A Little Bit of Christmas (A Crystal Lake Novel Book 3) Read online

  “This is me and Mommy and Daddy and Brin.” She pointed to four stick people, and then to a cat. “This is Giselle, and that’s you and Chess. And that’s Poppy. She’s still looking for her prince.” The two other stick people were holding hands, and behind them stood a lone stick figure with a big smile.

  “That’s real nice, Tawny.”

  The little girl got back to coloring, and he took a seat at the counter while his sister whipped up an egg mixture and got busy making French toast.

  “Where’s the baby?”

  “She’s down right now, and Poppy is getting ready.”

  He appreciated that Blue didn’t mention Chess, because every time he thought of her, he pictured her alone in that damn motel room. Then he thought about Jerry and wondered if he’d stop harassing Chess now that Cash was gone. And that made him think about the asshole who’d hit her the night they’d met.

  “Are you mad, Uncle Cash?”

  He’d just finished eating and glanced over to Tawny. “No. This is what I look like when I’m thinking.”

  “What are you thinking about?”

  He felt Blue’s gaze on him, and Poppy’s too. He realized he needed to get the hell out of here because the little girl saw too much and he had no time to deal with any of it right now.

  He looked at Poppy. “You ready to go?”

  “I am,” she replied.

  The two of them said their goodbyes, and twenty minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot beside Bella & Hooch.

  “Thanks for the ride.” Poppy opened the door and smiled at him. “I appreciate it.” She slipped out of his truck and headed for her store, where, surprisingly, there were already some folks waiting to get in.

  Cash was just about to leave when he spotted the older couple and the dog from the night before. They were walking the path across from Poppy’s boutique, sipping on hot chocolate or coffee, and the woman giggled at whatever it was her husband said. They had to be eighty, at least, and the way they looked at each other, it was…

  They look the way I feel.

  Cash sat back in his seat, his gaze still on the couple. Was it possible to feel like that about a woman he’d known only a few days? Had it grown in the quiet moments between dusk and dawn? Had it expanded when he made her smile? When her pain vanished, even for a little bit?

  Shit.

  This was inconvenient. What the hell was he going to do?

  The couple passed within a few feet of his truck, and the gentleman glanced over at Cash. He had a thick white beard, and his hair was the same, long ends curling up beneath his knitted red hat. It was weird, but something about the man seemed familiar. His eyes…wait, did they actually twinkle? He winked at Cash before tucking his wife closer and whispering something to her.

  She nodded, and they continued on their way. Cash stared after them until they disappeared from sight. It was late, nearly noon, and he needed to get out of Dodge, so to speak. He glanced over to Poppy’s boutique just as the sun glinted off something in the window. He narrowed his eyes, hit the window button on his truck so it rolled back, and had a better look.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said.

  Before he knew what he was doing, Cash was out of the truck, striding toward Bella & Hooch as if his pants were on fire.

  “Cash!” Poppy didn’t bother to hide her surprise. “Did I forget something in your truck?”

  “No. How much for that?” he asked, pointing to the window.

  Poppy slowly smiled. “Let me get it for you and see.”

  Ten minutes later, he was on the road, a plain brown paper bag beside him filled with silver and gold tissue paper. He didn’t think about what he was doing; he just did. He pulled into the motel parking lot and took the spot in front of Chess’s room, same as he had the night before.

  He had nothing planned, of course, but her door was locked and there was no answer, so that kinda put a dent in whatever it was he was going to do. He glanced around, turned in a full circle. He had no cell phone number to call and no other way to get hold of her.

  Cash thought hard for a few seconds and then walked toward the office. He’d leave a message. Tell them to let her know he was still in town. As he reached for the door, he glanced toward the diner, and the fog cleared. Trumpets blared. His vision sharpened.

  Chess sat with Ted Williams, sipping a coffee while the old guy regaled her with one of his stories.

  Cash changed course and pushed into the diner. He ignored Joely, who said a big hello from behind the counter. He paid no attention to the older couple holding hands while they shared a piece of apple pie. And he sure as hell didn’t care that Steve was in the kitchen, cigarette dangling from his mouth as he plated food.

  He walked to Ted’s table, and when Chess looked up at him, he didn’t say a thing. He bent over the table, slid his hands onto either side of her face, tilted her chin slightly, and then kissed her like he’d never kissed a woman before. She tasted like vanilla and warmth and sugar. She kind of tasted like home.

  When he finally pulled away, she blinked furiously but couldn’t seem to speak. Cash got it—his throat was tight, and he needed a moment. He handed her the bag.

  “This is for you,” he said roughly. “Merry Christmas, Chess.”

  “I don’t understand.” Her voice was shaky.

  “Open it,” he said gently.

  Gingerly, she picked through the tissue paper to dig to the bottom of the bag. When she spied what sat inside, she stilled.

