Chapter 1 #2
“Careful,” he pointed upwards toward the house, casually crossing the kitchen back to his steaming cup of cocoa. He took another sip, resting against the island as if it was just another average Tuesday for him. “It can hear you, you know.”
She whipped around, stalking toward the kitchen window. If she had to, she wasn’t afraid of busting out of a sugar-blown window to make her escape. “Yes, I know it can hear me. I’ve been here plenty of times—”
Her mouth dropped open when she tossed the sugar-laced curtain aside.
“Um … Lachlan?” She tested his name on her lips, hoping she pronounced it right. She’d never heard the name before, and if she’d been less distracted by the sudden blizzard outside, or trying to discern if he was a threat or not, she might’ve been inclined to think how fond of the name she was.
Lachlan crossed the room in two long strides, coming over to stand next to her to peer out the window.
The world beyond them had vanished into white.
Snow wasn’t just falling—it poured from the sky, like confectioners’ sugar being sifted through a massive grate.
The flurries blanketed everything in sight.
She realized then that it wasn’t the house that smelled of evergreen. It wasn’t even a Christmas tree, because, as her eyes quickly swept over the place, she found not a single twinkling light or a pine needle in sight.
It was Lachlan, and the bite of something warmer underneath, like a cinnamon ornament tucked into delicate branches.
He whistled. “Better make yourself comfortable. Looks like neither of us is going anywhere for a while.”
Her hands were shaky, uneasy with his sudden closeness, as she pulled out her phone again and quickly typed out a message to her friend, Piper. “White sweater. Ripped high-waisted jeans. Pale pink coat. That was the last thing I wore in case I go missing.”
She waited for the shoomp of the message to tell her it went through, but the text bubble turned green instead. She cursed under her breath.
Lachlan lifted his hands, as if noticing that she felt like she was backed into a corner. Which she was. “Look—I’ll take the couch. There’s a single bedroom upstairs that you can stay in. It locks. Just need to get my clothes out of it.”
“Flipping heck,” Eliza muttered, her body still humming from her earlier panic. “The rest of my luggage is in my car. I don’t have any other clothes.”
And seeing as neither of them could go outside without getting blown away by the snow—assuming they could even get the door open.
Why hadn’t she just put on something a bit more comfortable for the journey here? Of course, she hadn’t expected the enchanted house to lock her inside before she could grab any of her things.
Back when Eliza was a girl, she hadn’t ever recalled the cottage being magically faulty or the weather ever being this extreme. It was a weird year, all around.
Lachlan blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair. “Just borrow whatever you need from me. It’s just one night.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, brow raised. “I’ll get powdered sugar on one of your fancy flannels.”
“So will I.” Lachlan shrugged. “We’re literally in a gingerbread house,” he pointed out.
She cracked a faint smile. “Fair point. But just so you know, I’ll be baking and pretending like you don’t exist.”
She was thankful for the gesture so she could, at the very least, get out of these jeans and into some sweatpants. But that didn’t mean she had to converse with him.
“Deal.” He casually leaned against the island, kicking his feet out. His socks had elves wearing ugly Christmas sweaters on them. “You can wear my clothes in exchange for a pastry.”
“It sounds like you get the sweeter deal,” Eliza shot him a glare.
“You’re in no position to bargain. Unless you’d like to stay in jeans all night long.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Are you blackmailing me?”
“The way I see it, I’d call it Negotiation,” he said. “I’m an estate agent, so I come by it honestly.”
“Estate agent, huh? Planning to move into your forever home here on Drury Lane?”
His laugh lacked amusement. “No. Actually, my sister sent me here as an early Christmas present. She said I needed to ‘get away.’”
Eliza thought for a moment. “Did your sister make the reservation? Maybe she forgot to complete some form online, and that’s why you’re here—”
“My sister’s an orthopedic surgeon,” he cut in. “I think she knows how to use a bloody booking app.”
He blew out a breath as he looked out the window again. He looked wishful that all the snow might magically melt so that this impromptu snow-in party could come to an end. She followed his gaze, hopeful too. But the snow was falling at a sharp forty-five degree angle.
There was no escaping this mess anytime soon.
Bang! Something slammed against the back door.
Eliza jumped. Lachlan grabbed the handle and swung it open.
Before she could question how he managed to get the door open this time, a gust of sparkling flurries came pillaging in.
Beyond it was a solid wall of ice. The snow outside pulsed, glowing bright orange.
Then, bursting through the snow and into the kitchen came a tiny gingerbread dragon, flaming at the mouth.