyes who kissed Cassie’s very married best friend, Tammy, under the legendry mistletoe and, now, won’t go away.
Can she save her friend’s troubled marriage from the fate of the mistletoe and film her movie in before her deadline? And will she put her own troubled love life on the live for a chance at happiness...or more bad luck in love?
Is it a quaint superstition or a bit of Christmas magic? Every couple who kisses under the mistletoe has their own story. And Cassie is determined to tell those stories while resisting the temptation to have her own magical encounter under the mistletoe.
Will Cassie’s film reveal the truth behind the legend of the mistletoe? Or will she heed the warning...Don’t mock the mistletoe!
But most of all, will she have the courage to kiss a stranger and find her own magical answers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evie Lester
• Release date: Oct 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370422562

Book preview

Chapter 1

THE BRIDE WANTS MISTLETOE!

Only a heart that’s never known disappointment could believe in such superstitions. That was the first thought that ran through Cassie’s mind as the demand registered in her headset.

The rafters of the eighteenth century edifice was decked with boughs of holly and seasonal evergreen in perfect keeping with a festive holiday nuptial celebration. But the gaffer couldn’t move the lighting into place because the bride was refusing to take her mark for lighting check until someone got her some mistletoe, so he made sure Cassie heard him loud and clear.

The bride wants mistletoe, Cassie Bishop whispered to herself and took in a deep breath. It had been a long morning and it was going to be a long day.

The wedding, apparently, couldn’t go on without the mistletoe.

And this was only the dress rehearsal.

The rehearsal of the season finale of the very successful reality television series Girlfriends of the Fabulously Rich and the most audacious girlfriend of the most fabulously famous star was being photographed in anticipation of the actual ceremony which was to take place on Christmas Day. And it was Cassie’s job to see that the run through and the simultaneous photo shoot went smoothly. But mostly it was her job to keep the bride happy.

The wedding would be a lavish affair resplendent with glamour and no conspicuous display would be spared so long as the sponsors were willing to foot the bill.

But the bride wanted mistletoe.

A great big bundle of it.

And this was the first Cassie had heard of it.

The bride wanted photos of herself and the groom and a romantic kiss as they stood under the ancient symbol of love and romance.

It’s good luck, the bride insisted.

Cassie was no expert on superstitions and good luck charms, in fact, she thought that sort of thing was a ridiculous waste of time, but she was pretty sure people didn’t kiss under the mistletoe for good luck. It wasn’t like finding a four-leaf clover.

But we don’t have any mistletoe, Cassie tried to cajole. Really, it’s such an old fashioned tradition. And you’re such a modern woman. Why would you want to mar the theme? I don’t think it would fit with your brand.

I’m an old fashioned girl and I want all the traditions. Why do you think I agreed to this dusty old antique of a church? Besides, I’m superstitious and I don’t want to jinx my wedding.

It’s just a bunch of twigs. A piece of foliage. It’s no more good luck than a house plant.

It’s good luck. And I won’t begin my married life with anything but the best of luck. Do you want my marriage to fail? I’ll bet you do. What you people won’t do to improve your ratings.

Cassie rolled her eyes but the bride hardly noticed. Then she noticed the groom standing off to the side, observing their conversation and looking rather bored as he waited to be called in to pose for his shots. Didn’t she realize?

But you know, Cassie said, changing her strategy, it’s also bad luck for the groom to see the bride in the wedding dress before the wedding.

The bride looked down at her dress and let out such a terrible shriek the ancient rafters of the great hall shook from fear or force.

Get me some mistletoe, so we can finish this shoot she huffed. Then, she said, indignantly, get me another dress. I can’t wear this one for the actual ceremony. And thank you all very much for not thinking about that before you arranged all this. The bride was fit to be tied.

And Cassie was convinced, once again, that superstition would be the down fall of the human race. Okay, so it had been killing them slowly for thousands of years, but one day...

Unfortunately, this bride wasn’t coming to her senses anytime soon. And as the key production assistant for Girlfriends of the Fabulously Rich it was her job to keep the stars and the sponsors happy.

And if the bride wanted mistletoe and superstition, it was her job to supply it.

I’m in the wrong job, Cassie thought.

And then, she thought, Mistletoe? Good grief.

Chapter 2

She’s canceled the wedding? Cassie couldn’t believe it. This show had been nothing but one big, long headache from the beginning. And they were four seasons in. Four long years of outrageous behavior.

She’s decided to postpone. Something about needing a new wedding dress. And it all being because of...mistletoe?

Cassie’s boss, RoseAnn, seemed unaffected by the sudden change in the shooting schedule. She was used to the mercurial personalities of their reality stars. But Cassie had never gotten used to the prima donna behavior of the women and their significant...very financially significant...others, and these days she was growing very weary of her job wrangling them in for the show.

