Who's getting excited for Christmas?
Scrooge You! is my next big project and I am having so much fun writing about my grumpy, grinch-y runner and his big, bearded baker!
It's set in the super cute small town of Christmas Falls, a shared world Christmas romance series that will be releasing this holiday season.
Keep reading for a little sneak peak from it.
Hayden automatically turned right onto Prancer Street, sneering at the name on the street sign. The whole town was Christmas themed. Gross.
Supposedly, it had been called Milton Falls way back in the 1800s but, according to his mom, some factory had started churning out holiday décor after WWII or something and everything had snowballed from there.
Now, he lived in a place with roads named Blitzen Street and Candy Cane Lane.
There was literally a place called Santa’s Workshop. Barf.
Maybe Ginger’s Breads wasn’t so bad after all …
Hayden jogged through the intersection, then glanced over at the bakery.
It did look sort of cozy today, with the lights glowing inside when it was all gray and dreary out.
It had been clear and cold yesterday morning but today it was drizzling cold rain and Hayden had already almost lost his footing a few times as patches of wet pavement began to freeze.
The big, bearded ginger in the window lifted a hand in greeting again. Hayden looked away, refusing to acknowledge him.
He didn’t know why he’d looked over yesterday.
The guy really was kind of hot but why was everyone here trying to make friends with Hayden? He wasn’t going to stay in this stupid holiday-themed town.
Hayden glanced over again to see the baker still staring, a small smile on his face as if he was amused by something Hayden had done.
Hayden put on a burst of speed, but the moment his running boot touched the ground, he knew it was a mistake.
His foot slipped and he windmilled for a second, trying to right himself. But there was nothing but slick road beneath his feet and, with a thud, his ass hit the ground.
Stunned and winded, Hayden stared up at the gray sky, pain flaring to life in his elbow and tailbone.
The tinkle of a bell made him look over, his head still swimming, and a moment later a big body blotted out the storm clouds overhead.
“Hey, are you okay? I’m Joel, I run the bakery here.” He peered down at Hayden, a frown wrinkling his forehead.
“Do I fucking look okay?” Hayden groused.
“Well, no. That’s why I came out to check on you. Did you hit your head? Twist an ankle?” Joel patted him all over, like he was trying to assess for damage.
Hayden did his own assessment. “No. Just banged my elbow and bruised my ass. I’ll be fine.”
He sat up, wincing.
“Maybe take it slow,” Joel said as he rose to his feet. “Just in case.”
Hayden ignored him and got to his feet but they went out from under him again and he fell heavily against Joel’s chest.
“Whoa, watch it, kid,” Joel said, gripping his upper arms to keep him from taking them both down. “It’s a little slick out.”
“I hadn’t fucking noticed,” Hayden muttered against his shoulder, embarrassed.