A Very Grumpy Halloween, page 1
A VERY GRUMPY HALLOWEEN
WOLF VALLEY: A VERY GRUMPY HOLIDAY
BOOK 2
SHAW HART
CONTENTS
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
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About the Author
Series by Shaw Hart
Also by Shaw Hart
Copyright © 2024 by Shaw Hart
www.shawhart.com
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*
It’s just a fling… right?
Maple:
I need a break.
I’ve spent this last year working hard to get my business off the ground and to settle into my new apartment and town.
All work and no play, though, has made me a dull girl.
Now, I’m looking to change that, and I know just how to do it.
With Ryder Murray.
Ryder
When Maple Baker propositions me, I know that this is my chance.
I’ve had my eye on the bubbly redhead since she first moved to town, but she’s never given me a second look.
Now she is, and I’m not about to let her look away.
She thinks that we’re a fling, just friends with benefits.
I’m about to show her that we’re forever.
ONE
Maple
I smile to myself as I walk to work, taking a deep breath of the crisp fall air. Fall is my favorite season, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. It has been ever since I was a little girl. I used to dress up every year, sometimes even throw parties for my friends once we got too old for trick or treating, but that was before. Before my parents died, before I moved to Wolf Valley with my sisters, before I started my shop.
Maybe I should have a party this year, I think to myself as I head down the street.
It’s been too long since I’ve had some fun. I used to go out with friends and hang out with my sisters. I was in a book club and a craft circle. I used to be social, but lately, not so much.
The last year has been busy, filled with a move, settling into my new apartment, and opening my shop, Wet and Wild. My days have been filled with making sure that my store gets off the ground and is a success. It wasn’t easy at first, but things have been going great for the last six months. I finally feel like I’m at a point where I can take a break. Now I just need to figure out what I want to do on my break.
Maybe a vacation? Although I don’t really have the staff for that right now.
It’s just me, my youngest sister, Ginger, and our friend, Lilou. Both Ginger and Lilou are part-time, and while I know they can handle things for a day or two, I’m not sure I’m at a point where I could leave for a week or two.
I weigh my options as I head into the shop, smiling at Lilou behind the counter.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I ask her.
“Good. We’ve been busy,” she says with a smile.
Hiring Lilou has been the best decision since opening this place. It gives me a chance to take a break and do all the little tasks that need to be done, and it’s made us closer. It’s nice to have friends besides my sisters, and she’s a great friend to have. Plus, she’s an awesome employee.
I set my things down behind the counter, getting settled as Lilou helps a customer check out. The door opens and in walks one of my other sisters, Olive. She’s the eldest of us and runs the bakery right next door. She usually stops by after she closes, and I smile as I spot the bakery box in her hands.
“How’s it going?” She says, and I smile.
“Pretty good. For me?” I ask as she hands it to me.
“Yeah, you and Lilou.”
Olive is an amazing baker. She’s great in the kitchen, period. She got that from our mom.
A pang hits me as I think about our parents. They’ve been gone for a few years now, but the ache hasn’t gone away. I doubt that it ever will. My sisters and I had left our old house behind, deciding that we needed a change of scenery. Olive was the one who suggested Wolf Valley and when she declared that she was going to open up her own bakery, we all were inspired.
Olive owns the bakery Masterbeaters, I own Wet and Wild, and Saffron runs the bookstore Shelf Indulgence. Ginger hasn’t settled on a single business yet, so she floats between them, helping out where she can. It’s worked out well for all of us, and we’ve found a new home here. Still, though, my heart can’t help but hurt for the one that we left.
“Have Saffron or Ginger stopped by?” Olive asks me, naming our other two sisters.
“Not that I know of. I just got in myself.”
“Must be nice,” she sighs, and I grin.
“If you want to sleep in, then you’re in the wrong profession,” I tease her.
“True, but now I get to go home and spend the rest of the night with my sexy man,” she says, talking about her new husband, Xavier.
Olive and Xavier met when we first moved to town. They lived across the street from each other, and Olive was smitten from the moment that she saw him. He was, too, though he didn’t think he was good enough for her and tried to fight his feelings. He should’ve known better. Once Olive sets her mind to something, she always gets it.
“Tell him I said hi.”
“I will,” she promises as she leans against the counter.
“Have you talked to Vera yet?” She asks, naming one of our friends in town.
“No, why? Is she alright?”
“Yeah, she’s fine. She’s decided to throw a Halloween party this year. She mentioned a costume contest and some games,” she says, giving me a knowing smile.
