Jingle Balls: A Holiday Romantic Comedy Anthology

by Dylann Crush

  “You up for this?” Heather asked.

  I shook my head. “Not really how I pictured spending my Friday night.”

  “Where’s the ambulance?” Cassie gritted her teeth as another contraction seemed to rip across her belly.

  “Breathe.” I tried to remember what I’d learned about pregnancy in my studies. I knew plenty about working with pregnant women, but not much about navigating the actual birthing process.

  “Baby’s coming.” Cassie struggled to prop herself up on her elbows.

  “I’m pretty sure she’s almost dilated to a ten. Where’s the ambulance?” Heather whispered.

  Misty bustled in, her phone to her ear. She made a beeline to Heather. “Here are the extra tablecloths, and I’ve got 911 on the line. They said they’ll coach you through what to do.”

  Heather nudged her chin toward the phone. “Can you put them on speaker?”

  “Let me.” I snagged the phone from Misty and held it out to Heather, making sure to push the speaker icon.

  “Where’s Robbie?” Cassie asked, her forehead beaded with sweat.

  “I’ll get him.” Misty raced from the room.

  “She’s going to have to push.” Heather lifted the hem of Cassie’s dress up to her knees. “What’s the status on that ambulance?”

  “About twelve minutes out,” the operator on speaker replied. “If you can’t hold her off, then go ahead and get her in a position to push.”

  I glanced around the compact kitchen. It smelled like onion rings and grease. Not exactly the kind of environment where I’d want my own kid to enter the world.

  Robbie rushed in through the doors, Misty behind him. He knelt down on the linoleum floor and took his wife’s hand. “You okay?”

  “No thanks to you,” Cassie ground out. She squeezed his hand so tight her knuckles went white.

  Heather leaned into me. “We’re going to have to do this. You and me. Are you up for it?”

  Everyone else had an air of panic around them. But not Heather. She seemed as calm and cool as a cucumber in the snow.

  “Yeah. Tell me how to help.”

  With Heather’s expertise and the operator on the phone guiding us through the steps, Cassie delivered a healthy baby boy. I wrapped him in some fabric Misty had used for custom table toppers. The baby looked a little out of place bundled in the red and white fabric with miniature dicks printed all over it, but he appeared to be healthy and that’s all that mattered.

  I passed him onto his parents and snugged Heather into my side. “You were amazing.”

  “Couldn’t have done it without you.” She popped to her tiptoes and gave me a peck on the cheek.

  At that moment, the paramedics rushed through the door. They got Cassie onto a stretcher and started wheeling her out to the ambulance.

  Misty made a move to follow, then stopped next to Heather. “I can’t leave. I’ve got too much to do here. Will you go with them and make sure she’s all right?”

  Heather pulled off her gloves and tossed them in the trash. “Of course. Just let me clean up a bit and I’ll follow them.”

  “Thank you. I’d better get back out there. The ball must go on.” Misty blew us both a kiss, then disappeared through the doorway.

  Heather’s lips tipped up in a smile. I’d never been so in awe of a person before. The way she kept her cool while everyone else seemed on the verge of panic had been a major turn on. But propositioning a woman right after she’d had her hands up another woman’s vagina didn’t seem like the best move. Especially not one who I’d love to offer a job.

  Before I had a chance to figure out what to say, she’d scrubbed her hands and grabbed her purse.

  “Good job tonight, doc.”

  I followed her to the swinging door leading from the kitchen out into the main room. “Hey, do you think we could grab a drink together sometime?”

  She paused, her hand on the door. “We already did, didn’t we? I’m not sure how to top a Ball Buster.” With that, she disappeared through the door, leaving me behind.

  5

  Heather

  “How’s the new mama?” Misty slid onto a stool at the counter of the Lovebird Café.

  Somehow I’d been roped into helping out since Cassie’s replacement hadn’t planned on starting for at least another week. I had the time and with the holidays coming, I sure could use the extra cash.

