Summary:
Miracles of Christmas #3
Now a Hallmark Channel Original Movie
A magical, modern-day Christmas Carol
Digital designer Emma Wallace is finally poised for her big break: kitchenware giant Johnson Cookware is looking to rebrand â and with Christmas around the corner, Emmaâs long-held philosophy of work-before-play may just give her the edge she needs to win the account.
The only peppermint twist in her Scrooge-worthy plan? Sheâs promised her ever-patient, architect boyfriend Sam Cole that after spending the last three Christmases in her office instead of in his arms, sheâll make this holiday just about the two of them. But as Christmas Eve draws near and the deadline crunch threatens her promise to Sam, Emma finds herself visited by three boyfriend âghostsâ of Christmases past, who come bearing the gift of hindsight.
Will showing Emma her past romantic failures, as well as her early courtship with Sam, help her to see the path to true happiness in time to save her future?
Each book in the Miracles of Christmas series is standalone:
*Rescued by Christmas
*Christmas Comes to Snowfall
*Boyfriends of Christmas Past
Emma was going to be lateâthere was no question about it. And even worse, long before sheâd glanced up from her cluttered desk at five fifteen and felt the prickles of panic shoot across her scalp, sheâd known of her inevitable truancy.
Because, truthfully, Emma Wallace had known sheâd be delayed meeting her boyfriend, Sam Cole, for dinner at their favorite restaurant the minute sheâd walked into her office at Zenith Media that morning and learned that the Johnson Cookware account was up for grabs againâand her proposal was getting a second shot.
So why hadnât she texted to let Sam know way back then?
That was, of course, the question Emma tried to ignore as her stylus flew wildly over page after page, reworking her initial ideas for the cookware companyâs new lookâher gaze zooming from paper to computer screen with equal speed as she madly workedâtelling herself her boyfriend would surely understand that after ten years in digital design, Emma was, at thirty-two, finally due the break of her career.
âStill here?â Vanessa appeared in Emmaâs doorway, her colleagueâs cloud of strawberry blonde curls bursting out of the bottom of a purple beret. After being cubicle neighbors at Zenith for four years, the fellow designer was more than just a trusted coworker. She was Emmaâs best friend. âSo howâs the redesign going?â
âI wish I knew,â Emma said, reaching back to make a twist of her hair and snapping an elastic around the tidy knot. âOne minute I think Dianeâs going to love it, the next minute I think a first-grader could come up with a better concept.â
Vanessa leaned into the jamb. âSounds like you could use a little something to sweeten your mood right now too. Want to grab an eggnog latte with me at Cocoaâs?â The cafĂ©âs seasonal special was their favorite elixir for work stressâany other night Emma would have accepted the invitation.
âI wish I could, but I donât dare stop while the ideas are flowing.â
âNo worriesâI understand.â
But Emma swore a flicker of disappointment crossed her best friendâs face before she looked away. What did Vanessa mean by, âSounds like you could use a little something to sweeten your mood right now too?â Her friend was still feeling the aches and pains of a recent breakupâhad today been especially tough? Emma would have gladly offered counsel, but buried this deep under deadline, she could only offer a warm smileâand an apology. âIâm really sorry, Ness. At this rate, Iâm not even sure Iâll make it to dinner with Sam.â
Vanessaâs thoughtful expression turned fierce. âDonât you dare cancel,â she said, fixing Emma with a hard look. âDo you know how lucky he was to get a reservation at Ivyâs this close to Christmas?â
She knew, all right. And the creeping remorse wasnât exactly helping her creative flow. Then again, neither was the relentless chime of Christmas carols their receptionist Denise insisted on playing on her computer.
Fortunately, Sam would understand her late arrival. After three years together, her boyfriend had grown accustomed to Emmaâs devotion to her work. After all, he had a demanding job tooâalthough she would be hard-pressed to recall one time her architect boyfriend had ever been late for one of their datesâa record that, sheâd admit, often stirred more than a few tremors of guilt. Tonight, however, she worked to tamp them down before they could start.
âJust donât push it too late,â Vanessa said, turning to go. âAs far as I know, Uber hasnât started offering teleportation service yet.â
âIf only.â Emma grinned. âOh, and do me a favor, will you? When you pass reception, can you ask Denise to turn down her music?â
âI most certainly will not. Some of us actually like getting into the holiday spirit. You know, holiday? As in, taking a break?â
âDenise started playing Christmas songs in Octoberâyouâll forgive me if my holiday spirit doesnât have a three-month shelf life,â Emma said, spinning back to face her desk. âBesidesâdeadlines donât take holidays.â
âCareful now, my friendâŠâ Vanessa raised one side of her mouth in a smirk. âYouâre starting to sound like another person I know who always put work before fun.â
âOh yeah, whoâs that?â
âEbenezer Scrooge.â
Emma pushed through Ivyâs double doors at six forty-two and scanned the crowded restaurant with her heart in her throat for several seconds before she spotted Sam at a booth in the back, his brown hair falling over his forehead in the sexy, just-woke-up way that had sent butterflies of heat fluttering through her stomach the first time theyâd met. Three years in, it still did. Only tonight, those butterflies were competing with the batting wings of nerves as she hurried across the busy floor.
