OMG Christmas Tree
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
One country guy. One city girl. One big tree.
Megan:
Three nights before Christmas, and all I need to do is to pick up a Christmas tree.
Never mind I'm a city girl who's never bought a real live tree. The biggest and best tree in the lot will impress my mom and her new husband, helping them forget how I've neglected to visit their tiny town of Crystal Cove.
Nick:
Three nights before Christmas, and all I need to do is to pick up a Christmas tree. The one saved for me that I should have picked up already for the charity event at the historic mayor's mansion on Christmas Eve.
A task my mother, Mayor Bennington herself, entrusted me with. Now the biggest and best tree in the lot is gone.
Lucky me, I have the chance to redeem myself by helping a recent tree buyer out of a snowy ditch. Wow, is she pretty. And in possession of my tree.
Falling for the country boy is not part of Megan's holiday plans. But for Nick, stumbling upon this city girl might be just the wake-up call he needs.
OMG Christmas Tree is a sweet, slow-burn, holiday romantic comedy.
Stephanie J. Scott
Stephanie J. Scott is the author of young adult and contemporary romance stories about characters who put their passions first. She loves dance fitness and has a slight obsession with Instagram. She lives outside of Chicago with her tech-of-all-trades husband. Find her on Twitter and Instagram at @StephScottYA Sign up for her author newsletter here: https://www.subscribepage.com/n1x6s1
Read more from Stephanie J. Scott
Falling Into Place Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love on Summer Break Series Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to OMG Christmas Tree
Related ebooks
Snowflakes Over The Starfish Café: The start of a heartwarming, uplifting series from Jessica Redland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Naughty Or Nice Clause Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mistletoe Kiss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Managing the Matthews Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMore Than a Gift Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEscaping Christmas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFake It Till You Make It Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Very Perry Wedding Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Holiday Home Run Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Summer Hates Christmas: A feel-good enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy from Rachel Dove Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEx-mas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Katy and the Christmas Cupid: Lake Sterling Sweet Romance, #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blame It on the Mistletoe: A Holiday Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Romi and the Best Man: Lake Sterling Sweet Romance, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Twelve Dates of Christmas Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Passport Diaries: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blame It on the Mistletoe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Marriage Jinx Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Match Made in Venice: Escape with Leonie Mack for the perfect romantic novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSnowed in for Christmas Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Twice Upon A Road Trip Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBetween a Fox and a Hard Place: Fox Family, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Very Lucky Christmas: A laugh-out-loud romance to lift your festive spirits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tacos for Two Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Very Perry Christmas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen's It Due, Sophie Drew?: A Heart-Warming Romantic Comedy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll's Fair in Love and Christmas Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Midwinter Match: A funny, feel-good read from the author of The Country Escape Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarried & Bright Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Very Merry Manhattan Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Romance For You
Heart Bones: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5November 9: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hopeless Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Something Borrowed: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wuthering Heights Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ugly Love: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Your Perfects: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Before We Were Strangers: A Love Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Confess: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Favorite Half-Night Stand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Without Merit: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Starts with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Under the Roses Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Maybe Now: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chased by Moonlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Erotic Fantasies Anthology Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Maybe Not: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Perfect: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Buzz Books 2023: Fall/Winter Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Roomies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Buzz Books 2023: Spring/Summer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dating You / Hating You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bossy: An Erotic Workplace Diary Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Rosie Effect: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stone Heart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Point of Origin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures: a joyful and heart-warming novel you won't want to miss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swear on This Life: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for OMG Christmas Tree
3 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
OMG Christmas Tree - Stephanie J. Scott
Chapter 1
Megan
I was destined to be a disappointment.
I know Christmas is in four days,
I told my mother into the phone for the second time in as many minutes. "The reason I’m working is because it’s the holidays. Everyone wants the next few days off for vacation."
"And you never get one. Not even a measly few days to see your family."
Heaping spoonful of guilt, anyone?
We have an event at the cafe tonight,
I responded. Running special events puts me one step closer to store manager.
I glanced over my shoulder, hoping nobody heard me. I didn’t want to sound desperate.
Can’t a coffee shop shut down for a week? There are plenty of places for people to get coffee in Chicago.
A coffee grinder buzzed, cutting any reply short. Funny, I was the one with my thumb on the GRIND button.
Sorry, can’t hear!
I shouted, scrunching my shoulder toward my ear to hold the slim phone steady. Naturally, it tumbled onto the counter face down into a puddle of peppermint creamer.
My coworker Cam reached across me and shut the grinder off. Take your break, Megan.
The gaming group will be here in twenty—
How about now.
Cam’s usual soft brown eyes blackened.
Got it.
I pinched the phone from the counter and wiped the screen against my apron along the Drip name and logo. I have this under control.
Cam said nothing. Simply looked at the grinder in front of me.
Empty. I’d been grinding nothing but bean dust and generational angst.
Sigh. I zipped into the back room.
My wedding, Megan,
Mom was saying through the phone. You missed my wedding.
I switched the phone to my other ear, Silly me. Like my right ear would suddenly make this conversation any easier.
Mom, you know I would have gone if—
You didn’t have to work.
She filled in for me. That’s always the case. Well, I’m telling you the truth. It upset me. And your grandmother. And Stu. Stu is still upset.
I shut my eyes, but her words seeped through. I’m sorry I missed your vows with Stu.
What sort of name was Stu, anyhow? Short for Stuart, my brain reminded. Shut up, brain! You gave me two days’ notice. I couldn’t get to Wisconsin that fast. Not when the work schedule already went up.
The line went quiet. On the other side of the door, coffee grinding (actual beans this time; Cam had that down) and customers chatting offered familiar comfort.
