Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
When I walk in, I’m surrounded by the scents of cinnamon and gingerbread, and the stage is covered by a deep crimson curtain.
Making my way past several filled rows, I find a spot near the front. Unfortunately, it’s between two families with small children. Kids have always loved me. I don’t know why.
“Hey. Your shoes are shiny.” A little girl stares down at my feet, then looks up at me, her nose red and snotty.
“Thanks.” I sigh.
“What’s your name?” She wipes her nose on her sleeve.
I try not to cringe. “Crane. What’s yours?”
“Anna.” She grins, her two front teeth missing.
“I’m Ted.” A little boy steps in front of me, his eyes wide. “You’re so big.”
“Ted.” His mother grabs him and gently herds him to her side. “Sorry about him.”
“No problem.”
“I’m Fran. Are you the new tenant at the Smith place? Crane, isn’t it?” She smiles.
Holy shit. The entire town already knows about me.
The lights lower, and the audience gets quiet as the curtains pull back.
And then I see her. Liza Grable. That’s when I realize I’ve taken a job that might be the end of me.
4
LIZA
Who in the jingle bells is that? I bumble through the first part of the opening, thanking everyone for coming. My eyes keep flicking over to the handsome man sitting right in the front row. No matter how many times I silently tell myself not to look, I can’t help but do it. Is it some relative of Fran's? No, that can’t be it.
I would have met him at some point over the years. And I would most definitely remember him if I had. Who would be able to forget that solid jaw line that has the perfect amount of stubble on it? He either forgot to shave this morning or he’s so manly he’s already got an eight o’clock shadow instead of five. And then there’s that damn flannel he’s wearing. They’ve never been my thing, but I might be having a change of heart.
I jerk my eyes away from him, focusing on everyone else before I make a complete fool of myself. Some already think I can be a bit odd and on my way to spinsterhood with my cat.
“Let’s not forget that while this is a competition, it's really about having fun. If we have fun then we win no matter what,” I remind everyone.
“If you're not first, you’re last!” Eve shouts from the back of the room where she’s standing. Everyone cheers with her.
“Cool it, Ricky Bobby, or I’ll put Krampus in the back seat of your car.” Everyone snickers then. “Now for the task at hand, I want to open the floor to suggestions of anything new you think we should do or something we can change. There is no idea too big or small.”
People start to raise their hands to give different ideas. Snow Hills always becomes a popular spot for people to venture over for a day trip when we have the town in full swing of holiday cheer. I jot down a few of the ideas, though there are a few I dodge.
“Now, for the annual holiday party, I’ve left a clipboard at the back of the room for people to sign up to help with setup or who might be willing to donate things such as food or what not. You all know the drill.” I motion to where the clipboard is.
“I think we should spice it up this year,” Eve again shouts from the back. “Bachelor auctions.” She wiggles her brows, and I know she is only joking, but it might not be a horrible idea. I’m not so sure how that'll play out. The single men outnumber the single women in this town.
“It might be better if it were bachelorette auctions.” I smirk at her. “We can donate the normal toy gifts everyone brings along with a check. What a great suggestion, Eve. I take it you’ll be at the top of the list?” I give her the sweetest smile.
“Hey.” She glares at me.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Why don’t you grab a paper and make a list of any other ladies that would be willing to join in.”
“On it.” Now Eve smirks back. “I’ll sign you up too while I’m jotting my name down.” I hear a few murmurs. I’m going to kill my best friend, but this might be a brilliant idea. I bet we’ll make a killing on her in the auction. The men around town are always trying to get her attention. It never works. She even tells them to drop dead sometimes, which only makes them chase after her harder.
“Are there any more questions or suggestions?”
“Miss Liza.” Anna waves her hand in the front row. My eyes have to swing back toward the handsome man who is staring right at me. Of course he is. Everyone in the room is staring at me on the freaking stage.