All Booked Up (Sleighbell Springs #6)

Chapter 1

NIX

“Don’t do it.” Nick stares directly into my eyes, daring me to move. I’m arguing with him again, which means it’s a day that ends in y. “Come down, and I’ll give you anything you want.”

I take a few cautious steps toward him. “Please? I’ll give you anything.”

Despite my best begging, Nick kicks my LEGO typewriter off the top of the bookcase. All I can do is raise my hands and brace for the noise of two thousand and seventy-nine pieces hitting the ground and scattering.

Get a bookstore cat. It’ll be great for business. You’ll barely even notice he’s there.

Bullshit. All of it. Saint Nick has been nothing but trouble since the day I found him eating out of the dumpster in the alley behind the shop.

For a can of wet food and a warm blanket, he was willing to be lured inside.

Now that he’s here, he refuses to give up his street cat ways, even though he lives a luxurious life in a climate-controlled environment surrounded by all the creature comforts a cat could ever want.

“Are you done being a menace?” I give Nick my best scowl. It’s too late for these shenanigans, especially on freshly mopped floors.

Nick gives me his best bored look and trots off, throwing his head back in the process.

It’d look sassier if he weren’t an oversized beast. Before him, I’d never seen a Maine Coon.

Straight from the back alley, he was malnourished and small.

Now, he’s a twenty-four-pound beast covered in black and white fluff.

“So…no?”

I get down on my hands and knees to clean up the mess. Maybe next time he’ll find it in his gremlin heart to pick a smaller set. Or at least one of the ones that isn’t retired. What are the odds I’ll be able to find every piece?

Close to zero is my guess.

At least it’s possible to get it back together, with the help of the internet and spare parts.

The same can’t be said for some of the more fragile creations he’s gotten his paws on.

The poor little horses on my miniature wood carousel didn’t even see Nick coming.

How he even manages to get all the way up onto the bookcases is beyond me.

It’ll be one of the secrets he takes to the grave.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling my thoughts away from Nick.

Who would be texting me this late?

What a sad phrase for someone on the cusp of thirty. It’s only ten. There should be dozens of people out at this time who want to talk to me.

There’s not, but there should be. When it keeps buzzing, I realize it’s an actual phone call. I pull it out of my pocket, ready to send whatever spammer is calling to voicemail. Except the screen is lit up with a picture of my best friend.

“Russ? What’s wrong?” My heart races thinking about who we know that might be sick or dying.

“Nothing’s wrong.” He laughs at me in the way only he can. We’ve been best friends forever. Or at least that’s how I remember it. In reality, I think we were two when his family moved in next door. Since then, we’ve been inseparable.

Mostly. A few hundred miles separate his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, from mine in Sleighbell Springs, Vermont. “You got a minute? I have a favor to ask you.”

“Anything.” I’d cut my arm off and ship it to him if he asked. He’s been with me through all the ups and downs of my life. Fought off bullies in middle school when it became clear that my desire to live life with my nose stuck in a book instead of playing sports was a permanent arrangement.

“Don’t say yes yet. It’s a big ask.”

I’m going to say yes, but I’ll wait for him to get through whatever it is. “Are you okay?” That’s all I really care about. I can be on a plane first thing in the morning if needed.

“I’m good. It’s my brother I’m calling about.”

“Chase?” My mouth goes dry. It’s been nearly a decade since I last saw Chase Haywood.

Growing up, I had the biggest crush on him.

He was two years older and so cool. Watching him mow the lawn, shirtless and dripping in sweat, is how I knew I was gay.

After he went off to college on a track scholarship, I only saw him when he was home on break.

“He’s come into a hard time recently. You remember Kelley, that blonde he married?”

“Yeah, I saw the pictures on Facebook.” Understatement of the century.

I’d gone through them meticulously, looking for any sign that the whole thing was a sham.

Technically, I was invited to the wedding, but I couldn’t bring myself to go.

My crush never went away, even when it was obvious Chase would never reciprocate.

During high school, he had a different cheerleader on his arm every week, each one prettier than the last. He’d never be interested in a nerd like me.

And okay, part of that was because he was straight, but still. Even if he was gay, he’d be out of my league.

“Well, she’s a lying cheater. He caught her fucking his coworker.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, he came home from work early one day and found them in the bedroom. She didn’t even apologize, just yelled at him for not texting first.”

“That’s…” There’s not a single word I can think of that would encapsulate that situation. I put down the LEGO pieces I’m holding, suddenly unconcerned with cleanup.

“Yeah, it’s pretty fucked up,” Russ says, not at such a loss. “To make matters worse, she hired some hotshot divorce attorney and took him for everything he had.”

“But she’s the one who cheated.”

“It’s a long story. Anyway, she got the house and most of the money. Chase was holding up, but then his company downsized…” Russ trails off because we both know how it ends. In the current economy, the story has become a common refrain.

“That’s terrible. How can I help?” I’m still not sure how any of this involves me. Nick senses my discomfort—or decides it’s time for his attention—and crawls into my lap, purring as he adjusts to the perfect position.

“Okay, so you can say no, but I was hoping he could stay with you.”

“Here?” My voice cracks. “In Sleighbell Springs?” It’s not exactly a priority destination. Well, unless someone’s looking for the kind of place that leaves Christmas trees up all year long and has never met a pun they didn’t like.

“Yeah. He needs a big change. And a place to stay. I was hoping you had room.”

Russ knows I have space. He’s been on the receiving end of many frustrated phone calls while I’ve been remodeling the shop’s second floor into a short-term rental.

Very slowly, I might add. With my limited funds and even more limited skills, it’s taken nearly a year.

It’s nearly complete, with only a few little touches to go before I put it on the market.

