Stuck in Christmas (Holiday Magic #1)

Chapter 1

One

I sat in my car, staring into the darkness ahead as my headlights sliced through the night. The GPS screen glowed with an irritating brightness, caught in a frustrating loop, while the automated assistant’s voice droned on in an all-knowing tone.

“At the stop sign, go straight,” he commanded. I clenched my jaw, tightening my grip on the steering wheel as I glanced at the looming ‘T’ intersection.

“There’s no ‘straight’ ahead,” I grumbled, feeling the exasperation creep into my voice.

“Go straight,” he insisted coolly.

“Ugh. We are lost. How is it possible to get lost with GPS?”

“Go straight,” the voice repeated, unbothered by my plight.

With a hint of sarcasm, I muttered, “Well, Yogi Berra said, ‘When you come to the fork in the road, take it.’ Guess we’ll go… right.”

“Recalculating,” the assistant announced with all the enthusiasm of an automated voice. “In two miles, your destination is straight ahead. ”

“Finally.” Relief washed over me until I squinted at the sign that greeted me two miles later. “Christmas, Mississippi?” I frowned. I didn’t even know there was such a place.

“You have arrived,” he chirped.

“No, I haven’t arrived,” I retorted, shaking my head. “I’m not going to Christmas, Mississippi.”

“You have arrived at your destination.”

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was not my destination, not even close. I didn’t even know where Christmas, Mississippi, was on the map. All around the GPS display on my phone was blank space, like the mapmakers couldn’t be bothered with mapping rural Mississippi.

I rolled into a town square all aglow with sparkling decorations, each corner dripping with holiday cheer. A whimsical charm enveloped the air, and I could swear I heard the faint strains of traditional Christmas carols through the closed car door window.

But the most outrageous sight of all was the snow blanketing the ground. “How can there even be snow here?” I wondered aloud, grappling with my phone, which now displayed the dreaded “No Service” message.

Great. Just great.

As I had been on the road for a while, my bladder decided now was a good time to take a rest break. Maybe I could get someone with more bars to send me in the right direction. A sign advertising Bonnie’s Inn glowed in the darkness. It was open, and I could use a snack and a restroom. Good enough .

I swung my car into a cleared spot right in front of the door and stepped out, shivering in the cold air. I hadn’t worn a coat because it was supposed to be 60 degrees.

I was so focused on the weather that I missed the sidewalk's edge and plunged face-first into a snowbank.

“Mother fluffer,” I yelped and struggled to escape the wet snow.

“Oh, my! Miss?” A deep voice broke through my daze. I blinked as snowflakes began falling from the sky. A gnarled hand dotted with age spots reached out for me. “Let me help you. Are you alright?”

“The only thing wounded is my pride,” I admitted, accepting the man’s help to stand on my own two feet again. When I glanced up, I met the concerned green eyes of a 70-something man with long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail. He looked like he spent his younger years touring with The Grateful Dead. The nametag on his apron said, “Joe.”

“Joe? Is that your name?” I asked, brushing what I could of the powdery snow off me. The wet stuff was going to leave a stain.

“Yes, ma’am. And you are?”

“Renee,” I replied, a grin breaking through my embarrassment. “Not my best first impression, but it’s memorable, right?”

“That’s for sure, Miss Renee,” Joe laughed. “Let’s see if we can get you warmed up. Come on inside.”

As we entered the diner side of Bonnie’s Inn, a bell jingled overhead, announcing our arrival. The warm glow of vintage bulbs cast a cozy glow, illuminating red tablecloths on each table. A festive holiday centerpiece featuring holly and cinnamon sticks added the requisite green to the mix, along with a spicy scent that mingled with the sweet aroma of butter and… was that…

“Do I smell peach pie?” I asked Joe.

“Indeed you do,” a senior woman tap, tap, tapped toward us, leaning heavily on a cane as she came.“Who might this be?”

“Bonnie.” Joe dropped my elbow and rushed to the woman’s side. She wore a Christmas-themed apron that said: Baking Spirits Bright with gingerbread men dancing around the edges. Her dark skin contrasted against the pouf of white hair pulled into a bun on the top of her head. Her brown eyes twinkled at me before landing on Joe, who demanded, “What are you doing up? The doctor told you to stay in bed.”

The woman - Bonnie - playfully smacked Joe’s arm. “Well, Eli is making pies, and I had to ensure he made my peach pie just right.”

“Peach pie is my absolute favorite,” I interjected, slightly louder than my stomach rumble.

“Mine too. That’s why I make it, even in the middle of winter. Let’s get you a slice from the pie we just pulled out of the oven. You look like you could use some warming up.” Bonnie called towards the kitchen. “Eli! Please bring out that peach pie, some plates, and forks.”

