Page 29 of Wicked Love

Why couldn’t my body understand once and for all? Joe and I were not meant to be. The attraction had to die and be buried before it consumed me.

The coffee shop was as cute as the rest of the town. The outside consisted of white brick walls and teal awnings. The inside looked a bit more rustic. Worn wooden floors, exposed brick walls, black iron chandeliers, powder blue chairs spread around wooden tables. A large painting of a scene I recognized as Main Street covered the wall behind the counter where a selection of croissants, bagels, and scones were spread. Three high-ends coffee makers were set on the left, a barista dressed as a gingerbread man was busy filling orders.

Christmas music played on the speakers embedded in the ceiling.

A couple in their fifties, sporting matching Ugly Christmas sweaters, was sipping on hot chocolates, nibbling on snowflake-shaped sugar cookies, staring at each other with love.

A family of six sat by the window, enjoying croissants while playing a game of I spy with my little eye, Christmas edition. They were all smiling, even the baby in the highchair clapping his hands, drool covering his chin.

Three women about my grandmother’s age were knitting something resembling scarves, laughing at what one of them said.

Joe and I sat in the back corner. He opened the town schedule on his phone. “Okay, they’re really going all in with this Holiday theme,” he said. “Gingerbread Decorating Contest, Masquerade Ball, Breakfast with Santa, Carolers in the Town Square. They know how to keep themselves and the town busy.”

“Lea told me people come from far away to attend the festivities.”

“It’s impressive.” He pointed to something on the screen. “They even have a Christmas light fight, whatever it is.”

I propped my elbows up on the table and rested my chin on my joined hands. “I wish I could live here full time. I don’t know. It must be something in the air, or it’s due to their Holiday spirits, but the residents of Mistletoe Creek seem laid-back.” I sighed. “I would kill for an existence void of stress and the need to please everyone.”

Joe bit into his raspberry scone and moaned. “Fuck, this is good.”

I chuckled. He looked like a little boy right now, a mischievous glow on his face, thanks to his chin dimple.

He brought the pastry to my lips. “Taste it.” My first reflex was to refuse. After all, I’d been conditioned all my life to avoid sugar, carbs, and empty calories. Joe must have read the uncertainty on my face because he added, “Grace, you’re beautiful the way you are. Don’t let anyone tell you the opposite. Take a bite. You only have one life to live. Don’t miss out on something because it scares you.”

“I’m not scared.”

“Your mom is sick between her ears. I’m not saying to eat a dozen scones in one go, but you’re allowed to enjoy the fun stuff.”

Growing up, I had always cheated on the diet my mother imposed on me. It counted as a small act of rebellion. Now that she wasn’t here, I felt bad about eating stuff she wouldn’t approve of. My brain had gotten all mixed up. The circuits had overheated. Sometimes, even I had a hard time following its reasoning.

I tried Joe’s trick. Instead of I’m not allowed to eat sweets, I rephrased it as I’m allowed to enjoy fun food from time to time.

I exhaled. “Fine. One bite.” I parted my lips and Joe positioned the scone between my lips and I bit into the pastry. “Ohmygod, it’s more than good. Wow, it’s amazing.” I licked my lips, not wanting to waste any of the delicious filling.

Joe pushed his plate in front of me. “Here, take it. I’ll get another one.”

“You sure?”

“Affirmative.” He stood and went to wait in line at the counter.

The place buzzed with people this morning, and I wondered if it was always busy.

“Okay,” Joe said as he sat back next to me. “Hear me out. I think we should stay here. For a little while. You said so yourself—you wish you could live here full-time. The lady behind the counter knows someone who knows someone else who is renting gingerbread house cabins in the mountains. It would be perfect for us. She messaged somebody, and they said we could move in tonight and stay until early January. Since we arrived here, timing has been on our side. We should take full advantage. The cabin is a bit old, but she assured me it’s clean and safe. It comes with everything, except food and our personal belongings. What do you say?”

Never before had I noticed Joe being super enthusiastic about something.

“Okay, let’s do this. Let’s stay here for a month and see if it’s as perfect as it appears to be or if it’s all fake. Perhaps their happiness will rub off on us.”

We shook on it. “Deal.”

9

JOE

With Grace nestled between my arms and pressed against my front, we watched the tree lighting ceremony. The energy was electric tonight. Lea didn’t lie. The whole town had gathered in the town center, waiting for the mayor to turn the lights on.

The town square was a patch of lawn delimited by Main Street, surrounded by a dozen local businesses. People sat on chairs here tonight, drinking hot beverages from thermoses, wrapped in blankets, waiting for the tree lighting ceremony to start. Just like the movies, it was the perfect small-town set-up. Even I could envision snow falling on Christmas morning as families, buried under warm jackets and fluffy hats, gathered here to build snowmen.