Tannenbaum Tales, my book shop, has been doing well, but a little extra income would give me a buffer.

Plus, once the Christmas season rolls around, there are always tourists and seasonal workers looking for somewhere to stay.

A cozy studio in the heart of town will be easy to market, especially for a fellow booklover.

That’s five months away, so having him here in the short-term won’t hurt anything. Other than my self-confidence, that is.

“Please? I know it’s a lot to ask, but—” I cut him off.

“It’s not. You know I’d do anything for your family.” Nick glares up at me. Probably because he knows this is a bad idea. It’s one thing to harbor a crush on someone from a distance. It’s quite another to have them in close quarters. “Of course, he can have the shop’s second story.”

Second story. I stand up quickly, pushing Nick back onto the floor, and immediately get lightheaded.

It takes a few moments of grasping the counter to steady myself and make the lights stop dancing in front of my eyes.

I reach for my notepad and pen. The Second Story would make the perfect name to list the studio under on the rental sites.

“It’s not too much? He can’t pay rent. Not right now.”

“Nah, it’s not ready for renters anyway. You don’t think he’ll mind that it’s a bit bare bones?”

“I think right now, all he cares about is getting away from Charlotte for a while. And me. His living with me has been tough on both of us.” There’s more to that story than Russ is giving me, but I decide not to push. Not tonight, anyway. I’ll get the story out of him eventually.

“Give him my number. He can text me to work out the details for his arrival.”

“Will do. Thanks, Nix. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Maybe having your best friend and brother in the same place will finally get you to come visit.” Two years and he hasn’t made it out once. Maybe we can finally change that.

“Yeah, school break is coming up soon, so maybe I can pull it off.”

I roll my eyes. I’ve heard that before. “Well, you can stay with…Nick, stop it.” The tuxedo cat stares up at me with his big yellow eyes, as though I didn’t catch him clawing at one of the shop’s armchairs.

Again. People like to relax and enjoy a few minutes of reading, preferably in a chair that isn’t shredded to smithereens.

“Hey, I gotta go, but thanks. I owe you one.”

“Don’t worry about it. Love you.”

“Love you.”

I stand in the middle of my store, staring out the front window. Chase “The Cannon” Haywood is coming to stay with me.

In Sleighbell Springs.

CHASE

“No. Absolutely not.”

“You need this,” Russ says. “It’s the perfect situation.”

“No, the perfect situation would be if I was still married, living in my house, and working.” Seriously, I don’t know how many times I have to explain this to him.

“Listen to me.” Russ sits on his couch, calm as can be, as though he’s not in the middle of throwing me out of his apartment and shipping me off to Vermont to stay with his friend, so much for family.

“We both agree that you need a change…a big one. Things have been rough for you. I don’t think sitting around here wallowing is the right choice.

You’ll be better off breaking your routine and using the time to get out of your head. ”

“Do I really have to go hundreds of miles away to do that? It snows there.”

“Not in the summer.” Russ doesn’t sound as sure as I would like him to be.

Honestly, I’m pretty sure it snows year-round that far north.

I might not be a fan of the heat and humidity here in the middle of summer, but I’m not willing to trade it for bitter cold.

“Besides, it’s temporary. You can spend a month or two there, figuring out your next steps.

You said that time would be spent applying for jobs and interviewing.

You can do that from anywhere. Why not from Sleighbell Springs? ”

“First of all, the town is ridiculous.” Based on their website alone, it’s not for me.

I barely want to celebrate Christmas when everything’s going right.

I don’t need a constant reminder of joy and peace while I pick up the broken pieces of my life.

“Second, I don’t even know Nix.” He’s Russ’s friend, not mine.

Sure, I remember him. Nix lived next door to us through most of my childhood.

He and Russ were attached at the hip so much that it felt like having two younger brothers.

He was always over to hang out with Russ.

I haven’t seen him in years. Once I moved away for college, I lost track of most people.

It’s only thanks to social media that I have any idea what’s happening in people’s lives.

“This is a personal favor to me. He has a studio apartment you can stay in, right above his bookstore.”

Bookstore? The last I heard, Nix was going to law school. Apparently, I’m very behind. “You know I can’t afford that right now.” It pains me to say it. After years of working long hours and killing myself for a corporate job, I’ve been left with next to nothing.

“You don’t have to pay a cent. He’s giving it to you, no strings attached.

It would be nice if you generally pitched in.

He’s been renovating the place, so there might be some tasks you can take care of while you’re there.

” Russ leans back and rubs his eyes. We’ve been at each other’s throats for the past few weeks.

It’s not his fault. I’m in a terrible mood in general, made worse by the fact that I’m currently living in his den.

Free is my current monthly rent budget. I’ve got a bit in my checking account, which I was able to salvage in the divorce.

It’s enough to make sure I don’t go hungry, but not enough to write checks every month to pay for housing.

At some point, I should get a portion of the sale from the house I shared with my wife.

The problem is that it’s hard to guess when that will hit my account.

She’s been in the process of listing it for six weeks now.

“You really want me gone?” I ask.

“No, that’s not it at all.” For the first time during this conversation, Russ looks distressed.

“Chase, I love you. And I love having you here, but I don’t think it’s good for you.

To function well, I think you need some space.

From everything. Your past life, your friends.

Even me.” A tear slides down his cheek. Great.

Now I’ve made my little brother cry. “I want you here. But more than that, I want you to be happy. I don’t think you can find that sleeping on my sofa. ”

“And you think that it’s hiding in a town dedicated to Christmas?”

“No, I think a town that offers you the opposite of the life you used to live will give you an opportunity to figure out what you really want.”

“One month,” I say. “I’ll give it one month. That’s the best I can do.”