A Tropical Christmas
Rebecca Webb’s best friend wins a tropical vacation of a lifetime, and then breaks up with her fiancé and refuses to go, so Rebecca becomes the recipient of her best friend’s trip.
Noah Harper’s boss surprises him with a tropical vacation for Christmas—out of the blue. With no ties to anything or anyone, Noah sets off for the vacation of a lifetime. When Rebecca and Noah arrive at the hotel to find that they, two strangers with nothing in common, have to share their room and vacation plans—the adventure begins. |
Enjoy a sample of A Tropical Christmas
“Do you have a freaking passport?” Courtney yelled as she threw open the door to the apartment, knocking the front door into the Christmas tree and nearly sending it toppling over.
Rebecca bounded from the couch to steady the tree as Courtney slammed the door.
“Yeah, I have one. I went to Mexico that one spring, remember?”
“Is it current?”
“I think so. Why? Am I leaving the country?” Rebecca adjusted the ornaments she’d carefully placed on the tree nearly three weeks ago. Decorating after Thanksgiving was crap, as far as she was concerned. She loved to have trees up much longer.
“You’re taking my trip.”
Rebecca finished straightening the angel she’d purchased in New York City, before turning to see Courtney fall onto the couch and kick her feet up, her arm draped over her eyes.
“I can’t take your trip. I have to work. It’s only three days away. Anyway, what are you talking about?”
It was then that she noticed the tears streaming down Courtney’s cheeks and disappearing into her hair.
She walked toward the couch and sat down on the coffee table.
“Court, what happened?”
“It’s over. I’m done with him. I hate him.”
It wasn’t the first time the roommates had had this conversation. Courtney would often cry over Reece, and Rebecca would sit and listen. Sometimes they’d have a few drinks to ease the pain, other times it would be a Meg Ryan movie marathon with pints of ice-cream.
Rebecca located the remote and turned off the TV. “What did he do this time?”
“I walked in on him.”
Courtney had accused him of cheating on more than one occasion, but usually it was just a hunch. Other times he was just callous and said something wrong. This was the first time she’d ever said anything like this.
“You walked in on him where?”
Courtney forcefully wiped away her tears on her sleeve, and then sat up. “I walked in on him in his office. We were supposed to go to lunch, and I got there ten minutes early, and you know how he likes me to be prompt. Not too early, but don’t dare be late.”
Rebecca nodded. She’d heard Courtney make mention of that many times.
“Anyway, his assistant wasn’t sitting at her desk, so I let myself into his office—where he had her over his desk with his pants down.” Her words trailed off as the tears came back.
Rebecca had to agree, with evidence like that, this time it was really over.
“Don’t you think you should go on the vacation still? It would be a good time to decompress.”
Courtney shook her head. “No. I don’t even care to go.”
“So let’s go together then.”
Courtney wiped at her eyes. “He has his ticket. I won the tickets, so I don’t even care that it will go to waste. But you should go. I owe you. I owe you big since you save my ass all the time. I’ll cover for you at work if they let me. We’ll just swap vacations.”
Rebecca ran her hand up Courtney’s arm. She hated to see her friend like this. No one deserved to be betrayed. However, Rebecca gave some thought to the many times she’d financially bailed Courtney out of a jam, and she sure could use a vacation of her own.
“Okay, I’ll go. Thanks. Do you want to talk about Reece?”
Courtney patted Rebecca’s hand that lingered on her arm. “We’ll talk about that in the new year. Right now, I just want go take a nice long bath and forget about this day. And you should go pack.”
* * *
Noah had been summoned to his boss’ office. The back of his neck was damp with sweat. Had he made too many copies? Had he burned the coffee in the break room? He’d only been there a month, certainly he hadn’t made so many mistakes already that he was going to be fired.
The only time he’d even had a conversation with Reece Pool was the day he’d interviewed Noah. It had taken exactly five minutes, and when his leggy, blonde secretary walked into the office, Noah had been dismissed to find a woman named Gloria and finish his paperwork.
Now he sat in the enormous corner office on the fifteenth floor looking out over the frigid river that ran through Chicago, wondering where he was going to find a new job just days before Christmas.
