Despite our age difference, Harper and I had many things in common. Our love for reading was one of them. Our passion for running was another.

I was still in high school when I accompanied Harper on her morning run for the first time. Back then, my lack of stamina and low endurance wouldn't allow me to complete her usual route, but the habit of running almost daily when I lived in Marseille turned me into someone fairly athletic.

"You're a bit slow this morning, Doctor Lincoln," I said to my friend when we reached the promenade.

Harper slowed and placed her hands on her knees, panting.

"I know. Blame it on the little sleep I've gotten over the last few days. Work's been insane."

I wiped the sweat off my forehead. "Dad said the same. Luckily, he'll be home tonight."

Harper rubbed my arm. "Of course. He's thrilled to spend Christmas Eve with you. Your dad missed you a lot when you were away."

"I missed him, too. Coffee?"

"Always." Harper smiled, and we strolled toward a coffee shop overlooking the marina.

After getting our cappuccinos, we took a table by the window.

"So, you never told me about the date with Mister Cute," I said, studying Harper's slightly flushed face.

She groaned, smoothing out her dark hair. "I didn't for a reason. He was cute but also boring. We didn't have a single thing in common. I was eating my steak and looking forward to going home to read."

"Ouch."

Harper took a sip of her hot coffee and sighed, looking out of the window at the gray morning sky. "Maybe my expectations are too high. Handsome and smart, and passionate about something. Do those guys even exist?"

"Your expectations seem okay to me. What's the fun in dating someone if you can't have an interesting conversation?"

"There was no chemistry, either. No connection."

"So, no second date?"

"No second date. It's me, my wine, and my books again. I might also delete all the dating apps from my phone. They proved to be useless, anyway."

"Poor Doctor Lincoln."

Harper shrugged, taking a few more sips of her cappuccino.

"Well, enough about me," she said in her usual cheerful tone. "How have you been these few days at home?"

"I spent forever cleaning and rearranging stuff in my room. Today, I'm going to decorate our Christmas tree. Oh, and I met a guy the other day."

Harper squinted. "We need details to diagnose the patient. Don't withhold crucial information."

I curled my hands around the hot cup. "Tall, probably six foot something. I'm five foot seven, so yeah, a major plus. A beautiful body, muscled but not bulky. Green eyes."

Harper pretended to wipe the imaginary drool off her mouth, making me giggle.

"More, please," she said.

"He asked me for my number. Well, before that, I made an idiot out of myself, but we're skipping that part."

Harper's hazel eyes lit up. "When's the date?"

"Let me think...never? He didn't call, of course. It's been a few days. If someone were interested, they wouldn't wait for so long, right?"

"Is he your age?"

"He seemed older and confident, like the guy who knows what he wants. I'd say he's in his twenties."

"Maybe he's busy. The end of December is a crazy time for many people. Look at your dad and me."

"You and Dad are always busy. You might be right, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I was awkward, and we met at the hospital of all places."

"Sometimes the best things happen out of the blue, Ava. You're pretty and smart. I'm sure he'll call."

I downed the rest of my coffee and winked at Harper. "He might. But I'm not sure I'll agree to go out with him. He'll have some convincing to do."

"That's my girl." She laughed. "Okay, time to head back. I have a long to-do list to take care of before going to my parents'."

I sighed. "Ditto. Decorating and cooking, here we go."

***

When I made it home, Dad had already set up the tree. The only thing I had to do was hang the decorations. He always left that part to me, knowing how much I enjoyed it.

"How was the run, pumpkin?" he asked, exiting the kitchen.

"Great. I missed running with Harper. And you?"

"As you can see, I got the tree ready, and I also seasoned the meat."

"So, you're not working today?"

Dad shook his head. "I'm all yours. I'll have to stop by the hospital tomorrow, though. My trauma patient's still in a coma. The neurologist is in charge, but I wanted to check on the girl."

"So, her fiance is still there?" I wouldn't ask Dad about the fiance's friend, but ferreting out bits and pieces of information was too appealing.

"Hasn't left her side, of course. They're good kids, those two. I treated the boy last year."

"I hope she gets better soon."

Dad sighed. "Me too. Go shower, pumpkin. The tree won't decorate itself."

I trudged up the stairs, smiling at the sound of my dad's laughter.

***

In the evening, Dad and I sat at a table next to the tree, ready to enjoy our traditional Christmas dinner.

It'd always been only the two of us. Dad was an only child, and my grandparents died a few years ago.

Sometimes, I wondered what it would be like to have a big, noisy family and attend huge family gatherings. I fantasized about having a mom who would help me choose a dress to wear and do something with my hair. We'd have heart-to-heart conversations and invent one of those cute mother-daughter rituals I'd seen in movies and read about in books.

