Wrapped Up for Christmas

KATLYN DUNCAN grew up in a small town in Massachusetts with her head always in the clouds. Working as a scientist for most of her adult life, she enjoyed breaking down the hows and whys of life. This translated into her love of stories and getting into the minds of her characters. Currently, she has published twelve books with HQ Digital and has ghostwritten over forty novels.

When she’s not writing, she’s obsessing over many (many) television series. She currently resides in Connecticut with her husband, kiddo, and adorable senior citizen dog (who will forever be a puppy at heart!).

Readers Love Katlyn Duncan

‘Perfect read … I couldn’t put it down’

‘I will definitely be reading more from this author again.’

‘Engaging and thought provoking.’

‘I was completely glued from page one and didn’t want to put it down.’

‘Gripping. Thrilling. On the edge of your seat exciting. I absolutely loved it.’

‘This story kept me guessing.’

‘Perfect for someone who wants a quick read that’s also gripping’

‘A thoroughly heart-warming and enjoyable read’

‘Gripping, funny and emotional’

‘A delightful read’

Also by Katlyn Duncan

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Taken

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Possessed

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Betrayed

This Summer

This Christmas

Darkest Dawn

As You Lay Sleeping

Six Little Secrets

The Sisters’ Secrets: Rose

The Sisters’ Secrets: Reen

The Sisters’ Secrets: Pearl

Wrapped Up for Christmas

KATLYN DUNCAN

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2019

Copyright © Katlyn Duncan 2019

Katlyn Duncan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © October 2019 ISBN: 9780008364892

Version: 2019-08-26

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Author

Readers Love Katlyn Duncan

Also by Katlyn Duncan

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Acknowledgements

Dear Reader …

Keep Reading …

About the Publisher

For anyone who can get the Christmas feels no matter what time of year or how hot it is outside. This book is for you.

Chapter 1

The Christmas song blaring from the pocket of the man in front of Angie was the last straw. He turned off the ringer of his phone, but that was it for her. She hadn’t even reached the end of the jet bridge before heat surged behind her eyes for the dozenth time that afternoon.

Don’t you dare cry, Angie Martinelli.

At least not until she’d buried herself under the covers in the room she hadn’t slept in since high school.

A day ago, she had lain in her queen-sized bed with eight hundred thread count sheets. When she wasn’t in her apartment, she was in Brett’s California king, treating it like a twin. She recalled the firmness of his body, snuggling up against him—

‘No,’ she hissed, startling the family of four next to her. The parents tucked their children closer to them, away from the crazy woman talking to herself. ‘Sorry.’

The mother grabbed onto her daughter’s backpack and steered her into the airport.

Angie tried to take a calming breath, wanting to push Brett and his cheating self to the farthest reaches of her mind. She gripped her rolling carry-on bag and adjusted her handbag on her shoulder.

With her belongings accounted for, she swiped away a stray tear threatening to fall and dipped her chin against her chest as she made her way through the waiting area toward baggage claim. Angie was determined to keep everyone out of her business – even strangers. She was adamant that they weren’t going to see the tortured expression she wore on her face. As an only child, she prided herself on being a strong and independent woman.

Or at least, she used to.

Once she reached the food court, the scent of greasy cuisine filled her nose. Her stomach ached for something to eat; she had waited too long on the flight to get one of the prepared meals and they were sold out. Nothing on the plane went her way. She sat behind someone who reclined their chair the entire time and the three complimentary bags of chips did nothing to ease her emotions as her mind and stomach churned across the country.

Angie stopped in front of a pub and hesitated, thinking of her bank account. Dollar signs filled her vision for the charges she’d had to pay for the three extra suitcases she’d brought with her. Only one more deposit would come through her account for her severance pay and then nothing. She shook her head, her long dark hair swooping across her face. It clung to her damp cheeks as she tucked the stray strands behind her ears before heading to baggage claim. She could wait to eat until she arrived at home. No doubt her mom would have prepared a feast for her already.

As she followed the signs toward the first level of the airport, she managed to hold back the dam of tears that threatened to break. She was doing well until she saw a handwritten sign on lined paper which read ‘Aunty’ taped to the huge belly of her best friend standing next to the unmoving carousel.

Tears burst from her eyes as Angie sagged into Reese’s arms and sobbed against her shoulder. The ugly, snotty cry that only a best friend or mother could take without feeling utterly disgusted.

Reese patted Angie’s back. ‘Let it all out, girl.’

‘How was the flight?’ her husband, Jeremy, asked.

Angie choked out a laugh and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. ‘Hi, Jer.’

