The Holiday Switch

by Tif Marcelo

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

  Text copyright © 2021 by Tiffany Johnson

  Cover art copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline Li

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Underlined, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Underlined is a registered trademark and the colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Visit us on the Web! GetUnderlined.com

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 9780593379554 (trade) — ebook ISBN 9780593379561

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

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  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Tinsel & Tropes Post

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  To Ella and Anna, my sweet girls

  TINSEL AND TROPES

  A HOLIDAY BOOK BLOG

  Title: The Devil’s Holiday by Katie Phase

  CATEGORY/GENRE: YA PARANORMAL

  Are those considered evil always wrong? And are those considered good always right?

  I picked The Devil’s Holiday for its sleek black cover, adorned with horns and mistletoe, but was cautiously optimistic. I wasn’t sure how the author was going to pull off what sounded like a huge undertaking. Drawing on the ever-popular house-switch trope à la The Holiday (the film), the plot follows a down-on-her-luck demon who is placed on sabbatical and embeds herself with the enemy—angels on Earth—to learn their ways, only to fall in love with, that’s right, an angel. Hello, fish-out-of-water, opposites-attract, and forbidden-relationship tropes!

  Let’s break down the challenges the author had to overcome.

  First of all, the comp: The Holiday. To this reader, those are huge shoes to fill. The only thing harder would be to comp Holiday by the Lake, which I consider, as you all know, the greatest holiday film of all time. Talk about setting yourself up for major expectations!

  Second, the cast of paranormal characters. I love paranormal (you can check out all the holiday paranormals I read here), but angel versus demon? How many times has this been done before?

  I was skeptical.

  Dear blog readers, I finished this book in one day. In less than twenty-four hours, my eyeballs soaked in this almost-four-hundred-page book, complete with bear-shifter side characters and a town so well described I could draw its map. And now I have a book hangover.

  Here’s the star on the tree (for those newbs, that means the best thing, and by the way, here’s the glossary so you can keep up): the Devil is the protagonist. In this world, Devil is the hero and Angel is quite the troublemaker. I got to thinking: What if we looked at things and people in a different light? What if what we thought was true…wasn’t?

  Pros: Quick read and immersive setting.

  Cons: There were typos: Fifteen total, and sometimes distracting.

  Recommended for: Paranormal aficionados, fans of world building, Twihards! And philosophical types—you know who you are.

  Rating: 4 stars

  SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11

  The sound of jingle bells rips me from my computer screen, where I’m reading through my latest blog entry. Heart rocketing to my throat, I click on the Post button, then slam my laptop shut. From where I’m standing next to the waist-high bookshelf, I dive onto the floor and, in a move that would impress Simone Biles herself, land in a perfect cross-legged position next to a stack of donated books on a vintage sled. For effect, I pick up a book and hold it up to my face just as my boss, Ms. Velasco, walks in.

  Lou Velasco’s expression is like a beacon of light, as it is every morning. She has a genuine, captivating smile on her face; not a strand of her dark, chin-length hair is out of place, and she’s wearing the perfect shade of berry lip gloss—hard to nail, mind you, on medium tawny skin, and I should know—that complements her Bookworm Inn polo. Palming a coffee cup that reads FORGET SANTA, WATCH OUT FOR ME in bold red letters, she says, “Good morning, Lila. Early again?”

  “I figured I should get started sorting through these books.” I steady my shaking voice and resist the temptation to glance at my laptop on the bookshelf. My best friend, Carm, reminds me time and again that my tells are my croaky voice and shifty eyes, so I focus hard on Ms. Velasco’s nose and not on my lingering, ever-evolving thoughts on my blog content, which I have to step up for this holiday season.

  Because if Ms. Velasco knew how many times I arrived early before my weekend morning shifts or stayed a few minutes after my closing shifts under the guise of voluntarily categorizing books in the gift shop’s free library, she would find out that she’s harboring a criminal.

  Okay, that’s a little extra. Not a criminal, but a sneak, an undercover.

  “Well, your work shows.” She gestures at the shelves behind me—all donated—and the meticulously categorized books that fill them. The Bookworm Inn Free Library was a community service project I started when I was in the eighth grade with one little shelf and a dozen donated books. Five short years later, the library now lines an entire wall of the gift shop.

  “Thank you.” My face warms, both from the compliment and the fact that my intentions have not been purely altruistic. Some might say I’m trying to cheat the system—in this case, my parents’ rules about certain types of internet use—but I attribute it to my entrepreneurial spirit.

