A Winter Kiss Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  A WINTER KISS: A COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTMAS STORIES

  First edition. November 4, 2020.

  Copyright © 2020 Hannah Lynn et al..

  ISBN: 978-1393570950

  Written by Hannah Lynn et al..

  A Winter Kiss

  A Collection of Contemporary Christmas Stories

  Contents

  A Christmas Proposal

  Hannah Lynn

  Tempting Harry

  Victoria Pinder

  A Romance for Christmas

  Eve L. Mitchell

  Epiphany

  Caitlyn Coakley

  Noel

  H.M. Shander

  Mistletoe Magic

  Christine Pope

  A Necessity Christmas

  Margo Bond Collins

  Mistletoe Scheme

  Bokerah Brumley

  The Christmas Experiment

  Katherine Moore

  Merry Christmas, Henry

  Aubrey Wynne

  Best Christmas Ever

  Dana Lyons

  A Christmas Kiss

  Tricia Schneider

  Turn Back Time

  Molly Zenk

  Chamber Music

  DJ Shaw

  Tennessee Tinsel

  Bethany Strobel

  A Christmas Proposal

  A Peas and Carrots Novella

  Hannah Lynn

  Chapter 1

  ‘If you ruin this, then I’m moving out. You know that, don’t you?’

  ‘You’ve got nowhere else to go.’

  ‘I’ll move in with Lydia.’

  ‘Now I know you’re lying. You could never live with your sister.’

  Eric and Suzy were crouched around the fireplace, snuggled together for a fraction more warmth. They had started with the bathroom – a house without a usable bathroom was a no-go for both of them – but after that, the fireplace had been the priority. It didn’t make sense, really. A repainted bedroom, or a kitchen with more than a camping stove and a microwave, would have made far more sense when it came to comfortable living. However, Suzy had wanted an open fireplace, and Eric wanted whatever Suzy wanted.

  Leaning forward, he lit a match and brought it to meet the twisted scraps of paper set beneath the wood. With a crackle and a wisp of smoke came the first hint of a flame.

  ‘Just give it a second,’ he said. ‘The wood will catch in a moment. It just needs a second.’ Blowing gently, he sent a small flurry of red embers up the chimney. Another puff and the kindling caught alight too. ‘Now it’s just a matter of waiting,’ he said, propping himself against a patio chair and lifting his arm so Suzy could slip into place beneath it. A sofa was another investment they should have considered, but they would get there.

  ‘Our first Christmas together,’ Eric said, feeling the warmth of the fire glowing against his cheeks.

  ‘Our first of many.’

  Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. It was ridiculous how quickly they had fallen into a symbiotic pattern. Nine months ago, Eric met her at a party. Eight months and three weeks ago, he had known Suzy was the one. Five months later, and they moved into his very first property, both of their names on the deed. The scariest part of it probably should have been the fact that she hadn’t even finalized her divorce. Yet, for some reason, it didn’t bother Eric in the slightest.

  ‘You can’t be serious,’ his father had said when he spoke to him on the phone. As always, Eric had rung to speak to his mother, but George had taken the phone from his wife in order to berate his son. ‘Don’t come running to me when she disappears with all your money.’

  ‘It’s mostly her money that’s gone into the deposit,’ Eric reminded him. ‘So if anyone should be worried they’re being taken advantage of, it’s Suzy.’

  ‘Well, don’t come crying when it all goes wrong.’

  It was unlikely, Eric considered, given that he had not gone crying to his father for anything since he passed the age of three. In hindsight, he now suspected that even toddler Eric knew better than to go to George Sibley when in search of any kind of affection or reassurance.

  In Eric’s mind, George Sibley had got a lot of it wrong when it came to parenting. There was no room for emotion. No room for feelings of sentimentality, or, God-forbid, love. How his mother had stood it for so long was a mystery to him. At least it would be different for him. The idea of ever being anything other than hopelessly in love with Suzy, even thirty years down the line, made him want to laugh. Never in his life did he imagine being this happy. Inhaling the smoky scent of the fire, he rested his chin on top of his girlfriend’s head.

  ‘So what do you think?’ Suzy asked, snapping him back to the moment.

  ‘Sorry?’ Eric shook his head clear, realising he had obviously missed something.

  ‘About the Frozen World Exhibition tickets? I know tickets are expensive, but I think it could be really special.’

  ‘The Frozen World?’ At this point, he knew he should have been paying more attention as it sounded like Suzy wanted to go and see some animal planet type event. ‘Well…’

  Her eyes narrowed sceptically. ‘Have you been listening to anything I’ve just said?’

  There was no point in trying to deny it. She could read him like a book, and there was no way he could bluff his way out of this one. Arching an eyebrow, she laughed.

  ‘Honestly, what are you like? I’m beginning to think I’ve made a terrible mistake moving in here with you.’

  Eric’s stomach knotted over on itself. If she thought moving in with him was a mistake, who knew what she would think to his next plan.

  Despite Eric’s plan being hatched long in advance, it was still missing one vital ingredient.

