Wool to Brave the Seasons - [18+]

Chapter Two

Her neighbour consumed her thoughts as she straightened out the bent branches of her tree. She'd known he was handsome, but up close? He was beautiful from the depths of his autumnal eyes to the raspy expressions of his voice.

All the times she tried to engage him in conversation flipped through her mind.
Had she noticed it then? She wasn't sure.

Usually, when she saw him, she was in a hurry or on her way back from work, and he kept odd hours at his job. What his career was, she didn't know, but he came and went at random times, so she assumed he worked for himself or was on shifts.

He was already there when she moved in last summer, but she didn't meet him until a week later. He'd been away and looked exhausted as she left for work just as he returned and she forgot to ask his name, time wore on, they occasionally ran into each other and it was too awkward to ask what it was.

Work took up much of her day, courting clients to entice them to hire her company and she usually spent her time off with Missy and Grey. Her social life was spotty in this town, but she liked it. It had a certain charm that she had felt nowhere else she'd lived.

Shoving thoughts of her pretty neighbor aside, she stepped back to assess the Christmas tree and deemed it acceptable. Realizing she hadn't yet brought the decorations up, she sighed, grabbed her jacket, and made to leave her cozy home again.

As she opened the door, she glanced down and immediately turned to look at Jon's, a warmth spreading under her skin as she bent to retrieve the bags she knew he'd gone out of his way to collect and bring to her. She wanted to knock on his door, thank him, and see if she could make him talk to her, but she wasn't sure how he'd react.

This was new ground, and it felt shaky. Instead, she took them inside and kicked the door shut with a bang so he knew she had them. Her smile felt permanent as she turned on some music, lit a few candles as the light outside dimmed, and began dressing the sorry-looking tree.

By the time she was done, it looked like a bunch of elves had thrown up copious amounts of glitter and sparkles as she grabbed a stool to place the star on top.

It sat crooked, but she didn't care; Jon's thoughtfulness charmed her too deeply to worry about it crashing down while she slept.

The only gifts she put under it were those she bought for her loved ones and a little something she purchased for herself. She and Missy would buy one another a gift, something fun, silly, or scandalous, a tradition they had since they were kids.

They used to buy each other toys and books, and when they were older, makeup or a spa trip. Now that they had grown up, they continued the tradition and tried to outdo the other, seeing who could mortify the other most.

They leaned toward the sexual side, and she was itching to open it. Luckily, they sent them before their plans went down the proverbial toilet so she would have something to open on the day.

Not feeling like cooking, she headed to her tiny kitchen and searched through the freezer for something she could heat in the microwave while singing along to the Christmas song playing on her phone.

She fished out a frozen lasagne and followed its directions, grabbing a plate fork and pouring a drink while it cooked. Once her sad little meal was ready, she ate it on the couch and watched cheesy movies as she sipped her wine between bites.

Night had fallen along with at least four feet of snow, and it showed no signs of slowing as she shivered and rose to turn the heating higher. She dragged her hand over the radiator in the hall and aimed for the thermostat, frowning when it was stone cold.

"No, no, no," she said under her breath as she ran to the thermostat and saw the temp dropping fast. Any attempt to make it go up failed.

Failing to get it working, she searched online for ways to fix it, but every article told her it needed to be looked at by a professional, and her heart sank into her socks as she cursed her rotten luck.