#HolidayRomance
Thereβs no place like seaside Blueberry Cove, Maine,
at
Christmasβand thereβs nothing like a wedding, the warmth
of
the holidays, and an old crush, to create the perfect new
startβ¦
Β
Interior designer Fiona
McCrae has left fast-paced Manhattan to move back home to
peaceful Blueberry Cove. But sheβs barely arrived before
sheβs hooked into planning her big sister Hannahβs
Christmas
weddingβin less than seven weeks. The last thing
she
needs is for her first love, Ben Campbell, to return to
neighboring Snowflake Bayβ¦
Β
As kids, Fiona
was
the bratty little sister Ben mercilessly teasedβwhile
pining
after Hannah. But Fi never once thought of Ben like a
brother. And that hasnβt changed. Except Fi is all grown
up.
Will Ben notice her now?Β More importantly, with her
life in a jumble, should he? Or might the romance of the
occasion, the spirit of the season, and the gifts of time
ignite a long-held flame for many Christmases to comeβ¦
Β
Something old might just become something
newβ¦
Β
Includes a DIY wedding
project!
Excerpt βDid you sign the papers? Dot every i, cross every t?β Kerry asked the
moment
Fiona entered the Rusty Puffin, not pausing as she continued to wipe down
the bar.
βI did,β Fiona told her. βAs of this morning at about ten, Beanieβs Fat
Quarters
is all mine.β She hiked herself up on a stool and leaned her elbows on the
freshly
gleaming cypress bar. βI even had the chance to go by and talk to Eula.β
And, actually, her visit to Eulaβs was every bit as much the reason for
her giddy
mood, thanks to the moment sheβd had in Eulaβs shop with Ben Campbell.
Specifically the moment sheβd taken off her coat and glanced at him in
time to catch
that rather pole-axed look on his face. It was quite possible it hadnβt
meant that heβd
just looked at her as a woman for the very first time, rather than a
short, plump
annoying kid sister, but she was going to choose to believe thatβs exactly
what had
happened. And she was going to wrap up that moment in a shiny gold bow,
and pull
it out and open it up every time she needed a little boost. Because that
look on his
handsome face had made it almost worthβalmostβevery single moment of
adolescent
torment heβd put her through.
βYouβre looking rather cat and canary,β Kerry said. βMore cat, less
canary.β She
pulled two wine glasses out from under the bar and filled them with
champagne. βSo,
whatβs going on with you and Ben Campbell?β
Fiona wanted to rush in and deny, deny, deny, but sheβd watched their
older
sister Hannah handle Kerry over the years and was proud of herself for
taking a page
from the lawyerβs handbook. βWhat makes you think thereβs anything going
on
between me and Ben?β
Kerry waggled a finger. βDonβt play cross examiner with me. Youβre no good
at
it.β
Fiona did the only mature thing possible, she stuck her tongue out.
βCareful where you stick that,β Kerry said, pretending to swipe and snag
it. βAll
I know is Hannah was in here earlier and she might have said something
about you
being all pissy with Ben over him calling you Fireplug. You know he
doesnβt mean the
nickname in a bad way.β
βYes, yes, heβs St. Ben the Benevolent. Christmas tree farmer, rescuer of
parents, all around fabulous human being, Ben Campbell.β
βHere,β Kerry said, handing her a glass. βDrinkβ She raised her own glass
in
salute, then tossed back the entire glass of champagne in one easy slide.
βI donβt even want to know how you can deep throat an entire glass of
champagne. Itβs supposed to be sipped.β
βItβs supposed to be enjoyed,β Kerry said. βBottoms up, shopkeeper.β
Fiona made her way to the bottom of her glass, too, albeit in several
gulps.
βOkay, so what happened at Eulaβs? Did you tell Ben what you thought of
his
pet name for you and chop his Campbell Christmas tree down to size?β She
poured
more champagne. βAnd have you ever spent any time wondering just how, um,
stout
and tall his pine might be?β
Fiona all but sprayed the sip of bubbly sheβd just taken. βWhat?β She
folded
her arms on the bar, mostly so she stayed steady on the stool. βNo, I did
not chop
down his tree. Also? Ew. Shame on you. Heβs like your brother.β
βHeβs not our brother. Not even our cousin. And if you never looked at Ben
Campbell and wonderedβ¦β Her eyes widened with glee. βYouβve wondered about
his
pine. I think you want his pine. In fact, I think you want toββ
βStop it,β Fiona hissed. Sheβd just wanted to hold on to her Ben moment
and
savor it in the privacy of her rejected schoolgirl mind. Was that too much
to ask? Her
pleasant fizziness abruptly dissolved. βI donβt want anything from Ben,
least of all
hisββ She broke off, refusing to take that nickname a syllable further.
βItβs true. I
didnβt like hearing that nickname again. I hated it then, and no matter
what the
intent behind it, Iβm not a big fan of it now. But then anything designed
to belittle
someone and make them feel badly about themselves is never going to get a
rousing
cheer from me.β
Kerry reached her hand out toward her sister. βFi, donβt, heβsββ
Fiona pulled her arm out of reach. βHeβs family, I know. And weβre all
grown
ups now, so youβre right, it shouldnβt matter. It was all a long, long
time ago. We were
all kids. Blah, blah, blah. But some things donβt have an expiration date.
And how
that nickname made me feel is apparently one of them. Especially coming
from the
one guy who, at the time, I wanted to see me as anything but.β There,
sheβd said it.
All but shouted it, actually. βSo youβll have to forgive me if I still
donβt find being called
short, fat, and red all that sweet or amusing.β
βNo, Fiβwait!β Kerry made a grab for her arm. βHeβsββ
Standing right behind her. Of course he was.
βFiona,β was all he said, but the look on his face said a million things
more. All
of them awful, because each one of them started with pity and ended with
embarrassment.
Sheβd gotten her moment. That victorious, full circle moment every kid
whoβs
ever been made to feel bad wanted. And sheβd been good with that.
Unfortunately, the look sheβd remember forever, was the one on his face
right
now. This was to be her moment. Why had she ever assumed it would be any
different? The joke, it seemed, was always going to be on her.
Start Reading SNOWFLAKE BAY Now
 Brides of Blueberry Cove SEA GLASS SUNRISE
#1.0
β’ June 2015
 SNOWFLAKE BAY
#2.0
β’ October 2015
 STARFISH MOON
#3.0
β’ May 2016
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