  ‘How have you left it till this late,’ his best friend Ralph said as they grabbed lunch together at the pub opposite Eric’s office. ‘Perhaps your brain is subconsciously telling you that you’re making a terrible mistake.’ Eric glared at him. ‘Don’t get me wrong, Suzy is amazing, way better than you deserve, but you’re still young. In your prime. These are the most virile years of your life. You should be spreading your seed, not planting it in the same bush every night.’

  ‘That really is some horrific imagery,’ Eric responded, his Caesar salad now looking decidedly less appetizing.

  ‘What you’re thinking about doing is horrific.’

  ‘So, does that mean you won’t come with me?’

  ‘Of course, I’ll come with you. I told Dad I couldn’t come into work today as I was meeting with some potential clients. If I go home, he’ll probably drop in just to check up on me and accuse me of shirking.’

  ‘Which is exactly what you’re doing.’

  ‘Whatever. I need to stay out of the house until at least six. So any idea where we’re headed?’

  ‘Vaguely.’

  ‘I’ll see you back here at five then. Have your credit card ready.’

  The little research Eric managed had convinced him that heading to Covent Garden would be the best place to start. It seemed fitting, too, given how Suzy loved to stroll around the stalls, listening to the singers and throwing coins into the street artists’ hats.

  Christmas had erupted. Red and silver baubles – if they could still be called that when they were over half a metre in diameter – were dripping from rooftops and imitation trees. Shoppers arm in arm, with scarves wrapped up to their ears and coats that doubled their size, scurried about in the cold.

  ‘You know, you just need to go into one,’ Ralph said as they passed the third suitable shop in as many minutes. You’re not going to buy one standing out here in the bloody cold. I thought you said you needed to get it
tonight?’

  ‘You’re right, you’re right.’ Eric said, glancing into the shop beside him. Through the window, he noted the sales assistants; men and women all perfectly coiffed, with severe-looking burgundy uniforms. As he continued to stare, one of them caught his eye and glowered at him through the glass.

  ‘Let’s try that other one back there,’ he said.

  A moment later, having finally picked a shop to start his search, Eric opened the door. A wall of hot, perfumed air collided with the outside.

  ‘Good afternoon.’ A woman somehow transported herself across the counter and was standing in front of Eric and Ralph before they were fully inside the shop. ‘Is there anything I can help you with?’

  ‘I’ve come to get a ring?’ Eric couldn’t help but feel his statement was somewhat superfluous, given that every single item on display was, in fact, a ring.

  ‘Of course, of course.’ Her smile broadened, creasing her face.’ Now, why don’t you take a seat and tell me what you’re looking for.’ Feeling like he had just fallen into some inescapable well, Eric exchanged a look with Ralph.

  ‘You’re the one who wants to do this,’ he said.

  Reminding himself that it was a once in a lifetime act, Eric followed the woman to the rear of the shop.

  The seats were densely padded and were almost impossible to move in once he sat down. It was a good sales tactic, Eric thought, making sure people were trapped there until they bought something. Then and only then, he suspected the sales staff would tell them the secret of escaping from the overly squishy furniture.

  ‘Can I get you a drink?’ The woman asked as Eric sank deeper and deeper into the cushion. ‘Wine? Champagne?’

  ‘I’d like a champagne,’ Ralph cut in.

  ‘Just two waters would be great,’ Eric said.

  ‘Water for him. Champagne for me,’ Ralph said.

  Nodding and smiling, the woman moved over to a mini-fridge and pulled out two plastic water bottles, which she placed in front of them, along with two glasses. Ralph scowled at the drink.

  ‘Turns out we’re all out of champagne,’ she said. Eric chuckled silently. He quite liked this woman.

  Having finished with drinks, she turned her attention to Eric. ‘So, is there something you already have in mind?’ she said. ‘Any particular style you were after? A diamond, I assume?’

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘Great. And what size were you thinking? One carat? More? Less?’

  ‘Uhhmm, well, what’s normal?’

  Her smile broadened further as if she were a human Cheshire Cat.

  ‘Well, there really is no normal when it comes to giving the love of your life a gift that will last them a lifetime.’

  ‘It sounds like herpes when you say it like that,’ Ralph interjected. Eric shot him a look.

  Casually overlooking the interruption, the woman continued.

  ‘How about I bring you a selection of our most popular items, and we can start from there?’

  ‘That would be great.’

  Five minutes later, and he was struggling.

  He didn’t mean to sound like a man, but they were rings. Sparkly and shiny rings. Yes, he could tell some were obviously a bit bigger than others, and he was smart enough to tell which were gold or silver coloured, but that was about it. Lots of rings, lots of diamonds, and lots of pressure.

  ‘That one’s nice,’ Eric said, pointing to one pretty much at random.

  ‘This one.’

  ‘Yes.’

  Her Cheshire Cat smile ensued.

  ‘A very popular princess cut. A good-sized diamond too, and let’s be honest, that’s an important part. The stone itself is just under one carat and a half. One point four eight. In terms of colour, it’s very nearly colourless, which is sometimes trickier to get in a diamond of this size. And as you can tell, it’s virtually flawless. No visible imperfections. This one’s in platinum, but we have similar cuts and carats available in white gold as well.’

