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    Girl At Christmas: Smart Girls series, #4
    Girl At Christmas: Smart Girls series, #4
    Girl At Christmas: Smart Girls series, #4
    Ebook118 pages2 hours

    Girl At Christmas: Smart Girls series, #4

    By Rhoda Baxter

    5/5

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    About this ebook

    "It's perfect reading for a cozy holiday night." 4 star review

    Tammy is normally at her happiest at Christmas, but when her long term partner dumps her with no real explanation, her Christmas starts to look bleak.

    Lawrence has just been told he has an inherited heart condition... and he's not allowed too many mince pies. Not exactly a recipe for a great holiday.

    With time running out for Lawrence, will the two friends realise that the ingredients for a happy Christmas were right in front of them all along?


    Girl At Christmas is a standalone novella in the award nominated Smart Girls series. If you like heartwarming, closed-door romance and an unusual chubby hero, it's the perfect book for you. Buy Girl At Christmas and get into the Christmas spirit today!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRhoda Baxter
    Release dateOct 30, 2017
    ISBN9781386308751
    Girl At Christmas: Smart Girls series, #4
    Author

    Rhoda Baxter

    Rhoda writes contemporary women’s fiction with a hint of geek. Back in the early 2000s, when she commuted into London every day, Rhoda read romance novels and wished there were more stories about women who were not obsessed with shoes. Besides which, where were all the nice men - the sort that rely on wit and charm rather than money and biceps? Rhoda now writes the sort of books she wanted to read. She's lucky enough to have several books published by a traditional publisher (thank you Choc Lit!). Her books have been nominated for prizes and her articles have appeared on various websites, including USA Today. In real life, she has a DPhil in microbiolgy, so if her pen name sounds vaguely bacterial, you can guess why. You can find her wittering on about cake and science or making bad puns on her website (www.rhodabaxter.com), or on Facebook or Twitter (@rhodabaxter). Or, if you like, you can email her at rhodab@rhodabaxter.com. Please do say hello if you’re passing.

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    • 5/5
      Tammy loves Christmas and is looking forward to the holidays. When her boyfriend leaves her and moves out, her Christmas looks quite different all of a sudden. Tammy is sad, but finds comfort at work where she has good friends that support her. Her colleague Lawrence is there for her when she needs him and she discovers how kind he really is. However, Lawrence has a heart problem and when something awful happens to him he needs Tammy to survive. While the period before Christmas is filled with mostly difficult moments, will they have a chance to make up for it when Tammy's favorite holiday is finally there?

      Girl at Christmas is another great story by Rhoda Baxter about a smart woman and a wonderful kindhearted man. Tammy is a sweetheart and when her partner left her I was secretly glad as he didn't come across as friendly and caring. Lawrence is gentle, interesting and adorable and I immediately loved his personality. They're a perfect match, but the timing could have been better. Both of them are dealing with heartache, but in a completely different way and Rhoda Baxter writes about it in an open and honest way that I found really refreshing. I couldn't wait to find out if they'd find their happily ever after despite everything that happens to them.

      Girl at Christmas is a fabulous festive novella. It's a story about real life challenges, but it's also filled with hope, future dreams and joy. I loved the pure bond between the main characters and the fact that they connect on so many different levels. There's friendship, there are sparks and there's an intellectual click that I liked a lot. Rhoda Baxter has a lovely easy flowing writing style and I always enjoy her stories very much. Girl at Christmas is another terrific addition to the Smart Girls series.

    Book preview

    Girl At Christmas - Rhoda Baxter

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    Enjoy Girl At Christmas!

    Chapter 1

    November 15th

    Tammy burrowed her hands into her pockets and hurried the short distance between the bus stop and the house. It was dark and frosty. Christmas was coming. The ‘Secret Santa’ at work was already being organised so that people had lots of time to find a silly present for someone else for under a tenner.

    Time to rescue the Christmas lights from under the bed. It was too early for decorations, but lights ... well, they cheered the place up a bit. Technically, she was a Buddhist and didn’t do Christmas, but it was fun. Her parents had always let them have a tree, so Tammy always had one too. Jeff’s family did a sort of serious Christmas lunch thing, which was fine, but Tammy preferred the little private Christmas they had together a couple of days later. Just the two of them. With tinsel and music and Christmas pudding which was half price from Boxing Day.

    She reached the drive and strode up the path. A bit of down time together would be most welcome, she reflected. Jeff had been working so hard - he was always sitting downstairs working on his laptop, even at the weekends. She hadn’t spoken to him properly, let alone had a cuddle, in months, even though they lived in the same house. It couldn’t be good for a person to be so tense all the time. She smiled. Yes, Christmas would be the perfect chance to get him to unplug and relax a bit. Maybe reconnect with his fun side.