Halloween costume party? That’s just what I need for my break, I think.
It’s well known in my family just how much I love Halloween and dressing up and I smile at the thought of getting to do it this year and hang out with all of our friends.
“I haven’t seen her yet,” I say, and Olive nods.
“I’m sure she’ll be by soon, or maybe she’ll text you.”
“Text who?” Lilou asks as she joins us at the counter.
“We’re talking about Vera’s Halloween party,” Olive says.
“Oh! Yeah, she was by a little bit ago. Told me to give you this,” she says, passing me an invitation.
I open it, smiling at the ghosts and bats on the card.
“Are you going too?” I ask Lilou, and she smiles.
“Maybe. If my boss will give me time off.”
“Of course,” I tell her. “Maybe we’ll close early that day so we can all go.”
“Yay! I already told her that Xavier and I would go. It should be a lot of fun!” Olive says with a wide grin, and I smile.
Fun. The word seems so foreign.
I frown at that thought, wondering when I became so sad and bitter.
When was the last time that I had any fun?
It’s been nothing but work, errands, and sleep for me for the last year as I tried to get this place off the ground. I know that I threw myself into work to try to distract myself from my grief. Not that it worked. I would go home after work and think about my parents. I would be stocking here at the shop or driving through town and randomly think of them. The ache in my chest has lessened in the last year, but I doubt that it will ever truly go away.
I shake my head, trying to shake off the gloomy thoughts as I focus on my sister and friend.
“We’ll all go together,” I say, offering Olive and Lilou a smile. “Maybe we can do a group costume!”
We debate ideas for a bit before Olive’s phone rings, and she waves goodbye as she heads home to her man. Lilou and I get to work then, and I smile as I restock some shelves.
My sister is right I am due for some fun, I think as I look up, my eyes locking on him.
Ryder Murray.
His friendly blue eyes twinkle as he smiles at me, and I swallow hard, offering him a weak smile back.
I can feel my face blushing and I reach up, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
Ryder Murray likes me. He’s even asked me out a few times, but I’ve never accepted. Mainly because of Wet and Wild and all of the work here, but also because I thought that he would get bored of me. I mean, the man looks like a freaking model, with his dark hair and piercing blue eyes, and I well… don’t. Not unless we were talking about a plus-size model.
The two of us seem like polar opposites. He’s not really much of a talker, and he seems more like a loner who prefers to be by himself. Whereas I like having people around and being social. Still, there’s something about him that calls to me.
I watch his tall frame as he continues down the sidewalk, and suddenly, I know exactly how I’m going to have some fun.
TWO
Ryder
Maple Baker.
God, she’s perfect.
That same thought hits me every time I see her, every time I even think about her. She is too, or at least she’s perfect for me.
Too bad she can’t seem to see that.
I’ve tried for the past year to get close to her. Ever since she moved to town, she's kept me at arm’s reach. Sometimes, I think that she can feel this thing between us, too. There’s a certain glint in her eyes, a pink blush staining her cheeks that proves to me that she’s not so immune to me, but she has yet to admit it or take me up on any of my offers to take her out.
Granted, I’ve only worked up the courage to ask her out a few times. Still, getting rejected by your dream girl isn’t fun, and I’ve been trying to figure out a plan to convince her to give me a chance.
So far, I’ve come up with nothing.
I sigh as I pop the cap on another beer bottle and set it down on the crowded bar in front of Nolan. He’s been a semi-regular in this place ever since he moved to town. I thought at first that he was here to hit on the girls who were always making eyes at him, but then I noticed that he never so much as glanced in their direction. My new theory is that he’s just lonely and hangs out here to get out of his place.
I get that. It was part of the reason why I started working here. I knew that it would be too loud for me to be forced to make small talk, and that works in my favor. I’m not great at talking to new people, or really people in general.
“Need anything else?” I ask him and he grunts out a no.
I move on to the next customer, and my mind drifts back to Maple.
When I first heard that they were opening a sex shop downtown, I was surprised and curious. That’s what made me walk by on their grand opening, and it was then that I saw her.
She was smiling at a group of women and talking animatedly. She was gorgeous with bright green eyes that reminded me of Christmas and dark auburn hair. Another girl had walked over and joined her. I would later learn that there were four new sisters in town, but I had only ever really paid attention to Maple.
There was just something about her that clicked with me right away. Before I had even said a word to her, I knew that she was meant to be mine.
