In the picturesque town of Winter Grove, the tenacious Alicia Whittaker faces off against her best friend's snobbish brother, Zeke Brighton, when his disapproval of his sister's boyfriend threatens to upend their Christmas.
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Tenacious college stud...
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Zeke
Inside the festival, the crowd pressed in from every angle. Their group had to condense to make their way through, breaking into pairs. His parents took the lead, Celeste and Sterling fell to the back... leaving Zeke and Alicia stuck together in the middle.
Zeke stared straight ahead. He wasn't eager to make conversation.
But Alicia could not abide the awkwardness of silence.
She cleared her throat. "Why so quiet? I thought you were eager to talk to me."
Zeke rolled his eyes. "And I thought you weren't interested in anything I had to say."
Alicia pressed her full lips together, but then, that same spark he'd seen before lit up her dark eyes. She smiled. "Oh, now you're doing as I say? Well, in that case..."
Zeke shot her a look of annoyance. "Are you always this annoying?"
"Annoying? I prefer tenacious," she said, her smile growing. "When I set my mind to it, I always get what I want."
"I don't doubt that," Zeke grumbled. "Though, I have to say, I underestimated you."
"You did?" Alicia said, sounding surprised, but quickly composed herself. "I mean, of course you did. You're not the first fool to do so."
"Yeah, I bet plenty of fools have gotten fooled by that pretty face," Zeke said. "I still can't believe you used my own parents against me to force me to come tonight. You're totally diabolical."
"You haven't seen anything yet," Alicia said. "If you know what's good for you, you'll be a good little boy for the rest of the time you're in Winter Grove."
Zeke raised an eyebrow. "And if I'm not?"
"Then be careful," Alicia said. "I don't back down from a challenge."
"Neither do I," he said with another grin.
Alicia rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched, threatening a smile.
"Can I ask you a question?" Zeke asked, suddenly serious.
"You just did."
Zeke narrowed his eyes, but it held no weight. "You know what I mean."
Alicia gave a dramatic sigh. "I suppose. What do you want to know?"
Zeke cleared his throat. "Why... Why do you care so much?"
It wasn't a challenge or a snarky remark but a sincere question. It seemed to catch Alicia off guard. "Huh?"
Zeke breathed deeply and looked at her right in the eye. "Why does it matter to you what I think of Celeste's boyfriend?"
Her gaze flicked away. "Because Celeste is my friend, and so is Sterling. If you upset them, of course I'm going to care."
Zeke stared at her, but she kept her gaze averted. There was something else there, something she wasn't saying...