  ‘Okay.’ Eric felt he had understood about four percent of what she had just said. He turned the ring over in his fingers. ‘And how much is it?’

  The smile tightened. ‘This one’s ten nine nine five.

  ‘Ten nine nine five.’ It took a second. ‘Eleven thousand pounds? This ring is eleven thousand pounds?’

  ‘Yes, well, it is actually a preloved setting and stone. That’s the reason we are able to offer it at such a discounted rate.’

  ‘Eleven thousand pounds is discounted?’ Eric continued to stare, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, at the item in his hands. He was overcome with a sudden urge to drop the item there and then, just to get it out of his hands. Fortunately, he managed to contain the urge, although his fingers were notably trembling when he handed it back.

  ‘Do you have anything slightly less expensive?’ he asked. ‘Around the two to three thousand pound mark?’

  A flicker of disdain flashed across her face.

  ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Our budget rings are over in the other section of the room.’

  Budget, Eric discovered, was an incredibly subjective term, with the first ring she showed him from the cheap pile coming out at four grand. Still, it was closer to what he had planned on paying.

  ‘What about this?’ Eric asked, picking one out of the pile. The stone sat up from the top, the multiple facats glittering full spectrums of colour in the shop’s specifically designed lighting.

  ‘It’s sparkly,’ Ralph offered.

  ‘Yup,’ Eric agreed. It was that.

  He put it back and picked up another.

  ‘And this one?’

  ‘Also sparkly.’

  Eric sighed. Perhaps Ralph hadn’t been the best choice of person to bring with him after all. His thoughts echoed Eric’s; all the rings were pretty much the same. Silver bands. Sparkly diamond on top. He picked up one that was closest to him. Would Suzy really want something so pedestrian? It didn’t seem likely, yet, wasn’t this what all the women wanted? A big sparkly diamond? He shook his head.

  ‘Why don’t you come back another day?’ Ralph asked. ‘Try and find out a bit more about what she wants.’

  ‘I can’t. The reservation is tonight. I have to get it now.’

  ‘You’re planning on proposing the same day as buying the ring?’ If the woman had shown moderate disdain towards Eric before, it had now turned to full-blown repulsion at this new discovery. ‘Do you have plans?’

  Eric rubbed his temples and wondered why he felt it necessary to explain himself to the saleswoman.

  ‘I made the booking months ago. It’s at La Maison.’

  Her look of repulsion altered entirely.

  ‘La Maison? You got a reservation?’

  ‘Only just. Like I said, I had to make it months ago.’

  Apparently feeling the need to go through a full range of emotions in one short conversation, the woman’s expression now took on a more confused look.

  ‘If you’d got the reservation, why on earth would you wait until today to buy the ring?’

  ‘Because she’d find it,’ Eric said.

  ‘Really?’

  It may have sounded ridiculous, but Eric knew his future wife-to-be. ‘The house is barely furnished. She’s always going in and out of cupboards and drawers. I can’t leave it at work, and there’s no one I’d trust to look after it.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Ralph said.

  ‘You’re twenty-nine and still live off your parents because you spend all your money on poker and yacht trips,’ Eric replied.

  ‘Fair point.’

  ‘Trust me. This is the best way. I’ve planned it. In three hours’ time, whatever ring I purchase here is going to be on Suzy’s finger.’

  ‘Okay.’ The saleswoman cracked her knuckles, clearly galvanized by this new piece of information. ‘Let’s find you something. What are your thoughts about sapphires?’

  Chapter 2

  While Eric had made no attempt to disguise how quickly he had fallen head over
heels for Suzy, he was having a hard time thinking the same about the in-laws. He had met her mother and father – veterans of the cruise ship ballroom dancing scene – in person only once. It had been at a service station just outside Gatwick airport, having made the journey at their request so as to drop off two new pairs of custom dance shoes.

  ‘I’m sorry it’s such a rushed one darling.’ Yvette had said as she kissed Suzy on the cheeks. ‘A ship leaving from Portsmouth has had their star dancers drop out at the last minute. Bird flu, I think I heard them say. Anyway, you know what your father is like. He’s never one to turn down a sure thing.’

  ‘It’s fine, mum.’ Suzy had been her normal unflappable self. ‘Maybe the next time you’re on dry land for a little bit, Eric and I could take you for dinner?’

  ‘Eric?’

  Standing to the side, Eric had cleared his throat and stretched out his hand. ‘We met on Suzy’s birthday, Yvette. Over Skype.’

  ‘Oh?’ Her face had then performed some strange contorting motion.

  ‘I showed you photos of the house Suzy and I were buying together?’

  ‘Ah, yes.’ The crumpled lines deepened. ‘That’s you, is it? Your face looked a lot thinner on the computer, I think. Have you gained weight since then?’

  A noticeable heat had risen around his collar. ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Maybe you had your computer setting on thin screen then.’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  A moment later, Yvette had brought the conversation to an end. ‘Well, I suspect we’ll speak to you in a couple of months. And please stop cutting your hair, Suzy darling. You look more and more like a man every time I see you.’

  ‘Well, she was delightful,’ Eric had said as they waved them off between the various lorries and delivery trucks.