Despite the lack of Christmas music in favor of a live bluegrass duo, there was no confusion as to the season. Twinkle lights swung from the exposed beams and wrapped around the roomâs unfinished wood columns, and every table boasted a festive centerpiece of pine boughs and holly sprigs, the thick, sappy scent of fresh pine nearly overpowering the smell of sautĂ©ed garlic.
âBaby, I am so, so sorry,â Emma blurted breathlessly as she slid into the bench.
âMe too.â Samâs voice was uncharacteristically tight, sending a knot of regret sinking in her stomach. His gaze remained fixed on his menu. âThe couple over there just got the last order of scallops.â
âI know youâre angry.â
âBelieve it or not, Iâm actually impressed. Iâd bet youâd be an hour late, and here you are, just under fifty minutes.â The strained smile he offered as she shrugged out of her coat did little to mask his sarcasm.
Then Emma saw the ramekin of crÚme brûlée in front of her and she sucked in an appreciative breath.
Sam gave a shrug. âI overheard the waiter say they were running low on those too.â
She looked up at him, flushed with affection as she scanned his warm eyes. âI donât deserve you, do I?â
âNope,â he said flatly, and with just the right amount of gravity that Emma waited a beat before smiling, not sure if he was kidding or not.
Their waiter arrived to take their orders. Suddenly starving, she chose the broiled salmon with quinoa and an extra side of the restaurantâs famous curry fries.
Sam gave her a wary look as he handed the waiter back their menus. âLet me guessâyou skipped lunch again?â
âI ate a protein bar,â she said, though, inhaled might have been a better verb. But who had time to waste eating? âI had a good reason,â she said, leaning forward, bursting. âI have amazing news. Diane announced that Simonâs presentation to Johnson Cookware was a total flop.â
He stared at her, one sandy blond eyebrow arching dubiously. âIâm waiting for the part where you tell me the amazing news.â
âItâs amazing because Johnson said theyâd be willing to look at the other proposals before going to another firmâwhich means I can finally get my ideas in front of Diane and knock their socks off!â
Sam reached for his water. âDonât you mean their aprons?â
Emma smiled, her racing nerves finally calming. Though there was no denying sheâd been dazzled by Samâs bright blue eyes when sheâd first met him, his sense of humor was, without a doubt, his very best feature.
âIâve got some news tooâŠâ He opened his napkin and laid it across his lap. âWe got the additional grant to keep Kids Who Cook going another year.â
âSam!â She clapped a hand over her forehead, feeling the flush of remorse burning there, remembering he was supposed to hear the news today. âBaby, Iâm so sorryâI totally forgot to ask. Thatâs fantastic! We should be toasting you.â She reached for her wine then stopped. âWaitâwe should order champagne!â
âItâs a grant for ten thousand dollars, Emânot ten million,â Sam said dryly, raising his glass. âWineâll do.â
âStill! Itâs amazing news.â She tapped her wine to his, meeting his tender gaze over the rim as she took a sip. âI really am sorry, Sam,â she said, setting her glass back down. âAnd not just because I forgot to ask about the grant.â
Finally, a smile melted across his face, thawing the last of the chill heâd been wearing since sheâd sat down. âBaby, itâs okay. I know how disappointed you were not to get a shot at this account the first time around. And if a few late arrivals is what I have to trade so we can leave Saturday morning for my folksâ house, then Iâll gladly white-knuckle it.â
Heat flooded her face. She blinked up at him, her voice nearly cracking as she asked, âChristmas is this Saturday?â
âYup.â Sam grinned. âI sent the big guy a text asking for an extension for you this year, but he turned me down. Sorry, babe.â
A chuckle was the appropriate response, but Emma didnât dare risk choking on the knot of panic in her throat. Instead, she reached for her glass again and took a longer swig this time, hoping to force the ball of nerves down, but it remained lodged in her throat. When Diane had notified the design team this morning that they had until December twenty-third to polish their original campaigns for resubmission, Emma hadnât realized that date was only days away.
After three years of datingâand declining the invitation to spend Christmas with Samâs parents for every one of themâshe had known she couldnât say no a fourth year in a row. But sheâd made that promise two months ago, before sheâd gotten the second chance to win her dream account.
