Falling for joy, p.1
Falling for Joy, page 1
FALLING FOR JOY
EMERALD HEARTS
ELIANA WEST
Copyright © 2023 by Eliana West
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
CONTENTS
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
Acknowledgments
Also by Eliana West
CHAPTER ONE
Ten Days Before Christmas…
“Christmas in Hollis” filtered through the speakers mixing with the buzz of conversation and laughter. Joy Buchanan quickly went through her predate checklist, running her hand over her long, sleek tresses. Hair in place, check. She pressed her lips together, feeling the slick red gloss that covered them. Lips, check. Glancing down, she smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle on her deep red satin dress with a plunging neckline and fitted bodice. She adjusted the giant bow at her hip that added the perfect amount of drama combined with a pair of sky-high gold heels. Sexy outfit, check. Straightening her shoulders, Joy looked around the room. Okay, maybe she was a tad overdressed, but it was the holidays and she wanted to make a good impression on her date. Joy gave herself one more appraisal in her compact mirror.
“He could be the one,” she whispered to her reflection before snapping the mirror closed and tucking it back in her evening bag.
Sure, she said that before every first date, but one of these times, she was going to be right.
She scanned the crowd, looking for her date, a little disappointed he hadn’t offered to come pick her up. But it made sense for Dr. Adkins to meet her at the party since he was coming straight from his shift at the hospital and the Alehouse was close by.
She spotted her date as soon as he walked in. He wore a reindeer-pattern Christmas sweater, a pair of dark jeans, and brown suede sneakers. She admired him as he weaved his way through the crowd, his long legs propelling him forward. When he reached her, Joy brushed at some imaginary lint as an excuse to touch his shoulder. She always had a thing for tall guys with broad shoulders. So what if Dr. Adkins mouth was a little too wide for her liking, and he had one of those boyish faces that wasn’t quite manly enough for her taste. His outfit wasn’t what she’d pictured him wearing either, but he’d asked her out, and you never know, right?
Joy tugged her date toward the crowd dancing in one corner of the bar. “Come on, let’s dance,” she shouted over the thumping music.
Dr. Adkins pulled his hand out of her grasp and ran it over his neatly trimmed jet-black hair. “Um, I’m not really into dancing. Can we get a drink and talk?”
Too bad. There must be other things they had in common, she just needed a chance to get to know her handsome doctor better. That must be why he wanted to talk, to get to know her better too.
She gave him her best pageant smile. “Sure.”
The party was in full swing, and most of her co-workers were a little wobbly on their feet. Joy laughed as Dr. Adkins caught one of them before she fell to the floor from her dance partner’s overenthusiastic dip as they made toward the bar to order drinks. Their jobs were stressful, and at times, heartbreaking. The Christmas party was one of the few times a year when the staff at Seattle Children’s Hospital could get together and totally let go. As they made their way through the crowded bar, she realized she was the only one wearing a cocktail dress. But it was Christmas, and what was wrong with wanting to impress her date? She thought Dr. Adkins would have appreciated the effort she’d put into looking so nice, but so far, he hadn’t offered any compliments on her outfit.
They took their time, having a few drinks at the bar while they mingled with their co-workers. She admired how easily Dr. Adkins made conversation. Joy always worried about saying the right thing. It was a side effect from her pageant days. She always wanted to make sure to have the perfect answer for whatever questions the judges threw her way. Eventually, with another round of drinks in hand, Dr. Adkins steered her toward a small table in a quiet corner.
Joy soaked in the admiring glances they received from her fellow co-workers. They did make a handsome couple. She could already picture the Christmas cards they’d send out in the future: her handsome doctor in a red suit standing with his arm around her in front of an enormous Christmas tree.
Taking a dainty sip of her cocktail, Joy leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. “What did you want to talk to me about?” she asked in a flirty voice.
“I wanted to know if you knew if Brenna was seeing anyone?”
She gulped a less graceful sip of her drink. Her fingers numb, she glanced down and forced herself to let go of the glass before she broke the stem. “Brenna?”
Completely unaware he’d ruined her evening, Dr. Adkins gave her an earnest smile. “Yeah, you work together, and I thought you might know. I haven’t worked up the nerve to ask her out. If she’s already seeing someone,” he shrugged with a nervous laugh. “I didn’t want to make a fool of myself.”
“Brenna?” Joy was doing her best impression of a parrot. She wrinkled her nose, looking down at her drink and then back at the doctor sitting across the table from her. Maybe it was the alcohol. She was on her third… no, fourth drink? It wasn’t a good sign that she’d already lost count.
Dr. Adkins had definitely had more. There were high spots of pink on his cheeks, and his eyes were glassy. Joy closed one eye and looked at him again. Maybe it was the beer goggles, but he didn’t seem as handsome as he was an hour ago.
