Page 1 of Unwrapped

Chapter 1

Ivy

“Oh, the weather outside is—hmm, hmm, hmm.”

I hum blissfully along to the familiar Christmas tune as I whisk together a blend of spices for our latest batch of holiday cookies—vanilla chai pecan tassies. The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg fills my tiny Chicago apartment, wrapping around me like a warm hug. Not only is it my favorite time of year but it’s also the last time I’ll be doing this in my apartment.

It’s a tradition I started almost a decade ago when I was just trying to make a few extra bucks in college. Back then, I could barely keep up with the demand of making a few batches for Christmas or big-game days on campus. But once the frat boys found out I made cookies and spread the word to their stoner friends, the orders rolled in, and I knew I needed help.

That’s when Tessa came in. My best friend, my partner in crime, and my opposite in nearly every way. She’s sprawled across my worn-out couch now, legs tucked beneath her, her perfectly golden hair pulled back in a messy bun that somehow manages to look chic.

The laughter comes easily between us, just like it always has. But when we were younger, it was boys and high schooldrama that captivated our attention. Now it’s business decisions and avoiding the fact that we are both pushing thirty and still single… something I think we both hope to change.

“Can you believe we’re actually doing this?” Tessa’s voice cuts through my thoughts, her excitement barely contained as she twists a peppermint candy between her fingers. “Opening Sugar & Spice, our dream bakery?” Her mouth hangs open, her eyes about to bulge out of her head like she’s just having the thought for the first time.

“Yes,” I smile, but then just as quickly it disappears. “And no,” I confess, my chest tightening with nerves.

“What? Why?” She pouts, her excitement deflating just as quickly as her smile.

This tradition of ours—baking holiday treats in my little apartment—has always been the highlight of my year. Hanging out with my best friend while we dance around to holiday hits and dream of the future. But now, all those dreams are becoming reality. This isn’t just a fun way to make some extra cash. We’re quitting our big girl jobs and sinking every last dime we have into this.

This year, it’s not just for fun—it’s for our dream.

“I’m excited, I promise.” I try to sound convincing. “It’s surreal, after all those years of talking about it, but um, yeah.” I swallow down the nerves. “It’s finally happening. I just hope the bank sees it that way, too. I, uh, got a little nervous when the lender kept calling, asking for so many last-minute documents I thought we’d already sent over.”

Tessa rolls her eyes. “They will; they already have. They’re just doing their due diligence, and with how many people touch the lending process, it’s bound to have some hiccups. Besides.” She smiles broadly. “How could they resist? Our business plan is flawless. Well, mostly because I wrote it.” She flips her hair over her shoulder, a playful smirk on her lips. “I’m Boss Barbie,remember? Should I pull that Halloween costume out of hiding and wear it to our final loan meeting? I think Todd might like it.”

“Todd would have a heart attack.” I laugh, an image of our sixty-eight-year-old loan manager clutching his chest if he saw Tess walk in with her tits up to her chin. I throw a dishtowel at her, and she catches it, laughing.

“I’m kidding, but seriously, our plan is solid. Plus, we’ve both lived in shoeboxes and saved every spare penny for the last seven years to make this happen. We’ve got this, babe.”

Tessa’s confidence is something I envy. Even though she’s been my best friend since we were seven, it never quite rubbed off on me. While she’s the one who can charm a room with just her smile, I’ve always been the quiet one, preferring the comfort of books and recipes to networking events.

She was the one who marched over to my front yard when she saw us moving in and said, “Hey, I’m Tessa,” with her hand outstretched and a smile plastered across her face. “I’m seven, and I live over there. I have two cats—do you like cats?”

We’ve been inseparable ever since. Even through high school, when she was the head cheerleader, prom queen, and student body president, while I was—invisible. Not that I minded it. I never felt the need to try and blend in with her popular friends, and she never once excluded me from anything.

I was happy to hang back at home on weekends when she’d invite me to a party at one of the football players' houses or another cheerleader’s sleepover—until Asher Mercer joined the team, and I fell head over heels for a guy who probably wouldn’t have said a word to me if I hadn’t been Tessa’s shadow.

The Mercer brothers were well-known even back then—practically small-town royalty.

Asher was the golden boy, the quarterback with a dazzling smile who seemed to glide through life with everything falling perfectly into place. And Zane, his older brother, was theopposite—brooding, mysterious, always on the outskirts of the social scene.

If Asher was the sun, Zane was the dark, uncharted side of the moon. He got into trouble, skipped classes, and even managed to get kicked out of college. Rumor had it he ran some kind of resale business out of his parents’ garage in high school, making bank basically helping businesses find tax breaks and what not but no one really knew what he was up to.

They were like us in a way. Tessa, the ever exuberant and outgoing center of attention, and me. While I wasn’t the brooding troublemaker Zane might have been, we were both the outsiders. The weird kids at school who kept to ourselves and had maybe one real friend who understood us. Although with Zane, I’m not sure he had anyone besides Asher that understood him. And if memory serves me right, it wasn’t just the school and local authorities that felt Zane was a screw up, his dad fired him from working at their family insurance company when he was only sixteen.

I remember watching Asher from a distance, how he’d joke with his friends and turn the whole school into his audience. But he wasn’t just popular; he was kind, even if he didn’t realize it at the time.

Once, when Tessa dragged me to a bonfire party after a football game, I spilled my drink all over myself and wanted to disappear. Asher had handed me a towel, smiling in that easy way of his. “Happens to the best of us,” he’d said with a lopsided smile, and for a second, I thought I might melt right into the ground.

My hand actually shook when I reached out to grab the towel from him. And in that brief second, the way his eyes met mine, I felt seen and even though I was covered in sweet, sticky who knows what—for once, I didn’t want the ground to open up and swallow me.

Tessa had teased me about it for weeks after it happened, and I’d blushed every time his name came up. I convinced myself that it was just a silly crush—nothing more than admiration from afar. But there were moments when I’d catch Asher looking my way, and I’d wonder if maybe he saw me as more than just Tessa’s quiet friend.

But that delusion quickly vanished when I’d see his arm wrapped around Josie Callaghan’s teeny tiny waist, a flirtatious giggle tumbling from her perfect bubblegum lips whenever he leaned in to whisper something to her.

“You’re right,” I say more confidently, bringing myself back to the present, “and we really do make some damn good cookies.” I take a bite from a warm double chocolate peppermint cookie I’ve just pulled from the oven and close my eyes, a soft sigh slipping past my lips.

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