Planted in Christmas by Willa Frederic

Author:Willa Frederic
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: holiday, romance, christmas, small town
Publisher: Di Angelo Publications
Published: 2023-12-05T00:00:00+00:00

NINETEEN

A frustrated sigh escaped Brynn’s lips as she stared at her equally dissatisfied reflection. She unzipped her dress, tossing it onto the growing pile on her bed, as she shook loose a few of the tighter curls she’d added to her natural frizz. She was trying too hard, and she knew it.

She flicked through dozens of hangers, finally pulling out a crisp, ivory blouse. She held it beneath her chin and narrowed her eyes at the full-length mirror. She wore that shirt all the time, but it hadn’t let her down yet. It would do.

Brynn dressed quickly, resolving to put away the mountain of clothes later. She sprayed her perfume, walking through the sweet-smelling mist as she assessed her outfit once more. She tugged on her vegan leather leggings, grabbing her favorite black booties before clumsily fastening her gold hoop earrings as she thundered down the stairs. The afternoon had slipped away as she made one call after the other. She was late.

She saw Jordan before he saw her. He was leaning against his pickup truck parked a few feet from Planted in Twin’s front door, a soft smile relaxing above his perfectly square jaw. Brynn couldn’t help but notice the dark brown shadow of his whiskers, which must have already reappeared after Jordan’s clean-cut dapper appearance the other night. He would dart his eyes every so often to the front door of Planted before going back to watching some commotion across the street. He clearly expected Brynn to come out of the shop as Brynn herself had intended before turning into a mad woman who had no idea how to dress.

She followed Jordan’s gaze, where she saw a hunched old man slowly guide a tiny white-haired woman down the street. Suddenly, the woman stopped shuffling and frantically turned a wobbly circle as she seemed to scan the sidewalk. The man bent low and patiently retrieved her dropped handbag, inches from where the woman stood. Though Brynn couldn’t hear their words, there was no mistaking the scolding smack on the hand the old lady administered as she snatched her purse and placed the strap pointedly over her shoulder. Despite the reproach, her companion simply offered his arm to her once more and they continued down the pavement. Even from where she stood, Brynn could see the elderly man’s wrinkled smile and a subtle twinkle of amusement in the woman’s rheumy eyes.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Brynn said finally, breaking the spell as Jordan turned to her with an easy grin. Was it her imagination, or had those dark eyes actually lit up when they’d grazed over her face?

“I wasn’t sure what to bring…” Jordan said, blushing ever so slightly as he passed her a bulging grocery bag. Brynn peered inside and her eyes widened as she bit back a giggle. She quickly counted at least ten tubes of icing, as well as several containers of sprinkles in every color of the rainbow.

“You didn’t have to bring anything at all,” Brynn said as Jordan sheepishly took the bag back and slung it over one shoulder.

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