    She put her key in the lock. She had to think about what she might do to make their days over Christmas extra special. Maybe a special dinner. With a gift to go with it. Letting the door click shut behind her, she hung up her coat. She hadn’t bought anything for Jeff’s parents yet. She added that to her mental to do list.

    Jeff’s coat was already hanging up and his hat was on the bannister. She threw her own woolly hat on top of it.

    Hello! she called as she went straight into the kitchen and put the kettle on.

    Jeff made an indistinct noise from the living room. He was probably working on his laptop already.

    How was your day? Tammy called. I’ve got a heck of a week coming up. Walter and his student are coming back from their research trip and I’ve got to make up all the media and buffers for their samples before they get here. She popped a tea bag in her mug and reached for Jeff’s favourite mug. It wasn’t there. He must have made himself a drink when he came in. They used to have their tea together, sitting side by side on the sofa, catching up on each other’s day. Tammy sighed. They definitely needed to work on spending some quality time together. Well, what better time than Christmas. It was the one holiday that was all about togetherness and renewal.

    I’ve been wondering ... she took the tea and ambled into the living room to find him ... have you any idea what we can get for your mum for—

    Jeff was standing in the middle of the living room. His hands in his pockets. Brow furrowed. The look on his face made her blood chill. Jeff? What’s wrong?

    He gave her a look that seemed full of pain. Um ... Tam. Sit down. There’s something I have to tell you.

    Worst-case scenarios whirred through her mind. Something was wrong. Now that she had stopped talking, she could feel the wrongness in the air. Something was different. Was he ill? Was it someone in his family? Obediently, she sank down into an armchair. Her eyes strayed to the cushions with elephants embroidered on them that her mother had brought back from the last trip to Sri Lanka. Was it her family? Her heart picked up a notch. What’s happened? Who’s ill?

    Jeff blinked. No one’s ill.

    She relaxed a fraction. That’s good. What’s wrong then?

    I ... don’t know how best to say it ... so I’m just going to come out and say it.

    People always said that. Which was stupid, because they were specifically not coming out and saying it. Tammy frowned. What?

    Jeff looked at his feet. I’m leaving ... you.

    You’re leaving me what? The penny dropped. Oh. But ... but—

    I’m sorry, Tam. I don’t know what else to do.

    She felt like she’d been slapped. She clutched the handle of her mug tighter. Why? Six years they’d been together. Why was he leaving? An answer immediately popped up. Another body blow. You’ve met someone else, haven’t you? She couldn’t look at him.

    He knelt down beside her. No! God, no. It’s not like that at all.

    She turned away.

    Jeff gently tried to take the mug from her hand. She held tight. He sighed. Tam ... I’ve ... we’ve ... not been ... happy ... for a while now. I tried to remember what brought us together and ... I just can’t. I haven’t met anyone else. I wouldn’t do that to you, but I can’t carry on like this either.

    It took her a second to process that. She turned round to look at him. But why didn’t you say something? We could have worked it out. We still can ... can’t we?

    He shook his head, slowly. He was the same Jeff she’d met when they were both students. The same blue-green eyes, the same cheeky smile ... except they weren’t the same. Suddenly, they belonged to a stranger. A man who had pretended that they were a happy couple. A man who had let her believe that things were okay, that they might even get married some day. A man who had lied to her with tiny everyday acts.

    How long have you felt like this? What happened? There were other questions now. Queueing up. There was something else too, stirring underneath the questions, a Kraken waking. But first, there were the questions. They were easier to deal with.

    Jeff sighed again and shook his head. I can’t answer that, he said. It was all so gradual. There isn’t an easy way, Tam. He stood up and brushed his hand over his knees, like dust on his trousers mattered at a time like this. I’ve cleared out my stuff. I’m going to go stay with a mate for a few weeks. I’ll be in touch about the rent and the lease and things in a few days ... when you’ve had a bit of time to absorb things.

    He leaned over her and, for a minute, she thought he was going to kiss the top of her head. He seemed to change his mind and patted her gently on the shoulder. I’ll be in touch.

    Tammy stared at the mug of tea in her hand. From somewhere far away she heard her own voice say, What did I do?

    You didn’t do anything, Tam. It’s not you. It’s me. I just don’t love you any more. With that, he left the room.

    She sat, feeling numb, and listened to him take his hat off the bannister. Put his coat on. Shut the front door. He didn’t take a bag. Which meant he’d moved his stuff out in advance. He had planned this for a while and she hadn’t noticed a thing. How did this happen? It wasn’t even as though he’d been tempted by someone prettier than her. How did a man who had been her soulmate for six years, suddenly stop loving her? What was it about her that made him so eager to leave?

    Lawrence sat on the edge of the hospital bed and buttoned up his shirt. The patch of skin where they had ripped off the sensor pads still smarted. At least the wretched thing was off now. He’d

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