The tall and still handsome high school football champion of their day stood a few feet away, clearly freaked out by the tears coursing down her face. Ten years after graduating, he had aged well. His mother always said youthful genes were a blessing in their family despite the lighter strands now peppered throughout his jet-black hair.

Men had it so easy.

A flash of Brett’s blond locks and million-watt smile threatened to crumple Angie’s composure.

Reese flipped her caramel hair over her shoulder. It seemed smoother than ever. Reese had been over the moon when she found out what pregnancy hormones did to her body. Her warm brown eyes peered down at Angie, filled with concern and warmth.

Angie couldn’t imagine starting a family, never mind getting married, since her life was already over. The dramatics were unnecessary, but it was hard to think of anyone but Brett at the moment. He had been the vision of her future. Now what?

‘Why don’t you grab Angie’s bags?’ Reese said to Jeremy.

He backed away as if Angie was a bomb ready to go off.

Angie stood straighter and wiped her face with her sleeve again. ‘Do I look okay?’

Reese raised an eyebrow. ‘I mean, I could lie and say you look great.’

Angie snorted a laugh, and more tears streamed down her face.

Reese folded her arms over her chest. ‘There are only two ways that dating your boss could go. Unfortunately, you got the short end of that deal.’

‘I never thought it would end like this.’

Reese patted Angie’s back before pulling her as close as she could, avoiding the basketball-sized lump under her shirt. ‘Love is a funny thing. Sometimes it blinds you.’

Angie wrinkled her nose at her friend. ‘That still doesn’t make me feel any better.’

Reese gently scratched the side of her belly. ‘It’s not supposed to. You’re hurting, and nothing I say is going to help until you start to heal. Right now, you can’t do anything about it. Brent—’

‘Brett,’ Angie corrected, even though the sour taste of his name made her already sensitive stomach quiver.

Reese waved her hands dismissively. ‘Brett lied to you. Now you need to learn from it and move on. You’ve been on the go since you graduated from college. Take some time for yourself. Slow down and appreciate life.’

‘I can’t,’ Angie said.

‘Why not?’

‘Keeping busy is going to help me forget about him.’

‘Why not enjoy the time off and a chance to have a break? It’s Christmas, and you haven’t been home in forever.’

Angie shouldered her overpacked handbag she’d dropped at Reese’s feet. ‘Is any part of this conversation going to be helpful?’

Reese’s smile fell. ‘Were there any signs?’

Angie considered that question. It was all she had thought about when he informed her the day before Thanksgiving that they weren’t going to work out because of his fiancée. Fiancée!

The return to work was incredibly awkward. Angie didn’t flatter herself to think that every employee knew about her breakup, but all she could think about was where Brett was in the building and how she could avoid him. There was no way that she could watch Brett and his fiancée – soon, wife – strut around the hotel in front of her. Determined for them both not to get the better of her, she decided to quit and demanded proper severance pay to tide her over the Christmas period.

The signs, though? Angie spotted them immediately after coming out of her love cloud to stare them in the face.

Brett was away at least two weeks a month on business. She had made excuses for him, putting it down to work since he had a hotel to run. It had worked out well for her as she was busy planning events. Her work had started to pick up as Thanksgiving approached; everyone wanted a holiday party in the hotel during December. Every night she had passed out fast asleep well before ten to get up and do it all over again the next day. But that had been their routine.

‘He wasn’t around much lately,’ Angie admitted.

‘I guess absence didn’t make the heart grow fonder.’

Angie shot her a look.

‘Sorry,’ Reese said. ‘I can’t control it sometimes.’

When Reese’s family moved to Brookside, Connecticut when they were in the second grade, Angie liked her plucky attitude immediately. Her best friend’s sarcasm didn’t earn her many friends in high school or beyond. But Reese’s bluntness kept Angie down to earth, giving her a reality check as her mind tended to float up to the clouds. Even though it hurt to realize how idiotic she had been with Brett, she needed the truth now. It was the only way she could move on.

They walked over to Jeremy as he searched through every bag that passed him on the baggage carousel, much to the annoyance of the other travelers.

‘What color are your bags, Angie?’ Jeremy asked over his shoulder.

Angie wiped the residue streaks of tears from her face. ‘Green.’ When she had left for college, her dad insisted she had a set of suitcases for coming home. Even though they were a hideous shade, it was his way of helping her out when she traveled.

Jeremy rocked on his heels. ‘How festive.’

Reese lifted a small bag of trail mix from her back pocket. She ripped it open and started to snack. ‘I bet your mom is thrilled you’re coming home for Christmas. What did she say when you told her?’

