Page 6 of Christmas Wishes

Keaton: Awww, come on.

Arlo: I read that Blue Star ones are better anyway.

Keaton: Then obviously you gotta taste test.

Arlo: Sorry again about the snow [sad face emoji]

Keaton: It’s okay. Honest mistake [heart emoji]

Keaton: But I’m going to bitch about it for a while.

Arlo: I wouldn’t expect anything less.

Keaton: You doing okay though?

Arlo: So far, yeah. But I might call you if I get too anxious.

Keaton: Call me anytime. I mean it [heart emoji]

Arlo: Let me know how the Airbnb is! I’m going to start driving to mine.

Keaton: Will do. Drive safe!

Touching base with Arlo made me feel better. We weren’t apart often, and Arlo certainly wasn’t a solo traveler. We knew a lot of triggers for his anxiety, but sometimes, it randomly popped out with jazz hands and did a number on him. I hoped that going to Dahlia Springs wouldn’t push him too far over the edge. I wanted the best for him and hoped that being near his family would help him find the courage to meet them.

“Here you go.” The barista passed over a green festive to-go cup with a candy cane print and a pastry bag with my cookie.

“Thanks!” I scoped the seating selection again and spotted a cushy chair by the electric fireplace. I was surprised to find a fireplace in there, but the place had a cool, eclectic energy with mismatched furniture and a record player in the corner.

I broke off a piece of the chewy cookie and studied the posters on the corkboard next to the fireplace. One poster advertised a fundraiser for the local high school’s Gender & Sexualities Alliance club and another promoted sign-ups for an upcoming Lights Up Juniper Ridge event.

Okay, so, the town had a surprise or two.

A moan escaped when the sweetly spiced coffee hit my tongue.It’s a wonderful life, indeed.I caught the barista watching for my reaction, so I gave her a thumbs-up.

As I relaxed deeper into the chair, I let the warmth chase the chill from my bones. I had a feeling Jitterbug Café would be a daily stop for me this week.

After a short while, the door chimed, and a rugged hulk of a man with a dark beard and a shrewd stare strode through wearing a camel Carhartt jacket with the bottom of a red-and-black plaid flannel shirt hanging below the jacket’s hem. He was broad and tall, like a tree I wanted to climb, with thighs thick enough to test the strength on the seams of his jeans.

If Juniper Ridge had men like that in it to look at, it might not be a bad week after all.

I not-so-subtly tracked the guy as he ordered and stared at the pastry case while chatting with the barista. He screamed grumpy daddy, which I could handle for a night or two.

He scanned his surroundings and froze when his attention landed on me. I tried to look cute while drinking coffee and wearing an obnoxious coat. If I could get some action while wearing that, I had even more skills than I knew.

With the guy shooting me another look, I hoped I’d have a little fun this week after all.

Chapter4

Riggs

I glancedat the clock on my dash. I’d had three emergency calls already on top of my pre-scheduled appointments. Everyone in Juniper Ridge got off on trying to push their circuits to the limit. My limbs dragged like I’d been working twelve hours already, but I still had hours left. Pulling such long days at the holidays was tough, and I needed another caffeine fix before heading over to help Doris with a few things.

I just needed to push through a few weeks of burning the candle at both ends and then it would calm down once the holidays were over.

As I drove through the rich neighborhood for my last client, I braked at a four-way stop going into downtown. Instead of continuing past me, someone in an SUV paused next to my truck and gestured for me to roll my window down. It was my eighth-grade teacher.

I let out a sharp breath before I rolled my window down. I knew what was coming. “Hi, Mrs. Zupanski. What can I do for you?” I managed to unclench my jaw.

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