Christmas Ever After: Kismet Bay Book Eight Read online

  Christmas Ever After

  Kismet Bay Book Eight

  Dawn Brower

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  Christmas Ever Afte Copyright © 2019 Dawn Brower

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  Sometimes the hardest thing you can do is give someone a second chance. This is for everyone who took that leap of faith and didn’t regret it.

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  About The Author

  Also by Dawn Brower

  Dawn Brower

  Excerpt: Confessions of a Hellion

  Prologue

  Excerpt: Chance of Love

  Prologue

  Excerpt: Diamonds Don’t Cry

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.

  A. A. Milne

  Acknowledgments

  Many thanks to Elizabeth Evans. There are no words that I can express on how much your help means to me. Thank you for all you do for me and the wonderful things you helped me bring to the world.

  Chapter 1

  Christmas in Kismet Bay… It should be a wonderful time of the year, but Ivy Strange wasn’t feeling very…jolly. Yes, she wasn’t good ole St. Nick and thank goodness for that, but she usually felt a little joy during Christmas. The annual cocoa crawl was one of her favorite activities. She carefully planned it every year and gathered all the ingredients for Serendipity Lane’s contribution to the fundraising event. Last year the cocoa crawl had led her sister Holly to her one true love.

  That wasn’t going to happen for Ivy. She’d met her true love years ago and he abandoned her when she needed him the most. Their love hadn’t been enough for him. Since he’d left her she’d been bitter regarding anything romantic. There were other things in her life she could count on for happiness. Her family never let her down and she found some bit of contentment in her work.

  “Have you purchased all the ingredients for the cocoa?” Holly asked.

  Ivy glanced up at her sister and frowned. “I thought you were going to do that.”

  Holly shook her head and sighed. “You’ve been a little out of it lately. What is up with you?” She lifted a brow. “We discussed this two days ago. I organized the decorations and you were going to take care of the cocoa. I don’t even know everything you put in it. You guard that recipe as if it is gold.”

  Holly wasn’t wrong… “I’m sorry. I don’t know what is wrong with me lately.” Perhaps it was seeing all of her family members find happiness. Even Ophelia found her own slice of love over Thanksgiving. Ivy was the only one alone. She was fated to always be that way too. Nothing would change and she had to accept it. No wonder she was out of it most days. Loneliness wasn’t an easy pill to swallow for anyone, and she’d been feeling empty for years now.

  “It’s all right,” Holly said. She came over and placed her hand on her shoulder. “Will you be able to make it through the cocoa crawl this year or would you like me to handle everything?”

  Ivy shook her head. “I wouldn’t do that to you. I’ll do my part.” She swallowed hard. Somehow she’d find a way to shake the doldrums away. “Besides I am the only one that knows the recipe for our special cocoa.”

  Holly’s lips quirked upward. “Then you better go shopping or we won’t have any cocoa to distribute tomorrow.”

  Ivy chuckled and stuck her tongue out. “I trust you can handle the store while I’m gone.”

  “Of course,” Holly said nonchalantly. “I have done so in the past. Why would that change now?”

  That was her sister, cheeky as ever. “I won’t be long, but I doubt I’ll be back before it is time to close for the evening. Feel free to lock up and I’ll let myself back in.”

  “Will do, sister dear,” Holly said. “Now go before the store closes and you cannot get the items we need.”

  Ivy grinned as she walked out of Serendipity Lane. The store would be fine without her there. She had only been kidding around with her sister. They both had put a lot into making the store successful and they would do there best to keep it going strong. Holly was right about one thing. The local grocery store would close soon and she had to hustle to get there. Luckily it was a quick walk to the store from Serendipity Lane.

  She walked fast until she reached the little grocery store and went inside. Ivy picked up one of the small shopping baskets by the front and carried it to the first aisle. She grabbed cocoa, sugar, and cinnamon. She moved her way through all the aisles until she had all the items she needed for the hot cocoa. When she had them all gathered she headed toward the check out.

  “Hello, Ivy,” Megan, the clerk, said greeting her. “Getting ready for the cocoa crawl I see.”

  “Indeed,” she said and smiled. “Are you going to participate this year?”

  “I wish,” Megan replied. “I’ll be here working.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’d love to have some of your cocoa. I assume these are all the ingredients, but I wouldn’t know where to start.”

  “I’m sorry you cannot participate.” Ivy frowned. “Perhaps I’ll bring you a cup after I make the cocoa or send my sister. It isn’t fair that everyone working that day is denied a good cup of cocoa.”

  “And Ivy is nothing if not fair,” a man said from behind her. Ivy froze at the sound of that familiar voice. She had hoped he would not return to Kismet Bay. Gabriel Reed had only returned shortly last Christmas and then left again. He hadn’t even returned for his friend, Nicholas’s wedding to Ivy’s sister, Holly. Gabriel was famous for running away when things got difficult. He hadn’t even been told the biggest secret of all and he still had left her.