“You’re asking me about Brenna while we’re on a date?”
Joy glanced around the bar, realizing she’d almost shrieked the question. No one was paying any attention to her own personal disaster. They were all having a good time, mingling and dancing, doing all the things she’d been looking forward to.
“Joy.” The not-so-handsome-anymore doctor shook his head giving her a look of pity. “We’re not on a date.”
“But you invited me?” Joy winced at the needy whine in her voice.
Dr. Adkins wrinkled his forehead in confusion. “I asked if you were coming to the party tonight.”
Oh no. This couldn’t be happening again. Dr. Adkins glanced toward their co-workers, laughing and dancing near the bar. Clearly, he’d much rather be enjoying the party than explaining to Joy that she’d misread the signs, again. She’d jumped to conclusions, only thinking about what she wanted to happen instead of reality.
“Look, it’s not you, Joy. You’re a great person, really—”
“Stop, please.” She tried to laugh, but it came out as a sort of strangled snort. “I know this speech. I don’t need to hear it again.” She pushed her chair back and stood up, wobbling for a minute. Stupid heels. Why was she wearing such high heels, anyway? Who was she trying to impress? Oh, that’s right. Another guy who wasn’t interested in her.
Dr. Adkins got up from the table and awkwardly stumbled toward her with his arms open.
“No.” She put her hands up, backing away. “No hugs.”
A peal of laughter echoed toward them. Dr. Adkins gave her one more look tinged with pity before he rejoined the group standing at the bar.
Joy winced, closing her eyes to block out the Christmas lights that were too bright. When she opened her eyes again, she caught a glimpse of herself reflected in the large window at the front of the bar. Why hadn’t she realized the colored lights would make her dress look even more garish? Joy tried to smooth down the bow at her waist as if it would somehow tone down her outfit. Someone turned up the music, and the beat thumped as heavy as her heartbeat. She felt like a tacky Christmas tree, flocked with too much tinsel and covered in ugly ornaments.
“I’d rather eat ice cream and watch Hallmark Christmas movies than hear the ‘you’re a great person’ speech again,” she muttered, fighting back tears.
Joy gasped. “Oh my God. I’m that girl. I’m the girl who gets dumped in the Hallmark movie, the one who doesn’t have a clue.” Why did she always jump in with both feet when someone asked her out? She never paused to ask herself if she was really attracted to the other person; she went straight to the fantasy of being married to the perfect man. But who was the perfect match for her? Heat flooded her cheeks. Wasn’t it a couple of drinks ago she’d been picturing herself on a Christmas card with Dr. Adkins?
Had she even been truly attracted to him? She sank back down in her chair, reviewing her interactions with the doctor. They’d exchanged friendly greetings at work, and a few times he’d shown up at the Alehouse when she was there with other hospital staff to grab a drink after work. Joy replayed the conversation she’d had with Dr. Adkins the week before.
“Shit.” She dropped her head in her hands, realizing how she’d completely misread the situation. He’d stopp
With a frustrated groan, Joy pulled herself up from the table and made a beeline for the coatrack by the entrance that looked like a wooly mammoth with so many layers of winter coats and scarves. The quick escape she’d hoped for wasn’t going to happen. Blinking back tears, she started to dig through the layers for her coat.
“Joy, you can’t leave now. Santa just got here,” one of her co-workers said, stopping her in her search. Grabbing her hand, she pulled Joy back to the party.
“Oh, no, I really think I’ve had enough Christmas celebration for one day. You know, it’s not really my thing.”
Her co-worker rolled her eyes. “This is going to be fun. Trust me.”
Joy ran her hands over her formfitting dress, comparing her stilettos to the cute brown suede boots her co-worker paired with leggings and an oversized sweater. The confidence she’d had when she arrived at the party was long gone, replaced with self-consciousness. Growing up a pageant kid, Joy couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t primped and perfected by her pageant coach dad. Now it was something she did without even thinking about it. The more sparkles and bows the better, but at that moment, the dress was too tight, her heels too high, and she didn’t care if all of her lipstick had worn off. Who was she trying to keep up appearances for, anyway?
Suddenly Joy was thrust back into the action. Her co-workers laughed and danced around her. The annual staff Christmas party was at their favorite hangout, the Wedgwood Alehouse. Silver and blue snowflake garlands and twinkle lights that looked like little icicles along with other decorations hung from the ceiling, creating a winter wonderland. Joy would have appreciated it more if she weren’t kicking herself for crushing on another guy who wasn’t interested.
Joy clenched her fists and pasted on her pageant smile—big, lots of teeth, and fake as hell.
“Okay, it’s your turn.” Her friend Holly danced toward her with a green and red elf hat perched on top of her light brown curls.
