Getting In the Spirit: a Sapphire Falls novella by Erin Nicholas Page B

on?”
    “Well, about this gorgeous blonde in the red dress,” Tucker started.
    “Kate said she’s having a great time,” Phoebe broke in quickly.
    “Oh, that’s pretty obvious. To the whole town,” Tucker said.
    “What do you mean?” Phoebe asked him.
    “I’m standing here on the steps to city hall watching her have a good time.”
    Phoebe frowned. “What do you mean? Shouldn’t you be with her?”
    “Yeah, well, I’m not sure her date would appreciate that,” Tucker said, his tone dry.
    “Her date?” Phoebe repeated. “ You’re her date.”
    “Uh, no, I believe that would be Levi,” Hailey said. “And from the way she’s kissing him right now, they’re getting along great.”
    Kate and Levi were kissing ?
    Joe and Phoebe met each other’s gaze, their eyes wide.
    “They’re kissing ?” Phoebe asked.
    “Yes. And Kate looks almost as good in her red dress as I do in mine,” Hailey said.
    So Levi had met the wrong gorgeous blonde in a red dress.
    “This is okay.”
    “This is horrible.”
    Joe and Phoebe spoke at the same time.
    They frowned at each other.
    “Okay?” Phoebe asked.
    “Horrible?”
    “Yes, horrible,” Phoebe told him.
    “Why? Kate’s a nice girl, but she’s more like the girls he normally dates.” She was from the city, she had money, she knew about good wine and tipping doormen and things like that. “Except she’s…nice,” he finished.
    “Well, Levi will be terrible for Kate,” Phoebe said. “Because he’s like the guys she normally dates.”
    “Except that he’s…” Joe prompted.
    “Worse.”
    “Worse?” Joe asked. “How?” But Joe kind of knew what she meant.
    “His relationships are all about him . He collects women like…” Phoebe sighed. “Like you used to.”
    Joe couldn’t argue with that. But it wasn’t like the women had really ever complained. “And I turned out well because a nice girl from Sapphire Falls finally got a hold of me,” he said. “This could be exactly what Levi needs.”
    “Kate isn’t from Sapphire Falls.”
    Oh…yeah.
    “And she wanted a sweet, traditional, romantic Christmas with a nice guy. That’s why I picked Tucker,” Phoebe said.
    “Thanks, Phoeb,” Tucker said. “I even showed up with flowers.”
    “And they really are gorgeous,” Hailey said. “Deep-crimson roses with white baby’s breath and evergreen branches.”
    Phoebe smiled. “See? That’s so nice. And Tucker will buy her hot chocolate in the town square and they’ll drive around and look at Christmas-light displays. They can decorate his tree and make cookies and maybe ice skate and then go to the formal. Simple, nice stuff.”
    “Levi could take her to look at Christmas light displays,” Joe protested.
    “Sure,” Phoebe agreed. “In Paris . Right after he whisks her off on his private jet to have hot cocoa in Belgium or something.”
    Unfortunately, Joe couldn’t deny that those things were possible . It was more his style—or had been—to overdo the dramatic gestures to impress women, but Levi wasn’t above throwing money around to romance a woman.
    “Wow, what a jerk,” Hailey muttered sarcastically.
    “So you guys need to go tell them who you are,” Phoebe said to the phones. “Obviously things got mixed up. I told her dark hair, blue eyes and great smile.”
    “Thanks again,” Tucker said.
    “Levi’s got all of that,” Hailey pointed out. “And Kate’s blonde.”
    “And gorgeous,” Tucker added. “And if she wasn’t on Levi’s lap right now in the middle of the square, I might go over and insist we go on our date.”
    “She’s on his lap ?” Phoebe said. She looked at the clock. “Already?”
    “Spencer charm,” Joe said with a grin. “You know it’s irresistible.”
    Phoebe looked grim as she said, “That’s what I’m worried about.”
    “Hey.”
    Phoebe focused on him. “She can’t get her heart broken this Christmas, Joe. She’s had three bad ones in a row. This was supposed to be