I had gone into the store the next day when it wasn’t as busy and introduced myself. She had blushed up at me, and I thought that my happily ever after was within reach. When I had asked her out though, she had turned me down and then gone to help a customer.
Ever since, I’ve tried to talk to her every time that I see her. I try to get her to open up a bit to me, but it’s been hard.
I set down a round of shots onto a tray and nod at Sally, the waitress, who hefts it into the air and heads towards a nearby table.
I sigh as I grab a rag and wipe down the bar top. I’ve been working at Murphy’s Bar ever since I came back to town after graduation. It was a good way to earn money, and it meant that my days were free to take on clients. I’m a freelance web designer, so I spend my days doing that. My business has been taking off for the last eighteen months, and I’m almost to a point where I think I’ll be able to quit working at the bar. Not that I mind. It’s a pretty easy, laid-back job.
I’ve been doing odd jobs since I was a teen. At first, it was just to get out of the house and away from my parents and their arguing. Then it became about making my own money to save for college and my future.
I knew that I didn’t want to move back home after I went to college, so I worked hard and saved every penny that I could to make that happen. In the end, it didn’t matter. My parents divorced my freshman year and both moved away. My mom threw herself into work, and we barely talk. My dad has a new, young girlfriend every other week and prefers to forget that he has a son, so we don’t really talk either.
It used to hurt that they weren’t interested in me and never seemed to care about me, but I’ve grown used to it over the years.
Or I mostly have, I guess.
As I grab another beer, I wonder what it would be like to have a big, close-knit family like Maple’s.
As if my eyes are drawn to her, I glance up and stare as the door opens and Maple walks into the bar. She’s been in once or twice in the last year, but always with her sisters or friends. Tonight, though, it looks like she’s alone.
She glances around nervously, and I tense.
Is she meeting someone? Is she on a date?
I glare out at the crowd, trying to decipher who she could be meeting, but no one stands out. When I look back at her, she’s looking at the bar, and my eyes snap to Nolan, the only guy sitting at it.
“Did you ask out Maple?” I growl at Nolan, and he snorts.
“No, why would I do that when everyone knows that you’re in love with her?”
“She’s here,” I grumble, and he stares at me like I’m insane.
“And you’re mad about that because…?”
“She’s too good for this place. What if she’s here on a date?”
“Then I'll cause a scene, and you'll drag the guy out back and scare him off,” he says, and I smile.
I knew I liked this guy.
I set another beer down in front of him and grin.
“On the house.”
He shakes his head at me, and I look back at my girl.
Maple is staring right at me, and my heart takes off like a shot as I hold her gaze.
“Shit. She’s coming over here,” I whisper, and Nolan rolls his eyes.
“Jesus, I can see now why you’re still single,” he says, and I flip him off without looking at him.
I can’t seem to pull my eyes away from Maple. I watch as she takes a deep breath and then heads my way. The gentle sway of her hips is mesmerizing, and my mouth waters at the sight of all of her curves. She walks right towards me, and by the time she reaches the bar, my hands are sweaty, and my heart is beating out of control in my chest.
I stand up straighter as she leans over the bar slightly.
“When are you off?” She asks me, and I almost pinch myself to check that I’m not dreaming.
“Uh…” I say eloquently as I glance at my watch. “Two more hours.”
She nods, and I bite my tongue before I can ask what’s happening here and ruin the moment.
“Do you want to sleep with me?” She blurts, and my knees give out.
I catch myself on the bar before I can make a total fool of myself by knocking myself unconscious and stare at her in shock.
“Yes!”
“Smooth,” I hear Nolan groan, and I cringe inwardly.
I have no idea what’s happening here, but I don’t want to stop it. For some reason, Maple finally seems to be on the same page as me and I don’t want to do anything to change it.
Maple nods once and then backs up a step.
“Tonight, then. After you get off.”
She reaches into her purse and passes me a slip of paper. I glance down at her address and almost tell her that I don’t need this. I’ve known where Maple lived since she moved to town. I bite my tongue, though, and just nod.
“See you soon,” she says, and then she turns and disappears into the crowd.
I watch her go until she leaves the bar and then look over at Nolan.
“What the fuck was that?” He asks me, echoing my own thoughts.
“I have no idea.”
But I’m going to find out.
THREE
Maple
I had been so excited when I first walked into the bar and approached Ryder. It felt like my old confident self, but now that I’m back home, I’m panicking.
Why did I think this was a good idea? I think as I pour myself a glass of wine and take a healthy swig.