This is ridiculous, Cassie protested. She doesn’t need a new wedding dress. She’s known about rehearsals and this photo shoot for weeks. She also knew he would see her in it. She didn’t think it would be bad luck until the day of the shoot. And the mistletoe. I just mentioned that it was a ridiculous superstition.

Well, whatever you said, she’s postponed the wedding until after Christmas.

Am I in trouble? Cassie asked, fearing the worst.

No. This will actually be good for the ratings I imagine. The fans have been waiting for this wedding for four seasons. They’ll wait a few more episodes. We’ll float some speculation that the relationship is on the rocks. The tabloids will eat it up.

What should I do now?

Why don’t you take some time off for Christmas? That’s what the rest of us are doing.

Chapter 3

Don’t tell me it’s snowing already, Cassie protested into the phone. I refuse to listen, she continued, looking out her window at the wide expanse of New York City laid out before her, all concrete and steel but decked out in its finest for the holidays, as she sat at her desk poking at her Caesar’s Salad with her white plastic fork and missing home. Almost everyone on the floor had gone out to lunch and all the desks were empty, but she had a pile of work on her desk to wrap up before Christmas. Outside the city was gray and chilly, but so far they had no snow.

Well, it’s hardly worth mentioning yet. Just a few flakes. It probably won’t accumulate. Tammy Parker was Cassie’s oldest friend and they kept in touch often even though Cassie had moved to New York after graduating from the University of Maine while Tammy, who had attended the same college, had returned to Bangor to teach elementary school and marry Jake, her high school boyfriend.

JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE ALL THE WAY, Cassie sang into the phone. I’m not listening.

Okay, I get it. No more talk about the wet, slushy stuff. How are you on the subject of baked goods?

Better. New York can compete in that category. Cassie was staring at the delicately adorned red and white Santa Claus cookie she had picked up at the bakery when she went out to purchase her salad.

I just came from the mall and guest who’s opened for the season?

Cassie knew right away. Mistletoe and Holly.

Mistletoe and Holly was the pop-up bakery that always showed up in one of the temporary retail spaces in the mall sometime after Thanksgiving offering Christmas treats until the new year. Then it was gone...until the next Christmas. People joked that the mysterious Holly, the owner, came down from the north just for the season to spread holiday cheer and maybe make a small profit.

Mistletoe and Holly. I’m munching on a coconut cupcake with silver sprinkles right now.

Cassie’s mouth watered. She loved Holly’s coconut cupcakes. She crunched the head off her cookie Santa. Did you happen to notice if she had any gingerbread men?

The gingerbread men were her favorite. They had a sweet, spicy flavor that was so unique. So addicting. And she had never found it anywhere else.

Of course. It wouldn’t be Christmas without them. But they were selling fast. She’s made ballerinas and toy soldiers this year.

Every year Holly had a different theme for her gingerbread cookies. Cassie’s memories were punctuated with the memories of the little gingerbread cookies--the elves and their toys, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, the Twelve Days of Christmas and who could forget the year she did a Fairytale theme with Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf, and a fairy castle guarded by a ferocious dragon.

Just then, Menzy Margoles bopped by Cassie’s desk on her way out to lunch pulling the red and white striped woolen hat with the red yarn ball down over her head and tying the string with the red tassel under her chin.

Ohhh, Menzy exclaimed in her squeaky high excited voice pulling up short. Is this yours? she asked.

Cassie glanced down only mildly curious to see what Menzy was so excited about. Menzy was the kind of girl who got excited about five ordinary things each day before breakfast. So Cassie had low expectations.

Not mine, Cassie assured Menzy, glancing unsurprised at the shiny cooper penny lying on the floor beside her desk.

Find a penny, pick it up. All day long you’ll have good luck. Menzy chanted happily as she scooped up the penny. Honestly Cassie, if you don’t want the good luck that’s just waiting for you to find it...well, I’ll be glad to take it off your hands.

It’s just a penny, Menzy. Honestly. And I have news for you. The sidewalks of New York are filled with cracks that won’t break your mother’s back. You make your own luck. It doesn’t come from pennies on the street.

Wow, Menzy said, shaking her head pityingly at Cassie. "Somebody’s full of Christmas jeer," she joked.

And she traipsed along to her luncheon date, penny in her pocket, feeling luckier already.

Did I hear that right? Someone just had the audacity to pick up a penny for good luck.

Was I too harsh? Cassie asked her friend.

A smidge.

"I guess I’m just allergic to silly

Reviews for Don't Mock the Mistletoe

[Edward Fulke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really good story, the kind that is hard to put down. The only negative I must say about the book, not the story, there are so many typing errors, doesn't really detract from the storyline ,but it means you have to keep going back, to find the correct text. Even so, recommended.