Lydia's Pine Harbor Christmas, стр. 1

About Lydia’s Pine Harbor Christmas

They'll be best friends forever, and that is the problem.

Marco is the best friend a girl could ever want. Lydia just wishes he loved her, too, but it's hopeless. So she takes charge of her life and sets out to put distance between them. Otherwise, she risks pining away for the rest of her life all alone, like her mother once did. Except even her mother has found someone to love. So when a guy in one of Lydia's college classes asks her out, she sees her big chance to get over Marco.

Marco has breezed through his love life, but the rest of it hasn't been quite so breezy. He was orphaned at ten, and his older brother raised him. Now eighteen, Marco owns the Silva Brothers' Brewpub with his brother, Theo, and works the bar and charms the ladies. But his old pain-avoidance tactics have caught up with him. He's kept Lydia at bay. They're best friends, but best friends can grow close. By the time he realizes he's in over his head, she finds someone to date. He didn't see that coming.

In the small coastal town of Pine Harbor, Lydia's Christmas wish could come true, but she’ll never know it.

Also By J.L. Jarvis

Pine Harbor Series

Allison’s Pine Harbor Summer

Evelyn’s Pine Harbor Autumn

Lydia’s Pine Harbor Christmas

Holiday House Novels

The Christmas Cabin

The Winter Lodge

The Lighthouse

The Christmas Castle

The Beach House

The Christmas Tree Inn

The Holiday Hideaway

Highland Passage Series

Highland Passage

Knight Errant

Lost Bride

Highland Soldiers Series

The Enemy

The Betrayal

The Return

The Wanderer

Highland Vow

American Hearts Romances

Secret Hearts

Runaway Hearts

Forbidden Hearts

For more information, visit jljarvis.com

Lydia’s Pine Harbor Christmas

Pine Harbor Romance Book 3

J.L. Jarvis

LYDIA’S PINE HARBOR CHRISTMAS

Pine Harbor Romance Book 3

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.

Published by Bookbinder Press

bookbinderpress.com

ISBN (paperback) 978-1-942767-98-5

ISBN (ebook) 978-1-942767-99-2

One

The scent of gingerbread wafted in from the kitchen of the Silva Brothers’ Brewpub as Lydia, Christmas greenery draped over her arm, climbed a ladder. She merrily hummed along with a jaunty Christmas carol as she pressed an adhesive hook onto a beam and draped the last of the greenery over it. The repurposed-warehouse-turned-seaside-bar had been sufficiently transformed for the holiday season. With its view overlooking Pine Harbor, Maine, the place already had more than its share of seaside charm. Fresh evergreen garlands entwined with red ribbon surrounded the windows and wound around every overhead beam. Holly, strategically placed mistletoe, and wreaths bedecked with fairy lights completed the effect.

“There. How does that look?” She looked over at Marco, but he was busy pouring a glass of wine for a pretty young brunette at the bar. The poor woman had the same dumbstruck expression Lydia had seen so many times. It was the look of a smart woman turned senseless by Marco’s effortless charm. When it was combined with his manly square jaw, deep-set brown eyes, and dark wavy hair, he was irresistibly attractive. Of course, Lydia was biased, but she also had eyes. She couldn’t fault the young woman for the look on her face. With practice, Lydia had learned to hide Marco’s effect upon her, but she felt it nonetheless.

No woman had ever reduced Marco to a drooling dumbstruck shell of a man. Lydia wondered what that might look like, yet she didn’t want to see it because someone else would have prompted it. She sighed. It was pointless to ponder such matters. Marco wasn’t looking for love. He breezed through life, blissfully unaware of his effect upon women. No doubt he was over there thinking he was simply doing his job, manning the bar and serving drinks while playing the sociable-bartender role. But for Lydia, moments like that served as a reminder that she and Marco were friends—good and reliable friends but most importantly platonic friends. She had always known it intellectually, but her heart needed frequent reminders.

“Hello? Lydia? I said that looks perfect!” came Allie’s voice from below.

Lydia awoke from her reverie and climbed down the ladder. Side by side, she and Allie surveyed their handiwork. Neither spoke as they took it all in.

Finally, Allie said, “The windows and beams look fantastic. As for the rest, it’s not nearly enough.”

“No, not even close.” Lydia had concluded that minutes before but had waited to hear Allie’s thoughts. Allie was her boss and the owner of The Gallery, a gift shop in town, but she was at the brewpub on a personal mission. Theo Silva was also Allie’s boyfriend. He’d mentioned in passing that he had no plans to decorate the bar for the holidays. Appalled, Allie emphatically offered to decorate the bar for him. She assured him it would be good for business, and of course, she was right. Even Marco leaned toward her side of the issue. Once Lydia agreed to help Allie, it was more or less a done deal. Theo had no strong feelings one way or the other, so if Allie and Lydia wanted to spearhead the project, he had no objections. As for Lydia, she was happy to help. Her feelings for Marco had nothing to do with it. It was a Christmas emergency. They had no other options. The Silva Brothers’ Brewpub would have holiday cheer. If it meant spending a couple of afternoons in the same room as Marco, she would take one for the team.

Allie called, “Marco, we need your opinion.” She lowered her voice so much that Lydia wondered if she