  “Oh, Cash,” she whispered, slowly reaching for it. She pushed the bag aside and set the snow globe on the table. It was the fancy kind that you could wind so the scene inside turned full circle. It was a man and a woman and a golden dog, playing in the snow.

  “It’s not Sleeping Beauty,” he said. “But this could be us.”

  She yanked her head up but remained silent.

  “Maybe.” Chess wasn’t making this easy.

  “If you want it to be.”

  “I don’t understand,” she said slowly.

  “Come with me to New York. We’ll have a long road trip to talk about all the stuff we don’t understand. About the hundreds of reasons this is probably a crazy thing to do. About the fact that I normally take the left side of the bed but I gave it up for you. Or that your smile is the only thing I want to see right now, so I need you to smile.”

  She did.

  “And then tell me you’ll come with me. Tell me you feel the same. That we were brought together for a reason and that maybe that reason is long-term.” He took a step back and held out his hand. “What do you say?”

  Silence stretched so long and thin, it felt like it could snap.

  “Oh my God, Chess, answer the man.” Joely stood a few feet away, her excited voice at least two decibels higher than normal.

  Ted Williams sat back in his chair and nodded. “Just look at her face,” he said. “She already did.”

  Chess Somers gave the old man a hug before doing the same to Joely and Steve, who’d heard the commotion and come out of the kitchen. She took her gift and held it close while Cash swallowed her other hand in his big one.

  “Are we really doing this?” she said to him as they walked into the cold fresh air.

  “Yes,” he said, enveloping her in his arms. “We are.”

  He helped her pack her things, and less than an hour later, they were on the highway headed to New York City and a future full of possibilities with no names to them. All because of a storm, an old man who looked like Santa Claus, and because sometimes love finds you when you’re not looking for it. And it doesn’t matter that the love is new or that it hasn’t been fully explored. What matters is that when it comes along, you pay attention.

  Cash grinned and glanced at the woman beside him.

  For once in his life, he’d listened.

  Chess glanced up suddenly. “What?” she asked with a smile.

  “I’m just thinking that if I have to give up the left side of the bed,
then you’re going to have to give me something in return.”

  “Is that so? What do you have in mind?’

  “I don’t know yet.” Cash winked. “I’ve got hours to think about it.”

  “Well, you let me know when you figure it out.”

  “Oh, I will.” He settled back as the truck ate up the miles. “You can count on that.”

  And much later, he did, many times, in fact, to both of their mutual pleasure. But the thing was, and this he kept to himself—Cash didn’t mind sleeping on the right side of the bed…

  As long as that bed had Chess in it.

  Afterword

  Thanks for spending Christmas in Crystal Lake! I hope you enjoyed Chess and Cash’s story, and trust me, you’ll be seeing more of them later on in the series!

  This town has come to mean a lot to me and I sure hope you’ll keep visiting us! Coming up next is LOVE AND OTHER THINGS, Beck Jacobs story and it will tug at your heartstrings.

  Beck Jacobs makes a living restoring and fixing homes. The only thing he can’t fix is himself. A part of him died the night his fiancé was taken, and he’s accepted the fact he’ll live his life alone. What he doesn’t count on is Sidney Barrett, a woman more broken than he is. Surprised at the sparks between them, Beck has to decide whether he stokes those flames and lets them spread, or does he step away and let them burn to ash.

  Sid Barrett seems to have it all. Famous for being famous, she’s carved out a life for herself and made a fortune with her lifestyle brand. Burnt out, she escapes to Crystal Lake, her plan to relax and recharge the batteries. But local contractor Beck Jacobs, puts a wrench in that plan. The thought of embarking on an affair with a man like Beck scares her. When your heart has already been shattered, can it break even more?

  To find out how to pre order your copy page through!

  Also by Juliana Stone

  A Crystal Lake Novel

  The Thing About Trouble

  That Thing You Do

  A Little Bit Of Christmas

  Coming February 2020

  Click on the title to preorder your copy today!

  Love And Other Things

  The Blackwells of Crystal Lake

  You Make Me Weak - Free

  You Drive Me Crazy

  You Rock My World

  You Own My Heart

  The Family Simon series

  Tucker -Free

  Jack

  Maverick

  Teague

  Grace

  Cooper

  The Barker Triplets

  Offside - Free

  Collide

  Conceal

  A Barker Family Christmas

  Standalone Novels

  He’s All that

  About the Author

  USA Today bestselling author and 2015 RITA® winner JULIANA STONE fell in love with books in the fifth grade when her teacher introduced her to Tom Sawyer. A tomboy at heart, she splits her time between baseball, books, and music. She’s thrilled to be writing young adult as well as adult contemporary romance—books that have garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly & Booklist—from somewhere in the wilds of Canada.

  I love hearing from my readers, and you can find me by clicking the links below! If you want to stay abreast of all happenings, you can sign up for my newsletter by clicking the contact link below!

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  Xo

  Juliana

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