Bokelskere.no

She couldn’t remember anyone ever treating her as if she were so valuable. Her eyes stung and a lump filled her throat.

For some reason, men who worked hard were admired, but it wasn’t an attractive quality in a woman.

“I love Marietta’s library, but I can also want to support our indie bookstore. In my mind, you can never have enough books.”

Technology had changed the world and there was no going back.

“There’s something kind of magical about being in Santa’s Grotto alone. It’s like I’m actually in the North Pole, working alongside all the elves in the workshop.”

Lara brushed a tear away. “But we might not win.”
“We’ve already won—even if we don’t get the money. You’ve given us our Christmas spirit back.”

She tried to clear her mind and think about all the things she loved about Christmas. The decorations, the food, the festivities—the aroma of her Christmas cookies. The music and the movies. The wrapping of gifts. The excitement on the faces of kids. The contentment on the faces of those in the home with her grandmother, along with the usual sparkles in their eyes. The kindness of others. That feeling of coming together.

“Snow angels,” they said in unison. Her eyes widened in surprise, and so did his. “What? You did that, too?” She held out her hands.
“Didn’t everyone? You can’t build a snowman and not finish with a snow angel. Every Christmas holiday I spent with my parents and grandma here, that was always the next step.”

“And isn’t that jacket over a thousand bucks?”
“I have no idea,” Ben said truthfully.
“But, at the end of the day, it’s just a jacket.”

Ben hadn’t known he’d looked at Lara like that. He hadn’t known that she’d looked at him like that. It took his breath away and he gulped.

His breath formed smoky clouds in front of him in the icy air and the temperature nipped at his skin as his feet crunched on the ground beneath him.

Keeping a smile in place, staying calm, not showing any negative emotions, and turning any negative into a positive message.

Darn him. She hated the way he was looking at her right now. As if he actually meant to tease and torment her. A guy should be locked up for looking at a girl like that.

I love that he’s hard on the outside and a total marshmallow on the inside.

God, I love him. Wait, what? No, no, I don’t love him. I love his sweetness.

“Water skiing isn’t hard. I’m sure I could teach you.”
Violet snorts. “Yeah. I can barely get the hang of yoga, and you want to strap boards to my feet and drag me across water?”
“You make it sound dangerous.”
“All sports are dangerous. Especially hockey.”

Wine tends to hit me hard and fast, and I don’t want to make a fool out of myself in a nice restaurant.

Missy lifts a hand in the air and laughs as her dark curls become dotted with snowflakes. That sight alone takes my breath away.

“Don’t you just love it here? I mean, who wouldn’t love to run wild in this place and scoop up all the delicious books they can carry? Reading isn’t only good for the mind, it settles your spirit in a way like nothing else can. How else could you possibly travel the world, travel time, live a thousand lives—all without leaving the comfort of your home? My perfect day consists of eating and reading next to a cozy fire. Can you imagine if that’s all there was to do in life?”

Samantha thought how sad it was that you never really knew when you’d run out of time with the people you love in life. She was just going to love them with all her heart, as if it were the last time.