The Gift

By Nova Jarvis

It is December 22nd. Henry and Morgan both have a problem. One has no place to go for the holiday. The other's problem has the name of stepmother. It is December 23rd. Henry has another problem. He is falling for the girl crashing on his couch. It is December 24th. If two strangers aren't careful, they'll have an unforgettable Christmas, in more ways than one.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nova Jarvis Creative
• Release date: Dec 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9798985727937

Book preview

The Gift

Nova Jarvis

The Gift

Copyright © 2022 by Nova Jarvis

All rights reserved.  Printed in the United States of America. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in book reviews.

This is a work of fiction.  All names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this story are product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living of dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by Nova Jarvis Creative

www.novajarviscreative.com

ISBN: 979-8-9857279-3-7

Cover Design by Nova Jarvis

Cover Photo: ©EStock on Shutterstock. License purchased for use July 7, 2022

To my family, who always made Christmas the best time of year.

DECEMBER 22ND 5:00PM

DECEMBER 22ND 5:39PM

DECEMBER 22ND 5:54PM

DECEMBER 22ND 6:31PM

DECEMBER 22ND 6:39PM

DECEMBER 22ND 7:33PM

DECEMBER 22ND 9:21PM

DECEMBER 23RD 6:42AM

DECEMBER 23RD 7:16 AM

DECEMBER 23RD 9:04AM

DECEMBER 23RD 10:12 AM

DECEMBER 23RD 5:21PM

DECEMBER 23RD 7:33 PM

DECEMBER 23RD 8:08 PM

DECEMBER 24TH 6:44AM

DECEMBER 24TH 10:27AM

DECEMBER 24TH 3:11PM

DECEMBER 24th 6:04PM

DECEMBER 24TH 6:36PM

DECEMBER 24TH 8:21PM

DECEMBER 24TH 11:21PM

DECEMBER 25TH 5:49AM

DECEMBER 25TH 7:21AM

DECEMBER 25TH 8:31AM

DECEMBER 25TH 8:56AM

DECEMBER 26TH 2:11PM

One Year Later: December 25th 6:40AM

Acknowledgements

About The Author

DECEMBER 22ND 5:00PM

What?  Henry Anderson exclaimed.  A few people on the busy New York City street turned and looked, waiting for another outburst.  When none came, they moved on, shopping bags knocking at their knees.  William Reynolds waved his hand at Henry’s face and scoffed, breath fogging in the December chill.

You heard me!  This will work!  William exclaimed back.  Henry shook his head, letting it fall forward into his hand.  His auburn hair seeped through the spaces between his fingers.

How? Henry asked, letting out a cloud of frozen breath.  He adjusted the collar of his denim jacket as snowflakes fell and stuck to his shoulders.  With a flick of a hand, he wiped a few of the white flakes off.  They melted from the warmth of his hand.

You find a girl who is all alone, alright? William grinned.  Chances are, she’s not going anywhere.  You ask her if she has plans for Christmas, and then you spring it upon her!  Easy!  His white teeth glowed in the light of the neon sign above his head.  Henry averted his gaze to the ground, shuffling his feet in front of him. 

Fine, William let out a heavy sigh.  His black hair, shaved to just half an inch, glittered from the melting snow.  If you won’t, I will for you.

What? Henry’s head whipped up just in time to see William dart into an open bar.  Henry stood in shock.  Should he go after William?  What if he actually succeeded?  A short woman bumped into Henry’s tall frame and let out a string of curses, shaking a fist at the young adult.  She hissed through her teeth before waddling away.  Henry let out a wispy sigh and looked up at the sky.  Snowflakes glided on the soft breeze to land on his cheeks.  A few dainty flakes got tangled up in his eyelashes and melted, leaving droplets of water that sunk into his eyes when he let them flutter closed.

Part of Henry wanted to give in and give up.  What would be so bad about letting Anita pick out a partner anyway?  He already lived with her, no one could be any worse than Anita was.  Minutes passed as he debated for the millionth time.  What was there to lose?  The door to the bar slammed open and William tumbled out.

Apparently no one at a bar wants to go to a family Christmas with a dude, but I got three numbers!  William hooted, punching the night air with his fists.  Henry rolled his hazel eyes. 

I told you it wouldn’t work, Henry stated.  Without waiting for his friend, he began walking down the city sidewalk.  The snow was sticking to the concrete in flimsy patterns as people walked over the fresh layer.  William raced to catch up, slipping on the snow.  He grabbed onto a lamppost to re-erect his large body.  Henry was a toothpick in comparison to William’s broad stance and large chest.

Dude, this isn’t over, William stated, taking out a comb and running it through his short hair.

What, you don’t even need a comb for that, and no, we are absolutely done, Henry said, waving a hand at his friend.  William was too busy looking in a shop window, his index finger and thumb on either side of his chin as he tipped his head left to right.  Standing up straight, he grinned and struck a pose before turning back to Henry. 

Seriously? Henry asked, his voice monotonous and bored.  Most days, Henry felt miniscule to William.  But he never envied the stark pride William had in his appearance.  It was the one thing he could not stand about his friend.  Henry valued taking care of himself, but having to stop at eighteen different windows in a three-block radius to check hair that was so short it didn’t even need a comb?  Ridiculous.

Isn’t this the coffee shop Allison’s boyfriend recommended?  William asked, pointing to the name of a shop right above their heads.  Wayward Wanderer. 

Her ex.  But yeah, it is, Henry replied, looking up at the wooden sign.  The black letters spelling out the name were lit with bright bulbs, but the rest of the sign, which appeared to be a map, was only lit by the glow of the nearby streetlights.  Allison’s ex had always brought over a box from Wayward Wanderer.  Their pastries were to die for.  It was truly the only thing Henry’s family liked about Allison’s ex. 

Let’s go in, William grabbed Henry’s arm and pulled him through the door.  A bell jingled and the smell of homemade pastries and fresh coffee filled the air.  Heaven, William whispered.  Henry could only nod in agreement.

On the left side of the large counter were the cash registers, and along the rest of the counter space were racks to hold bread and other pastries, of which only a few remained.  A teen appeared from behind the racks and pressed a button on one of the registers. 

Can I help you guys? He asked.  William and Henry shared a look before looking up to the menu boards.  Henry shrugged his shoulders, turning to look at William in the faint yellow aura of the cafe. 

We’ve never been here before; can we take a few minutes? William asked.  The teen nodded, his red hair bouncing out from under his blue cap. 

Of course.  We have a sampler box you can purchase if you’d like.  We give you a select of a dozen items, the young cashier offered, pushing his hair back up underneath the hat.  Henry and William turned to each other again.  William was the one to shrug his shoulders this time.

That sounds good, thanks, Henry replied to the young cashier with a nod.  The teen nodded his head as well and punched in the sampler into the register. 

Anything else or do you want another minute?  The cashier questioned as he looked up at the two young men.  William narrowed his blue eyes as he peered up at the board. 

What would you suggest?

Really anything.  There are very few menu items I haven’t tried.  I have liked them all.  Hazelnut is my favorite, the cashier replied, resting his hands on the black granite countertop.  He leaned slightly forward, eyes flicking back and forth between William and Henry. 

I’m allergic to hazelnuts, Henry stated. 

"If you like sweeter coffee, I’d recommend the caramel