I'm happy to welcome my friend Silvia Violet as she shares an excerpt of her holiday romance Needing a Little Christmas
Take it away Silvia!
I love Christmas, and once November hits, I wait impatiently to kick-off the Christmas season. Rather than fighting crowds at the mall on Black Friday, I spend the day pulling out boxes of Christmas decorations, books, movies, seasonal artwork my kids have made in years past, ornaments that remind me of earlier Christmases and cookie tins that will soon be bursting with our selection of holiday cookies. Sitting down with Christmas-themed cookbooks and magazines and selecting the cookies and candies my daughters and I are going to make is one of our favorite traditions.
I love the domestic coziness of
Christmas - baking, admiring the Christmas tree lights in the evening, drinking
cocoa while reading our favorite Christmas books, cuddling on the couch and
watching A Christmas Story for the gazillionth time. That warmth and making
myself slow down to enjoy more family closeness is what I treasure each December.
When I write Christmas stories of my own, I try to make sure my characters get
a taste of snuggly Christmas cheer.
In Needing a Little Christmas, Eli is
used to a cozy Christmas with his family. He’s twenty-eight, and he’s never
once spent Christmas Day anywhere but at his childhood home with his parents
and siblings. This year, however, Eli and his brother and sister have given
their parents a special gift, a holiday cruise.
Eli is supposed to spend Christmas
with his boyfriend, but when he finds his boyfriend doing the naked tango with
a co-worker, he’s left on his on. At his mother’s insistence, he leaves the
city and goes to one of her friend’s cabins right as a major snowstorm hits.
When he realizes he’s trapped with no wood to heat the cabin, he calls Mac’s
Wood Delivery and unknowingly saves his Christmas.
Mac has also spent every Christmas
of his life wrapped in the warmth of family. He can’t stand the thought of Eli
being alone without even a Christmas tree. He knows Eli needs a little
Christmas, and Eli realizes that what he needs most is Mac.
Excerpt:
"What do mean you're not going to be with Dave's family
for Christmas? Why?"
I pulled the phone away from my ear. I'd known my mother
would be upset, but her reaction was even more vehement than I expected.
"Apparently one of the junior partners at his firm
isn't nearly as boring as I am. They've been having an affair for months."
My mother made a sound of disgust. "Oh, honey, I'm so
sorry, and you are not boring."
"I know, but Dave thinks I am." And honestly, I
thought he was probably right. I preferred to stay at home rather than go out.
I spent most days in sweats and T-shirts. When Dave did drag me to a party with
his socialite friends, I inevitably embarrassed him with my lack of knowledge
of current affairs. I'd taken to hiding out in the bathroom writing notes for
my next book on my phone. He'd even attempted to coach me in the art of party
conversation. I'd used his lessons in a book but ignored them as they applied
to me. The book had done well; readers found his suggestions hilarious.
When Dave told me I was not only an uninteresting social
companion but boring in bed as well, I'd taken that seriously. I might prefer a
quiet lifestyle, but I knew how to please a partner sexually. After pondering
what I could do to shock him, I'd gotten my nipples pierced, something I'd
secretly wanted to do for years.
He laughed.
I should have broken up with him that night. We'd only had
sex a few times after that, and each time, Dave raced to completion, showered
off the scent of me, and promptly fell asleep.
I heard my mother's heels click against the floor, the sound
reminding me to concentrate on the conversation. She must be pacing, something
she always did when strategizing. "I'm so sorry, honey. Do you want us to
cancel our cruise?"
That was the last thing I wanted. "Of course not.
You've been looking forward to it for months. I'm fine. Really."
"Are you sure?"
I held the phone between my shoulder and ear as I poured
myself a generous measure of whiskey. "Yeah, things hadn't been great
between me and Dave for a long time."
She huffed. "That doesn't give him any excuse to—"
I held up my hand even though she couldn't see me. "No
it doesn't. He acted like an ass, and I think he knows it. He moved out of his
beloved apartment and told me I could keep it." Not that I could afford it
for long unless my next book was a runaway hit.
Mom sighed. "I don't want you spending Christmas
alone."
After draining my drink, I'd wandered into my bedroom and
caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My eyes were red from lack of sleep,
and they looked more hazel than their usual bright green. My curly dark hair
stood out at odd angles. The stress of trying to meet the deadline for my book
and trying to hold on to a relationship that had died long before I caught Dave
fucking his colleague in his office hadn't been good for my appetite. I'd lost
weight, and the bones in my face showed prominently. I was definitely not
looking my best, but
I wanted a few more days to wallow in self-pity.
"I really don't want to be around anyone right
now."
My mom sighed. "But it's Christmas."
I ran my hand through my hair, making it stick out even
more. "I'm not in the mood for holiday cheer."
"Your dad and I can go on a cruise another year."
"No, arranging this once was difficult enough. Rick and
Cindy will want to spend next year with you since they're with Cindy's family
this year. And Ally's trip to California is a special one-time deal. This is
our gift to you, and I won't be responsible for screwing it up."
"You wouldn't be responsible, Dave would be."
"I wasn't exactly looking forward to listening to his
family brag about how wonderful they all are. I'll have a better time
alone." My mom's pacing stopped, and I realized I'd said the wrong thing.
"Eli, why didn't you tell us you didn't want to go home
with Dave? We would never have agreed to the cruise if we thought you'd be
miserable at Christmas."
I tried to backpedal. "It would have been fine. I enjoy
visiting Boston, even if the company leaves something to be desired."
"Hmm." My mom didn't sound convinced. "Maybe
we could get you a ticket for the cruise. It might not be full."
The cruise was supposed to give my parents some
uninterrupted time together. And the last thing I wanted was be trapped on a
ship with lots of happy, smiling people encouraging me to socialize while my
mom fussed over me. "No, thanks. I really, truly would rather be on my
own."
"But what will you do?"
"Stay home and drown my sorrows in Christmas cookies
and eggnog."
Sounds like a great read, going on the TBR pile. And I love Christmas stories.
ReplyDeleteYou will love Silvia's writing Laurie!
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