No Ordinary Christmas

by Belle Calhoune

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2021 by Sandra Calhoune

  Cover design and illustration by Elizabeth Turner Stokes

  Cover copyright © 2021 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

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  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Forever

  Hachette Book Group

  1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104

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  First Edition: September 2021

  Forever is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. The Forever name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

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  ISBN: 978-1-5387-3598-5 (mass market), 978-1-5387-3599-2 (ebook)

  E3-20210823-DA-NF-ORI

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Discover More

  About the Author

  Fall In Love With Forever

  To my brother, David Bell. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about you and miss you. So thankful you were in my life.

  And for my sister-in-law, Rebecca, for loving him so well.

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  Acknowledgments

  Writing is a solitary endeavor, but in reality, no author is alone when a book is being launched. I am profoundly grateful to my agent, Jessica Alvarez, who is a source of great encouragement and always provides me with a wonderful listening ear. I’m so glad we teamed up. Your wisdom and vision are appreciated.

  For my editor Madeleine Colavita, who made the book better by asking the hard questions and pushing me to dig deeper. Thank you for believing in me and in this project. I am so grateful to the entire Grand Central team for all your hard work and dedication.

  For my husband, Randy, and my daughters, Sierra and Amber…thank you for being my quarantine buddies in 2020 and for always celebrating my good news and lifting me up. I’m so blessed to have all of you as my cheering section.

  And for my friend, author Cate Nolan, thank you so much for letting me ask you a million Maine questions and for sharing my joy about this book.

  Chapter One

  Mistletoe, Maine

  Lucy Marshall straightened her glasses and peered out the window of the Free Library of Mistletoe. As head librarian for the past four years, she had gazed at this same view of the town square hundreds of times. But this was the very first occasion she’d been spying on the man who had broken her heart into a million little pieces. Some folks might find her boycotting the parade an act unbefitting of a librarian, but for Lucy, staying inside was her only option. She had her pride after all, and she had no intention of letting bygones be bygones.

  At least she had a fantastic view of the unfolding spectacle. And she wasn’t freezing her buns off outside. As the sun set, the sky lit up with glorious shades of pink and orange.

  The entire town of Mistletoe, Maine, was decked out in tinsel and candy canes and shiny ornaments to herald the arrival of Christmas in four weeks. Six-foot-tall nutcrackers stood at the entrance to the town hall across the way, providing a dose of holiday cheer. Mugs of peppermint hot cocoa were being served around the clock at the Starlight Diner. Every shopwindow in town was decorated in keeping with the holiday season. Normally it was her favorite time of the year, but she wasn’t feeling very merry at the moment.

  Her past had risen up to greet her like a scene from A Christmas Carol. The Ghost of Christmas Past and all that. Bah humbug!

  Lucy couldn’t remember the last time she had seen such a commotion in her hometown. Hordes of people had gathered in the town square to welcome the hometown hero who’d made good in Hollywood—Dante West. Action-star extraordinaire. One of the highest-paid actors in Tinseltown. Townsfolk held banners and posters bearing Dante’s likeness. Flags with his face and form on them were being enthusiastically waved by dozens of kids. One teenaged girl held up a sign asking, WILL YOU MARRY ME, DANTE? Everyone appeared to be giddy with excitement. She was probably the only person in town who wasn’t in attendance at the celebration. Even though it made her feel like a four-year-old, she stuck her tongue out at the scene unfolding before her eyes.

  A moment later she felt thankful no one was paying any attention to her childish gesture, since it would probably make her look petty. Everyone’s interest was focused on the return of the hometown hero. She couldn’t really blame them. From where she was standing, Dante looked pretty eye-catching. With his warm brown skin, striking features, and an athletic physique, he was smoking hot, pure and simple. On more than one occasion, Lucy had found herself getting lost in his deep-set, russet-colored eyes. But that was a long time ago. If she was being honest, sometimes it felt as if it had been yesterday.

  She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. For good measure, she let out a ragged sigh. It annoyed her to no end to see so much hoopla directed toward Dante simply because he’d become a superstar in Hollywood. Humph! It wasn’t as if he had been awarded a Pulitzer Prize, cured cancer, or run into a burning building to save people. He acted in action movies and dated empty-headed starlets.

  Hadn’t she just seen him plastered all over one of the scandal-rag tabloids with Missy North, the famous reality star? That in itself spoke volumes. Missy was known for being as deep as a kiddie pool. She happened to be drop-dead gorgeous, Lucy conceded. She imagined most men would jump through hoops to be the special someone in Missy’s life.