  “No one needs your input,” Ivy said coldly. “It doesn’t mean much anyway.”

  She slid her card through the reader to pay for her items. The sooner they were paid for the quicker she could leave and put some distance between her and Gabriel. There was just too much pain having him near. She couldn’t forget about what she’d lost with him so close.

  “There’s no reason to be so harsh,” Gabriel said. “We used to be…”

  “We were nothing,” she interrupted him. “You proved that when you left me alone and never once looked back.”

  Finally the machine beeped. She breathed a sigh of relief. Megan handed her the receipt. “I’ll make sure you get some of that cocoa.” Megan nodded and wisely remained silent. Ivy grabbed her bags and practically ran from the store. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as memories flooded through her mind. Gabriel leaving, never telling him she was pregnant, losing the baby, and crying for days. She wasn’t sure she could forgive him, and at the same time she had never stopped loving him. Her heart had been broken, still was a tattered mess, but Gabriel remained the one man she had always loved. Damn him for returning again…

  Chapter 2

  Gabriel cursed under his breath. He was always sticking his foot in his mouth concerning Ivy. There was no reasoning with her, and honestly, he didn’t blame her. No one falls in love in high school and stays with their first love. No one. Sure, it happened
but that wasn’t the rule. It was an anomaly that happened in Kismet Bay. He’d thought she’d forgive him some day. Clearly he’d been wrong. He’d been wrong about a lot of things. He wished he could change some of the decisions he had made, but there was no going back. All he could do was move forward and hope for the best. So far even that was failing him…

  He’d had so many dreams. When he’d won that college scholarship to play football he’d believed it to be the answer to every single one of them. He’d even graduated with a bachelor degree in business. He should be able to do…something with his life. Sadly, he had no idea what that something would be. His professional football career had crashed and burned at the beginning of his second season. His knee was shot. No doctor would touch it or make any guarantees, and he’d seen them all. Even a few questionable foreign doctors…

  Gabriel brushed a hand through his blond locks and sighed. Since Ivy bolted he’d been even more lost. She was one of the reasons he’d decided to return to Kismet Bay. His friends and family were there. She was there. It seemed like the place for him to retire, and figure out his life. He picked up a pack of gum and tossed it on the counter. “How much?” He asked Megan. There was no real reason for him to be in the grocery store. He had only gone inside to see Ivy. That hadn’t gone well and he needed to buy something so he didn’t look even more stupid than he already did.

  “A dollar,” Megan answered. She glanced past him to the door where Ivy had nearly run out. Her steps had been fast, but she hadn’t exactly sprinted.

  He was such an ass. Gabriel flipped open his wallet and handed Megan a five dollar bill. “Keep the change,” he said. He didn’t want to be in the store any longer than possible and Megan probably could use the tip. He snatched his pack of gum off the counter and exited the grocery store. He was supposed to meet Nicholas at Witch’s Brew for coffee. His little pit stop had already delayed that.

  Gabriel exited the store and started down the block toward the coffee shop. At least he probably wouldn’t run into Ivy there. She had all the ingredients for her famous cocoa. She would be heading to Serendipity Lane to start the process. Ivy took her cocoa seriously and nothing would get in her way to make the best cocoa for the fundraiser.

  He reached the coffee shop and went inside. Tristan was working behind the counter. Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief. Esmeralda would have given him a hard time. The Strange family stood by their own, and Gabriel was personal non-grata where they were concerned. Oh, they’d be polite, but they’d also keep their distance.

  Gabriel walked over to the counter. “Can I get a strong cup of coffee black.”

  Tristan lifted a brow. “No sugar, no cream, nothing tasty?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not ruining a good cup of coffee by adding anything to it.” Gabriel grinned. “I just need a good caffeine jolt.”

  “Coming right up,” Tristan said. He picked up a large mug and filled it to the top, then brought it over to the counter. “On the house. You look like you need it.”

  “Thanks,” Gabriel said. “I owe you one.” He took his coffee and walked over to the table where Nicholas already sat. He was staring down at his phone frowning. “Bad news?” Gabriel asked.

  “Nothing I can’t handle later.” Nicholas tucked his phone into his pocket. “What’s going on with you?” He lifted a brow. “You’re running a bit late?”

  “Sorry,” he said. “Had to make a stop and it ran later than I expected.” Gabriel didn’t want to explain to Nicholas that he’d gone to see Ivy. It would be to difficult to say any of it aloud. It was bad enough his thoughts about her plagued him. “How is Holly?”

  “She’s good,” he said. “She’s at the store. She texted me she’d be late finishing some of the decorations.” No mention of Ivy. After Nicholas had met Holly, Gabriel had to explain to his friend his awful past with Ivy. How everything had ended badly. It was not one of his finest moments.

  “Are you doing the cocoa crawl tomorrow?”

