Early Saturday morning, they were all on their way to the Mistletoe Lodge. The plan was to arrive at the lodge before nine o’clock since the concert would begin at noon and continue until at least ten p.m. That way Noah would have some practice time early with Blue Moon and be able to enjoy the concert himself during the rest of the day, because Blue Moon wasn’t slated to play until after seven.
Since Phil, Bree and Noah had arrived at five in the morning, they had plenty of time to stop for breakfast along the way.
As Mia sat beside Noah at the table in the small café where they’d chosen to eat, he caught her eye and grinned. “This is going to be fun.” ‘
“It already is.” Mia laughed softly, before sipping her coffee.
The food was pretty good at the Breakwater Café, and everyone ate a huge breakfast, since the concert supposedly was going to draw a huge crowd today, despite the high cost for admission. It was hard to predict how smoothly this first-time event would run, and how many concessions would be available during the day.
Mia sat and memorized Noah’s face while they ate. His dark raven hair, which she’d run her fingers through every time she got the chance, and his boyish face, with his chocolaty brown eyes and the cute little dimple that showed every time he smiled. She’d had a premonition concerning her dad and how drastically he’d changed, and truthfully, she was scared she would never see Noah again after boot camp.
But she wouldn’t let her apprehension about their future ruin her day. Even though they worked a lot together at music camp, she didn’t see Noah all that often during the day. She would have the opportunity to spend more than twenty-four hours with him, and Mia was going to enjoy every minute that she could during their road trip visiting the Mistletoe Lodge.
About an hour later, they arrived in Ashland, and following the signs, they approached the small office where they were supposed to check in, since cabin reservations were taken care of separately from the lodge.
Noah and Phil went into the office and returned a few minutes later, each carrying a keycard for the cabin.
As Phil put the SUV into gear, Noah pointed at the end of the beach. “We’re staying at that large cabin down there near the edge of the cliff.”
“Really?” Mia asked. “What a view. Plus, we’re so close to the beach.”
“It does look nice,” Amanda observed.
“I’ll say,” Bree murmured.
Noah said, “I guess they were planning on keeping it quiet if Emily had decided to stay, so they gave her the most isolated cabin to make it easier for her to come and go.”
When Phil pulled into the driveway, everyone began getting their belongings together as Noah stepped out from the SUV, approaching the back door with the keycard.
Noah quickly swiped it through the sensor, opening the door.
“Wow,” he murmured, stepping inside with Mia following right behind.
“It’s beautiful,” Mia observed, looking around her in awe. Comfy dark leather furnishings had been positioned near the hearth of a huge stone fireplace, covering an entire wall.
And the view overlooking Lake Superior? It was awesome.
Mia suddenly imagined herself cuddling beside Noah here on a cold snowy night, with a towering Christmas tree decorated with sparkling white lights and colored glass ornaments standing in the corner near the fireplace.
Noah murmured, “For some strange reason, I just imagined it was Christmas, and we were sitting here on the couch, looking at this huge tree that we both finished decorating, set up right near the fireplace.”
Mia blinked. It was crazy to realize their thoughts were so much in sync.
“What?” Noah asked, obviously noticing her shock.
“I was thinking the exact same thing that you were,” she answered softly.
And Noah’s eyes held hers.
Until someone cleared their throat.
Amanda was grinning when Mia turned toward her.
“I guess the bedrooms are upstairs. We’d better get settled so Noah can practice,” Amanda said.
“Sounds good,” Noah murmured, giving Mia a wry grin.
Noah carried their overnight bags up the staircase, where Phil and Bree were already taking a look around.
“What a great setup,” Bree said, grinning at Mia.
“There are two bathrooms,” Amanda observed, turning toward Mia. “Why don’t you and Bree sleep in the master, and I can use your attached bathroom. Noah and Phil can stay in that other large bedroom and I can take that small room on the corner. Okay?”
“Sounds good to me,” Phil murmured, heading into Bree and Mia’s room, laying down Bree’s bags.
Noah glanced at Mia. “How about we take off in about half an hour?”
“That’ll work,” she answered, adding dryly, “Bree’s the only one who won’t have enough time to unpack.”
Bree lifted her chin, ready to disagree, but after noticing Phil’s wry smile, she giggled. “I guess you’re right.”
Looking at Mia first and then at Noah, Phil said, “I’ll drop the two of you off with the instruments at Brad’s cabin, which is at the other end of the road, and Bree, Amanda and I will go check out the stage and see what’s happening.”
“Do we all have cell reception?” Amanda asked. “We should, with the elevation.”
Bree and Mia both glanced at the screen on their phones.
“We do,” they murmured in unison.
Amanda said, “Let’s all check in at about noon, when the concert begins?”
Everyone murmured their agreement.
A couple hours later, Mia was with Noah, watching the band practice in their cabin, which was about half the size of Mia and Noah’s.
“It would probably be better if we could set up and go through the routine,” Noah said.
Brad answered, “We’ll have a couple hours to practice after we set up onstage. We just won’t be able to plug in speakers. It’s kind of cool the way the stage is set up, like it’s on a carousel, because it allows three bands to set up at a time. “
As they began packing instruments for transport, Mike approached Mia.
“So, Mia,” Mike began, “after Brad, Chris and I talked it over, we wondered if you would want to perform a few numbers with us?”
Mia stared at Mike in astonishment.
“I think that would be great,” Noah murmured, giving her a nudge with his hip.
Mike rolled his eyes upward. “We already knew that you’d want her to do it Noah, but what about Mia? How does she feel about it?”
Shrugging, she asked, “What would you like me to sing?”
“Besides Star-Crossed with Noah?” Mike turned to Noah. “How about that song you were writing the other day on the guitar?”
Noah murmured, “The new one? It’s not quite finished.”
“Improvise,” Mike muttered. “Why don’t you play it on your guitar so Mia can hear it?”
A few minutes later, Mia grinned, listening to Noah’s new song.
“I’ve got it. I know how we can do this,” she murmured. “But I’ll need to memorize the lyrics. Let’s just wait and practice before the performance. If it doesn’t work, I won’t do it.”
Noah nodded his obvious agreement, looking at her quizzically. “What about something to wear?”
“Well, I brought along dark jeans and a black leather jacket, since I expected it to get cooler this evening.”
“That’ll work,” Noah said. “Let’s see if we can find something glittery for you to wear beneath the jacket so you’ll stand out under the lights.”
“That should be easy.” Mia snorted. “With all the stuff that Bree packed for an overnight stay, I’m sure she must have brought something appropriate I can borrow.”