Page 14 of A Very Grumpy Christmas

We walk in silence for a while, our footsteps crunching in the snow. I sneak glances at Kip, wondering if he’s going to say something, if he feels the same pull I do. There’s a tension between us—something unspoken but undeniable.

When we reach my front door, I stop, turning to face him. My heart is pounding, and I’m not sure why I’m so nervous. He looks down at me, his eyes unreadable in the dim light, and for a moment, I think he might kiss me.

Iwanthim to kiss me.

But he doesn’t. He hesitates, then gives me a small, almost shy smile. “Goodnight, Ginger.”

Disappointment floods me, but I force a smile. “Goodnight, Kip.”

He lingers for a second longer, as if he’s debating something, but then he turns and walks away, his figure disappearing into the falling snow.

I watch him go, my heart aching in my chest. Part of me wonders if I should have said something, done something to close the distance between us. But instead, I turn the key in my door and step inside, the warmth of the house doing nothing to ease the chill in my chest.

I lean against the door, closing my eyes as I replay the night in my mind. I don’t know if Kip will ever see me the way I see him, or if my secret admirer will ever reveal himself.

But for now, I’ll keep hoping. Maybe, just maybe, this Christmas will bring me the love I’ve been waiting for.

And if Kipismy secret admirer... well, that would be the best gift of all.

SEVEN

Kip

I almost kissedher last night.

It was so close, I could feel the electricity in the air between us. Her eyes were soft, full of hope and warmth, and I swear my heart stopped when she looked up at me like that. But I chickened out. My feet moved before my brain could catch up, and I walked away like an idiot.

Now, it’s two days until the holiday party, and I can’t stop thinking about it. About her. About kissing her and doing a hell of a lot more than that to her.

I’m back at the town hall, helping Huxley and the girls finish up the last of the decorations. The square is coming together beautifully, with garlands, lights, and other decorations strung along the lamp posts and buildings, and the smell of pine and cinnamon filling the air. But I can’t focus on any of it. All I can think about is how close I was to kissing Ginger, how her lips would have felt against mine, how she might have?—

“Yo, Kip, you spacing out?” Huxley’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and I shake my head, trying to snap back to the present.

“Nah, just... focusing,” I mutter, grabbing another string of lights and draping them over a nearby archway.

“Thinking about Ginger?” Huxley asks with a knowing smirk.

I grunt in response, which only makes him chuckle.

As we work, I catch glimpses of Ginger across the square. She’s helping with the mistletoe, her auburn hair catching the light as she laughs with Cora. Every time she smiles, it feels like a punch to my chest. She’s beautiful, in that effortless way that makes it hard to look at her without wanting more.

And then, just as I’m starting to focus again, I see them—two guys, strangers, walking up to her. They’re laughing, chatting her up, their eyes lingering on her in a way that makes my blood boil.

I set down the lights, my jaw clenching as I watch them. One of the guys steps closer to Ginger, and I can see the way her smile falters, her discomfort clear.

That’s it.

Before I even realize what I’m doing, I’m moving toward them, my fists clenched at my sides. When I reach them, I step right between Ginger and the guys, my eyes cold as I look at them.

“You need something?” I ask, my voice low and dangerous.

The guys glance at each other, clearly not expecting to be interrupted. “Uh, we were just?—”

“You were just leaving,” I growl, cutting them off.

They stare at me for a moment, but one look at my face is enough to make them reconsider. With mumbled excuses, they back off and shuffle away, leaving me standing there, fuming.

“Wow,” Ginger says from behind me, her voice soft with surprise. “That was... intense.”

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