Christmas with You - Signed Paperback

Chapter One: Cooper

I walked back into the shop and threw myself down on the ratty couch in the center of the room. It had been there for over ten years, I was sure of it, with countless tired Marines having crashed on it after a long day on the flight line. Unfortunately for me, my day wasn’t even half over. When a squadron gears up for a deployment, the Marines often worked twelve-hour shifts, and I was only about four hours into this one. I plopped my sunglasses on to hide my eyes as I tried to take a nap while sitting straight up.

My phone buzzed in my pocket signaling I had a text. I groaned and fished it out, swiping the message open. 

Vince: I’m on base, wanna meet me at the five-day for lunch?

The five-day was a small food court just outside the flight line that got its name from being open five days a week. Not to be confused with the seven-day, of course. I glanced at the time, gauging how many hours I had left in the day against how much work there was to be done. Figuring I had enough time and I had to eat anyway, I got up off the couch and headed out of the shop, texting him back as I walked to let him know I was on my way.

As I stepped into the hangar from our ordnance shop, I glanced around at the expansive area holding four F-18s and a various assortment of aircraft parts. We had a lot to do to get ready to deploy in January. Two junior Marines turned wrenches on a nearby F-18. “Mills, Hawkins.”

The Marines nodded in greeting. “Good morning, Staff Sergeant.”

“Good morning. I’m headed to the five-day, make sure you finish that jet before I get back. We have three more on the list for today.”

“Good to go, Staff Sergeant,” Hawkins replied.

I nodded at them and left the enormous hangar, stepping into the bright San Diego sunlight. It was the first of December, a crisp sixty degrees, and not a cloud in the sky. I breathed in, recharged by the cool air. My family moved here from Michigan when I was a teenager, so this weather was a far cry from the Christmas seasons I’d grown up with—in the best way. I couldn’t be more grateful to the Marine Corps for stationing me here for another three years after having spent three years recruiting here, as well. It was like hitting the duty station lottery.

The Marine on guard at the flight line gate nodded at me as I approached. I greeted him before passing through the huge metal turnstile and onto the sidewalk that bordered the flight line fence. Only authorized personnel were allowed on the flight line aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and they took security very seriously with barbed wire fences and turnstiles that looked like they belonged in a prison.

I looked both ways and jogged across the street. Vince stood outside the five-day in the uniform he wore every day as a canvassing recruiter—classic blue pants with a red stripe down each side and a tan long-sleeved shirt and tie. His white hat (or cover, as we call it) sat squarely on his head. I’d had to wear the same thing when I was a recruiter, too. Being back in my olive-green flight suit after three years in the Marine Corps’ version of a monkey suit was a huge relief to me. 

“Man, I don’t miss that uniform,” I said as I approached my friend and former co-worker. “How much longer do you have now?”

“Less than a year,” Vince replied, relief in his tone.

I shook my head. “Time flies. Soon you’ll be like me, back in the fleet, recruiting duty in the rearview mirror, and only happiness and sunshine ahead.”

“Can’t wait.”

I patted his shoulder. “How’s the wife? Pregnancy going okay?”

“She’s great, the baby, too.” Vince beamed. “She still doesn’t want to know the baby’s gender. Wants it to be a surprise. There’s a pool at the office if you want to drop by and place a bet.”

“Oh, for sure. My money’s on a girl.”

Vince shook his head. “Nah, it’s a boy. I just feel it.”

“Guess we’ll find out. And how’s the new boss?” I asked, rubbing my hands together, again glad I was removed from the recruiting world.

“He’s good. Better than you.”

I knew he was kidding. I’d been an excellent boss. I shoulder checked him on the way into the five-day. “C’mon, I’m starving.”

We entered the building, and I inhaled the scent of fajitas. There were six restaurants in the small food court where all kinds of scents mixed in the air, but steak on the grill from the Mexican joint dominated. At least to my nose.

“I’m getting a California burrito. You?” I said to Vince. 

He nodded. “Same.”

We made our way to the line of Marines waiting for burritos. Mexican was apparently the most popular choice today. I checked my watch, annoyed that waiting in line would cut into my time to relax and eat. Briefly, I wondered if I should just eat at the Subway instead. It appeared no one else wanted to, so it would be a lot faster. 

My phone rang, cutting into my mundane thoughts. I raised a brow at Vince when I saw who was calling. I turned the phone to show him, and his confused expression matched mine. I didn’t even know my grandma knew what FaceTime was, let alone how to use it.

I slid the button over to answer the call, fully expecting to see her fumbling around as if she were video calling me on accident. But no, her sweet old face was perfectly in view with a smile ready for me.

“Hey, Grandma,” I said with a laugh and a shrug at Vince. “I didn’t know you could FaceTime.”

“Your mom makes me. ‘Get with the times,’ she says. Anyway, how are you, Charles?”