Reece Pool burst through the door and stopped for a moment, appearing surprised to find Noah there. He then shut the door, shook his head, and dropped a stack of files on his desk.
“Do you have a passport?”
Noah thought on that. What a strange question for him to ask. “Yes. I went to Canada last year to…”
Mr. Pool held up his hand to stop him from talking. “Do you like the Bahamas?”
Noah was sure his mouth had fallen open. When Reece Pool looked up at him he nodded quickly. “I’ve never been there.”
“You’re done here in three days. It’s a week’s vacation, you’ll be home before New Year’s. Finish what you’re working on so your team can move on when you’re gone.”
Reece pushed the ticket to him along with the itinerary.
“I can’t just fly off to the Bahamas,” Noah said picking up the papers. “I haven’t been here very long and…”
“And I’m sending you. If you have family that will have a hard time with it, I suggest you promise them some nice souvenirs.”
“Is this business-related? Will I be working on something?”
Reece opened one of the files he’d thrown down on his desk. “No. Just go. That’s all.”
Noah sat there until Reece looked back up at him. “Thank you, sir.”
“Go.”
* * *
Rebecca ordered a smoothie and walked back to the departure gate. They would board the plane for Miami in thirty minutes. She had an audio romance novel downloaded on her phone, Ocean’s Eleven was on her iPad, and just in case she needed more distraction, she had a crossword puzzle book in her bag.
Listening to her book, she watched as people filtered into the seating area, just as they announced boarding.
She listened as they called out seating positions, and waited for her section to be called.
She sipped her smoothie and set it on the arm of the chair so that she could gather up her things just as a gentleman plopped down in the seat next to her. The smoothie leaned toward her, and she reached to grab it before it hit her lap. The man next to her did the same, only when he grabbed it, he crushed the styrofoam cup and the remaining smoothie spilled over her pants—red smoothie, white pants.
“Holy hell!” she yelled and all eyes were on her. The drink was cold and red and all over her freaking pants.
“I’m so sorry,” the man apologized as he stood, his sleeve also having taken the brunt of the smoothie.
“I don’t have time to change into anything else before the flight.”
A woman with a baby handed her a bundle of baby wipes, and though Rebecca was very appreciative, she snarled as she took them.
“I feel horrible,” the man stuttered as he took a wipe and tried to help her clean up the mess.
They called her section to load, and she was sticky and wet now.
She had nothing to say to the man. She thanked the mother for the wipes, and took the rest of them with her as she picked up her bag and headed onto the plane.
Rebecca bounded from the couch to steady the tree as Courtney slammed the door.
“Yeah, I have one. I went to Mexico that one spring, remember?”
“Is it current?”
“I think so. Why? Am I leaving the country?” Rebecca adjusted the ornaments she’d carefully placed on the tree nearly three weeks ago. Decorating after Thanksgiving was crap, as far as she was concerned. She loved to have trees up much longer.
“You’re taking my trip.”
Rebecca finished straightening the angel she’d purchased in New York City, before turning to see Courtney fall onto the couch and kick her feet up, her arm draped over her eyes.
“I can’t take your trip. I have to work. It’s only three days away. Anyway, what are you talking about?”
It was then that she noticed the tears streaming down Courtney’s cheeks and disappearing into her hair.
She walked toward the couch and sat down on the coffee table.
“Court, what happened?”
“It’s over. I’m done with him. I hate him.”
It wasn’t the first time the roommates had had this conversation. Courtney would often cry over Reece, and Rebecca would sit and listen. Sometimes they’d have a few drinks to ease the pain, other times it would be a Meg Ryan movie marathon with pints of ice-cream.
Rebecca located the remote and turned off the TV. “What did he do this time?”
“I walked in on him.”
Courtney had accused him of cheating on more than one occasion, but usually it was just a hunch. Other times he was just callous and said something wrong. This was the first time she’d ever said anything like this.
“You walked in on him where?”
Courtney forcefully wiped away her tears on her sleeve, and then sat up. “I walked in on him in his office. We were supposed to go to lunch, and I got there ten minutes early, and you know how he likes me to be prompt. Not too early, but don’t dare be late.”
Rebecca nodded. She’d heard Courtney make mention of that many times.
