The Holiday Grump

A runaway bride. A grumpy bookseller with a heart of gold. A friends-with-benefits deal doomed from the start.
Hideaway Harbor was supposed to be a quick detour—one cozy Christmas job, then I’d be back on the cruise ship, far from my powerful ex and the mess I left behind.

But thanks to a tiny mix-up, my “accommodation” is a storage room with a creaky daybed and no plumbing.
Enter my neighbor Fredrik: a broody bookstore owner with a decent bathroom and the social skills of a cactus.
He’s everything I shouldn’t want—grumpy, reclusive, and allergic to holiday cheer. Yet he keeps showing up for me. Saving me. Heating up the sauna…
And suddenly, we’re tangled in something neither of us is ready for.
We’re just friends. With excellent benefits. Until the lines blur.
I should keep running, but this small town is starting to feel like home.
And Fredrik… he might be the reason I finally stay.