Angie chewed on her lip. For the past five years, Angie had flown her mom out to visit her in San Diego for Christmas. It wasn’t the white Christmas they were used to at home, but for Angie, it was better than returning to a place which reminded her of her dad’s absence. Her mother didn’t complain too much when she sat on the terrace of Angie’s apartment, soaking in the sun. If all had gone well with Brett this year, everything would have been the same. It would have been the first time that Brett had been able to meet her mom.

‘Considering she hates flying, she was thrilled,’ Angie said, picking up one of her bags as it came by. Jeremy took another. ‘It finally gave her a chance to decorate the house. The Thompsons next door helped her with the tree and lights.’

‘The Thompsons?’ Reese asked with a snort. ‘I bet that was a struggle.’

Angie laughed and lunged for another of her bags.

‘I’ve got it!’ Jeremy appeared beside her and grabbed the handle before she could.

Angie stepped back and glanced down at Reese, licking her fingers for the last morsels of salt. ‘How are you feeling? Are you ready for the baby?’

Reese answered without looking up. ‘As ready as we’ll ever be.’ Reese snaked a hand around Angie’s waist. ‘I’m glad you’ll be here to meet her first.’

‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

Reese raised an eyebrow.

Angie sighed. ‘It was going to be a surprise, but I did book a flight home after New Year’s.’ Another plan in her life she had to cancel.

Reese snorted. ‘You better have. Or else I would have kicked Brett’s butt for keeping you across the country.’

A break from California would get Angie’s head on straight again. Her life couldn’t get much worse, and she was determined to break her unlucky streak as soon as possible.

***

‘They’ve outdone themselves this year.’ Reese craned her neck to peer around the driver’s seat. The Thompsons next door spared no expense to make their house light up like a Christmas tree from December 1st through mid-January every single year.

Angie had forgotten how brightly their house shone and the memory caught her by surprise. Each polished ornament from her childhood stood in the same place as if they were stored in a snow globe. Though there were a few new ones, including the six – no seven – elves appearing to prance along the sidewalk. She didn’t need to roll down her window to hear the joyous ‘ho ho ho!’ from the mechanical Santa surrounded by his famous reindeer.

Angie’s mom had always tried to keep her dad away from accepting Mr Thompson’s annual request for assistance with their display for fear of him breaking his neck falling from the roof. Her mom had aligned their Christmas tree shopping that same weekend for many years to avoid the argument. As a child, Angie had sometimes woken weeks after Christmas, hearing the sound from the Santa on the neighbor’s roof.

As they drove by, Angie smiled, fondly thinking about her dad grumbling to himself for the entire month and a half about the outrageous display. The image of his face burned into her eyes, imprinting on her memory as Jeremy pulled into the driveway of her childhood home.

Colored lights climbed the highest peaks of the house and sloped toward the ground. A swooping sensation filled her, stealing her breath. Coming home was what she needed. She knew that now more than ever.

A familiar station wagon sat in her old spot on the driveway. The rusted edges of the wheel wells had extended to the back bumper. She was surprised it still ran. Angie’s mom must have invited her nonni over for dinner, knowing Angie was coming home. She braced herself for tight embraces and sloppy cheek kisses, but couldn’t help smiling. Her home had been a place to run away from for years. Now she wanted nothing more than the familiar.

Reese yawned and turned in her seat as much as she could. ‘We would love to visit, but I’m exhausted. This little angel sucks up all my energy. Let’s meet up tomorrow?’

Angie leaned over and kissed her friend on the cheek. ‘Definitely.’ She opened the door and hopped out of the car. ‘Thanks for picking me up.’

Jeremy grabbed two of her bags before they walked together to the porch with Angie rolling the last, and her carry on. She wasn’t sure where she was going to put everything.

‘How is she doing?’ Angie asked as they approached the house, out of Reese’s earshot.

‘She’s having trouble sleeping,’ Jeremy said, massaging the back of his neck. ‘I’ve been on the sofa.’

Angie spotted movement from behind the living room curtains. ‘Let me know if you need help with anything.’ Not like I have much to do anymore. I’m jobless, homeless, hopeless … She shook the negative thoughts from her mind.

‘Sure thing,’ he said. ‘It’s nice to have you back. Reese will never say it, but she misses you. Even more now with the baby on the way.’

‘Hormones?’ Angie tried to make light of the conversation. She hadn’t been the best best-friend since moving to California.

‘She’s become more emotional. It’s an adjustment for everyone.’

Angie sighed. So much had gone on the last few days, she wasn’t sure if she could handle more emotion from herself or her friends. ‘Thanks again for the ride. I’ll come by the house soon.’

‘No problem.’

Jeremy leaned forward, and they awkwardly hugged. Even though Jeremy and Reese had been together for years, he and Angie had never quite mastered the closeness either of them had with Reese. She was their glue.

