Once Upon a Holiday

by Claudia Burgoa

  Can Jackson convince her that he can be everything that she needs?

  Or will her past come back to haunt them and ruin her chance at love?

  February 21st

  Mrs. Jones,

  Thank you for your inquiry about our services and for filling out our initial application. It’ll be a pleasure to help you find just the right virtual assistant for your needs. Please, let me make sure we got some details right. On the application, you describe your current boss as impatient, aggressive, micromanaging, and somewhat of a social pariah.

  Did I misread it? Is there a possibility that this was a typo?

  If you could please correct or expand on your description, I’d appreciate it. Mrs. Darlington explained our mission correctly. We always find the assistant who will best fit your company. Even for social pariah. We have the right person for that.

  Best Regards,

  E. Lancaster, CEO

  Virtual Assistant Everyday Services

  March 4th

  Mr. Spearman:

  Don’t forget tonight’s Gala at the Civic Center. As the guest speaker, you can’t excuse yourself and send a big fat check in your place. On Sunday, you have brunch with your family—your plane ticket is in your Inbox. Per your request, I wrapped your brother’s present and left it on your desk. Monday’s calendar has been updated. Mr. Lincoln wants to meet with you early next week.

  As a reminder, I’ll be off for the next three months. My maternity leave starts next Monday. I can’t push it any longer. My due date was yesterday.

  My replacement knows how to access your calendars, as well as your files, and has been shadowing me—online—for the past couple of weeks. You can contact Amy Walker, your temporary assistant, via phone, chat through the portal she provided, SMS, and email.

  I sent you the information for the Virtual Assistant app. Once you sign in, it’ll prompt you to change your password. I saved your VA’s contact information on the database too. Be aware that the VA won’t do in-person tasks for you, but she’ll schedule them for you.

  What does that mean for you?

  She won’t bring you coffee. Zoe, the receptionist, can do that. It also means she won’t deliver your lunch at eleven with a small Pellegrino water. Ms. Walker works remotely. If you need anything, you have to contact her and ask to schedule the service, or order online.

  Or, you can always use the Meals-on-Demand. It’s safe, they don’t care who you are. As long as you use the company account, no one will know it’s you.

  I can’t stress enough the fact that I won’t be available for the next three months. That’s ninety days. Please, refrain from contacting me—or I’ll quit. VA-Everyday Services is one of the most prestigious and reliable companies. They keep your information secure, and their assistants are college graduates. Amy Walker’s qualifications exceed my own. Please, be aware that if you lose her, you won’t have an assistant until I’m back.

  Sincerely,

  Carla Jones

  P. S. Your welcome package from VA-Everyday is on your desk.

  Then He Happened

  Jason is a cynical rich playboy.

  He doesn’t take life seriously.

  He doesn’t believe in settling down.

  Eileen’s twenty-seventh birthday is almost here.

  But as always she’s an afterthought in her parent’s minds.

  Her family is too busy planning a shotgun wedding for her older sister to pay attention to her. And now she has to help.

  It’s just another year where she’s overlooked.

  But the best man is smoking hot.

  He actually notices her, and makes her feel special.

  Jason doesn’t believe in commitment, but Eileen intrigues him.

  She’s not the kind of girl he usually hooks up with.

  She doesn’t even fall for his charm.

  He’s made it his mission to convince her that he’s not the shallow man she thinks he is.

  But can Jason give up his playboy lifestyle to become the man Eileen needs?

  Eight years ago…

  “You can’t stay here,” Jack, my brother, says as he looks down at me. “We’ve got to move on.”

  I sit on the steps of the altar, staring at the envelope burning a hole in my hand—the one she served me with, ensuring a life sentence of agony and despair.

  For a moment I wonder the meaning of Jack’s words. Is he talking about the garden? Or the moment? I snort. Who cares, I can’t even breathe.

  For fuck’s sake, my world just shattered, and he wants me to move. I can’t feel my legs.

  How can I move on?

