AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The only ones in town,” a male barista deadpans from behind her.
“They’re still great,” she says with a shrug.
She gives me the rundown, and she’s not wrong. Peppermint bark mochas. Gingerbread, eggnog, s’mores, and candy cane lattes. Christmas-spiced everything. There are so many that it feels like my brain is breaking as I stare at her, my mouth agape
“So what can I get you?”
I swallow. “All of them?”
She grins, and without skipping a beat, she says, “Mistletoe Madness? I’m surprised you know it’s on our secret menu. I haven’t seen you around Windy Brews before.”
“Lucky guess. And you’re right. This is my first time at Windy Brews. In Whispering Winds, actually. I’m here for the holidays.”
“There’s no better place to spend Christmas,” she says as she rings me up. “But I have to ask… Why?”
I snort. “I’m not sure you have time for that story.”
She glances behind me. “No one’s in line, and I love a good story. I’m a writer. Children’s books mostly.”
“Well, in that case…” By the time I finish recounting everything that led me to this point, my drink is ready.
“Wow,” she says. “Hopefully, you two can reconnect after the holidays. Or Juliet could find you a mountain man here.”
“Mountain man?”
“You haven’t seen any?”
“Should I?”
“You can’t miss them. Mine’s coming in right now,” she says, nodding behind me.
I turn around and see a man who barely fits through the door limping toward us. He seems a little grumpy, but a person who turns their walking stick into a candy cane can’t be all that bad. Besides, I doubt she’d be with a grump—I know I never could.
“Juliet had a hand in our meeting,” she says. “I’m Quinn by the way.”
“Eva,” I say before finally taking a sip of my drink.
My eyes flare as the heavily spiced drink wakes up taste buds I never knew I had. Dear lord, this drink is out of this world.
“What did I tell you?” Quinn says.
“It’s like Christmas distilled in a cup. I…” I take another sip, closing my eyes and moaning as the life-changing experience rushes through me all over again.
Quinn slides a small baggy across the counter. “Pop a few of these inside, and you’ll never want anything else.”
“Drugs?” I ask, lifting the bag to inspect it.
“Better. Mom’s peppermint bark.”
“It’s better than her blackberry cobbler.”
I turn around, following the sound of the deepest voice I’ve ever heard. All I see is a mass of flannel. I slowly follow the line of buttons up until I see a beard and the face partially hidden beneath it.
“But it’s more elusive,” Quinn says as I turn back to her. “It’s only available at the Christmas market each weekend. Sells out in minutes unless you have a hookup.”
“How much do I owe you?” I ask, clutching the peppermint bark.
“On the house. Your drink too.”
