Page 3 of The White Chocolate Christmas Wish

“So, what do you say?” he prompted, giving me the kind of smile that probably got him his way every time he used it.

“I don’t know...”

“Come on,” he coaxed. “Where’s your sense of Christmas spirit? This has Christmas adventure written all over it.Literally.”

“I’m not really into Christmas,” I admitted.

His eyes bulged, and then he waved the list at me. “Well, you’ll have to be for this year since decorating your house is on the list. Besides, if you don’t do it for Christmas, do it for me. First time here for the holidays, remember?” He could tell I was leaning toward acceptance, and he grinned as he delivered his death blow. “Plus, it’ll give us a chance to spend more time together.”

Feeling like I had no control over my body or my heart, I nodded. “Okay, fine. We’ll do it.”

Colton’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, and as he immediately began reading off the items on the list, I wondered what the heck I’dgotten myself into.

But… watching him—so genuinely into this, even though I had no idea why—had warmth spreading through my chest.

Maybe it would be fun.

Or, maybe those would be my famous last words.

CHAPTER TWO

COLTON

Ibounded up Hope’s porch steps, my arms full of boxes. Lights, shiny ornaments, the whole nine. I’d started making this plan in my mind the second she agreed to work our way through that ancient Christmas to-do list.

Step one? Make it look like Christmas threw up on Hope’s house. Okay, the list wasn’t exactly worded like that, but that was the goal, and I couldn’t wait to see Hope’s face when we finished.

As I reached the front door, I realized I had no free hands to knock. Improvising, I tapped out a quick rhythm with my foot. The opening beat to Jingle Bells, in fact.

“Comin’!” Hope’s muffled voice called from inside.

A second later, the door swung open, and there she stood, her blonde waves slightly tousled. Her eyes widened as she took in the festive explosion in my arms.

“Um… hey. What’s all this?” she asked.

I flashed her my most charming grin. “Christmas bucket list stuff. I come bearing... well, not gifts, but a lot of decorations and some tangled lights. It’s all the leftovers from the Wilson and Cole family compound.”

“These are the leftovers? Are you sure you didn’t nab all of it?”

Looking down at the boxes in my arms as well as at the ones I’d loaded onto the porch next to me, I let out a sheepish chuckle. “Looks that way, but believe me, there are enough decorations spread between their two houses to win aNational Lampooncontest.”

“Lucky us.” Hope’s lips quirked into a hesitant smile, but her shoulders tensed as she crossed her arms. “I don’t know about all this. I’m not really in a festive mood.”

“This year, or like… ever?”

Her only answer was a slight quirk of her lips, and I felt a pang in my chest at the sadness in her eyes. What had dulled her sense of the fa-la-la spirit? Or, worse—had she never had one?

“Come on,” I coaxed. “We can start small. Besides, I can’t feel my fingers, and if I drop this box, we’ll be finding bits of glass on your porch until next Christmas.”

A glimmer of amusement broke through as she opened the door wider. “Fine, bring your Christmas invasion inside. But I’m not promisin’ miracles.”

I grinned, feeling victorious as I set the boxes down in Hope’s living room. The space was cozy, but just like yesterday when I’d first arrived to unearth the time capsule, there wasn’t a hint of Christmas anywhere. Itmight as well be some boring month that didn’t require decorating, like June or September.

Challenge accepted.

I clapped my hands together. “Operation Perfect Charlotte Oaks Christmas is underway. First order of business: transforming this room into a winter wonderland.”

“A winter wonderland doesn’t sound like startin’ small…”

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