Vince chuckled next to me, knowing how much I despised being called by my first name. I kicked him in the shin with my combat boot and wasn’t at all sorry for the scuff mark I made on the pristine dress pants.

“I’m good, Grandma,” I told her. “How are you?”

“Just wonderful, dear. And how is your lovely girlfriend doing? Well, at least I assume she’s lovely. But you still haven’t sent me a photo of the two of you.”

Vince whipped his head around and mouthed, “Girlfriend?”

I ignored him and turned back to the phone. “She’s great, Gram. I’ll send you a pic soon, sorry I keep forgetting.”

“Well, I was hoping she was there with you, and I’d get to meet her on the FaceTime.”

“Ah, no, sorry, I’m at work. Well, I’m taking a lunch break with my friend Vince. But she’s not here.”

“Oh, yes, I should have known you’d be at work. What are you eating?”

I looked up to see what the holdup was. “If this line ever moves, I’ll be getting a California burrito.”

Grandma wrinkled her nose. “What makes it a California burrito?”

“It’s so good. It’s a carne asada burrito—that means grilled steak—and it has guacamole and French fries in it.”

“French fries in a burrito? That sounds ... interesting. I’ll have to try it.”

I chuckled. “I don’t think they have any legit Mexican food places in Michigan that have Cali burritos. Sorry, Gram.”

“Oh, not here.” Grandma waved a hand, a big grin on her face. “I meant this weekend, when I come to San Diego.”

My stomach clenched painfully. “You’re coming to town?”

“I sure am,” she answered, “and I couldn’t be more excited to see you and meet your girlfriend. It’s just for the weekend, but your mom is having a dinner party on Saturday night so I can see the whole family. Do make sure you bring your girlfriend that night, okay, Charles?”

“Sounds great, Gram. I can’t wait to see you. Hey, this line is moving now, so I need to order my food. See you on Saturday?”

“Yes, dear. Enjoy your burrito. Love you.”

“Thanks, love you, too.”

I disconnected the call and sighed dramatically. Vince barely contained his laughter next to me, and it made me want to kick him again. I couldn’t bring my girlfriend to a dinner party on Saturday because I didn’t have one. And Vince knew it.

I should have come clean right then. I should have told my grandma that I’d made the whole thing up. But she’d looked so excited, and I just couldn’t admit I’d lied to the lady who’d brought me up with a wooden spoon to my butt if I lied or disobeyed her. Was I crazy? Apparently.

“You’re in trouble now,” Vince observed. 

“Clearly,” I replied as we approached the counter, ordered and paid for our burritos, then stepped aside to wait for them. “Now what? Should I show up without the girlfriend and say we broke up?”

“I guess that depends on why you made up the fake girlfriend in the first place.”

I glanced around. “Can you keep your voice down please?”

“Oh, my bad,” Vince said in a stage whisper. “Don’t want anyone to know you lied to your grandma about your love life?”

I elbowed him then stepped up to grab our burritos from the guy at the counter. Turning back to Vince, I slapped a burrito wrapped in foil into his outstretched hand. “Stop messing with me and help me come up with a plan. This is serious. It’s my grandma. And I know for a fact you’d do anything for your precious Nonna, so don’t give me any crap.”

Vince snorted. “I wouldn’t lie to her.”

“You would if she told you she just wanted to see you settled down and making babies with some nice girl before she died.”

Vince balked. “Old lady guilt is the worst.”

We sat at one of the tables in the center of the food court and dug into our burritos. I chewed, but my appetite wasn’t great under the circumstances. “Okay. What do I do?”

“You could hire someone. Pretty Woman style.”

“Oh sure, should I just head downtown and pick up a girl off the street?”

Vince shook his head. “Hmm, maybe not. Well, do you know anyone you could ask out and bring to the dinner?”

“Like bring an actual date? Don’t you think dinner with the family is an odd choice for a first date?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

I had an idea. “Bro, loan me your girl. She’s got that hot bookworm vibe with the glasses and everything. Super presentable.”

Vince snorted. “She’s also pregnant. You want to add another layer to your web of lies?”

“Ah, you can see the …” I waved a hand in front of my stomach, “belly area? It’s like showing?”

“Yeah, man. Sorry. You can ask one of the girls you’ve already gone out with so it’s not a first date.”

I shrugged, picking at the foil on my burrito. “Yeah, maybe. It’s just awkward because we’re deploying in January, and I don’t want the girl to get the wrong idea. I’m not planning on leaving a girl behind this time. Last time I went on deployment, my girl cheated on me.”

Vince wrinkled his nose. “That sucks, man. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m just saying I’m not doing it again. So, whoever comes with me to meet Grandma needs to know up front that we’re not gonna be a thing after that dinner. One-night-only type of deal.”

“Wait,” Vince said, “what’s her name?”

