SECOND DOWN SCROOGE
CHAPTER ONE
Ā© LISA SUZANNE 2024
Chapter 1: Kelly Kaplan
Darling Christmas Cookie Wreaths
Four Weeks Until Christmas
āCookieās Cookies and Cakes, this is Kelly speaking.ā I blow a breath upward in some attempt to push my hair out of my eyes, and I glance over at the baby corner under the windows in my office. Soon enough, weāre going to have to turn it into a toddler corner. Mia is crawling all over the place at ten months, and soon sheāll be walking, andā¦then I guess I canāt confine her to a corner in my office anymore.
āHey. Itās me.ā
My chest tightens as I hear his voice. It shouldnāt tighten. I should be past all this by now, ready to move on with some hot new hunk.
Iām not ready, and I wish I knew why heās calling me at work rather than on my phone.
āWhy didnāt you just call my phone?ā I ask. Itās throwing me off to be on my office line with him rather than on my phone.
āI did. It went to voicemail.ā
I glance at my desk as I look for my phone, and I donāt even see it. I have Christmas music playing while I work on a set of wreaths to hang up in the shop, and I have little faux cookies and cakes scattered all over my desk. I decorated those with red and green paint yesterday, and Iām hot-gluing them on the wreaths today.
I move some red and green ribbon, and voilaā¦thereās the phone.
I pick it up and spot the missed call.
āSorry,ā I mutter. āIām in the middle of something. What do you need?ā
āI, uh, sorry, but I canāt do next Tuesday with Mia.ā He sounds apologetic, and itās rare he misses time with Mia, but that doesnāt make the feeling of being let down any less brutal. āI got invited to this charity thing, and the entire coaching staff will be there, so I need to make sure to put in my time. Our offensive coordinator is big on face time off the field.ā He sounds annoyed by that fact.
āOkay,ā I mutter with a sigh. Itās not that I mind being with Mia twenty-four seven. I adore her. Sheās my entire world. Sheās my littlest best friend, which is why I nicknamed her Miamigaālike mi amiga. It just came out one day, and it stuck.
Itās just that Tuesdays are when I book all my appointments so I donāt have to drag the baby along with me, and I scheduled a haircut and my annual exam this Tuesday. Itās Austinās one day off each week, and he always spends it with his little girl.
I guess Iām either canceling or Miaās coming with me. Good thing sheās young enough not to remember her momās feet in stirrups with my legs spread eagle as a doctor sticks various items up my hoo-ha.
āIām sorry. Donāt be mad. Can I make it up to you by spending some time with her after practice on Friday?ā he asks.
āThatās fine.ā I yank on some of the mesh that looks crooked. āI guess Iāll see you then.ā
āAre you ready to give this another chance yet?ā he asks.
I chuckle. He ends pretty much every conversation the same way.
Itās not that I donāt want to give him a chance. The way my chest tightened when his voice took me off guard tells me I still have feelings for him. Strong ones. Usually I can manage them better when I see his name flash on my phone screen as if itās serving as a warning, and this time I was just caught off guard.
We have a history. He betrayed my best friend and her husband when he secretly recorded a private conversation and sold it to the highest bidder, and I canāt get past that. Iām nothing if not a loyal friend. I already had trust issues, ones he was aware of, and he swooped in and proved I couldnāt trust him. If he could hurt my friends, how can I be sure Iām not next on his list?
I may be a generally optimistic and positive person, but that doesnāt mean I hand out my trust easily.
Thereās way less risk to my heart by keeping him at armās length. Iāve done it for a year and a half now, and I donāt see that changing anytime soon.
Thatās not to say I wouldnāt want another night or two with him. We could have some fun and keep our emotions in checkā¦right?
Wrong.
I know itās wrong because we tried it. Thereās a little voice in the back of my head that reminds me of that fact whenever I get any silly ideas that we could make it work.
We canāt. We tried. We failed. Thatās that.
āNot yet,ā I say lightly.
āFine,ā he mutters. āIāll talk to you soon.ā
I hang up and finish the wreath, and I spot Mia climbing into her bouncy chair, her tiny ponytail made out of the little whisps of hair I gathered up on top of her head swinging with her movements. Thatās usually the signal that sheās tired and ready for a nap, so I walk over, pick her up, and snuggle her to my chest. āDaddy said heāll see you Friday, baby girl,ā I murmur.