  Even though Dante had been a big celebrity for at least five years now, Lucy still couldn’t believe he’d come back to their hometown to film his next movie. It was probably one of those action flicks with a testosterone-laced name like Maximum Overdrive or Total Impact. Lucy had done her best to tune out all the fanfare surrounding Dante’s return, a near-impossible feat in a town that had gone crazy over Mistletoe’s golden boy.

  Mistletoe wasn’t exactly a happening place like Los Angeles. And, to her knowledge, he’d avoided his hometown like the plague ever since leaving for the big lights of Hollywood. He’d only come back briefly for his father’s
burial. Lucy had gotten a glimpse of him that day at the cemetery. It had been easy to avoid coming face-to-face with him since she’d deliberately remained in the background and skipped the reception.

  Dante West! Movie star. Mistletoe’s favorite son! Her former BFF. The only man she’d ever truly loved. She felt a little pang in her heart as his face flashed before her eyes. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, reminding herself that she’d buried their relationship firmly in the past. Revisiting it only brought her pain. Seeing the town of Mistletoe celebrate the man who’d ripped her heart to shreds felt like a betrayal. After all, she’d been a loyal resident while he’d made a life for himself far away from the shores of Maine. Celebrity was a hard thing to ignore, Lucy realized, and she shouldn’t expect an entire town to harbor resentment against Dante for the way he’d treated her.

  She remembered all the mayhem that erupted a few years ago when Dante landed on the cover of People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive issue. Every red-blooded woman in the United States had been drooling over him. Sure, he was eye candy, but he didn’t have a loyal bone in his body. The way he’d turned his back on his family and his hometown didn’t sit well with her.

  And you, a little voice buzzed in her ear. Don’t forget the way he treated you.

  She shook off the bad thoughts, determined to focus on the things that truly mattered for the duration of Dante’s stay in Mistletoe. She’d built a nice life for herself—one she could be proud of. Her job as a librarian fulfilled her. It meant so much to her that she’d spent every waking hour trying to find a way to save it from town cutbacks and a downturn in donations. In addition to loving her career, she also had great friends and family. Sure, her family was a bit all over the place at times, but when push came to shove they stood together as a united front. Which was why it was somewhat surprising to see her parents, Walt and Leslie, along with her little sister, Tess, standing in the throng outside hailing Dante as a conquering town hero. Lucy sputtered at the sight of her close friend Eva Langston bundled up in a pink parka and matching hat.

  “Traitors one and all,” she whispered. “Trust me, he’s not that special.”

  Problem was, he had been. Once upon a time, Dante had been the sun, moon, and stars in Lucy’s life. She knew she was being petty, but it hurt to remember how things had been before he’d hightailed it off to Hollywood without a word of goodbye. At certain times it seemed like she’d dreamed it all. But Lucy knew she hadn’t made up all the memories she couldn’t seem to shake—sledding down McArthur’s Mountain, splitting peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with him in school, or their first kiss on Christmas Eve out at the lake. Or his promise to take her with him to California. That one hurt the most. He’d bailed on Mistletoe and left her in the dust. After only a few years, he’d achieved megastar status in Hollywood. In the end, he’d soared without her in his life. She couldn’t ignore how badly it still stung.

  Hiding in the library while the town celebrated Dante was an act of self-preservation if nothing else. She didn’t want to know if being in his presence still made her weak in the knees. It wouldn’t be good for her psyche.

  “I knew I’d find you in here.”

  Lucy turned around at the sound of her sister’s honeyed voice. Stella stood there with her hands on her hips, gazing at her younger sister with a sympathetic expression etched on her perfectly rounded face. With her long brown hair, full lips, and mocha-colored skin, Stella was a beautiful woman who turned heads everywhere she went. Somehow she never seemed to be aware of her huge appeal to every male in Mistletoe who had a pulse.

  “Hey, Stella. Why aren’t you outside with the rest of this town?” Lucy asked.

  Stella wrinkled her nose as she walked toward Lucy. “I’m not really into ticker tape parades.”

  Lucy let out an indelicate snort. “One would think they were giving out gold bars or something, judging by all the commotion.”

  “I wanted to make sure you were all right.” Her sister’s eyes radiated compassion. Lucy didn’t want pity, not even from her sister. Stella’s good heart made moisture well up in her eyes.

  Lucy’s throat felt as dry as sandpaper. Her older sister knew her better than anyone else in the world. Separated by only a year, the two of them had been as thick as thieves their entire lives. Stella knew more than anyone what Dante’s return meant to her. “I-I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, sis. I put my big-girl panties on this morning. I’ve known for weeks this was coming.”

  Stella patted her back. Ever since they were kids, her older sister had been taking care of everyone in her orbit. She was the most nurturing person Lucy had ever known. No wonder she’d followed her heart and become a second-grade teacher. Lucy wanted to be just like Stella when she finally grew up.