“Anyway, his assistant wasn’t sitting at her desk, so I let myself into his office—where he had her over his desk with his pants down.” Her words trailed off as the tears came back.
Rebecca had to agree, with evidence like that, this time it was really over.
“Don’t you think you should go on the vacation still? It would be a good time to decompress.”
Courtney shook her head. “No. I don’t even care to go.”
“So let’s go together then.”
Courtney wiped at her eyes. “He has his ticket. I won the tickets, so I don’t even care that it will go to waste. But you should go. I owe you. I owe you big since you save my ass all the time. I’ll cover for you at work if they let me. We’ll just swap vacations.”
Rebecca ran her hand up Courtney’s arm. She hated to see her friend like this. No one deserved to be betrayed. However, Rebecca gave some thought to the many times she’d financially bailed Courtney out of a jam, and she sure could use a vacation of her own.
“Okay, I’ll go. Thanks. Do you want to talk about Reece?”
Courtney patted Rebecca’s hand that lingered on her arm. “We’ll talk about that in the new year. Right now, I just want go take a nice long bath and forget about this day. And you should go pack.”
* * *
Noah had been summoned to his boss’ office. The back of his neck was damp with sweat. Had he made too many copies? Had he burned the coffee in the break room? He’d only been there a month, certainly he hadn’t made so many mistakes already that he was going to be fired.
The only time he’d even had a conversation with Reece Pool was the day he’d interviewed Noah. It had taken exactly five minutes, and when his leggy, blonde secretary walked into the office, Noah had been dismissed to find a woman named Gloria and finish his paperwork.
Now he sat in the enormous corner office on the fifteenth floor looking out over the frigid river that ran through Chicago, wondering where he was going to find a new job just days before Christmas.
Reece Pool burst through the door and stopped for a moment, appearing surprised to find Noah there. He then shut the door, shook his head, and dropped a stack of files on his desk.
“Do you have a passport?”
Noah thought on that. What a strange question for him to ask. “Yes. I went to Canada last year to…”
Mr. Pool held up his hand to stop him from talking. “Do you like the Bahamas?”
Noah was sure his mouth had fallen open. When Reece Pool looked up at him he nodded quickly. “I’ve never been there.”
“You’re done here in three days. It’s a week’s vacation, you’ll be home before New Year’s. Finish what you’re working on so your team can move on when you’re gone.”
Reece pushed the ticket to him along with the itinerary.
“I can’t just fly off to the Bahamas,” Noah said picking up the papers. “I haven’t been here very long and…”
“And I’m sending you. If you have family that will have a hard time with it, I suggest you promise them some nice souvenirs.”
“Is this business-related? Will I be working on something?”
Reece opened one of the files he’d thrown down on his desk. “No. Just go. That’s all.”
Noah sat there until Reece looked back up at him. “Thank you, sir.”
“Go.”
* * *
Rebecca ordered a smoothie and walked back to the departure gate. They would board the plane for Miami in thirty minutes. She had an audio romance novel downloaded on her phone, Ocean’s Eleven was on her iPad, and just in case she needed more distraction, she had a crossword puzzle book in her bag.
Listening to her book, she watched as people filtered into the seating area, just as they announced boarding.
She listened as they called out seating positions, and waited for her section to be called.
She sipped her smoothie and set it on the arm of the chair so that she could gather up her things just as a gentleman plopped down in the seat next to her. The smoothie leaned toward her, and she reached to grab it before it hit her lap. The man next to her did the same, only when he grabbed it, he crushed the styrofoam cup and the remaining smoothie spilled over her pants—red smoothie, white pants.
“Holy hell!” she yelled and all eyes were on her. The drink was cold and red and all over her freaking pants.
“I’m so sorry,” the man apologized as he stood, his sleeve also having taken the brunt of the smoothie.
“I don’t have time to change into anything else before the flight.”
A woman with a baby handed her a bundle of baby wipes, and though Rebecca was very appreciative, she snarled as she took them.
“I feel horrible,” the man stuttered as he took a wipe and tried to help her clean up the mess.
They called her section to load, and she was sticky and wet now.
She had nothing to say to the man. She thanked the mother for the wipes, and took the rest of them with her as she picked up her bag and headed onto the plane.