Chapter 1

Chapter One

Marissa Cane flipped the Open sign around and unlocked the front door of Sleighed, the pub she’d owned for the past five years. She walked over to the bar, lit the candle on the cupcake, and smiled to herself as she blew it out. It was the pub’s five-year anniversary, and she wanted to take a moment to herself to acknowledge everything that she’d accomplished since she’d moved to Christmas Grove.

Pride swelled in her chest as she looked at the framed photo of herself holding the keys the day she’d closed on the building. She was grinning and holding her arms out, so naive and unaware of what she was in for. And while it had been a rough couple of years in the beginning trying to keep the doors open, now her books were firmly in the black, and she was even starting to consider ways to expand .

The sound of a door slamming was followed quickly by her cook calling out, “I’m back!”

She walked over to the door that led to the kitchen and held it open, smiling at Jackson, the tall, handsome man who ran her kitchen. “Ready for a big night?”

“You know it!” He wrapped his apron around his waist and then waved at the refrigerator. “Everything has been prepped. Let the orders roll in.”

“Great. Let’s hope it’s one for the books.” The word had been put out that they were having an all-you-can-eat shrimp or crab night to celebrate the anniversary, and Marissa had invested a small fortune in bringing the shellfish over from the coast.

“I’m sure it will be. Who can resist fresh shrimp and crab?” The phone rang, and Jackson picked it up and answered. He immediately started scribbling down a phone order.

Marissa nodded at him and went back out into the pub just as the front door swung

open, and her two best friends swept inside carrying multiple bags and a pastry box.

“Happy anniversary!” Clara and Felicity cried together, both of them rushing over to the bar to unload their packages. Clara was a petite brunette whose smile lit up every room, and Felicity was a tall blonde with piercing blue eyes and was as loyal as they came. They were both a stark contrast to her fiery red hair and violet eyes.

“What did you two do?” Marissa asked as she watched Clara pick up the cupcake and shake her head.

The petite, raven-haired beauty made a face. “This won’t do. It won’t do at all.” She made a move to toss it into the trash.

“No!” Marissa lunged, but her friend moved it out of her reach. Narrowing her eyes, Marissa pierced Clara with her death glare. “That’s a gingerbread cupcake from the Enchanted Bean Stalk. If you so much as harm one crumb, you’ll regret it.”

“Oh, will I?” Clara laughed her tinkling laugh as she opened up one of the boxes, revealing an unmistakable salted caramel chocolate cake from Love Potions, Christmas Grove’s premier chocolate shop.

“Oh. Em. Gee.” Marissa hurried behind the counter and grabbed a knife, ready to dive right into the sinful deliciousness. “I think I’m in love.”

Felicity chuckled. “You’re so predictable.”

Marissa nodded. “It’s true. Nothing is better than this cake. Nothing.”

“Oh, I’d take a man who cooks. Preferably one with six-pack abs who likes to spend his time in the kitchen shirtless.” Felicity flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder and then fanned herself with one hand.

“Why stop there?” Clara asked, grinning. “How about a house husband who likes to cook and clean?”

“Husband?” Felicity echoed, looking horrified. “Who said anything about a husband? The perfect guy is one who lives on the other side of town and comes over once a week to clean, prepare meals, and rumple the sheets.”

Marissa and Felicity shared a glance and then started laughing. The both of them had the same feelings about marriage. Felicity had always maintained that getting married was an antiquated custom. Marissa just had no desire to go down that road again. Not that her friends even knew she’d been married once. It wasn’t something she talked about. Ever.

Clara, on the other hand, still believed in the fairy tale.

“You two just wait,” Clara said. “One day Mr. Perfect is going to walk into each of your lives, and suddenly you’ll be singing a different tune.”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “Doubtful.”

Marissa just shook her head. There was no such thing as Mr. Perfect. She’d learned that the hard way.

“You two are far too cynical when it comes to matters of the heart,” Clara said, pulling wrapped packages out of her shopping bags.

“What’s all this?” Marissa asked, raising one eyebrow.

“We can’t have a celebration without gifts,” Clara said, giving Marissa a cheeky grin. “Now take a seat and get your gift on.”

“What in the world?” Marissa sat heavily on a bar stool as she took in everything her friends had done. Her favorite cake and now gifts?

Clara started to pile them up on the bar while Felicity rubbed her hands together, eager for Marissa to get on with it.

“You shouldn’t have. Really.” Marissa shook her head at them. “When I said we should celebrate, I meant taking a few bottles of wine back to my house after work and starting in on our annual Christmas decorating.”

“Pfft.” Clara gave her an impatient look. “It’s your five- year anniversary of owning this place. It deserves more than a regular Friday night in Christmas Grove.”

Marissa stared at her two best friends and had to fight back tears. When she’d first arrived in Christmas Grove, she didn’t know anyone. She’d been a twenty-nine-year-old with one failed marriage under her belt, who’d recently lost her only parent, her beloved father, and had been looking for a new start. She’d used her modest inheritance to put a down payment on the pub and to buy a small two-bedroom house. Besides opening the pub, her house had been the best decision she’d ever made because she’d lucked out in the neighbor department. Felicity had rented a room from Clara, her next-door neighbor, just days later, and the three of them had been besties ever since.

“Open. Open. Open,” Felicity chanted as she handed Marissa one of the packages.

Marissa blinked back her tears and tore into the box. She held up a red apron that had the words Did someone say Christmas brunch printed above a fancy glass of egg nog. She snickered and immediately put the apron on. “Thank you. I love it.”

“Good. But just so you know, that’s a hint. I expect nog when we do the annual decorating,” Felicity said with a wink.

