Christmas Eve Love Story by Ginny Baird

Author:Ginny Baird [Baird, Ginny]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Two

On the seventh Christmas Eve

Fa-la-la-la-la—!

Annie stared at her phone, so ready for this day.

Okay, it was still happening. And today, she was trying extra hard with Braden. Maybe she’d break through. Leo lifted his head from his perch by her feet and started purring. “Morning, sunshine!” Annie sat up and petted him, and he purred louder. “Do you know what day it is?” She smiled at the cat. “Of course, you do. I do too.” Annie swung her feet over the bed, pausing to grab Leo’s cat toy off the floor without stepping on it.

Leo plodded into the kitchen and she followed him with a purposeful air, raising the kitchen blinds. The sidewalks were clear, the sky cloudy and gray. Annie peered in her refrigerator at the nearly bare shelves. Shame. That last batch of chili had been extra tasty. Oh well. She shut the fridge door. She’d get another try at that too.

Tina’s smile gleamed in their Coney Island photo. Annie badly wanted to text her, but she never had the right words to say. Now, she could be out of a job.

Not if I can help it.

Annie set her chin, preparing her coffee. Her window display at Lawson’s was definitely improved from where she’d started. The toy mouse in a stocking cap snuggled in his bed behind the tree leant it a magical touch. Maybe there were more ways to add magic to her window?

Leo meowed, and she chuckled indulgently. “Okay, okay, I’ll feed you.”

She did so carefully—and without incident—before her intercom buzzed.

“Package for you!”

Annie rolled her eyes at Leo. “We both know that’s not accurate.”

Later, at the subway stop, she didn’t even bother to ask the younger guy what day it was. Instead, she sat down on the bench beside the man reading the newspaper. His eyes were glued to data columns that looked like stock market reports. She peeked at the date on the front page as he held it open: December 24.

The man noticed her staring and closed his paper. “Happy Christmas Eve,” he said in a light British accent. He was much younger than she’d noticed before, with dirty-blond hair and deep-brown eyes. Nice-looking too.

Wait. She recognized that face. “Quinn?”

He blinked and set the paper on his lap. “Have we met?”

“I, er”—she twisted a lock of her hair around her finger—“not exactly, but I think I’ve seen you in the store.”

He crossed his arms, and his very nicely cut suit creased in places. “Which store is that?”

“Lawson’s Finest.” How had she not put this together? Though, to be fair, she’d barely seen—or spoken to—the man by the jewelry counter.

“Ahh, yes. Probably so.” He smiled proudly. “My girlfriend owns the place.”

Annie did her best to act surprised—and impressed. “You’re dating Veronica Lawson?”

“Not just dating,” he confided in low tones. “Taking things to the next level tonight.” He chuckled softly. “Don’t know why I’m telling you this, but the truth is I’m a bit excited.” He folded up his paper and slid it in his backpack. “A little nervous too.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.