“My turn for what?” she asked skeptically.
CHAPTER TWO
Holly grabbed her hand. “You’ll see,” she said in a singsong voice.
Her friend had that twinkle in her light hazel eyes that made Joy nervous. She was up to something. Normally Joy would be happy to go along with whatever Holly had up her sleeve, but not tonight, not when humiliation still churned in her stomach.
Joy was pushed forward toward a man dressed as Santa sitting in a chair next to a Christmas tree. He wasn’t a large jolly older Santa like she expected. There was no fake beard. This Santa’s dark brown whiskers were real and accented his full lips. Instead of the usual costume, he wore a trim, fitted red suit with a candy cane-striped tie that showed off a toned body. In a nod to tradition, a classic Santa hat sat perched at an angle on his head, covering long sable hair that curled at his shoulders.
“It’s your turn to tell Santa what you want for Christmas.”
Joy’s jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you of all people want me to do this. You don’t even like Christmas.”
Holly blushed. “Maybe not so much anymore.”
Her comment gave Joy one thing to be happy about. It was easy to push aside her own misery for a moment and celebrate her friends happiness. Holly had reconnected with Nick Anderson, a guy she had gone to high school with. They met again last year when Nick was traded to the Seattle Emeralds, the city’s MLS team. He’d come to the hospital with his teammate Hugh Donavan when he ran into Holly. They’d been inseparable ever since. She was pleased for her friend, she really was, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel a sting of jealousy. She wanted a relationship with someone who looked at her the way Nick looked at Holly.
Joy frowned. “That might be fine for you, but I’m still a skeptic about the magic of the holidays.”
Joy, Holly, and their co-worker Noelle formed an unofficial club. Membership included being named after the holiday they all disliked for various reasons. Joy didn’t mind Christmas so much, but growing up much of her time was spent practicing for, and competing in, holiday pageants rather than actually celebrating Christmas. She associated the holiday with competition more than anything else.
Holly tugged her hand, pulling her closer to the man in a red suit. “Well, maybe you’ll lose a little of that skepticism once you tell Santa what you want.”
“Holly, I don’t want to—”
She didn’t have a chance to finish before she was pushed—more like shoved—toward Santa. She stumbled forward, almost tripping on her heels until she teetered in front of him.
“Ho ho ho, what would you like for Christmas, little girl?” Santa said in a big booming voice with a wink.
Joy looked into the dark blue eyes of the man in the red suit smiling at her, and her filter broke. She plopped down on his knee, ignoring the quiet “Oof” that came from Santa at the forcefulness of her movement, and crossed her arms.
Her mind and her mouth weren’t in sync, and before she could carefully measure her words, she blurted out. “You want to know what I want? I want to know how to tell if a guy likes me. Seriously, is there some kind of handbook I don’t know about?” Along with her filter, Joy also forgot to use her indoor voice. “I mean, what’s wrong with me? Why am I the girl who always gets dumped?” She tugged on her long hair. “You know what else I want? I want to have the courage to cut it all off. And look at me,” she exclaimed, gesturing up and down her outfit. “I look ridiculous. I’m always overdressed, and who am I trying to impress anyway?” She reached up and ripped off her false eyelashes and thrust them toward Santa. They looked like two caterpillars in her palm. “What’s the point of wearing these when I can’t even get a second date?” She drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “And I want my dad to finally accept the fact that I’m never going to be Miss America.” She noticed the laugh lines at the corner of Santa’s eyes and the way his lips twitched.
“Are you laughing at me?” she shrieked, jumping off his lap, wobbling for a moment on her ridiculously high heels.
Yup, this definitely would have gotten her disqualified from a pageant.
Santa stood up and put his hands on her shoulders, steadying her. “I’m not laughing.”
He may have apologized, but his eyes still twinkled with amusement. Those sexy blue eyes were laughing at her. The thought took her frustration with herself up another notch.
Joy stomped her foot as her voice rose to a volume that made the rest of the party goers stop in their tracks. “No, you’re not, you never are. You take women on dates and make them think you like them, and then you marry the girl you went to medical school with.”
Someone in the group that had formed around them gasped, and Joy saw a doctor she’d gone on a couple of dates with six months ago lead his fiancée out of the room, saying in a loud whisper, “I wasn’t dating her, I swear.”
Meanwhile, Santa still looked amused. He held his palms up. “I wouldn’t do that, I promise. I’m pretty sure it’s against the North Pole dating code.”
“It’s not funny!”
Good Lord, who was that woman screeching like a strangled cat? Oh my God, it’s me, Joy realized. As if the situation couldn’t get any worse, she took a deep breath and then burst into tears. The next thing she knew, Santa had her wrapped in his arms, cupping the back of her head with his hand.
