Page 38 of Meet Me at the Christmas Cottage
Margot
I’m not sure that it’d be wise to change the genre of the series this late in the game, but if you can make it work and have it on my desk in two weeks…
Bronte could practically see Margot’s thinly sculpted eyebrow rising and the upturn of her nose as she responded.
Bronte
You won’t regret this.
Margot
See that I don’t.
Cracking her knuckles, Bronte went back to staring at the Pike manuscript. Margot had said she could put in more romance and comedy, she just had to make it work. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her pen and started jotting down ideas. For the first time since she’d arrived on Jonathon Island, she was looking forward to working on the Pike Family Saga.
* * *
The sun had shown up for the Christmas stroll. It had to be at least almost above freezing temps, and with the sun shining, it could almost be considered warm.
Jonah had worked up a bit of a sweat walking from the house to Main Street, where the festivities were. Bronte had been so deep in writing when it’d come time to leave that he’d almost suggested they stay home for the afternoon. But she must have had an alarm set, because at one, she’d packed everything away, bundled up in layers and her thick wool coat, and asked Jonah how come he wasn’t ready yet.
“Bronte! Jonah! Over here!” Dani called.
Jonah grabbed Bronte’s hand and pulled her in the direction of where Dani had set up camp under a brightly colored canopy in front of the Tourism Bureau.
“Wow. This is a great turnout,” Jonah said, giving Dani a side hug.
The street was packed with tourists and community members alike, all dressed in fluffy coats and stocking caps. All the shops that hadn’t closed down for the season, plus a few that had opened back up for just the stroll, had banners and signs declaring sales. A few brave vendors had canopies set up and were selling their wares farmers-market style. At least most of them had portable heaters to keep from freezing. Christmas music pumped through the speakers, and more than one person sang or hummed along.
“I know. It’s better than I could have hoped for.” Dani clapped her hands together. “I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out with the weather, but it’s almost warm today! Hey, Bronte.”
Bronte smiled and lifted her hand in a wave. She had been quiet on their walk to town. Maybe she’d changed her mind about going. Jonah had noticed that Bronte didn’t react like his sisters when given the opportunity to get out of the house and around large crowds. They got all chipper and excited. Bronte, it seemed, grew quiet and withdrawn.
He tugged her closer to him. “Are you doing okay?” He leaned in close, not minding the coconut and lavender scent from her shampoo. “We don’t have to stay long if you need to get more work done today.”
Bronte waved him off. “It’s fine. There’s just more people than I expected. I’ll make up the words later.” She shook her head and grinned. “That seems to be becoming my mantra.”
“When you’re ready to go, you just give the word, and we’ll go.”
“Jonah White, are you trying to get out of the snowman-building contest?” Dani asked, hands on her hips.
“I wasn’t aware that I was planning on entering.”
“Oh yes, and she’s already put you and Bronte down as a team.” Liam came up behind Dani, threading his arms around her and pulling her close.
Jonah shot a glance to Bronte. Did she even want to build a snowman? He had planned on a low-key afternoon, maybe grabbing some dinner at Martha’s or Kelley’s Bar & Grill before the Christmas tree lighting.
Instead of apprehension, Bronte’s face lit up. “Snowman-building contest?” she exclaimed, clapping her hands. “It’s been forever since I’ve built a snowman.”
“You’re up for it?” Jonah asked.
“Up for it? We’re going to win,” Bronte said, eyes sparkling. “What’s the prize?”
“First place is a dozen cinnamon rolls from Good Day Coffee, a gift card to Martha’s, a pound of fudge, and a free meal at Kelley’s.” Dani rattled off the list.
“We are so winning.”
“Okay then,” Jonah agreed. “Ready to go explore?”
