Christmas in Pine Island: A small town holiday romance

while for that to sink in. Knowing Stacy, she’ll take to it in no time. That girl’s a trooper, through and through. She needs to be, not only look after first graders every day, but our crew of unruly friends, too.
Movement whirls around the table as everyone begins to whip out their phones, scrolling through pages of beautiful photographs of the Pine Island paradise.
I rest my chin on Eric’s shoulder for a casual glance and laugh when I see him do a double take. “Since when is a place like this called a farm? It looks more like a resort! It’s gorgeous!”
Chloe’s eyes get big as she nods in hurried agreement. “Gorgeous is an understatement! I can almost smell those Christmas trees from here.”
“You weren’t kidding, Stacy. It actually looks nice,” Donovan admits, with only a trace of reluctance.
Chloe smiles buoyantly at him, the biggest grin I’ve seen from her tonight, but the moment comes to a swift halt when Donovan quietly adds, “I wonder who does their marketing?”
Eric dramatically rolls his eyes and cuffs Donovan’s shoulder. “Can’t you think about anything but work for a second? Damn Chloe, I hope he’s not all business in the bedroom, too!”
“I manage to distract him for a few minutes here and there,” she quips back with a wink, earning raucous laughter from the group.
But after the joke, she falls back into her somber silence yet again.
Something is going through that head of hers, and I make a mental note to check in with Chloe when I get a spare second. Whatever it is, we can work through it together. After living the way we did in that admittedly crappy apartment, we can make it through anything.
“Well? Are we doing this?” I ask, excitedly. “Christmas in Pine Island?”
“We’d have to pack up pretty quick if we want to go,” Eric adds, “but it’s not impossible. What does everyone think?”
Stacy absently nods, chewing the corner of her fingernail as she mentally deliberates the pros and cons of the journey. “A trip might be nice. I’d enjoy some space to clear my head.”
Jake’s head tilts. “What do you need to clear your head for?”
She clears her throat hard before shrugging. “Oh, you know, I just meant metaphorically. I’m sure we could all use a getaway.”
“That would be amazing,” Chloe adds, deliberately attempting to lock eyes with Donovan, though he’s still researching everything Pine Island has to offer on his phone and doesn’t seem to notice.
“I agree.” Jake nods his head firmly, a slow grin spreading across his face. “It seems perfect. Even though it’s beautiful, it looks really remote, too. No paparazzi to worry about. Just holiday memories to be made.”
“Is this what you want, babe?” Eric whispers in my ear.
He takes my chin in his hand, turning my face toward his so I can gaze right into those dark, silver speckled irises of his. Those eyes make me melt every time I see them.
A cozy country Christmas. It’s just what Eric and I need after traveling so much lately. It’ll be a great time for us to reconnect and forget about the fact that our fame demands we belong to the world as much as we belong to each other. Also, any time spent with our best friends is a great time. This Christmas is about to go down in history as the best one ever—or at least the best one since I lost my mom.
I nod faintly, pressing my lips to Eric’s for a brief moment before he whirls around toward Donovan. “Sorry, man! You’ve been outvoted,” he announces enthusiastically, earning happy cries from Jake, myself, and Chloe.
I cheer. “Country Christmas it is!”
Eric signals for the waitress to bring our check, his grin growing. “Leave all the travel arrangements to me, I’ve got Christmas covered this year. You all just head home to pack. We’ll leave bright and early tomorrow morning!”

Eric King
“Good grief, woman! How much do you have to pack for a short getaway?” I tease, looping my arms around Morgan and kissing her cheek.
On our bed, half a dozen suitcases are crammed with makeup, clothes, and other things she’s generously labeled as her ‘necessities’.
The beautiful blonde pressed against my chest laughs and spins around so that she can loop her arms around my neck and brush the tip of her nose against mine.
She nods over her shoulder at the suitcases. “You never know, maybe I’ll do a photoshoot while I'm there! I mean, did you see those photos of the lodge? It’s beyond beautiful. I could redo my whole portfolio. And . . . there’s always the chance that you’ll get called away to some last-minute gig. Who knows where we’ll end up? I need options. A model must always be prepared,” she adds in her best Tim Gunn impersonation.
I shake my head hard. “Nope. Not a chance. No work over the holidays. This trip is just about you and me, babe.”
She giggles and arches an eyebrow. “Just you and me and our closest friends.”
“Naturally.” I wink. “Would you have it any other way?”
“Nope,” Morgan answers easily, not a hint of hesitation in her silky voice. “I think this is going to be the perfect holiday for us. I hope it’s the perfect one for them, too.”
“It will be if I have anything to do with it.”
As Morgan returns to her packing she says, “Speaking of our perfect friends, did you notice anything weird with them today?”
“Actually, yeah!” I say. I’ve been so distracted making all our travel arrangements I almost forgot. “Donovan was extra prickly tonight.”
Morgan huffs a laugh. “Donovan’s always extra prickly.”
I cross my arms, waiting for Morgan to cut my oldest friend in the world some slack. Though the two often spar like a couple of Yankees and Mets fans, I know she loves the grumpy billionaire as much as I do.
A smile softens Morgan’s already lovely face. “I noticed it, too. And they were both drinking like fish. What’s up with that?”
“I was hoping you’d