  “Good. She’s a trooper. I’m sure she’ll head home today.” I ran a rag over the counter to clean up a stubborn syrup stain. “Baby and mama both look great so they really don’t have a reason to keep them.”

  “Thank God you were there last night.” Misty reached down to grab something on the floor next to her. “I wanted to drop this off. A little something from the ball.”

  “What is it?” I tossed the rag into a bin under the counter.

  “It’s nothing, really.” Misty popped up with a familiar basket in her hands.

  “That’s not Weston’s vibrat—”

  “It’s a massager.” Misty’s mouth scrunched up. “I figured you could use a little pick me up after such a wild night so I bid on it for you in the silent auction.”

  “What?” I riffled through the basket. The giant purple wand was still in its box. I contemplated my failed attempts at the dating scene. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  “Don’t worry, it’s my treat. Consider it an early Christmas gift.” She rummaged through her purse and pulled out an envelope. “And it comes with this.”

  “Please don’t tell me it’s a gift certificate for a naughty massage with Doctor Pierce.” I reached for it as Misty slid off the stool.

  “No. It’s a gift certificate for Cocktails with the Chiro. I told him you had no plans for tonight so he’ll pick you up at seven.”

  My cheeks prickled, and my heart squeezed tight. I tried to take a breath around the knot in my chest. “No. Come on, Misty.”

  “What? He needs a nurse. You need a job. Just talk to the guy.”

  “I have no interest in working for Dr. Pierce.” Not with the way he made my skin tingle and my toes curl. Been there, done that. It’s not like I had any other job offers pouring in, but I’d rather move back home with my mom permanently than be subjected to a hot doc like Weston on a daily basis on the job. Nothing good would come from a situation like that.

  “If you don’t want to be his nurse, at least enjoy an evening with him. Seems like the two of you were getting to know each other last night. If it weren’t for an impromptu baby delivery, no telling what might have happened.” She waggled her eyebrows and her red lips spread into a smirk. “You can thank me later. Just make sure you’re ready to go at seven.”

  “I can’t tonight. I’ve got plans.” My chest tightened even as a wave of heat rolled through me at the memory of being caught up in Weston’s gaze. Misty wasn’t going to win this time. She had a history of making everyone in Swallow Springs bend to her will. But not me. I was prepared to hold my ground.

  “No, you don’t. I already checked with your mom. She said you were going to help her make some holiday pot-pourri while the two of you catch up on Christmas movies.”

  “That counts as plans.”

  Misty got up from her stool and slid her giant purse onto her shoulder. “Yeah, I can see why you’d rather fondle dried flower pods than spend time with the sexy doc with the incredible hands.”

  “How do you know he has incredible hands?” Misty wouldn’t screw around on my brother. The two of them couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Not even after years of marriage and three kids.

  She leaned close. “Because he’s the only one who’s been able to keep my headaches away. The man’s hands are magic. If he’s that good at adjusting my neck, just think how good he might be using them for other things.”

  Heat pooled in my belly at the thought of Weston’s large, capable hands working over certain parts of my own anatomy. Parts nowhere near my neck.

  “Wear something sexy.”
Misty glanced toward my waist. “And make sure you take care of business down there. You never know where this might lead.”

  “Are you done?” I glared at her, trying to force her to leave through sheer willpower alone.

  “Yep. I’ve said what I needed to.” She took her time making her way to the door. Then she turned around and gave a little wave. “Have fun tonight, Heather. Can’t wait to hear all about it.”

  The bell over the door jangled as she slipped out into the blustery cold of an early December afternoon.

  At 6:58pm Weston knocked on my mama’s front door. Right on time. I’d gone back and forth for the past hour over what to wear and finally settled on a pair of jeans and a wide-necked red sweater that left one shoulder bare. Misty probably wouldn’t approve, but she should be glad I hadn’t canceled. I’d been tempted to several times, but I didn’t even know the man’s number.