  Ms. Velasco twists the watch around her wrist. “Looks like ten minutes before we open. And I spy people in the parking lot.”

  I scramble up and straighten my Bookworm Inn sweater. It’s a soothing forest green that’s supposed to embody the gorgeous foliage of the Finger Lakes region. That’s where fictional characters Leo Marks and Estelle Mendoza grew up and fell in love in the beloved 1996 film Holiday by the Lake,
based on its namesake novel. The entire movie was filmed in our real town of Holly, New York, and most of its scenes were shot right here, on the Bookworm Inn property, owned and operated by the Velasco family for the last three decades. Holly has become a major tourist destination as a result, and fans of the movie flock here in droves every holiday season, camera-ready, to relive their favorite scenes.

  “I’m ready. I’ll put this away and open up.”

  Ms. Velasco nods, and when she turns, I stuff my laptop into my bag. I really need to be more careful. In my two years stealthily blogging behind the adorable, anonymous avatar of a brown-skinned, dark-haired, Santa-hat-wearing girl, this is the first time I’ve been close to getting caught in the act.

  Which is not on any of my to-do lists. Primarily because Ms. Velasco and my mom are best friends, so anything that happens at the Inn will get back to her. Secondly, the Tinsel and Tropes blog, or TnT, is all mine, even if it’s a secret…and my plan is to keep it that way.

  “Do you know what I think?” I glance at the different displays as I approach the front of the store, catching one pair of askew sunglasses and fixing it.

  “What’s up?” Ms. Velasco flips a switch above the automatic double doors and tests them. Previously, the manual doors created a bottleneck at the entrance. Installing it kept the traffic flowing and is a mitigation effort to lessen germs, and while the increasing crowds finally convinced Ms. Velasco to invest in it, I can proudly declare that it was me who first suggested it.

  “That we should attach a louder bell system to the back door. So we can keep track of who’s entering the store from the rear.” Plus, I’d know exactly when someone walked in. When you work in a gift shop that caters to the holidays, and live in a town that starts its holiday decorating in September and holds out until almost February, it’s easy to dismiss the sound of jingle bells. “Remember that time when we caught a customer trying to grab back access to the Inn?”

  I half laugh, though the situation wasn’t funny at all. A super-fan of the movie’s lead actor, the debonair Jonah Johanson, was convinced that the Inn had access to the actor’s personal information. The woman figured out that the gift shop back entrance connects to the Inn through a passageway and thought it would lead to him.

  “You know what? You’re right. You’re so on it. I’m sure going to miss you and your attention to detail when you leave us for school in the fall.” She takes out her phone and thumbs in my suggestion, but her tone carries a sad lilt despite her smile. “How are applications going? Last I heard from your mom, you’ve been knocking them out.”

  Mixed emotions flip-flop in my belly. “I got in to my first choice, Syracuse.”

  Her eyes round into saucers and she raises a hand. “No. Way.”

  “Way, and in my declared major. Bio,” I proclaim, and I slap her palm. But beneath my joy is uncertainty. Syracuse is my dream school…and while I qualify for a merit-based scholarship, we’re still waiting on the financial aid package.

  Her expression changes; she brightens like she’s having a lightbulb moment. “No way to the second power. My nephew goes to Syracuse, and in fact—” She’s interrupted by buzzing, and she slips her phone out of her back pocket. When she checks the screen, it’s like someone turned her energy button all the way up. “Oh my gosh. I have to take this. Do you mind doing the honors of opening, and I’ll woman the registers?”

  “Glad to.” Grabbing my scarf with the Bookworm Inn’s logo embroidered at its ends, I wind it around my neck and, on the way out, snatch the information flyers about the movie, my free library, and the Inn itself, including the few cottages that are available for rent.

  I take a purposeful step out of the double doors and smile at the approaching, eager tourists. “Welcome to the Bookworm Inn! Home of the famous movie Holiday by the Lake.”

  Yes, it’s cheesy. I’m like a Disney World employee, brimming with cheer and good nature. But I believe in Ms. Velasco, and I genuinely love the movie and the book. I’ve proudly worked here part-time since my sophomore year, and this job is a large part and parcel of how I’m going to get myself to Syracuse next fall.

  I square my shoulders and greet the early bird customers by sticking a flyer in each of their hands as they file through the double doors. Yep, I’m going to make it happen. I have to make it happen, one hour at a time.

  * * *

  After a speedy two hours of work that included breaking up an argument between two customers over who was next in line for a photo-op next to the famous canoe where Estelle and Leo had their first kiss, I get to do my most favorite thing: organize my library.