It’s been a tough few years.
Mom’s tone softened. I miss my baby. I want you to see how far we’ve come. How happy I am with Stu. I want you to be part of this Christmas.
I know.
The printed shift schedule on the bulletin board blurred before my eyes. Tears? Now, at work? I wiped my cheek. I miss Dad.
Oh, honey. Me too. He’ll always be with us. Always.
Four years since we lost him and some days it felt like yesterday. The holidays brought it all back. All the feels.
I wish we’d had one last Christmas in the house.
I cringed at my own words. The things that fell out of my mouth sometimes…
It made sense to move in with Stu since I’m retired.
Her words became clipped, her tone less sympathetic. The house sold quickly. That’s good news to most people.
I wanted to hold on to our house the way it always had been. Wishful thinking.
Your father would have wanted you to spend the holidays with your family.
Back to my time off, or lack of. Guilt: double shot, no whip, topped off with more guilt.
She wasn’t wrong. Dad would have wanted us all together for the holidays, including my brother, Derek. He lived in Seattle, working in tech. As hard as Dad worked, he’d always made time for us during the holidays.
But it wouldn’t be our family. Stu’s adult children were coming in for a big dinner at his—his and Mom’s—house. His kids had careers in podiatry and particle physics. Grinding coffee beans couldn’t compete with smashing atoms.
My dream? Hoping to be a coffee shop manager.
I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important to me.
Mom’s voice thickened with emotion.
She’d already stirred me up with the Dad stuff. When it came to him, I couldn’t say no. The work excuse wouldn’t hold up. I owed my mom to be with her this holiday.
I grabbed the staff schedule off the board. I’ll give it the old Campbell Can-Do.
It’s what Dad would have done.
image-placeholderI owed two coworkers coverage any day they needed for the next six months. Brain: add Learn negotiating skills to my To-Do list.
Three days until Christmas and I was due back the day after the holiday. Now that Mom was with Stu, she lived so far north their backyard edged the Wisconsin state line.
I headed out with my car’s backseat only partly filled by a suitcase and a small bag of gifts. Not five minutes later, my phone rang in the seat beside me. No Bluetooth in this old thing, so I poked the speaker icon without looking.
Megan, it’s your mother.
Do you call Derek this often?
Did I tell you he’s coming? Derek just got a last minute flight.
Of course, he’d be there. He probably kept his long-planned visit a surprise with a story about last minute tickets. He knew it would delight Mom. Derek was so predictable. And reliable. Things I strived for, but usually fell short.
I’m glad I caught you,
she went on through the speaker. If you could pick up a tree for us on the way in, that would be so helpful. Sawyer’s Tree Farm. You’ll see it a mile from our exit.
Brake lights strobed ahead in a seemingly endless red ribbon. I’m sorry, what? I thought you said something about a tree.
The tree farm is on your way to the house. If you could pick one up for us on your way in.
A real live Christmas tree. From a tree farm. A tradition my family never participated in. Why now? You want me to get you a Christmas tree?
After our weekend trip to Lake Geneva and getting settled after the kitchen upgrade, we haven’t had time to put up decorations. The tree will be easy. Up here, they do it all for you. They’ll carry the tree to your car and tie it to the roof.
Right. A whole tree tied to my roof. Perfectly normal.
The tree is going in the front room,
she continued. Our home has a two-story foyer, so we can fit a nice-sized tree.
I bristled at our home. Time to muster the family Campbell Can-Do attitude. Okay.
You have enough money, don’t you? We’ll pay you back of course.
Yes, Mom. I have enough money for a single Christmas tree.
Never mind I had no clue how much a real tree cost. Or an artificial one. My own fake tree came from a garage sale complete with someone else’s homemade ornaments, my fave being a Mery Christmus 1987 stuffed sachet with a cross-eyed cross-stitched puppy.
Also, never mind my bank balance held a decidedly unimpressive amount of money. I paid my rent on time and I never went hungry. I was doing just fine, and with that promotion to store manager, I’d be even better.
I won’t keep you. Stay safe on the road.
Mom ended the call without extended fanfare. Ever the efficient woman from her career as a nurse.
Mom, retired. Taking weekend trips and renovating a kitchen? Wild. Our old kitchen never changed for the entirety of my childhood. The counters bore scars from a generation of holiday baking and family dinners. The wallpaper peeled in predictable places, with my brother’s and my height marks penciled in beside the patio door.
Traffic inched forward. Me and half the population of Chicago headed out of the city for the holidays. If only I were going home.
Chapter 2
Nick
Hey, Nick, what’s up?
I held up my hand for Ethan Sawyer’s fist bump.
I expected you at least a week ago,
Ethan said.
Yeah, yeah.
I shoved my own gloveless hand back into my coat pocket. I meant to swing by, but life is a little…different this year. Besides, I knew you’d save a tree for us.
Ethan, bearded and wearing a heavy red-and-black checked coat, called across the lot to his also-bearded brother. We still got the Benningtons’ tree?
His brother Rob ran a credit card through a handheld reader. A family circled around him holding their chosen tree, big and round at the bottom with a skinny, crooked top. A pretty busted-looking tree if you asked me, but the little girl hopping up and down didn’t seem to mind. Rob handed back the card and looked over at us. It’s almost Christmas, man. We have to sell what we have.
Mild panic shot through me. I turned back to Ethan. You don’t have our tree?
The Sawyer Tree Farm always kept one of their best—at least ten feet—for our family.
Ethan hefted a bundle of firewood onto a pyramid