  With a final glance at myself in the mirror by the front door, I grabbed the doorknob and pulled.

  He held out a bouquet of red and white flowers. “Hi there.”

  Dammit. Flowers. This was taking on more of a date vibe, and we hadn’t even started.

  “Hey. You didn’t have to bring me flowers.” I almost cringed at the scorn in my tone. The last time a man had bought me flowers had been years ago. Why couldn’t I just say thanks, toss them on the kitchen table and be done with it?

  Because I didn’t like being manipulated into a date just so Misty’s personal back cracker might stay in town.

  “Yeah, I did. The certificate said so.” He thrust them forward and I didn’t have a choice but to take them.

  “Well, if the certificate said so…” I held the door open as the scent of the fresh blooms drifted up to my nose. Okay, so the flowers were kind of sweet. The tightness in my chest eased a bit. He wasn’t going to make resisting his charms very easy. “Come on in. Let me put these in the kitchen, then we can go.”

  He stepped through the doorway and stood in the small foyer. The walls seemed to move in, making it feel even more narrow in the cozy space. He wore a knit cap pulled down over his ears and a large winter coat over his jeans. At least he hadn’t gone all out on date attire either. Maybe he was just as apprehensive about this evening as I seemed to be.

  I left him in the entryway while I took the flowers into the kitchen. They were kind of pretty. And it was a nice gesture. At least my mom would enjoy them.

  “Where are we going tonight?” I pulled my coat off of a hook and shoved my arms through the sleeves.

  “I’ve got things set up at my place if that’s okay.”

  “Your place?” My heart stuttered as I pictured me and Weston snugged around a cozy table set for two.

  “I figured it was easiest since that’s where I keep the bar.” He held the door, and I brushed past him onto the front porch.

  “Look, Misty bid on that basket, not me. I don’t even know what I supposedly won. If you don’t want to go through with it…”

  “And hear about it from her for the rest of my life? On how I didn’t follow through on a donation?” He grinned, making a dimple pop on the left side of his mouth. “No, thanks.”

  “She’d do that, wouldn’t she?” I sighed. Like it or not, we’d both been out maneuvered by my sly sister-in-law.

  “Not only would she do it, I think she’d take joy in dragging my name through the mud as the doc who didn’t deliver.” The dimple deepened. Seriously. Like enough that I could probably press the tip of my pinky finger in there if I wanted to. And I couldn’t lie. Part of me wanted to.

  “Fine. I’ll play along. But only for the sake of your reputation.” I couldn’t help but give him a quick grin. Then I realized that was probably exactly what Misty wanted. Damn, my sister-in-law was good at getting people to do her will. If only I could channel her skill into something that might work for me, not against me.

  “For the sake of my reputation.” Weston had walked around to the passenger side of his truck and held the door open for me. “I can’t ask for anything more than that.”

  6

  Weston

  “Mmm. What’s that smell?” Heather’s nose twitched as I held the front door of my place open for her.

  “It’s a mix of essential oils I’m running through a diffuser. Wintergreen, cinnamon…”

  “It smells good.”

  I caught a whiff of her shampoo as she moved past me to enter the house. My living room didn’t smell nearly as good as she did, but I didn’t say that. If she wanted to play this off as fulfilling an obligation to her sister-in-law, that was fine with me. But last night, before we’d been interrupted with the arrival of Baby Jordan, there had been some major fireworks between us. Thanks to Misty, I’d have the chance to find out if it had just been an effect of the Ball Busters or if we really did have some sparks.

  “Have you had dinner?” I set my keys down on the table in the foyer and held out my hand to take Heather’s coat.

  She slipped it off, revealing a fuzzy red sweater that hung off her shoulder and left a tempting expanse of skin exposed.

  “I nibbled on some stuff at the café, but I could eat.”