  Aligning spines, dusting shelves, and finding the rogue out-of-place book. It’s like I’m being paid to play.

  I’m balancing eight donated books against my chest as I enter from the back entrance of the shop—because who’s got time for a second trip—when my foot catches on the carpet. As I stumble, the pile tips, and the hard corner of a travel book pokes me in the eye, blurring my vision. I become the Leaning Tower of Pisa without the cables that keep it somewhat upright. “Holy fruitcake!”

  “Whoa there,” KC Chang, another senior from my high school—easily detected by the smell of peppermint gum—steadies me. He takes an armful of books from the top of the stack.

  “Thanks.” I blink back the last of my tears and he comes into view. He’s Chinese American with fair skin and black hair with longish bangs swept to the side. And yep, completely against work rules, he’s chomping away at gum.

  But what gets my attention are the limp and soggy posters under his arm. “Whoa to you. What happened?”

  He grimaces. “What do you get when you mix a toddler with an open bottle of water?”

  I make a face.

  KC and I, who have worked together for a year, agree that we’d take a hundred customers in twenty minutes over any food or drink accident. The gift shop is always packed to the brim with inventory, and one spill requires us to move the displays, which takes up precious time we do not have. Especially during the busy holiday season.

  “Yeah. Luckily these are the only victims.” He lifts the posters.

  “Hi, you two.” Ms. Velasco sticks her head out from her office. “Lila, can we chat for a moment?”

  “Sure.”

  When Ms. Velasco ducks away, KC’s eyebrows lift. “What’s that about?”

  “I don’t know. I did ask her the other day if I could work full-time hours during break,” I whisper, wiping my hands on my jeans. My winter break lasts from the twenty-second of December until the fifth of January. Every dollar in my bank account brings me one hundred cents closer to Syracuse, and I need to earn as much as I can before I graduate.

  “Eeeks, good luck. I actually asked for the same thing too.” He winces.

  My heart sinks. I didn’t think the other seniors in our part-time crew would ask for more hours. “Well, as long as one of us gets it.” I lie, because I have worked one more year than KC, so shouldn’t I get seniority? Then guilt runs up my spine. If there’s any other part-timer who works as hard as I do at the gift shop, it’s him. “Wish me luck.”

  “Luck.”

  I straighten my clothes as I enter the office. Ms. Velasco is at her desk, typing at the computer—the reservations dashboard is up. This office is central command. It manages all the aspects of the Bookworm Inn Inc., from the gift shop, the inn, and the community at large. When her mother, Lola Mae, as she was known fondly, passed away, Ms. Velasco inherited the Inn and undertook a full rebranding. Not only did she level up our uniforms, change out the gift shop’s new floors, and build quaint rental cabins, she also tapped into the movie’s fandom. From online private groups to short reels on TikTok, she’s on top of the social media game, touting the Inn as one of the most romantic places to visit. And it has paid off; last year, over two hundred thousand people visited the Bookworm Inn.

>   Watching her is like a masterclass: she’s Filipino American like me, fiercely independent, and doing what she loves.

  “Come on in and take a seat.” She doesn’t look my way, though she’s grinning while her fingers fly over the mechanical keyboard, with each switch backlit in red. Each stroke makes a satisfying clack like an old-fashioned typewriter. “Were you bringing in another donation?”

  “Yes. Mr. Nadal decided to donate his coveted travel books.”

  “That’s generous of him.”

  “I know. He’s changing tactics.”

  Ms. Velasco sighs.

  “I’m just saying, Ms. V.”

  Mr. Nadal, the proprietor of Holly’s only flower shop, Festive Flowers, has a thing for Ms. Velasco. He repeatedly appears at the Inn for no reason whatsoever. He’s sent flowers from “Anonymous” (I mean, c’mon) and even fills our donation jar with dollars instead of pennies to get her attention.

  I pass the wall of framed family pictures to my right and take a seat in one of the cushioned chairs. Since Ms. Velasco mentioned her nephew earlier, I scour the photos for a possible shot of him. Sure enough, in one, I spot a young boy in between two women, one who looks to be a young Ms. Velasco.

  When I look up, Ms. Velasco’s grin has given way to her all-business, deadpan expression. “With your mention of college earlier, I realized I owe you an answer about your request to work full-time. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to get back with you earlier—there’s a lot going on.”

  Score. My back straightens. “Yes. Now that I’m eighteen, I can work full-time until school starts back up after New Year, and then increase my weekly hours. My last semester classes aren’t so bad, and I have a couple of extra free periods, so I could leave school early.”