Beyond the Mistletoe: A Christmas Romance (Beyond Love Book 7) (24 page)

“I guess there’s a celebration of life next weekend.”

My heart sped up as I looked at the newspaper. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Mr. Gibb’s Celebration of Life at D’s Antique Gallery.

Mr. Gibbs was preceded in death by his one and only, Dorothy Gibbs. He’ll forever be indebted to the ducks that brought her to him so many decades ago. He was a true adventurer and reveled in the collecting of crap because his beloved enjoyed it so. Mr. Gibbs passed away in his home on November 1
^st
, surrounded by friends and family, but he wanted fewer tears at his memorial and even fewer people so he asked that it be held off for exactly half-a-year, plus a month just to keep you on your toes. Come if you must, but leave with something in hand, preferably someone else’s.
 

Tears filled my eyes as I looked up at Gabby. I knew he was older, but I never expected this. I never thought he wouldn’t be coming in for cups of coffee and then I looked back down at the paper through blurry eyes and focused on the date, November 1
^st
.

“This doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t?” Gabby asked.

“It says he died on November 1
^st
, but that’s not true.”

“What do you mean it’s not true?”

“He was at the bakery the week of your wedding. I remember it specifically because I’d just met Derek, and Mr. Gibbs gave me that advice about how it was better to have someone you’re fond of somewhere than have no one you’re fond of anywhere.”

She looked at me blankly.

“Remember? You saw him. You’d just come in somewhat frantic, and it was during our snowstorm. You wanted to make sure I got the Christmas decorations up. You stood there and held open the door for him, and that’s when I told you about him meeting someone.”

“Emily, he wasn’t there that day. I didn’t hold the door for him.”

“Sure you did. You were probably just too preoccupied with your wedding to notice.”

Gabby sucked on her lip and shook her head.

“No. I know I’d remember that because I remember standing in the door talking to you, but we were alone.”

“No, he walked right under your arm,” I insisted.

“No he really didn’t, hun. I would remember.”

“Then what are you saying? I imagined the entire conversation? I even made him two cappuccinos.”

“I really don’t know what to say. The paper says he passed on November 1
^st
, and I got married in December. It just isn’t possible.”

“All things are possible. Life is full of endless possibilities.” I took a second and thought about it. “Then how in the world do I know about the ducks?”

“Ducks?” Gabby sighed, looking skeptical.

And then it clicked. Her name was Dorothy. It wasn’t a new love. It was his forever love. She was his long distance relationship.

I looked back up at Gabby who was waiting for some sort of explanation, but I knew there wasn’t one she’d understand.

“Do you mind if I keep this?” I asked.

“Not at all. I brought it for you.”

I wiped away the tears that kept spilling down my cheek when Derek walked in.

“You okay?” he asked.

Jason glanced at Gabby and walked over to her.

“Mr. Gibbs passed away.” I told Derek.

“I’m so sorry.” He knelt down and hugged me, knowing just how much Mr. Gibbs meant to me. How much his words changed my life. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have accepted life’s possibilities. I wouldn’t have tried the long distance relationship with Derek. I owed him everything.

“We owe him a lot,” Derek whispered.

“Yes, we do,” I sniffled. “Sorry, guys. Not sure what came over me.”

“He was a kind old man,” Gabby said.

“He was a wise man.” I smiled, thinking about him and Dorothy and hoped he’d finally gotten to his destination with cappuccinos in hand. After all, they’d had the longest long-distance relationship of them all.

Thank you so much for reading Beyond the Mistletoe! I hope the holiday spirit has filled your reading time and allowed you to relax during this busy season. I enjoyed writing every second of Mistletoe, and I even got to start the Christmas season early because of it.

I’ve absolutely loved writing each book in the Beyond Love Series, and I’m looking forward to revisiting all the characters in the Island County Series in the coming months. Thanks again for reading about Emily and Derek. As always, feel free to reach out. My contact information is at the end of this book.

Enjoy the Season,

Karice

Would you like to read more about Gabby and Jason’s wedding? All newsletter subscribers will get FREE access to Jason and Gabby’s novella, a Very Merry Wedding, on December 23rd.
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Keep Reading for excerpts from Finding Love in Forgotten Cove and Beyond Control.

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About the Author

Karice received an MFA in Creative Writing from the U of W. She has written twenty novels, and she has several exciting projects in the works (or at least she thinks they're exciting). Karice lives in the Pacific Northwest with her awesome husband and two cute English Bulldogs. She loves anything to do with snow, and she seeks out the stuff whenever she can, especially if there's a toasty fire to read by.

Acknowledgments

I want to say a simple thank you to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all of the other avenues available for the indie publishing world. It allows the art of storytelling to continue to flourish in unexpected ways!

Keep reading for an excerpt from Finding Love in Forgotten Cove...

