Page 3 of Holiday Hook Up

“No. It’s the Batter Up spell. I screwed it up majorly.”

“You didn’t out another couple for having an affair, did you?”

Of course, she knew about the Annie and Scott fiasco. The whole town had gotten ahold of that juicy news. “Worse.” He grimaced and looked again behind his shoulder. The women had made their way to the street corner and one of them pointed directly at him. He turned back. “Much worse. The batter spelled my name.”

That got a laugh and then a longer, louder one. “You’re kidding, right? You and Pauline Maycock.”

“What? She’s not unattractive.”

“Yeah, but she handles dead bodies for a living, and you can’t even watch a zombie movie with me without covering your eyes with a blanket.”

That much was true. Creepy post-apocalypse zombies, blood-drinking vampires, off-their-rocker serial killers—not his genre. He let out a sigh before admitting what had happened between him and the mortician. “Okay, she and I kind of hooked up last month.”

Bethany raised a more than curious eyebrow at that big reveal. “Oh, really? What exactly do you mean by ‘hooked up’?”

“It was only kissing, and it’s never going to happen again. We are not getting together.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” She reached up and brushed some snow off his shoulder. “At least you know you’d look handsome before you go six feet under.”

Just then, Pauline yelled from across the street, “Get him, ladies.”

He reached for Bethany’s hand. “Please . . . I’ll buy you a BBB Burger if you do this for me.” Bethany had said the other day that she was craving one of the Star Lite diner’s infamous blueberry, bacon burgers smothered in blue cheese. “They won’t hurt me if they think we’re together. You’re like my mother.”

“I’m like your mother.” Her face scrunched. “What does that mean?”

“Everyone loves you like they loved her back in the day. You’re Buttermilk Falls’s residential sweetheart. Please do this.”

Bethany smirked. “Throw in a vanilla malt with extra whipped cream?”

“Done.”

She flung her arms around him just in the nick of time. “Oh, my God, baby, I’ve missed you so much.” She snuggled into his jacket, squeezing his middle.

Atta girl.Adam couldn’t help but inhale her delicious sugary scent as he looped a strand of her long brown hair with his finger. “Not as much as I missed you.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I owe you big time,” before turning to the side. “Oh, hi, ladies. I didn’t see you there. I’m sorry I had to rush out. It’s just Bethany and I have reservations for dinner this evening.” He paused, adding a feeble, “Merry Christmas.”

Pauline cocked her head, eyes narrowed. “I didn’t realize you two were dating.”

“It happened so fast.” Bethany released her grip from Adam’s middle and slid her palm into his, threading their fingers. “Listen, gals. Adam told me about tonight’s spell. I’m so sorry that this keeps happening, and I know he is, too.” She looked up at him. “Aren’t you, honey?”

Wasn’t that the truth.“Yes. Yes, I am.” He didn’t ask to be the Warlock of Buttermilk Falls and would be perfectly content handing that title over to Josh.

Bethany pulled her hand out of his and tightened her scarf. “He and Emma are going to practice before he attempts another one.” She squeezed his hand tight and he got the silent message she was sending that he needed to stop doing the spell on these women until he knew he was doing it right. “He’s committed to providing all of you with the correct names of your soul mates. Just give him some time.”

Man, she was good at thinking on her feet. “I promise I’ll practice every day. For hours if I have to. No more Batter Up nights for you ladies until I get it right. You all have my word.”

Bethany turned to Pauline. “In the meantime, you should attend tomorrow night’s Holiday Hook Up at the Lakeside Inn. All of you should. Now,that’swhere you’ll find a room full of eligible bachelors ripe for the picking, and it’s for a good cause.”

Adam nodded his head in absolute agreement.Bethany, you’re a freakin’ genius!The annual winter event was taking place at the inn owned by their friend, Brandon Swift. Held a few days before Christmas, singles from Buttermilk Falls and surrounding towns came together for a fun evening helping a local charity by signing up for a Holiday Hook Up.

The way it worked: singles would spend the evening mixing and mingling, wearing fun masks to conceal their identities. Toward the end of the night, the Holiday Hook Up would begin where men and women paid to pair up and go on dates between Christmas and New Year’s. Proceeds were donated to the charity selected to benefit from the fundraiser.

The pairing all but guaranteed you had someone to smooch on New Year’s.

Adam wrapped his arm around his neighbor’s shoulders and squeezed. “I agree with Bethany one hundred percent. The Holiday Hook Up is a much better plan than relying on me at the moment.” He turned to Pauline. “And Pauly, I promise, whomever you choose, I’ll practice in fresh batter to see if he’s your soul mate.”

Pauline’s face brightened at that suggestion. “You promise?”

“You have my word. We’ll see you all tomorrow.”

---