Page 1 of One-Click Christmas
Chapter One
Lana
Chestnut Lane Bookstore… my home away from home, the cutest little place to ever exist. And this time of year, I fall even more in love with the floor to ceiling pinewood shelves, twinkling front windows, and hand-cut snowflakes dangling from the ceiling. Heck, even Bookmark, the tabby cat that loves curling up in open books, is donning a festive red bow.
I swear I’ll be here until they shutter the windows, lift me up, and set me out onto the sidewalk. Trouble is, that day might be coming sooner rather than later.
I lift a heavy cardboard box up onto the counter with a grunt as my boss Marley steps into the shop with my favorite co-worker, Holly. They’re both dressed to the nines as usual. Marley in her long tweed coat, cute red pencil skirt, and flowy white top. She even hand-selects a pretty Christmas pin every morning to add to her collar.
Holly isn’t as fancy, but even in a pair of jeans and a Christmas sweater, she looks effortlessly cool. She flashes me a grin as she walks in, settling her canvas tote under the counter before shuffling toward me as though she has gossip she’s ready to unload. I’m guessing it’s about Marley because she waits for her to disappear into her office before officially saying hello to me.
“Oh my God,” she squeals, tugging her hand down over her long brown ponytail. “Marley has some kind of news she wouldn’t tell me, but she was super excited this morning. It sounds huge.”
“Yeah?” I grin, pulling open drawers to look for the box cutters. “You think this is real news or another fake out? Remember last month when she told us all about this new section she was adding to the bookstore, and it was a single shelf with three copies ofThe Art of Mushroom Foraging?”
Holly laughs and shrugs, straightening her reindeer sweater. “Maybe, but I think it has something to do with saving the store. The whole ride in she was talking about this surprise guest thing. I think it’s someone important.”
I narrow my brows, still searching for anything to open this damn box with. “Like who? I mean, we’re a tiny little bookstore in the middle of some mountain town no one has heard of. Plus, I think there’s a snowstorm on its way. Who in their right mind would want to come out and get stuck in that mess?”
“You okay this morning?” Holly nudges my shoulders before searching through drawers with me. “You seem on edge.”
“Yeah,” I sigh, finally giving up the search. “Lots going on at home, and I’m a little worried about the shop. I mean, I love the idea of this surprise guest stuff, but I don’t know how that’s going to save us. I think we need some kind of recurring club or a loyalty program or something. Any idea that sets us apart. There’s this shop in the Springs that prides itself on having all these first-edition books. Maybe we need something like that. Something that’ll continuously draw people in, ya know?”
She nods and pulls out a pad of paper and a pen. “These are good ideas. I’ll pass them around and see if maybe we can all come up with something different to try. Can’t hurt. I can search online for estate sales and stuff. People are always gettingrid of things they don’t realize are valuable. Maybe I can find some gems on the cheap and start a whole vintage resale section. People like stuff like that, right?”
I nod, feeling guilty for being so pessimistic. “Or maybe this surprise Marley’s got will change everything. Who knows? Plus, you’ve got a million things on your plate with your car in the shop and Christmas coming.”
She scrunches her nose and nods, a short smile on her face. “I think my car is permanently in the shop. I’m never going to be able to afford the bill to pick it up. Also, I have no idea how I’m going to afford gifts for Kade this year. He’s two. Christmas magic is at an all-time high. I can’t let him down.”
“Let me help! It’s the least I can do. You helped me out with my mom so many times last year.”
“Not the same.” She pulls open another drawer. “I appreciate it, but you know how I am. I’ll figure things out. I was just venting. I’m done now.” She smiles widely. “You finish the new Hunter Black book last night?”
“Ugh, I was sad it ended. You?”
“Yeah, I’m obsessed! I’m going to read it again tonight, catch all the nuances I missed the first time. I mean, if I don’t find love like Brick and Eliza’s, I don’t think I want love at all. It was perfect, and that epilogue!” She makes this little sigh that tells me we’re in the same place. “That man can write a book!”
“I know. I’m obsessed… literally. I spend way too much time stalking him online.”
She laughs. “Okay, I haven’t gone that far. I mean, I know he’s hot from that picture in the back of the book, but I don’t follow him online.”
“My God, that pic in his book doesn’t do him justice. He’s like six and a half feet tall, covered in tattoos, dark featured, and he’s always got this look on his face like he wants to devour me whole.”
“You specifically?” she laughs. “I think you might need an intervention.”
“Probably, but it’s like… how do I not be obsessed with a man that writes the things he writes and looks the way he looks?”
“Do you think he’s really that freaky or is it just an imagination thing? I mean, these authors make bank on crafted fiction.”
I shrug. “I’m going with that freaky. The man wears red suspenders. I don’t think a person would wear red suspenders unless they were totally, insanely freaky.”
She grips my hand with playful comfort. “Oh no. It’s for sure now. You’ve lost it.”
“Probably. It’s been way too long since I’ve felt any kind of sexual energy outside of the pages in a book. I mean, sure Troy and I were together for a while, but he was… well, you know Troy.”
Her eyes widen. “I did know Troy. He was nice.”
“Nice and boring.” My eyes roll. “He was in bed every night by nine, and I had to continuously give a TED talk about how sex could be more than a quick fuck. Even then, he seemed annoyed at the prospect of foreplay.”