  “I pulled out some snacks. Nothing much, but I figured we ought to have something in our stomachs if we’ll be cocktailing.” I gestured for her to move ahead of me. She was the first woman I’d had at my place since I moved into town. Swallow Springs had seemed like a good place to set up my practice, but I’d found it severely lacking when it came to single women. At least single women within an acceptable age range. Aside from a short fling with a female chiropractor a few towns away, I hadn’t been with anyone since I’d moved to Missouri.

  Which meant having Heather at my place might be equal parts major turn on and setting me up for a debilitating case of blue balls.

  “This is nice.” She leaned against the kitchen counter, her denim-clad hip propped against the drawer where I kept my silverware. “I like how you balanced the old with the new.”

  I’d bought my place on the edge of town from an older man who’d been moving into a nursing home. Everything was original, from the hardwood floors to the crown molding. I’d spruced it up a bit and added some modern features, but tried to keep the original look as much as I could.

  “Why mess with something that works, right?”

  “Right.”

  I reached for the pull to the drawer she was blocking with her ass. “Can you slide over a bit? I need to grab a spreader for the cheese dip.”

  She shifted and I couldn’t help but appreciate the way her jeans clung to her hips as I closed my fingers around the handle of the utensil I needed.

  “What else was on that certificate?” Her hair cascaded over her shoulder and she glanced up at me through long, dark lashes.

  “Hey, if you didn’t bother to read the fine print, I’m not filling you in now. You’ll just have to wait and see.” Misty clearly planned on bidding on the damn basket for Heather. That had to be the only reason she’d insisted on a private cocktail party for two. I never would have agreed if she’d let me see it in advance. But now, with Heather as my winner, I could think of a few more things I might have been willing to add to the list.

  “She’s so desperate to convince me to stay in town, I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to fix us up.”

  I let out a laugh. “I can assure you, Misty’s matchmaking wasn’t part of the fine print.”

  “Good.” Heather slid a stool out from under the bar. “She and Jake have been married for so long. Sometimes I think she just wants me to get hitched so my mom will stop pestering them for another grandbaby.”

  I pulled the cheese spread I’d mixed up that afternoon out of the refrigerator and set it on the counter along with the tray of crackers I’d prepared.

  “Ooh, fancy.” Heather leaned an elbow on the counter. “Do you entertain often, Dr. Pierce?”

  A laugh rumbled through my chest. “What year is it?”

  She picked up a cracker and spread a thi
ck layer of herbed goat cheese on top. “Sounds like my social life.”

  “No,”—I shook my head—“you were telling me about your tryst with the married doc, remember?”

  “A tryst… that makes it sound so much more romantic than what it was.” Her shoulders lifted and fell as she took in a breath and let it out on a long sigh.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.” Hell, I didn’t know why I’d mentioned that again. Maybe to find out if she was for sure over the guy. The more I got to know Heather Duncan, the more I wanted to get to know her even better.

  “It’s okay.” Her lips curved up. “Hey, didn’t the fine print say something about cocktails?”

  Grateful for the change in conversation, I grinned back at her. “What’s your poison, Ms. Duncan?”

  “What’s your specialty, Dr. Pierce?”

  “That depends.” I rested my palms on the counter and sized her up. “You want something light and fruity?”

  “Or?” She cocked a brow. My dick immediately took notice of the flirtatious vibe.

  “I can make you something wet and dirty.”

  Her eyes widened in mock shock. “Dr. Pierce, do you talk like that to all of your potential patients?”

  My mouth twisted into a crooked smirk. Only the ones I wouldn’t mind seeing wet and dirty in the flesh, which was an extremely small pool. But I didn’t say that.

  “Maybe something in between then?” I suggested.

  “Why don’t you surprise me?” She popped another cracker in her mouth, drawing my attention to those luscious full lips.

  Surprise her? I was more than willing to do that.

  7

  Heather

  I took a sip of the bright blue cocktail Weston had set down in front of me. “What do you call this one?”

  “You decide. I’ve never made it before.” He poured the remaining contents of the shaker into his own glass. “Is it any good?”