I walk over to the rocking chair Ava ordered for my office, and I sit down and start to rock her. Her eyes close, and once Iām certain sheās asleep, I set her in the bassinet that sheās nearly starting to outgrow.
I take my wreath and my baby monitor, and I head out of my office, lock the door, and walk out toward the cafe, where I find Ava talking to some customers over the counter. Once theyāre done, I show her the wreath.
āGod, Kel. Youāre so talented. I wish I had half the creativity you do.ā
āYou totally do. Your cookies are the cutest in town.ā I nod toward the case of cookies. The hottest sellers right now are the Vegas Aces cookies sheās been making with the team logo since her husband is a former player on the team. In fact, the night she met himāor re-met him, I guess, since sheād known him since she was a kid but hadnāt seen him in a decadeāwas the same night I met Austin. It was a year and a half ago now, but sheās married, and Iāmā¦not.
Iām an exhausted single mom.
We had a fling, we had some fun, and I ended up pregnant. And thatās pretty much the end of our story. He did some underhanded things, I found out he was a member of a sex club, and I canāt be anything more than a co-parent with him.
And flaking on our standing Tuesday appointment feels like a step backward instead of forward.
Heās in season, though, so Iām trying to be understanding.
āOh, that wreath is just darling!ā Mrs. Howard says from the other side of the counter. āHow much is it?ā
āOh, no, these arenāt for sale,ā I say. āJust decorations I made for Ava.ā I hang it on the wall behind the register where we always hang a wreath for whatever holiday is coming next. Itās the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so all the Christmas dĆ©cor is going up today.
āIād pay fifty for one,ā Mrs. Howard says. āAnd so would every other lady in my bunco group.ā
I glance over at her in surprise. āReally?ā
She nods. āReally. Theyāre just adorableā¦and so are you. In fact, youād be perfect for my grandson. Are you seeing anybody?ā
Gotta hand it to grandmas. Somehow, they just know the exact most awkward thing to say.
āOh, Iām not really dating right now,ā I decline respectfully. āSingle mom, busy work schedule, you know how it goes.ā I duck my head in embarrassment.
āI do. All the more reason to get you out to have a little fun. Howās Friday?ā she asks.
āYour cakes are ready,ā Callie says as she walks in from the kitchen with two boxes, and Iām thankful for the interruption.
āThank you, honey,ā Mrs. Howard says. Jenny follows behind Callie with two more boxes, and Mrs. Howard looks at me. āWould you help me get these out to my car, dear?ā
I nod. āOf course.ā
I carry two boxes, and she carries the other two. I carefully set them in the trunk of her Lincoln.
āNow about Friday. Max can pick you up from here or at your house around, sayā¦seven?ā
āMrs. Howard! Donāt be silly. You didnāt even check with Max to see if heās free.ā
She laughs. āHeās got dinner plans with me on Friday at seven.ā She leans in toward me. āIām just swapping out me for you.ā
āIām sure heād really appreciate that, but I canāt. Really.ā Exceptā¦I can. Austin just called to tell me that he wants to spend time with Mia on Friday after practice, and he didnāt say anything about me being there. And why not get picked up for a date while heās there? Maybe itāll send him the message Iām trying to send.
Except, to be honest, Iām not even sure what that message is at this point.
Iām holding him at armās length even though I want him. Iām half in love with him, half in hate with him. Iām still angry that he hurt my friend, his priorities are not aligned with mine, and Iām trying to move on, but I canāt since we see each other at a minimum of once a week with this whole co-parenting thing, and Iām still so attracted to him that itās unreal.
I canāt stay stuck in neutral forever. I should do something about it.
āHeās a real catch, but I understand,ā she says. She smiles warmly at me, and then she walks toward the driverās side of her car.
Moving on. The message I want to send is that itās time for me to move on.
āOkay,ā I sort of yelp in agreement before she leaves, surprising even myself at my outburst. She stops and looks up at me. āOkay, Iāll go out with him.ā
Her lips break out into a broad smile. āThatās wonderful.ā
I give her my number and tell her to have Max text me, and then I wonder what the hell I just agreed to.