“What else is new?” Marissa rolled her eyes playfully. Being a professional bartender meant she was always in charge of libations.

“Come on, open the rest before people start coming in,” Clara ordered, holding her phone up, ready to take pictures.

“Yes, bossy,” Marissa teased and went to work opening the remaining gifts. They’d outdone themselves. By the time all the paper was ripped apart and the boxes opened, her haul consisted of a magical painting of the pub, complete with falling snow, and a T-shirt that had three cartoonish women standing together, holding hands. One was a blonde, one was brunette, and the other was a redhead, clearly depicting each of them. The redhead on the right had her hand raised with magic sparking from her palm, and the word Charmed was scrolled across the top. It was an homage to their favorite television show, Charmed.

She held the shirt up, admiring it, and then hugged it to her chest. “This is amazing. Where did you find it?”

Felicity made a show of buffing her nails. “I designed it and ordered it online.”

“You’re amazing.” Marissa hugged her and then moved on to Clara. “No one could ask for better friends.”

“We know,” Clara said, her eyes sparkling. “Now finish up so we can start happy hour.”

Chuckling, Marissa tore into the rest of her presents. The other gifts were a broom for above the door to keep the bad spirits out and a large bag of ornaments that were replicas of the spirits she kept behind the bar.

“You girls are too much,” Marissa said, shaking her head.

“We’re just the right amount,” Felicity said just as the door opened and Zach Frost strode in with a large Douglas fir tree.

“Special delivery,” he said, grinning at the women. “Where do you want it?”

A couple walked in behind him and came up to the bar, picking up the order they’d called in. While she was ringing them up, the phone rang again. It stopped mid-ring, indicating that Jackson had gotten it.

Clara hurried over to Zach, directing where to put the tree that had to be at least eight feet tall.

When Marissa was done helping the couple, she walked over to Zach. “I didn’t order a tree.” Not that she hadn’t wanted one, she’d just spent so many years pinching her pennies that it felt extravagant to purchase a live tree when her fake one was sitting in a storage closet.

“I did,” Felicity said. “We live in Christmas Grove, Mar. Your establishment should have a live tree. That fake pine stuff you like to spray around just isn’t the same.”

Marissa frowned. “You never said anything before.”

“Of course not. We knew you were doing your best. And honestly, if we could have afforded it, we’d have gotten you a live tree every other year. This year has been good to me, so I decided it was time.”

Marissa squeezed her friend’s hand and thanked Zach, the owner of Christmas Grove’s Christmas tree farm, as he finished adjusting the tree stand.

“My pleasure, Marissa,” he said, tipping his ball cap.

“Please stay and have a drink with us,” Marissa said, waving to the bar .

“Wish I could, but things are hopping at the farm, and I have a few more deliveries to make,” he said.

“Well, okay, but your next drink is on me,” Marissa promised.

“It’s a deal.” He shook her hand and then waved goodbye to Felicity and Clara.

Marissa headed back to the bar and started cleaning up the wrapping paper.

“Wait!” Clara said. “You missed one.” She held out a small box that had been hiding behind one of the bags.

“More?” Marissa shook her head at her friends. “You really went way overboard.”

“That’s what friends are for.” Clara grinned.

Marissa opened the package and pulled out the loveliest glazed pottery mug she’d ever seen. It was red with a speckled white rim and had her custom logo on the front that said Sleighed with an outline of a sleigh that was loaded with bottles of spirits. “Oh my gosh. This is just… I love it.”

“I knew you would,” Clara said. “I ordered it from the new potter a few doors down. He nailed it, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. He certainly did,” she said, trying to force herself to sound grateful as she clutched the mug in both hands, suddenly wanting to throw the mug across the room. Danny had made the mug? She carefully placed the mug on the counter and went back to work cleaning up the space.

Just as she finished bagging the wrapping paper, the door swung open again, and in walked none other than Danny Frost, the last person on the planet she ever wanted to see again.

She cleared her throat. “Danny, what are you doing here?”

The tall handsome man with dark hair and deep green eyes said, “I called in an order.”

Jackson came out from the kitchen, holding a to-go bag. He smiled at Danny. “Good timing, man.”

The pair bumped knuckles, and then Jackson rang up his order.

“We still on for that drink later?” Danny asked as he paid Jackson.

“Yep. Meet me here at nine-thirty after the kitchen closes.” Jackson clapped him on the shoulder and headed back to the kitchen.

Danny glanced at Marissa. “Is that going to be okay with you?”

Marissa did everything in her power to keep her face neutral as she shrugged. “It’s a free country.”

“That it is.” He nodded at Felicity and Clara and said, “Thanks, Marissa. I appreciate the hospitality.” Then his eyes locked on the mug he’d made. He paused for a moment and then met Marissa’s eyes. “I hope it’s okay I took that commission.”

Marissa cleared her throat and forced out, “Of course.”

He nodded and left without another word.

“What was that all about?” Clara demanded.

“Nothing. What do you mean?” Marissa didn’t meet her friend’s eyes .

Clara picked up the mug. “Why would it matter if he took the commission?”

“It’s a long story,” Marissa said.

Felicity snorted. “Isn’t it obvious? Marissa has history with the hot potter. Way to go, Mar. I wouldn’t mind rolling around in the mud with that one. For a night at least.”

Marissa jerked her head up, horrified at the thought of her best friend and Danny fooling around. “He’s off limits,” she heard herself say and then winced.

Clara’s brows shot up as Felicity chuckled and said, “Yeah, there’s a lot of history there.” Then she pulled up a bar stool and said, “There’s a story here. Spill.”

Marissa sighed, glanced at the door, and then joined her friend. “It’s a long story.”