Mistletoe Between Friends / The Snowflake Inn

by Samantha Chase

  With so many places to choose from and her stomach getting more and more vocal, she found a small bar and grille with outdoor seating facing the beach and opted to go there. A burger was just like a sandwich, wasn’t it? And sitting at a table was a bit more civilized than the sand. The hostess led her to a table for one, and Savannah smiled and got herself situated. It was tempting to take out her laptop and do some work, but she opted to go with just taking out her phone and checking email.

  She ordered her dinner and a drink and was happily scrolling through her inbox when someone slammed into the back of her chair, nearly causing her to drop her phone. There was no apology and Savannah turned around and glared at the culprit. The guy had his back to her and essentially had his chair right up against hers. Seriously? Was this guy for real?

  Unable to help herself, she nudged her chair back with a little more force than was probably necessary and waited to see if he’d acknowledge her now.

  He didn’t.

  He wore a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes and a newspaper opened to the point where it was practically a wall; Savannah decided the guy was clearly a jerk. Rather than getting into a fight with him, she moved her chair around to another side of the table—and found herself still looking out at the beach. Smiling, she went back to her phone, pulled up the camera, and took a couple shots of the sun on the water. Yeah, it was beautiful and peaceful. There was a light breeze that felt glorious and…

  There was a newspaper in her face.

  “You have got to be kidding me!” she snapped as she peeled the paper from her face, crumpling it up. It didn’t matter if the wind blew and it was an accident, this guy was seriously messing with her peaceful evening and she was done playing nice. “Hey!” she said as she tapped the guy on the shoulder.

  He looked up at her, but between the sun and the cap basically shielding his face, Savannah had no idea what the guy looked like.

  “Seriously, you bang into my chair, your newspaper blows in my face, and you can’t be bothered with an apology?” she demanded, hands on her hips.

  “Um…sorry,” he mumbled and took the crumpled paper from her hands and turned back to his table.

  “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

  Without turning around, he said, “You asked for an apology and I gave you one.”

  Well damn. He had her there. “Oh yeah… Well…fine. Just…keep your crap on your table, okay? I’m trying to relax over here.” When he made no further comment, Savannah went back to her seat. Within minutes, her meal was in front of her and she felt all the tension leaving her body—a good burger could do that for a girl.

  And the fries were damn near orgasmic.

  She let out a little moan of pleasure and noticed Mr. Personality was staring at her. She saw he hadn’t ordered any food yet. The waitress had inquired several times, but he continued to send her away.

  His loss.

  When she looked over and saw he was still staring, she put her burger down and stared back. “Problem?”

  He shook his head. “I was just wondering what it was you ordered that had you sounding like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Really?” he said with what sounded suspiciously like sarcasm.

  Rolling her eyes, she motioned to her plate. “Bacon cheeseburger—pepper jack cheese, avocado…the works. And fries.” She picked one up. “These are the culprits. They’re so good they should be illegal.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone describe French fries that way.”

  “Trust me.”

  “I guess I’ll have to,” he said and for a minute, he just sat back and smiled at her.

  “Look…um… Can you turn around? You know, go back to your reading? You’re starting to freak me out. And besides, didn’t your parents ever tell you it’s rude to stare?”

  He laughed again. “As a matter of fact they have. But I wasn’t a very good listener.”

  “So it’s a lifelong problem?”

  “Tell you what, you let me have one of your moan-inducing fries and I’ll go back to reading my paper and leave you alone.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  He nodded. “Scout’s honor.”

  Somehow she couldn’t envision this guy ever having been a Boy Scout, but whatever. Watching him warily, she picked up a fry and held it out for him. “One fry and then you turn back around so I can eat without an audience, right?”

  He nodded again when suddenly the wind picked up, and in the blink of an eye, Savannah’s napkin blew off her lap. She bent over to reach it at the same time he bent over to help her. Their heads bumped and with a startled “ow” coming from both of them, Savannah reached up to touch her head. On the ground was his baseball cap. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him reach for it. After she had her napkin safely back in place, she realized she was still holding the French fry.

  “Hey, aren’t you gonna…” She looked up and gasped.

  Staring back at her was none other than Riley Shaughnessy.

  For more Samantha Chase

  check out The Shaughnessy Brothers series

  This Is Our Song

  On sale December 2016

  About the Author

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her forties to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary-age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.

  When she’s not working on a new story, Samantha spends her time reading contemporary romances, blogging, playing way too many games of Scrabble or solitaire on Facebook, and spending time with her husband of twenty-five years and their two sons in North Carolina.

  Saving Jake

  Blessings, Georgia

  by Sharon Sala

  New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

  There is always hope

  After eight years in the Marines, Jacob Lorde returns to Blessings, Georgia, with no plans other than to hole up in his empty house and heal what’s left of his soul. But with a charming next door neighbor and a town full of friendly people, keeping to himself is easier said than done.

  as long as you can come home

  Laurel Payne understands far too well what Jake is going through, after witnessing her late husband experience similar problems. She’s in no hurry to jump into another relationship with a complicated guy, but their attraction is undeniable—and perhaps exactly what both of them need.

  Praise for I’ll Stand By You:

  “An amazing story by a true storyteller.” —RT Book Reviews

  “Sala hooks you from the first page.” —Fresh Fiction

  For more Sharon Sala, visit:

  www.sourcebooks.com

  Thank you for reading!

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