The front door opened just as she reached for the knob. Donato grabbed his chest as if she’d knocked the wind out of him. His wheezing breath billowed above them. ‘Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you scared me. I thought you were a damned ghost.’

Angie smirked. ‘I’m not a ghost, Nonno.’ She took the cigarette and lighter from his hand and put them in the pocket of his thick knitted sweater. ‘Those things are going to kill you, you know?’

‘That’s what your nonna says, but my ticker is as strong as it was when I was fifteen!’

Angie steered him inside and closed the door behind her, taking in the blazing heat of her home. It was worse in the summer as her mom insisted on cooking the same amount of food all year round. At least since Dad died. He had always been the grill-master, and after he had passed away, her mother saw no reason to change her cooking habits away from the kitchen. She hugged Nonno, sturdy as ever.

A loud cackle caught her attention.

Angie’s nonna, Emilia, held her hands in front of her, gesturing for Angie to come closer. As if she hadn’t been the one creeping behind the curtain. ‘Angela! Angela!’ The thick Brooklyn accent filled Angie with a warmth she hadn’t expected. The round woman pressed herself against Angie’s middle and squeezed. Even now, in the later end of her seventies, she still made Angie breathless with her hugs.

Angie leaned her cheek against the top of Emilia’s head. Her gray-streaked hair was shorter than she remembered.

‘I think you’ve shrunk.’

Emilia pressed her hands against Angie’s waist. ‘You too.’

‘It was so nice of you two to come and visit me,’ Angie said. ‘I missed you.’

Emilia stiffened and took a step back, keeping her hands on Angie’s waist. A version of the terrible stink-eye that could send any man in a ten-foot radius skittering away had befallen Angie.

‘What’s with the face?’ Angie looked at Donato who suddenly found his hands fascinating.

‘Maria!’ Emilia barked, making both Angie and Donato jump.

‘You’ve done it now.’ Donato rubbed a hand over his stubbled cheek.

‘What did I do?’ Angie asked.

Emilia darted from the room, and Angie followed her toward the kitchen. She barely had a moment to take in the boxes of Christmas decorations on the floor before approaching the raised voices of her mother and her nonna going at it.

Angie peered into the kitchen, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever was happening. ‘Ma?’

Emilia placed her hands firmly on her hips, and her bottom lip jutted out. ‘Tell her.’

Angie’s heart warmed when she saw her mom, pear-shaped as ever, holding a wooden spoon tipped with gravy. Her mouth watered thinking of a home-cooked meal for once instead of take-out or airplane food.

‘Tell me what?’ Angie thought of all the possibilities of horrible situations. Was one of them sick? Dying? Did it have something to do with her coming home?

Maria rolled her eyes. ‘Mom, can you give me a minute to say hello to my daughter?’ She darted across the room and kissed Angie on the cheek. Her skin was softer than Angie remembered. ‘Welcome home, Angela.’

No one could stop Emilia when she was about to scold someone. ‘You had plenty of time to tell her, now you’re going to disappoint your only daughter.’

Angie huffed. ‘Can someone fill me in?’

Emilia crossed her arms and avoided eye contact by staring at the ceiling.

Maria took Angie’s hands in hers. They were warm. ‘I told Nonna it wouldn’t be a big deal to you.’

Angie’s gaze darted between her mom and Emilia. ‘What wouldn’t be a big deal?’

‘Nonno and Nonna had to leave their apartment.’

‘Rodents!’ Donato said from the doorway.

‘Disgusting,’ Emilia spat.

‘So, they’re staying with us for a little while.’

Angie waited yet no one else spoke. ‘Is that all?’

‘Well,’ Maria said, dragging the word out longer than necessary. ‘They’re staying in your room. It’s bigger and more comfortable for them.’

‘I told Maria we could stay in the guest room,’ Emilia offered.

Maria glared at her mother.

Angie mustered a smile to appease her family. ‘I’ll stay in the guest room while I’m home.’ She had no intention of staying longer than necessary and moving her nonni out of the room for a week or so didn’t make any sense.

‘See!’ Maria shrieked and pointed the spoon at Emilia. ‘I told you it was fine.’

Emilia grunted and sat at the table set for four.

Maria led Angie to the chair she had sat on since she was a kid, gesturing her to sit. ‘Tell us all about your trip. I’m almost finished with dinner. I made your favorite.’

Angie sat at the table, allowing the warmth of the house to envelop her into a tight hug. She was used to the wide-open space of her and Brett’s apartments. The house where she grew up felt smaller than it had the last time. But the laughter and happiness shining in her family’s eyes lulled her into a sense of security she hadn’t realized she had missed.