“Who?”

Vince laughed. “Your fake girlfriend.”

“Ah, well, I kind of avoid using a name. I can’t remember if I’ve ever given my grandma a name, so I just avoid it in case I did so she doesn’t call me out. She’s got a good memory for an old lady.”

“Coop, you should just be honest instead of trying to fool your entire family. It’s not just your grandma. She said the whole family would be there.”

I scowled. “Not gonna happen. She’ll take a wooden spoon to me. It’s one night, bro. How bad could it be?”

* * *

“I was so glad to get your call,” Alyssa said as she picked up the white linen napkin from the table and placed it in her lap. “It’s been a while.”

I smiled. “Yeah, what, two years?”

She nodded. “Something like that. How’ve you been?”

“Great, well, I’ve been great lately. I’m not a recruiter anymore.”

“That’s cool, so what do you do now? Are you still a Marine?” she asked. 

“Yeah, now I’m back at the job I was doing before recruiting duty, which was loading bombs on airplanes.”

She quirked a brow. “Bombs on airplanes, huh? That doesn’t sound very safe.”

My eyes widened. “Don’t worry, we don’t put them on passenger planes.”

“Well,” she said, smiling flirtatiously, “that’s a relief.” 

I cleared my throat, nervous that my purpose for the date was veering off track. “Anyway, I asked you out tonight because I have a bit of a proposition for you.”

Again, the brow rose. “A proposition?”

“Yes. My grandma called me earlier this week and said she’s coming to town on Saturday. I’ve been telling her, for like a year, that I had a girlfriend, but I don’t. So, I invited you here tonight to ask you if you’ll be my girlfriend.”

Alyssa’s eyes sparkled. “Of course, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

“Really? That easy? Whew. I was nervous you’d have a problem with it.” I sat back in my chair, relieved.

“Why would I have a problem with it? This is probably the sweetest way I’ve ever been asked out.”

Alarm bells went off in my mind. I may have messed up on the delivery here. “Right, except that I’m not really asking you out. I mean, I am, but just for pretend.”

“For pretend?”

I nodded. “Yeah, like just for that night. You’d pretend to be my girlfriend. It’s not like we’d actually be a thing.”

This time it was Alyssa who sat back in her chair, and I was pretty sure it was in order to put some space between us.

“If it helps, I can pay you,” I added quickly.

Her mouth popped open, and she sat there staring at me in silence. Something told me I’d messed up big-time with that last offer.

“Let me get this straight,” she said, her voice as cold as ice. “You hit me up after two years, out of the blue, and asked me to dinner, only to then ask me if I’ll pretend to date you—for money?”

Cautiously, I nodded. “Yes.”

“And it didn’t occur to you that I might think you actually liked me? It didn’t occur to you that I’d get dressed up for this date and be all excited that you called? And that I’d feel kind of led on by all of this?”

I made a guilty face.

“And,” she continued, “as if all of that wasn’t bad enough, it didn’t occur to you that offering me money would be offensive?”

Unsure if there was a right answer to this line of questioning, I gulped. “No?”

Alyssa stood. “Well. Allow me to clue you in. I’m not going to pretend to be your girlfriend for money.”

My cheeks burned from embarrassment as the other dinner guests seated nearby stared at me. Well, that went well.

❤️ Fake Dating

❤️ Holiday Romance

❤️ Military Hero

❤️ Family Dynamics

❤️ Small-Town Vibes

San Diego Series:

📚 Forever with You - Vince & Sara

📚 Back to You - Spencer & Ellie

📚 Away from You - Matt & Olivia

📚 Christmas with You - Cooper & Angie

📚 Believing in You - Jake & Ivy

📚 Memories of You - Brooks & Cat

📚 Home with You - Owen & Rachel

📚 Adored by You - Noah & Paige

Related Standalone:

📚 Trusting in You - Eric & Lucy

Note: Chronologically, this one fits in between books 5 & 6 of the Kailua Marines series. These worlds all collide, so if you’d like to read them in chronological order, that’s how it goes! :)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Christmas with You

"What a sweet, fake dating romance! I love this world and group of characters the author has made and seeing the different friends finding their love, learning more about them in each of their own books, and watching the continuation of previous characters is so enjoyable! 😍 Cooper and Angie were so fun, and I loved all their banter and playful bickering. Also Cooper’s grandma was a blast 😂 All in all a great read!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My favorite!

"This is Jess’ best story yet!! Not only was “Christmas with You” a super fast and easy read, but it was also a page turner. I loved the way Cooper and Angie bantered throughout the story; so fun! Of course we can’t forget to mention Grandma Jean! That little old lady was cracking me up! I didn’t have high expectations for this story, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was hooked from chapter one and I definitely recommend giving “Christmas with You” a read!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love my Marine romance stories

"Love this series! I reread it every summer!"