The last of the students shuffled out of the room, and I leaned against my desk wondering what in the world I’d signed up for. The silence wrapped around me and so did the dawning realization that I’d be stuck on the island all summer. It seemed like a good idea a few weeks ago, but once I arrived, I started having immediate doubts. Maybe teaching tenth grade summer school wasn’t the best idea to keep busy. I had more than enough to occupy myself with managing my dad’s affairs and getting his house ready to sell, but it was too late now. I’d signed a contract, and I needed to make the best of the situation. It was very clear none of the students wanted to be here and I didn’t blame them. Who would want to spend a summer indoors on the island? I needed to come up with a plan to get them interested and keep myself focused along the way.

Easier said than done.

I looked around the dull and dingy classroom and eyed the yellowed Shakespeare poster that been on the wall since I’d attended school here, and I didn’t need to count the years to know that had been a very long time ago. The beige walls were spotty from years of touch-up paint, and the only improvement I’d noticed was that the individual scarred wooden desks had been replaced with long, plastic tables. This space was dismal. I totally grasped why the kids wouldn’t want to be stuck inside this room all summer while their friends got to run around the island.  

I’d always loved summers on the island, but that was before my family splintered apart with never the hope of coming back together again.

I kept in a sigh and began organizing the students’ papers in a folder. So much of this place had stayed the same. It was like going back in time and the only thing that had managed to age during the process was me. Not a very amusing thought since there were moments l still felt like a teenager inside.

A breeze swept through an open window in the classroom lifting up one of the loose papers from the desk. I reached over and snatched the sheet out of the air and plunked it back down, anchoring it with my empty coffee mug. The sound of a metal ladder clanging along the side of the brick building caught my attention, and I glanced out the window to see the most well-defined stomach peeking out from under some guy’s shirt as he climbed up the ladder. My eyes were glued to his abdomen as he reached up to work on whatever it was he was doing, and it appeared I really had been flung back into high school.

I needed to get out more.

Instead of turning my attention away, however, I kept staring at this small gift from above and trundled over to the window as he worked his way up the ladder. Complete disappointment washed over me when his shirt fell to cover his stomach, but I still stood at complete attention hoping for one last glimpse. It wasn’t until I heard a woman clearing her throat behind me that I realized how close I’d gotten to the window and the man outside it. I had no idea what had come over me. 

I spun around, and my eyes met with the woman who’d hired me and two other female teachers who I’d seen around the campus.

Such was my luck.

As the embarrassment slowly permeated every ounce of my body, I noticed all of the women displayed a sort of knowing smile, but none of them said a word so I stood in place, cheeks flaming. My mind raced in every different direction to come up with a clever comeback, and of course, nothing of the sort came to mind.

“I was just checking to see what all of that ruckus was about outside,” I stuttered, knowing my fair complexion gave me away. One of the many gifts about being a redhead—I lit up like a Christmas tree. “You know…in case he was in danger or the ladder wasn’t steady. I thought I should get a closer look. It sounded pretty dire.”

“Indeed. I can understand that,” Rosa replied, still grinning. She was the principal and the woman behind getting me onboard for summer school. Her dark hair was trimmed short, and despite the warmth of summer, she wore a cream linen suit. Most teaching positions went to locals, but she had known my father and understood my situation and for that I was grateful. “We wanted to stop by and see how your first day went. You didn’t run screaming out the doors, which I take as a good sign.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Nope. Not gonna run. I’m hoping I can get the students interested in history before the summer is over. I only had a couple of texters, and I can’t say I blame them. The weather is beautiful, and I couldn’t imagine being stuck in school all summer at that age.” I smiled and heard the clank of the ladder again as it got moved along the building, but I stayed put, staring directly in front of me. I wasn’t going to fall for that trap twice, but I noticed one of the teachers looked out the window, and it was difficult not to follow her gaze. 

“As the summer goes on, their attention span gets worse,” the other teacher said, stepping out from behind Rosa. She reached out her hand and I shook it. “I’m Samantha. If you need anything, I’m only two doors down.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.” I nodded. “What’s your subject?”

“This summer I’m teaching biology,” Samantha replied.

The other teacher ripped her gaze away from the peep show outside and brought her eyes to mine. “I’m Tessa and I’m four doors down, across the hall. I teach math.”

Tessa was in a pair of black capri leggings and an oversized pink shirt. Her hair was in a bouncy ponytail, and her smile made me feel as if I’d known her for years. Samantha, not so much. Samantha followed Rosa’s lead and wore a white tailored suit, and I had the distinct feeling it would only be to my detriment if I asked her for any help or advice. I sensed she was a woman with an agenda and any questions would be a sign of weakness.

“Well, I hope to be able to get the kids outside,” I started.

“Off school property? That’s always a hassle and never worth the headache,” Samantha spouted.

Tessa opened her mouth as if she was going to object, but shut it quickly, locking eyes with me.

“Stop by the office on the way out, and Martha will get you all the necessary paperwork you need ahead of time if you decide to do that. I think any method that encourages the students to learn is a plus,” Rosa replied, giving me a wry smile.

Samantha looked agitated and flashed me a cold stare, and it was hard not to chuckle as Tessa rolled her eyes at Samantha’s agitation. The island dynamics were already at play.

“Well, thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity to teach this summer,” I said, hoping to tidy up the classroom quickly and get to the house that had so much left to do. Every second I devoted to the home was a second closer to getting off the island.