Decked Out with Ivy (Red Maple Falls #13)

Chapter 2

Ivy adjusted the wood handles of the red knitted purse she had made, complete with a black belt and buckle, and headed into Five Leaf Brewery, trying to forget about her unfortunate encounter with Cody Chance. Whoever the holly jolly heck that was.

He hated Christmas. Who hated Christmas? It was the most wonderful time of year. Someone who hated Christmas sweaters, that’s who. She looked at her sweater poking out of her coat and ran a hand over Santa’s face. “I think you’re cute,” she mumbled before continuing through the crowd, waving to all the familiar faces as she went.

Tonight was Trivia Night and, even better, it was Christmas themed. Ivy was more ready than ever before. She and her team—made up of her two closest friends from grade school—were going to ‘sleigh’ it.

Large green and red ornaments hung from strings wrapped around the exposed beams. A Christmas tree was set up in the corner, filled with gifts being collected for families in need. Ivy had added several wrapped gifts beneath the tree and a few others throughout the town. She didn’t have much, but she had enough, so anything extra she was more than happy to bless someone for the holidays. She just wished she could give more.

Louise waved at her from their usual table while Brooke cuddled up with her boyfriend and previous enemy, Tyler. When their competitiveness came out, if she didn’t know them, she would think they hated each other. But their love for each other was very real. Ivy was happy for her friends, but it didn’t stop the quiet sting that lingered in her chest. Almost everyone in this town seemed to find their perfect match, and she was perpetually single. Destined to be an old woman with no family of her own, her most prized possession her knitting needles and yarn.

She sighed at the thought, but the sting lessened as she made her way over to her fellow single partner in crime. She gave her best friend, Louise, a high-five as she placed her bag on the table. “Brooke is getting our drinks, if she ever peels her lips off Tyler,” Louise’s voice rose as she said the last part, getting Brooke to turn and stick her tongue out at her before she kissed Tyler again then headed to the bar.

Ivy and Louise sat across from each other, and Louise narrowed her brown eyes. “You okay?”

“Do you think my sweaters are ugly?” Ivy pulled off her coat, revealing the giant Santa across her chest.

“No, I love them. You know that. Why would you even ask that?”

“It’s nothing.” Ivy waved her hand.

Louise’s eyebrow arched. “What’s going on?”

“This guy came in the shop today, and he said my sweaters were ugly. Actually… his exact word was hideous .”

Brooke slammed down three mugs of beer and plopped in the seat beside Ivy. “What did I miss?”

“Some guy told Ivy her sweaters were hideous.”

“Who? I’ll kick his butt.” Unlike Ivy, Brooke had always been a firecracker. While Ivy was polite and kind, Brooke was unapologetically honest and feisty.

Ivy shrugged. “He was shocked I didn’t know who he was. But I don’t remember a Cody Chance, do either of you?”

Both Louise's and Brooke’s eyes widened.

“You don’t know who Cody Chance is?” Louise asked.

“Wait till I tell Bex,” Brooke said, referring to her new sister-in-law… who happened to be a famous actress and Brooke’s employer.

“Why would Bex care? Does she know him?” Confusion swirled in Ivy’s head.

“He’s only one of the biggest actors in Hollywood,” Brooke said.

“I have basic cable,” Ivy said with a shrug. “I don’t watch new movies.”

“He’s been in movies for over a decade. Since we were in high school,” Louise added.

“Oh.”

Louise rolled her eyes. “Summer of Second Chances? We saw that in Conway, remember?”

Ivy’s eyebrows drew together. It had been their senior year when they drove to Conway to see that movie. “He played the douchebag ex-boyfriend. The football player.”

“Ohhhh!” Ivy exclaimed. “He clearly didn’t need to act very hard.”

“I texted Bex,” Brooke announced with a menacing quirk of her lip.

“I don’t want to get the guy in trouble or anything. The airport lost his luggage. He was just having a bad day, I’m sure.”

Louise titled her head, a long black curl falling over her shoulder. “According to the tabloids, he’s not exactly Mr. Nice Guy.”

Brooke tapped her screen before placing the phone on the table. “Bex has always said not to trust the tabloids, but I don’t know. There’s photo evidence.”

“Evidence of what?” Ivy leaned in, glancing at the phone with a spark of curiosity. She tried to play it cool, but her gaze kept drifting to the screen where his face was front and center. His green eyes stood out against his slightly tanned skin. The man was gorgeous. Too bad his personality didn’t match his exterior.

“He smacked a camera out of a paparazzi’s hand,” Brooke said.

Ivy settled into her seat, trying not to keep darting her attention to Cody’s picture. “Didn’t your brother do that, too?”