  I can hear the advice coming from everyone who just witnessed the devastation of Jason Spearman’s world. Mom was the first one to hit me with her wise words.

  “Love can last forever if you’re with the right person,” she said after I fell to the ground, defeated.

  What did she mean by that?

  I am in love with the right person—my soulmate. At least, that’s what we’ve said to each other. Or were her declamations of love useless words meant to enchant me? Meant to make me believe that her love for me was absolute?

  It doesn’t matter anymore. She’s gone.

  And now here I am, broken without a clue on what to do next.

  My error was to fall in love.

  As if my dad could hear my thoughts, he says, “Loving someone is never a mistake.”

  He pats my shoulder and leaves to do some damage control. There’s nothing they can do that will repair what happened today. My heart is breaking. Blood oozes from my wound, not that anyone can see what’s happening to me.

  I loosen my bowtie, gasping for air. My throat is thick.

  “I should’ve known,” I say out loud.

  Neither one of my brothers says a word. They remain close enough in case I need them but giving me the space I crave. The rawness of this moment shreds my gut, and I am left questioning everything. Wondering what I’m supposed to do now?

  “How will I survive?” I tighten the grip of the fucking paper I haven’t read.

  “By living the best life that you can,” Alex, my younger brother says. “You slap that bitch by showing her this didn’t affect you. There’s life after her. You are Jason fucking Spearman.”

  But how will I survive?

  Begin with Me

  From the outside, Abby’s life looks like a fairytale.

  Loving family, wealthy lifestyle, education at a prestigious university. The truth? She’s barely managing to survive. Few know the nightmare she lived before she was adopted. And no one knows the secret agony that still haunts her nightmares.

  With a degree from Berkeley, she could have gone anywhere, but she’s back in Colorado. Not for a fresh start—fresh starts are only an illusion—but for Wes Ahern. Her protector, who throws around words like “therapy” and “talk to me.” Her brother in every way but blood. The one man she wishes could be so much more.

  Maybe, just this once, she can stop running from her demons.

  But does she dare let Wes see inside the darkest closets of her pain…or will love be the biggest mistake of her life?

  An inspirational and emotional contemporary romance Begin with You is a heartbreaking tale of fresh starts and old wounds. This jarring and dark novel will leave readers at the edge of their seats. This is part one of a duet, thus containing a cliffhanger that leads into the next installment. It contains references to childhood trauma, rape, kidnapping, and PTSD.

  I can pinpoint the moment when Abigail Lyons lost her optimism. It was the day her grandmother died. That’s when I began to talk about myself in third person, imagining the worst that could happen and learning to dissociate when my brain couldn’t handle the input.

  It was the same day I stopped laughing with ease and speaking my mind confidently. At sixteen though, that’s when I went quiet for good. The day I lost all hope, became swallowed by loneliness—leaving nothing more than a scared bundle of nerves who wanted to j
ump out of her own skin. At twenty-three not much has changed. But I try to hide my flaws and fears. Somedays I’m brave enough to fight against my mind to conquer the latter. Other days, I’m not so lucky.

  Like my fear of flying with a bunch of strangers. As the plane takes off, I close my eyes, hold onto my bracelet, and count the crystals. I’m not a fan of airplanes. They’re too small, there are too many people on board and anything could happen during the flight. Though, according to my best friend, Wes, the probabilities of dying in a plane crash are one in eleven million. He once explained to me that it’s more likely to be hit by a meteorite, drown in my own bathtub, or get mauled by a bear in Yellowstone than die in a plane crash.

  He might be right about those statistics. But logic doesn’t apply to my phobia. Every time a plane takes off, my heart beats faster than a cheetah hunting for her next meal and sweat drips down my back. Honestly, I’m not afraid that the plane will lose altitude or collide with another aircraft. I fear that I’ll crash emotionally during the flight. The question for me isn’t whether or not the pilot loses control. My mind is asking, what if I have a full-blown panic attack in an environment where I don’t have control or any means for emotional release?