  Nicholas shrugged. “Holly will be working. I had considered it. Feel like keeping me company? Be a nice repeat from last year. “

  Except last year Nicholas had fallen in love and left Gabriel alone to go see all the doctors. A trip that had not been as fruitful as he hoped it would be. He’d lost everything with that injury. Though participating in the cocoa crawl would give him a reason to go into Serendipity Lane, and maybe see Ivy in the process. He had to start somewhere with her. Gabriel was home to stay. She would have to become accustomed to seeing him. “I might be interested.”

  “Good,” Nicholas grinned. “Now tell me. Are you really going to stay in Kismet Bay? I thought you never wanted to live here again.”

  “It’s home. If you can’t go home when your world falls apart you can’t go anywhere.” He shrugged. “I’ll be staying at my parent’s for now, but after the New Year I’ll look for my own place. I’m here to stay.”

  Saying it aloud helped. It was the first step toward accepting his new future. Maybe if he said it often enough it would feel real.

  Chapter 3

  Ivy stared at the counter lost in her own thoughts. Holly was talking to a couple that had come in to get their mugs filled with cocoa. Ivy had done her part and made the cocoa, but her heart wasn’t in it this year. She wanted to go home and crawl up into a ball. She had taken over Leila’s apartment when she’d moved in with Nash. She had needed a place of her own, and Holly had Nicholas. It was a nice apartment, but it was so empty. She hated going home most of the time, but now, she craved the sanctuary. Holly had delivered some news that rocked Ivy’s entire world.

  The couple laughed as they exited the store, but Ivy couldn’t pay much attention. After they closed the door behind them Holly turned toward her and placed her hands on her hips. “You need to get yourself together. So Gabriel is going to be staying in Kismet Bay. You haven’t dated in years. I know you loved him…”

  “No,” Ivy interrupted her. “You don’t understand.”

  “Then explain it to me.”

  How did she tell her sister about the baby she’d lost. That she’d been broken every since Gabriel had left her, and she was only going through the motions. Sure she seemed happy. Had even convinced herself that she was most of the time. Every time Gabriel sauntered back in her life all those feelings came back. She didn’t know if she’d ever be whole again, and she still loved him. No matter how much she hurt that fact still remained the same. She would always love him. There was no one else for her. “I don’t know that I can. It…hurts.”

  Holly hugged her. “I’m sorry. I wish I could take away your pain. Maybe you can find your way back to each other. I know you still love him. When a Strange loves its forever.”

  Wasn’t that the truth… “I don’t know that Gabriel even loved me. Sometimes words are just that…words. Perhaps he never really meant them.”

  “I doubt that,” Holly said softly. “You can’t fake feelings like that. He made a hard decision, and perhaps the wrong one, but we’re all only human. He’s paying for that decision now. Perhaps you should consider how much he’s hurting now.”

  She might be right. Ivy hated to admit that much even to herself. She’d been hard on Gabriel. She had her reasons, but that didn’t mean she was right for being such a bitch. Gabriel hadn’t known about the baby. If he had perhaps he’d have made a different decision. She’d been the one to keep her pregnancy a secret. She couldn’t hold that against him when he’d not been in possession of all the information. Perhaps it was time to be honest with him. Though she wasn’t certain she could ever say any of it. The pain still rubbed her raw. “I’ll consider it.”

  As those words left her mouth the door swung open. More cocoa crawlers were entering Serendipity Lane. Ivy and Holly turned to greet them. Ivy had pasted a smile on her face but it fell when she recognized Gabriel. Nicholas was with him so she’d have to remain as polite as possible. It sucked, but it was what it was. She’d start following Holly’s suggestion to give him som
e slack. He had a whole career in football ripped away from him. He had his own pain to sort through.

  “We have come for Ivy’s famous cocoa,” Nicholas announced. He held up his Santa mug. “Care to give me a refill?” He handed his mug to Holly.

  “Anything for my husband,” Holly said. She went over to the cocoa dispenser and filled the mug, then returned it to Nicholas. “Are we your first stop?”

  “Yes,” Nicholas said. Gabriel remained quiet. Ivy didn’t know what to make of that. Holly took Gabriel’s mug from him and filled it. Ivy couldn’t seem to make herself move, or speak.

  “Thanks,” Gabriel said as Holly handed him his cocoa.

  Holly turned her attention to Nicholas and ignored Ivy and Gabriel. Whenever Nicholas was around he was all that existed for Holly. Ivy understood. She was as aware of Gabriel in the same way. Neither Nicholas or Holly noticed when Gabriel pulled a flask out of his pocket and spiked his cocoa. She was tempted to call him out on it. He was ruining her cocoa…

  He slid it back into his pocket and then met her gaze. His lips tilted upward into a cocky smile. She narrowed her gaze and frowned. He lifted his mug to his mouth and sipped, daring her to say something to him. “You know you want to. What’s holding you back?” His voice had a cocky edge to it.

  “What you choose to drink is none of my concern. If you want to ruin a perfectly good cup of cocoa then far be it for me to stop you.” She lifted her chin in defiance.