Christmas at Seashell Cottage - SAMPLE

Chapter Two

Charlie tugged her hat down over her ears a little further and inwardly agreed that her prediction had been bang on. The whole town did come out to the tree lighting—at least it looked that way. Memorial Square was full of people, the scent of fresh snow, evergreen, and chocolate heavy in the air. There was laughter and conversation and happy greetings, but Charlie hung back. She found it awkward, being overly friendly with the townspeople and then having them in her exam room the next week. She tended to isolate herself, maintain that little bit of personal distance. She wasn't sure how her boss, Josh Collins, managed to separate personal from professional, but he did.

Brilliantly. Just like he did everything.

She snagged herself a cup of hot chocolate, both for the comforting heat and to give her something to do with her hands. There was an unoccupied corner by the gazebo, and she made her way there, smiling at people as she went along. There were lots of "Hi, Dr. Yang," and "Merry Christmas, Dr. Yang," greetings, but none to Charlene or Charlie.

This was how she'd wanted it when she first moved here, but now she wasn't so sure. Wouldn't it be nice to be a part of something? To belong and fit in? She leaned back against the gazebo wall and watched the gathering with a bit of longing. Sure, it would be nice, but she had no idea how to go about it. She should call Lizzie, she realized. Her best friend and college roommate did much better with interpersonal relationships. Heck, if it hadn't been for her, Charlie wouldn't have had any social life in college at all.

She sipped at her chocolate. Lizzie had come into their dorm room that first year of med school and had made life bearable. Lizzie went to med school because it was all she'd ever wanted to do. Charlie had gone because it was expected. Study. Succeed. For her parents, it had been about prestige and money and being able to say their only child was a hot shot doctor. One did not merely get by. One strived to be The Best. Otherwise, what was the point?

It really choked them now that she was a simple GP in a small town. She felt the disapproval every time she saw them, which was always at the family home on Beacon Hill. Not once had they driven up to Jewell Cove to see where she was living.

"Hey, is there room for one more to hide over here?"

A delicious shiver ran up her spine. She looked over her shoulder and saw Dave, cradling his own cup of chocolate, a thick knitted hat on his head and a heavy winter jacket making him look even bigger than he had yesterday. She vowed that she would not be as awkward as she'd felt in front of the church.

She smiled. "You realize you're ginormous, right? Good luck hiding anywhere."

He chuckled. "It's in my genes. My dad's six-three and my mom's five-eleven. I was bound to be big."

"Brothers and sisters?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Two of each. I'm smack in the middle of the birth order."

Good heavens. Five of them? "You must be intimidating when you're all together. Any big plans to get together for the holidays?"

"We're all grown. My older brother and sister are both married and have kids. My younger brother Jason is engaged and my baby sister Samantha is just finishing college. We're spread out, too, so having us all together doesn't really happen very often, though we try. This year mom and dad are spending Christmas in Texas at my brother's, spoiling grandkids." He took a sip of his chocolate and then looked down at her. "What about you? Siblings?"

She turned her gaze to the very tall Christmas tree in the center of the square. His family sounded wonderful, even if they were spread out across the country. She focused on the huge star at the top of the tree as she answered. "There's just me. My parents live in Boston."