  When the pilot announces that we’re allowed to turn on our laptops and move around the cabin, I put on my wireless headphones and turn on my music. If I’m lucky, the two glasses of wine I downed before boarding, plus the one I drank before takeoff, might help me sleep during the almost three-hour flight. If I’m asleep, I won’t have to think about the people around me. Or the possibility of him finding me once I’m back in Denver.

  My throat tightens at the mere thought of seeing him again. I shut my eyes, squeezing them hard. My body trembles. It’s been so long that he shouldn’t have any effect on me. I count, controlling my breathing. But it’s impossible to calm myself when the images of what happened that night come back. The voices are back too. My heart beats wildly.

  Please, God, help me.

  Not now.

  “Run, Abigail, run,” I hear her desperate voice.

  I’m frozen in place. He’s getting closer to our room. This is my only chance to escape but I can’t move. My legs don’t respond. It’s like they weigh hundreds of pounds. The air thickens as his heavy steps get closer. I lift my gaze and I see him, staring at me with those swamp colored green eyes and a mocking smile on his face.

  “Try running,” he says with a daring glare and a smug tone. “Try to escape me, and if by some miracle you do, know that I’ll find you.”

  Acknowledgments

  This book is to celebrate the holidays, the magic of family, friends and everything that really matters.

  Let me start with thanking Emery Jacobs for her medical advice. She listened to me for hours as I explained what I wanted for this story, and she helped me getting everything right. To my sister in-law who had to go through a similar procedure to have her twins. She walked me through her emotional journey.

  I have so many people to thank, please forgive me if I forget to mention you. Know that you’re important to me.

  Without any order I have to start with Karen who is the best listener in the world, and is trying to keep me Mrs. Distraction organized. I can’t say how wonderful is to have her as part of my team.

  To my family. The husband who puts up with my crazy schedule, makes sure to feed me because he’s a better cook, and loves me unconditionally.

  Hang Le, thank you so much for this cover. I know we went back and forth a lot but we found the perfect fit!!

  My gratitude goes to my girls who are incredible, Yolanda, Melissa, and Patricia. They still put up with me, even when I flake big time!

  To my editors, thank you so much!

  My instagrammers, I have the most amazing Bookstagrammers and supporters. Ladies you’re the best. Darlene, Chole, Amy … the list is long and these women are fabulous.

  Thank you to all the bloggers who help spread the word about my books. Ladies, this release was hard but your messages, your support and friendship kept me going. Though, I guess thank you doesn’t cut it, your energy and support are what makes every release a success. Love you all.

  My amazing ARC team, you ladies rock. Thank you for you patient and support.

  To the Book Lovin’ Chicas group, thank you so much for your continuous support. For your daily cheers, and the words of encouragement. I’m grateful for you.

  To you, my readers. I am grateful to you. Thank you for reading my words, and for supporting my books. Thank you so much for those emails and notes, they mean so much to me.

  Last but most importantly, I’d like to thank God for all the blessings in my life.

  Love,

  Claudia xoxo

  About the Author

  Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. She lives in Colorado, working for a small IT. She has three children and manages a chaotic household of two confused dogs, and a wonderful husband who shares her love of all things geek. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact.

  To find more about Claudia:

  website

  Sign up for her newsletter: News Letter

  Also By Claudia Burgoa

  Winter/Spring 2020

  Us After You

  Almost Perfect

  Standalones

  Once Upon a Holiday

  Chasing Fireflies

  Something Like Hate

  Then He Happened

  Maybe Later

  My One Despair

  Knight of Wands

  My One Regret

  Found

  Fervent

  Flawed

  Until I Fall

  Finding My Reason

  Christmas in Kentbury

  Chaotic Love Duet

  Begin with You

  Back to You

  Unexpected Series

  Unsurprisingly Complicated

  Uncharted

  Uncut

  Undefeated

  Unlike Any Other

  Decker the Halls