Brooke’s brother, Chase, was married to Bex Shepard, and wherever she went, the cameras followed. Luckily, their small town had managed to scare most of the paparazzi off, but there were still the brazen ones who had no regard for privacy. They felt just because Bex was famous, they had rights to her every waking moment.

It sounded like a total nightmare.

The sheriff, Matt Hayes, started handing out trespassing tickets with very high fees to those jerks. Even threw one unruly bonehead into the single jail cell for harassment and disorderly conduct. News had spread, and Bex had been able to live a simpler life here, but now that it had gotten out that she was shooting her next movie here, unfamiliar faces with professional cameras in hand popped up on the sidewalks of Main Street, hoping to get a snap of Bex.

“My brother should have laid the bastard out, but he has more restraint than me,” Brooke said before taking a sip of her beer.

Ivy imagined the headlines. Those tabloids were ruthless and would twist the truth to get clicks.

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree billowed out of the overhead radio. A loud “ woot !” came from across the brewery, and Ivy glanced over as Terry, the fiery redheaded owner of the Happy Apple, threw her arm in the air as she danced. She was in a black velour jogging suit lined with leopard print and swapped out her usual heels for a pair of leopard print sneakers, and she put those sneakers to work as she moved.

Louise tapped the table in front of Ivy. “FYI, Shay’s pissed at how good you decorated your shop’s window.”

Shay, Louise’s boss, owner of Sweet Dreams Bakery, cupcake extraordinaire, and wife to the sheriff, took her Christmas window display very seriously.

Ivy retrieved her knitting needles out and the mitten she started working on earlier that day. “She’s won the last two years in a row.”

“And she wants to keep winning.”

Ivy didn’t do it for the win. She did it because she genuinely enjoyed decorating for the holiday. Though, she would never turn down a trophy.

“A little competition never hurt anyone. Besides, there’s no way my display is going to beat hers.” If she had a bigger budget and more help, there might have been a chance. There was always next year.

“You have mannequins snowboarding,” Brooke pointed out.

“Yes, but Shay has a real gingerbread house the size of me, including an entire forest with wildlife and all.”

Louise smiled. “It’s awesome, isn’t it? We’ve been working on the design since July.”

“July?” Ivy let her needle and yarn fall into her lap. “I need to step up my game. I’m supposed to be Queen of Christmas, and I didn’t start planning until October.”

“Don’t admit that,” Brooke said. “The Queen of Christmas would have started planning the day after the last winner was announced.”

Louise pressed her lips together and nodded her agreement.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Ivy took a sip of her beer—a delicious IPA that had won Mason, the owner and brewer, many awards.

“Oh, by the way, bumped into your cousin earlier,” Louise said.

“Which one?” Ivy asked, though by the tone she already knew it was Trey. For whatever reason those two could not handle being in the same room without taking a swipe at one another.

“Trey,” she said with little to no emotion.

“What did he do now?” Ivy asked, though she already knew it was something petty.

“Stole my parking spot. I got here early to pick up some growlers from Mason for Shay’s stout cupcakes, and the jerk pulled right in front of me.

“Why was he here in the middle of the day?”

“He was meeting with Tyler about a potential property,” Brooke said.” Tyler owned a vacation rental business, and Ivy’s cousin was a realtor, so they worked together often.

“Still doesn’t excuse him from stealing my spot.”

“Do you want me to yell at him for you?” Ivy joked.

“Yes, please.” Louise smiled big, flashing her perfectly straight teeth. “Thank you.”

Cassie, Mason’s fiancée, climbed on a chair and held her hand up. “Five minutes until game time!” she announced. Ivy had been waiting to put the Hayes brothers in tuxedos again for Cassie and Mason’s wedding, but it hadn’t happened yet. Everyone had been waiting, but Cassie didn’t want to intrude on all the other engagements and weddings happening in their small town.

Mason came over and grabbed Cassie by her sides, hoisting her to the ground. She rested her hand on his chest and kissed him.

They were adorable, but also another reminder that Ivy was forever single. She didn’t even need an engagement or a wedding, just someone to share her dreams and ambitions with. Someone to go look at the Christmas displays with, who would wrap their arm around her when the wind became too cold. Who would make sure the seat heater was on when she got in the car. And who would cuddle up with her in front of the fire on a snowy night and not get mad when she pulled out her knitting needles during the movie they’d spent hours deciding on.

The jerkface, Cody Chance, popped into her head, and she mentally laughed at the absurdity of that thought. He was too rude, too pretty, and he hated Christmas.

No. She needed someone who shared in her love of the Christmas season.

She didn’t think it was much to ask for, and maybe Santa had a Christmas miracle waiting for her in his sack. But until then, she’d enjoy the company of her friends, her knitting needles and the sounds of her community gearing up for another raucous round of trivia.