âEmâŠâ
When she looked up, she found Samâs eyes trained on hers and pooling with dread.
âWe are still on for this, right?â
âOf course!â The waiter returned with their order of bruschetta, his timing the perfect rescue, allowing Emma a few extra minutes to continue tamping down her rising nerves as she and Sam each dug into a slice.
âSpeaking of my folks,â he said. âMy mom keeps forgetting about the whole pescatarian thingâeven though Iâve told her you only eat fish no less than two hundred times.â
Emma smiled as she unfolded her napkin. âAt least your mother knows itâs a dietary choice. When I explained it to my mom, she thought it meant I was going to a new church.â
âPescatarian, EpiscopalianâŠâ Sam grinned. âItâs an easy mistake.â
âItâs okay, really. I donât want her making a special dish just for me.â
âAre you kidding?â he snorted. âElaine isnât making anything. Sheâs ordering in the whole spread from her favorite restaurant.â
Of course, Samâs mother wasnât cooking a single dish herself.
Unlike most people, whose passion for cooking came from watching their parents make meals, Samâs fondness came from the opposite. While most of his male friends could barely boil water if someone else didnât fill the pot for them, Sam was an accomplished and entirely self-taught chef, a passion heâd detailed to Emma on their first date. Growing up the oldest of three boys, Sam had been responsible for making his younger brothersâ meals when his parents had been gone at all hours to run the familyâs insurance business. And though his brothers had soon developed their own erratic schedules, thanks to sports practices and other after-school commitments, and had no longer needed him to cook for them, Samâs passion for cooking hadnât dimmed. When the local elementary school had wanted to offer after-school programs, he had volunteered to teach cooking lessons. Two years later, heâd turned a few classes for a handful of elementary students into a wildly popular neighborhood program called Kids Who Cook.
The news of his culinary expertise had excited Emma from the startânot just because she was a hopeless cook and looked forward to enjoying his skills, but because she also liked knowing he had grown up living with people whoâd made sacrifices for their careers, so her own demanding and often unpredictable work schedule wouldnât be hard for him to adjust to. And in their three years together, it hadnât been.
At least, not that she had ever witnessed.
âSo you think youâll have a better shot the second time around?â
He was steering them back to talk of her workâa good sign the sting of her late arrival had finally softened.
She smiled gratefully. âIâm hoping.â
âHave you told your folks yet?â
âSo my mom can tell me I work too hard and that I should be working toward settling down instead?â Emma shook her head. âNo thanks.â
Her mother, a nurse with a great-paying job when sheâd married Emmaâs father, had chosen to stay home after Emma was bornâa decision Emma always believed she must have regretted, living with her penny-pinching father. Having grown up watching her mother be put through the ringer just to buy light bulbs, Emma vowed from an early age to make her own moneyâmoney she could spend however she wanted and didnât have to ask permission for from anyone.
Sam chuckled as he reached for his glass.
âWhatâs so funny?â she asked.
âIt just occurred to meâŠâ He swirled his wine.
âWhat did?â
His eyes appraised her tenderly, all traces of the earlier frost gone. âThe cosmic irony in a woman who canât cook landing a major cookware account.â
Leading up to Christmas, Lauren is visited by the ghosts of three ex-boyfriends. She must learn to open her heart or risk losing her best friend, Nate.
Release Date: October 23, 2021
Release Time: 84 minutes
Director: Don McBrearty
Cast:
Catherine Haena Kim as Lauren Kim
Raymond Ablack as Nate Sagar
Jenna Katz as Suzi
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Leo Kim
Susan Hanson as Yung Kim
Jordan Kronis as Tyler Mirsky
Karn Kalra as Jake
Ish Morris as Henry
Jon McLaren as Logan
Shannon McDonough as Alice
Graham Parkhurst as Todd
Matthew Rossi as John
Alys Crocker as Lily
Matthew Stefiuk as Aaron
Emmerly Tinglin as Jen
Justin Methé as Max
Seher Khot as Divya
Erika Marks is a womenâs fiction writer and the author of Little Gale Gumbo, The Mermaid Collector, The Guest House and It Comes In Waves (July, 2014). On the long and winding road to becoming published, she worked many different jobs, including carpenter, cake decorator, art director, and illustrator. But if pressed, she might say it was her brief tenure with a match-making service in Los Angeles after college that set her on the path to writing love stories (not that there isnât romance in frosting or power tools!) A native New Englander, she now makes her home in Charlotte, NC, with her husband, a native New Orleanian who has taught her to make a wicked gumbo, and their two little mermaids.
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