Page 1 of The Ghost of Christmas Present

Chapter One

Louisa put down her phone, eyes stinging.

Gabriel: Danielle’s mother fell and broke her hip. We’re going to have to drive out once she’s settled, but it’ll probably be next week...

The text was long and heartfelt. Louisa knew her brother and his family were just as disappointed about missing their Christmas together as she was.

But at least Gabriel and his wife and kids would be together. Stressed, probably sniffly, and taking shifts at the hospital, buttogether.

Louisa was alone with her job. Oh sure, Pine Ridge was friendly enough. She had people who would gladly invite her over as soon as she let it slip that she’d be spending Christmas alone, but she tended to be an introverted bookworm who would rather curl up in the library’s “storage space" in the cozy attic than mingle with the residents—even after four years.

“Are you all right, my dear?”

Louisa smiled at kindly old Mr. Minegold—although she supposed that he was actually only a dozen years older than her. “Some bad news. I’m fine.”

“Nothing to do with the library?”

Louisa shook her head, her dark waves bouncing on her plump shoulders and her poofy champagne-colored blouse. “This library is a dream. You guys actually take care of it, fund it, run programs here... This place is thriving, even though residents have access to the much larger NYU Pine Ridgecampus library. Not many librarians can say they feel like they have job security, but I do. The library is one thing that’s going right in my life at the moment,” Louisa forced a chuckle and a smile. Mr. Minegold was a generous benefactor at the library’s yearly fundraiser, and he was a frequent volunteer. She had heard he was a widower and thought he might be lonely. She caught him muttering to himself as he reshelved the books sometimes.

“I’m pleased to hear that at least that much is going right. Well. Happy holidays, Louisa.”

“You, too.”Actually, just you. My holiday is going to suck.

“MORTIMER.”

“Shh. Come upstairs, Jakob.”

“I can’t, the library is about to close. Meet me outside by my car.”

Mortimer easily floated through the brick walls and into the frosty darkness of a December night. Jakob Minegold moved to his car with vampiric speed, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

“Louisa is going to be spending the holiday alone. I saw her phone on the counter. Her brother’s family won’t make it in time for the holiday.”

Mortimer Ashfield, Pine Ridge’s first librarian from the time of the library’s creation in the 1890s, smoothed down his trim waistcoat and jacket. His translucent skin stayed a flat, misty white, but he could still feel heat rushing to his cheeks. He had carried a torch for his short, pleasantly plump, many times removed successor since the moment he met her. Over the years, some of Pine Ridge’s paranormal residents had learned of his foolish affection, but no one ever encouraged him to act on it.

Except Jakob. The elegant vampire smiled as snow settled on his dark frock coat and silvery locks. “If I know Louisa—andthanks to your pining sonnets, I feel as though I do, I would not be surprised if she spends Christmas Eve in the library. Make your move tomorrow night. She’s an intelligent woman with an open mind.”

“If I talk to Louisa, she’ll leave. She’ll never come back if she thinks the place is haunted!” Mortimer hissed. Watching Louisa was one of the greatest joys of his afterlife.

“The placeishaunted, and very capably, too. The shelves are always immaculate, the windows sparkle, and the brass bell in the cupola is a masterpiece. Louisa loves her job. She loves books. You two have such a lot in common. You’re both quite lonely, though you try to hide it,” Minegold said with an arching eyebrow.

“Mm. Maybe.”

“Look. She turned off the library lights, but she didn’t come outside.” Minegold slid into his car. As it was still on the library property, Mortimer joined him, taking the passenger’s seat. “She’s going to the attic.”

The attic was Mortimer’s home. In the early days of the library, the town librarian (and part-time mathematics and geography teacher) had lived in the drafty attic flat above the then three-room library (which was also the town’s schoolhouse). Time had seen the building grow and change functions, and the attic was no exception. It became a storage area for records, VHS tapes, cassettes of audiobooks, and older books not in circulation but still able to be borrowed with the touch of a button and a request form. It wasn’t until Louisa arrived that it became a home again. She brought the lamps and the electric kettle, the stack of old paperback romances, and the big teal chair that looked like a monstrous marshmallow—no arms, legs, nor back, just four feet of foam.

“She’s started falling asleep there sometimes,” Mortimer confessed, hoping the vampire couldn’t read the hint of lust in his voice.

Louisa liked to read her romance novels and recline on the cushiony puff of teal velveteen. Her red lips would part, and she’d close her eyes. She always wore buttoned blouses that looked silky soft and black skirts that fluttered just at her knees. The longer she read, the more buttons she would undo and the wider her legs would spread.

Mortimer knew he should be ashamed. His innocent infatuation had turned to depravity. He enjoyed watching Louisa’s hand move frantically over top of her skirt, pushing hard between her legs to reach the sensitive spots through layers of fabric.

He’d usually leave at that point, panting and desperately trying to control the urge to manhandle his manhood while he watched. When he returned, Louisa would either be gathering her things to go home or curling up in the center of the cushion to fall asleep.

“Yes, I’ve seen her car here until very late on a few occasions. I’d worry about her if not for the Night Watch,” Jakob muttered, nodding as his eyes stayed on the lit attic window and the curvaceous silhouette flitting in front of it.

“The Night Watch is wonderful, Jakob, but you know I protect this library. And I will always protect her. Like... Like a gentleman should.”Oh, cursed be the rules of chivalry and deportment! A faithful soul, bound to this plane... Why is it becoming hellish to look at her heavenly form?

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