Faking it for Christmas

Chapter 1

Grace

I have always loved Christmas.

The kind of love that made me hum Christmas carols in the middle of October and hoard peppermint bark like it was a form of currency. Ever since I was a little girl, the magic of the season would leave me with a smile on my face that was a mile wide.

Decorating the house, the tree, going to the town’s Christmas festival, and the tree lighting. All of it made this time of year my favorite.

But this year is a little different.

My normal holiday spunk is still there, but it's dampened with what I know awaits me when I return home tomorrow.

I glance across the office at the sad little tree that someone half-heartedly decorated last week. A few silver ornaments dangle from the top branches, but the bottom branches are left bare, like whoever started lost steam halfway through and just gave up. There is a single strand of lights that blinks sporadically, as if it can’t even commit to the holiday spirit.

This sad little tree is a perfect metaphor for how I feel about Christmas these days.

All year, I have been repeatedly inundated by my mother's well-meaning suggestions about finally settling down.

I am only twenty-six, and though I don't really see the rush, my mother sure does. And this year, she has made it her mission to find me Mr. Right.

She means well.

I know she does.

She just wants me to be happy, and in her eyes, nothing says happiness like marriage and babies.

And it's not that I don't want that life, it's just that I can't seem to make it past two dates with a guy before I lose interest in them completely.

It's not really that there’s anything wrong with them. They were nice enough. Respectful and polite. Everything that you would want in a good partner.

But there were just never any…sparks between us. Talking with them felt like I was forcing myself to read the dullest book in the back of the library. The ones even the librarians wouldn't want to read.

It’s not just boredom. It’s like I’m waiting for something I can’t name, and every date only reminds me I haven’t found it yet.

She messaged me last week saying that she had found him. My Mr. Right.

It had been painfully cheerful: I found him, honey! Your Christmas miracle!

Right. Because nothing screams festive spirit like being ambushed with a blind date.

My desk is cluttered with photo proofs and a mug that says ‘Oh snap’ with a camera on the front. The peppermint tea inside has long gone cold, but I keep sipping it anyway, like it might warm me up to the idea of going home tomorrow.

She's my mom, I love her, and I just never seem to be able to tell her no.

Just the thought of seeing the disappointment on her face has me ready to break out in hives.

I sigh as I push a piece of my wavy brown hair behind my ear for the fifth time today. The clip I threw in this morning is struggling to hold the thick strands back.

Who is she setting me up with this time?

Is he nice? Handsome?

Knowing my mother, he is, but it still doesn't make the thought of returning home any more ideal.

I am pulled from my spiraling thoughts at the sudden click of heels on the polished tile floor that is soon followed by a burst of citrus perfume that announces Maria before she even opens her mouth.

She slips into my cubbie and perches herself on the corner of my desk like she owns the place. It’s like the universe sends her to remind me that not everyone is drowning in pre-holiday dread the same way I am.

“Got anything fun planned for the holidays, Gracie Girl?”

Maria Alvarez is the kind of person who lights up a room just by walking into it—curly hair, bright earrings, and a smile that makes you feel like you’re part of some inside joke. She’s everything I’m not on a Monday morning: energized, put-together, and already halfway through her second iced coffee.

I sigh as I lean back in my desk chair to look at her. I subconsciously tug at the hem of my sweater—an oversized oatmeal knit that hides everything I want it to, except the peppermint stain I somehow got on it this morning.

Maria is amazing. She and I clicked almost immediately when I first started working at The Eastbridge Herald. I was surprised to see someone with such a free spirit working for the straight-laced magazine.

“Just heading back home to Willow Creek tomorrow to spend the two weeks we have off with my parents,” I say, while I do my best to smile so that it seems like I am at least a bit more excited to see them.

Maria playfully swats my shoulder with a radiant smile stretching across her bright, red lips. “Oh, come on, it can't be that bad.”

“Normally, it wouldn't, but my mom is already planning a wedding, I'm sure,” I say with a snort.

“What?” Maria looks hurt, as if she really thought I would get engaged and not tell her about it.

“My mom is setting me up with someone while I'm in town,” I explain. “She has been telling me for years that it was time to settle down, and according to her last message, she believes that she found my guy,” I add while rubbing my temples to alleviate a growing headache that I feel coming on.

She raps her acrylic nails on the grey wall that separates the cubicles. “Thanks for clarifying, because we were going to have a chat if you were holding out on wedding information on me,” she says with a smile.

I laugh while pushing the same piece of hair from earlier out of my face.

“Don't worry, the moment someone decides to wife me up, you will be the first to know.”

“Better be.” She crosses her arms and gives a small shrug. "You could use it to your advantage, Gracie Girl."

I stare, confused as to what she meant, but it's Maria; I should have known where her mind was going, and it was nowhere good.

“What? A little holiday smex, with someone you won't have to see again, doesn't sound all that awful to me,” Maria snickers, her hand covering her mouth.

“Maria,” I whisper-shout at her.

My cheeks flush instantly, the kind of heat that makes you wish your chair could swallow you whole. I glance around, my heart thudding in my chest, but thankfully, the office is pretty much a ghost town today—everyone else finished their assignments Friday and are probably still in pajamas, binge-watching cheesy holiday movies.

Who am I kidding? The majority of the people who work at the Herald wouldn’t know a holiday rom-com if it bit them in the butt.

Leave it to Maria to find the silver lining in the situation. But somehow I don't see my parents open to the idea of a no-strings-attached situation happening under their roof. And somehow, the idea of getting it on in my childhood twin-sized bed is less than appealing if I'm being honest.

Before my thoughts can spiral any further, Maria taps her manicured nails on my desk, grabbing my attention. “Okay, that's it, we need an emergency girl’s night. Tonight. Before you vanish into small-town Christmas chaos.”

I blink up at her. “Maria… I have packing to do.”

She arches a brow. “Grace. You need one night of fun before your mom throws you into the marital thunderdome.”

I open my mouth to argue, but I’m too tired to pretend that I don’t need the distraction. Maybe she is right. Maybe I could make something out of the trip after all. I guess we will just have to see what Mr. Right is like first.

Maria grabs my coat off the back of my chair without waiting for me to answer her. She’s already halfway to the elevator, my coat swinging from her arm like a victory flag.

“We need alcohol, appetizers, and questionable life choices. Let’s go,” she calls over her shoulder. “Let's go, Gracie girl. Happy hour is almost over.”

I smile at her retreating form before I glance back at my computer. I stare at my blinking cursor for one more second, the empty screen mocking me. Tomorrow I’ll be back in Willow Creek, where the air smells like pine and pressure, and my mom’s matchmaking radar will be locked on target. I just hope I survive the season without a ring—or a restraining order.

“Alright, let’s go,” I say to myself as I grab my purse and my phone off the side of my desk before rushing after her.

I just don’t know it yet, but saying yes that night changes everything that I thought this Christmas was going to be.