Page 39 of Screwged for Christmas

JINGLE SPELLS

NOELLA

CHAPTER 1

NOELLA

Mother Nature did not appreciate the meaning of the word foreplay. A little more teasing would have been nice to have as a buffer between the seasons, but summer ambled out and winter rode in on the curtails of warm air with blistering cold breaths.

Flurries of snow dust my shoulders and cheeks like fairy kisses from the gray skies looming over the biggest city on the east coast.

I step from the curb and narrowly dodge a patch of black ice as I make my way to meet up with my best friend. Each year we gather on Christmas Eve to make plans for the coming year and this year I had the challenge of picking the spot.

I stop in front of Pandora’s Shelves, a quaint bookstore with black lettering above its bright red doors. Two golden handles gleam under strands of tiny white Christmas lights strung like a canopy over the entrance offering a welcoming glow.

A tiny bell overhead jingles and as I step inside; the scent of cinnamon and old books greeting me. I found this tiny nook in the bustle of New York City a little while before Thanksgiving and after meeting the spunky red-headed owner I knew this would be the perfect spot to plan for the coming year. It almost seems magical with its soft lighting and row of books I’ve never seen in any other shop.

I spot my friend the second she raises her gaze from her phone’s screen. “Noella! Finally. I was about to give up on you.”

Gracie’s broad smile is infectious and just what I need to shake off the gloom latched onto my backside for way too long.

I smile despite the swirling pit of nerves that have eaten my insides up since sunrise.

Multiple puffy armchairs and couches in every color you can think of dot every space available. The one where my best friend sits faces the busy street beyond and offers a wide view of the freshly falling snow drifting over early afternoon shoppers.

Gracie stands and wraps her arms around me in a warm hug before I can strip my coat off. “Hey you! It’s been too long since we last got together. I thought your mom wasn’t going to let you out of her sight today.”

“I know! I had to slip out the back door. Almost broke my ankle in the process.” I rotate the throbbing foot for good measure.

“Between my school and work and your parent’s putting you through this wedding I’m surprised we managed to get away. I bet it won’t be long before your mother is calling wondering where you are. How many months have you been planning the big day now?”

She’s right. I wouldn’t be surprised if my mother has a tracking device on my phone. I agreed to the marriage though it’s true my family pressured me into it. It came with the bloodline as a Montgomery and is my duty. I might as well be royalty in the marketing business, as is my future husband.

I fall into the couch beside Gracie and huff. “One year, three months give or take a lifetime or two. Some days I wish I could elope and get it over with and everyone off my back just for some peace and quiet. It’s why I demanded the wedding be moved up to tomorrow. I just want it done with.”

Gracie lifts her chin in a nod and the space between her brows crinkle. “If you elope, I won’t be able to use the pretty red dress I bought with the matching silk shoes.”

I know she’s teasing me and I try for a laugh but just don’t feel it.

Glancing at me, she pats my hand. “But seriously, I hear ya, honey. Hey, how the heck did you find this place? I almost missed it and I had the address.”

I appreciate the quick shift of topics.

“It’s what happens when you look up from your phone every once in a while, Gracie. You see there are places beyond your phone screen,” I tease warmly, shedding my heavy winter coat.

“Yeah, but you don’t see this unless you’re lookingatmy phone.”

The smirk on my best friend’s face deepens when she flips her phone around.

“Gracie!” I begin with a start and glance around quickly to make sure we’re still alone in our little nook of the book store.

My eyebrows rise and my mouth falls open a little. I mean, the quiet brunette I’ve known since diapers never did anything that wasn’t on the straight and narrow. But what I have in my hand looks like she woke one morning and decided naughty was the only way to go.

“Holy crap, Gracie. Since when did you become a peeping Tom?” I swipe left and then right to appreciate my friend’s amateur photography skills. I zoom in for a closer look at a very naked and muscular specimen of a man draped across a bed covered in nothing but a white sheet. And that’s being generous. Not much is left to the imagination which I think Gracie appreciates most.

He has his hand slipped beneath the edge of the sheet and there’s no mistake what he’s up to. Silk on all that dark skin? Sexy as sin on Sunday. The contrast would make any woman’s heartbeat speed up.

I stare for a long minute letting my eyes focus. “Well then. Hello, Mr. Christmas. Who is he?” I pinch the sides and keep scrolling. “Wait, is that--”

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