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Several weeks later...
On the evening of February twelfth, Tom was driving a car full of people to Ashton Corners for Chinese New Year.
Julie, Mike, and Charlotte were arguing about pineapple on pizza, and the racket was giving him a headache. He’d already given his contribution to the argument fifteen minutes ago: pineapple on pizza was an abomination. Charlotte agreed with him; Mike and Julie did not. This wasn’t a topic that deserved twenty minutes of conversation, yet here they were.
Still, he liked his new life. He just hoped Julie wouldn’t try to make him eat pizza with pineapple, though that was less disgusting than a sandwich with ketchup. However, he’d surprisingly enjoyed everything bagels with peanut butter and cheddar, much to her amusement.
The last time he’d done this drive, he’d been accompanying Julie to her hometown as her fake boyfriend, but now, nothing was fake.
Everything was gloriously real, just as he wanted it.
He was looking forward to seeing her parents again, and he was glad their conversations with Julie had improved. He knew Julie used to feel defensive whenever she talked to them, but not so much anymore. Though her parents still regularly got on her nerves, in a loving way.
Just like she sometimes got on his nerves.
She’d also met his parents and charmed them, bringing sunshine to his serious family. They’d had their New Year’s celebration last night. Some of his extended family was in Toronto for a few days, too, and his uncle was doing much better now.
Yes, somehow the most ridiculous thing Tom had ever done—agreeing to be someone’s fake boyfriend—had turned out well. He certainly never would have expected it, but there it was.
Mike and Charlotte were now arguing about cider, and Julie turned away from their conversation. Tom could feel her looking at him, even though his gaze was fixed firmly on the highway.
“I wonder if there will be any competitions this time,” Julie said. “It’s Valentine’s on Sunday, so perhaps we’ll have to make Valentine’s Day cupcakes?”
“Or a cake shaped like an ox. It’s the Year of the Ox, after all.”
Tom wasn’t sure what another holiday with the Tams would bring, but even though there were no itineraries or lists, he didn’t care.
Because he’d be with Julie.
Besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t have his ties, his stain remover pen, his sewing kit, and his neatly-packed suitcase with him.
“I love you, Julie,” he murmured.
“I love you, too.”
He wouldn’t change a single thing about their Christmas love story, not even the part where he’d eaten a mashed potato and ketchup sandwich.
* * * * *
Thank you for reading Her Pretend Christmas Date. This novella is Book 2.5 in the Cider Bar Sisters series, which focuses on Charlotte and her friends. Book 2, His Grumpy Childhood Friend, is Charlotte and Mike’s book. Book 3 should be out in 2021.
If you want to read more Christmas novellas with only one bed, I have two others! The first is One Bed for Christmas, a standalone prequel to my Baldwin Village series. You can get a free copy if you sign up for my newsletter here.
The other is A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas (Holidays with the Wongs, Book 2), which is also about returning to your hometown for Christmas. Except there’s a snowstorm...