“Heard.” The word rang out from behind the kitchen doors, and for some reason, the resonance sank into my bones.

I didn’t have time to think about it before the kitchen door swung open, and I found myself staring right into the piercing blue eyes of a man who stood nearly a head taller than me. His dark hair and eyebrows gave him a devilish appearance, and I could only imagine what that did to the women in this small town.

And for some reason, that thought ticked me off.

“Who are you?” The man glared at me over a tray piled high with pie, plates, forks, and mugs.

“Eli,” Bonnie chided. “Where are your manners? Stop staring. This is our new friend—” She waved a hand in my direction, waiting for me to fill in the blank.

“Renee,” I choked out. “Renee Douglas.”

“Miss Renee fell into the snow out front—you know, the snow I asked you to shovel this afternoon?” Bonnie added.

Eli put the tray on the table and dropped his gaze to his feet. “Yeah, I meant to get to it, but?—”

“If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, it’d be Christmas every day,” Bonnie declared, shooing him away. “Miss Renee needs to warm up, so serve the pie and hot chocolate, and then get a couple of towels from the Inn.”

I hated to watch Eli go, but I loved to watch him leave. His form was heavenly. I reached for my pie plate, shoveled a forkful into my mouth, and moaned with delight.

Bonnie turned her attention back to me. “You weren’t kidding. You do love peach pie.”

“Sorry, it’s been hours since I ate, and then I got lost,” I mumbled around a mouthful of pie .

“So, you’re not here for the Christmas Carnival?” A flicker of surprise registered on Joe’s face.

I swallowed the last bite of peachy heaven. “No, I was on my way to the Magnolia Meadows Spa, but my phone freaked out and sent me here instead.”

Bonnie nodded knowingly. “That happens.”

Joe harumphed. “‘Smart’ phones. They’re just making us dumber. If I need directions, I’ll get a map.”

“Oh, don’t listen to him,” Bonnie said. “He still has a flip phone. Me? I love my Superhero Adventure Puzzles. I start every day defeating bad guys.”

I couldn’t help but smile, feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with the pie. “You don’t say.” I showed them my phone, which was devoid of bars. “Well, maybe you have better service than I do.”

Bonnie fished her phone from her apron pocket, shaking her head in dismay. “Will you look at that? Me neither.”

“Do you have a landline?” I knew it was a long shot, but hope springs eternal. “I need to call the spa and tell them I'm running late.”

Joe shook his head. “I’m afraid all the phone lines are down. Terrible ice storm outside of town.”

My heart sank. “Internet?”

“Same as the phone lines,” he replied, a sympathetic smile on his face.

“About that ice storm,” I started.

“It’s quite something.” Bonnie shook her head in disbelief.

Eli returned with the towels and held them out to me. “Thank you,” I said, and our hands briefly touched as he handed the stack to me. A warm current of electricity traveled up my arm from the point of contact. I didn’t think it was dry enough in Mississippi for static electricity. He must have been as puzzled as me because he stared at his hand with a frown.

“We always seem to have ice and snow this time of year. And this is Mississippi; we’re not equipped to handle this,” Joe said.

“Totally get that. I’m from New Orleans.” I began drying my clothes the best I could with the warm towels. Eli must have gotten them right out of the dryer.

“Eli’s from New Orleans, too,” Bonnie announced.

“Is that right?” I asked, glancing at Eli with newfound curiosity.

“Yep,” Eli clipped.

“So, Mr. Joe.” I turned toward my snowbank savior. “Since you’re so good with analog maps, maybe you can give me directions to the spa?”

Joe shook his head. “You can’t leave in this ice storm.”

It was cute how he thought he could stop me from leaving town. But, I’d been dealing with well-meaning older gentlemen my entire career. I knew how to handle these guys. “I have four-wheel drive on my car. The roads weren’t that bad coming into town. I’ll be fine.”

“I think you’ll find things change pretty quickly around here,” Joe warned.

“Thanks for the heads up. But, if you’ll tell me how much I owe you for the hot chocolate and pie, I’ll be on my way.” I folded the wet towels, stacked them on the table, and reached for my purse .

“You owe us nothing, dear,” Bonnie replied warmly. “I wish you would stay. If you change your mind, we have an extra room upstairs at the Inn.”

Suddenly, the thought of spending the holidays at a spa, surrounded by people I didn’t know, didn’t sound as great as it did when I booked the trip. I glanced at Bonnie’s kind eyes and warm smile, and a pang of regret rocked me.

This wacky family was so welcoming to a stranger, but I had to get going.

I had someplace I needed to be.