Page 21 of Can't Miss Christmas

CHAPTER 6

Grace took a sip of the apple cider ale the bartender, Scott MacNamara, slid in front of her. The wood-paneled Irish pub was packed with locals, chattering and laughing under the strings of Christmas lights that hung in loops from the ceiling. The whole bar, apparently, was going caroling soon, including a guy sitting next to her at the bar dressed as Santa. A friendly, fun place, if you lived here and knew everyone.

As it was, Grace was just going through the motions. She’d stopped by to have a drink with the kind people who’d helped her in the bridal shop, after which she planned to quickly bow out and go back to her room. However, they weren’t even here yet, and all the other friendly people were keeping her busy chatting at a time when making conversation felt as painful as gallbladder surgery.

She didn’t want to think of Graham. Or how she’d blown everything. Or how much she missed him already. She was so lost in thought, she didn’t realize Scott was waiting for her reaction to the drink. “Local company,” he said, nodding to her glass, where the apple cider ale fizzed cheerily.

“Oh, really?” she said, pretending to be more interested than she was. “How local?”

“Those three guys sitting right there,” he said, pointing to three good-looking guys seated around a crowded table. “The Spikonos brothers. They make brandy, but this is their first foray into hard cider.”

She, like Santa, did a double take. “The one on the end looks like Lukas Spikonos, the rock star.”

“He’s from here. But everyone leaves him alone, if you know what I mean.”

Santa was still eyeballing the brothers.

“Hey, Santa, you okay over there?” Scott asked. “You want to try a hard cider?”

Santa put up a hand and mumbledno thanks, then went back to watching football on the big screen behind the bar.

“Delicious,” Grace said, giving her best smile, even though her heart was splintered in two.

Scott’s eyes narrowed. “Nice try, but you seem upset. Where’s that guy who got bucked by the reindeer?”

“He took a bus home to see his brother before he leaves for deployment.”

Graham. He’d told her he loved her. He’d offered her a second chance and she’d rejected him. She thought about calling him, but would he even take her call? On a bus surrounded by people? All she knew was she was so, so sorry, but she had no idea how she would even get him to believe her. She’d acted like she didn’t care, like she didn’t love him. Her gut told her it was too late.

As she fretted about what to do, more people entered the bar. The police chief, Tom, had his arm around Alex from the bridal shop, and Meg came in with her husband, Dr. Ben. The women recognized her immediately and walked right over to the bar.

“How are you doing, honey?” Alex asked, as if they were old friends instead of having just met an hour ago.

Grace held up her cider. “Just sampling the local flavor,” Grace said. “And thank both of you for being so kind. I’m fine, honestly.”

“Grace, I want you to meet someone,” Meg said, giving her a side hug. “This is Tiffany Richards. She helps run the battered women’s shelter. It’s one of the places we’re caroling tonight.”

Grace shook hands with a woman with long wavy red hair, who wore a red coat and a red dress and heels. “It’s great to meet you, Grace,” she said, perching on the seat to Grace’s left. “I’ll just come right out and ask you—do you have any books left? The kids at the shelter would love them. And we’ll be stopping there during caroling tonight.”

Grace really did not want to go anywhere where she had to smile and talk to people. Or sing, for that matter. But it was Christmas Eve, and kids were involved. So she’d take the distraction and do something besides feel sorry for herself. “I’d love to give them out,” she said. “Sounds like a plan.”

Scott put a heaping plate of nachos in front of her. “On the house,” he said. “We heard what you did at the hospital today.”

“Oh…you didn’t have to do that.” She felt uncomfortable being thanked. Plus she felt like she had a pile of boulders filling up her stomach. There was no way she could eat.

“Please share these with me,” she said to her seatmates. “Are you going caroling too?” she asked Santa, more to be friendly than anything else.

He cleared his throat. “Yep. Presents to give out at the hospital later.” Grace thought he was a big guy, older, but up close, he just looked large, in a muscular way. He also looked young, maybe even younger than she was, and one of his eyebrows was falling off, but she hesitated to tell him so. And he certainly didn’t seem very jolly. But who was she to judge?

She’d visit the shelter with all the carolers as she promised and then quietly return to the hotel and call it a night. And then what? The long, lonely hours ahead did not seem appealing, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She’d booked a ticket on the morning bus tomorrow.

“You’re the Santa the temp agency sent over, right?” Tiffany said. “See me after the caroling. I’ll have your check.” She reached over the bar in front of Grace and smoothed his fake brow back down. “There you go.”

Suddenly, the redheaded woman hesitated. Looked hard into Santa’s eyes and frowned. “You from here?”

The young Santa blushed under his fake beard. “You’re mistaken, lady. I’m just passing through town.”

The loud idle of a motor, a blast of exhaust, and the squeak of brakes sounded from outside the bar, turning everyone’s attention to the door.

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