  Stella’s voice softened. “I know this can’t be easy for you, Lucy.”

  Lucy shook her head. “It’s fine,” she said in a clipped tone. “I’m all right.” The very last thing she wanted was to be an object of sympathy. Been there, done that. And she’d vowed never to go down that road again.

  Stella eyed her with visible skepticism. “There you go again, shutting down your feelings. It’s okay to admit you’re a bit rattled by Dante coming back to town. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen him. The two of you were besties for so many years. Not to mention the period when you were romantically involved. It’s bound to sting a bit.”

  Even though she knew Stella had picked up on her discomfort over the Dante situation, Lucy didn’t want to acknowledge it. Perhaps if she could mask her feelings, it wouldn’t bother her so much on the inside. Perhaps it wouldn’t feel as if her hometown had turned into enemy territory. Maybe the ache inside her would ease up a little bit so she could breathe normally again.

  Lucy squared her shoulders and stood up straight. “I’m not upset. And I’m not hiding out in here either. I just think it’s silly to close down the library simply because Dante finally decided to come back home.” She sniffed. “Everyone here in town is acting as if he’s giving out wads of cash or something.”

  “You have to admit, it is kind of a big deal,” Stella said, shifting from one foot to the other. Her sister’s expression was sheepish. “He’s really famous now. I was just reading an article about him in Us Weekly. He’s one of the—”

  Lucy held up her hands. “I don’t want to hear it.” She shook her head vigorously back and forth. “I’m already sick and tired of hearing Dante’s name.”

  Stella made a face. “Sis, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re going to have to go live under a rock for the next few weeks if you can’t bear it.”

  “Why should I have to go hide? So what that he’s making a big-time movie here? Mistletoe is my hometown. He’s the one who left! He’s the one who turned his back on everyone.” Stella’s eyes widened at the sharp sound of her voice. Lucy winced. Her tone sounded strident and biting to her own ears. Normally, that wasn’t who she was at her core. She hadn’t meant to sound so bitter, but all these feelings were bubbling up inside her, and it was becoming nearly impossible to hide them. Here it was, a few weeks before the most wonderful time of the year, and she was filled with angst and hostility. It wasn’t who she wanted to be, especially at Christmastime.

  “Maybe it does bother me a little bit,” she confessed, lips trembling. Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to put a lid on her emotions. “I can’t believe I’m letting him get to me after all of these years.”

  Stella reached out and wrapped her arms around Lucy, pulling her sister into a tight hug. Lucy nestled against Stella’s comforting embrace. “It’s understandable. You never really had any closure with him. He was here one day and gone the next. Dante made you a lot of promises he didn’t keep. And he never gave you any real answers. Believe me, I know how you feel.”

  Stella was probably one of the only people in her orbit who could relate to her situation. Lucy hated that her older sister had also been jerked around by someone she loved.

  “No,
he didn’t. After he left town I didn’t hear from him for months,” Lucy admitted, her lips trembling with emotion. “By the time he finally reached out to me, I didn’t want to hear a single thing from him. What could he possibly say at that point anyway?”

  Lucy reminded herself to breathe. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t allowed herself to vent about Dante for such a long time. She’d worked hard over the past eight and a half years to become a strong, independent woman. Time hadn’t stood still, and she was no longer crying herself to sleep over Dante West.

  “Why don’t we get some ice cream at the diner? That’ll make everything better,” Stella suggested with a wide grin.

  Lucy sniffed back tears and dabbed at her eyes. “That sounds scrumptious. You always know what I need to put a smile on my face. Let me close up the library. We can head out the back entrance so we don’t get swallowed up by the crowd.”

  “Sounds good,” Stella said, shooting Lucy an encouraging smile.

  As Lucy turned away from Stella, she found herself blinking away more tears. A sharp pang of loss seized her. She pressed a hand against her chest and inhaled a deep breath. She could do this! Lucy could hold her head up high and act merry and bright. She could smile and act as if Dante West was nothing more than a memory. It wouldn’t be too hard to pretend as if she hadn’t missed his friendship. She’d been doing it brilliantly for the last eight and a half years.

  They didn’t call her Little Miss Sunshine for nothing. Planting a smile on her face, she turned off the main computers and began flicking off the lights. Lucy ushered Stella out of the back door of the library, then let out a surprised sound as cold wet flakes began to fall on her face.

  “Ugh. More snow,” Stella said with a groan.

  “It’s fantastic, isn’t it?” Lucy asked, ignoring her sister’s annoyed expression.

  “If you like slipping and sliding all over the roadways,” Stella grumbled. “One of these days I’m going to spend the winter in Hawaii.”