Other times, I couldn't help feeling guilty because my dad had never had a serious girlfriend. He was only forty — way too young to be lonely. Every time I touched the topic, he'd laugh and say having me was enough.

"Earth to pumpkin!"

Dad's voice made me look at his smiling face. "I'm all ears," I said, shifting in my chair.

He gave me a generous portion of roast meat and salad and poured some champagne into my glass. "I'm happy you're back. Merry Christmas, pumpkin."

"Merry Christmas, Dad."

We clinked our glasses, took a drink of champagne, and began to eat. A Christmas movie played in the background, and every familiar detail, from the sparkling lights on the tree to our favorite dishes on the table, reminded me I was finally home.

***

This year, Christmas was white. Staring out of my bedroom window, I grinned at the array of fluffy snowflakes that twirled in the frosty air before landing on the snow-covered ground.

Wasting no time, I dashed down the stairs and rubbed my palms together at the sight of a gift under the Christmas tree. It was square, heavy, and smelled of my favorite store.

"The latest ones by your favorite author," Dad said, smiling at me from the kitchen doorway.

"Thank you!" I pressed the books to my chest, and Dad laughed, shaking his head.

"Wait till I'm off to work, will you, pumpkin? I haven't started playing with my gift yet, and you know I'm dying to."

Dad adored jigsaw puzzles and had an impressive collection of them. When I saw some puzzles of artworks and cityscapes in France, I knew I had found the perfect Christmas gift for him. Judging by the gleam in his eyes as he looked at the stack of boxes, I was right to think he'd love them.

The doorbell rang, and Dad rushed to open the door.

"Now, where's my goddaughter?" the voice boomed, making me rest my gift on the coffee table and dart to the hallway.

"Uncle Leo!" I grinned before being engulfed in a tight hug.

"Look at you all grown up and beautiful." My godfather and Dad's best friend pinched my cheeks. "Alan, get ready to have gray hair. This beauty will have a line of prospective boyfriends at the door in a week."

Dad shrugged. "The more options pumpkin has, the better choice she'll make. Let's grab popcorn and watch the poor guys getting their hearts broken."

Uncle Leo smirked. "More patients for me. I'm a shrink, remember?"

"You two." I rolled my eyes. "Have you seen any guys? Thought so. It's my books and me."

"Speaking of books," my godfather said, "here goes your little gift."

Uncle Leo thrust a package in my hands and kissed my cheek. "Merry Christmas, and thank you for coming back home and saving me from Alan's grouchiness."

Dad punched his friend's shoulder before getting a jacket from the hanger. "Time to save lives, Jennings. Well, I'll save lives, and you'll watch me from your fancy shrink couch."

"Here goes Morris being an ass." Uncle Leo chuckled. "Let's go, lifesaver."

"See you later, pumpkin," Dad said, following his friend and colleague out of the house. "Don't do my puzzles."

I pretended to be horrified. "I wouldn't dare!"

Both men laughed as they waved goodbye. I watched them drive off in my godfather's car and headed to the living room, ready to curl up on the couch with one of my new books. Knowing my godfather, he got me a romance novel my dad would roll his eyes at.

The doorbell broke the quiet again, making me halt mid-step. Convinced that Dad had forgotten something at home, I threw the door open.

"Surprise!"

"Oh, my God!"

"Yes, it's us," Isla said, laughing. A couple of snowflakes landed on her auburn hair and her forehead, making her scrunch up her nose.

I drew my arms around my best friend and then hugged Tasha and Ivy, two other friends of mine.

We'd known each other since we were little, went to the same school, and cried on our prom night, afraid of losing our friendship.

Despite following different paths, we kept in touch. Isla moved across the country to go to the college of her dreams. We texted daily, and while it was different with Ivy and Tasha, we made sure to catch up at least once a month.

What I didn't expect was to have Isla back in the city. I glanced at her, and she nodded slightly, which meant she wanted to talk to me when we were alone.

In no time, the four of us sat on the couch with mugs of hot chocolate in our hands. The girls asked me a million things about France and my life there. To them, what I did sounded exciting. Not everyone could leave the country to study a foreign language for over a year, after all. I was grateful they didn't ask me what I was going to do next.

Over the next hour, I learned that Ivy was happy with her degree in design and was going out with someone. Tasha didn't seem to pay much attention to us, staring at her phone.

"Tasha!" Ivy groaned.

Tasha tossed her phone to the couch. "What? He canceled the concert; it's a big deal."

"Who?" I asked.

Isla rolled her eyes. "Tasha's new crush. She's fangirling over Rebellious Hearts."

"Who are they?"

"A band that became super famous overnight. They have excellent music, but I don't see the reason for being so damn obsessed you can't listen to your friends," Ivy said, throwing a disapproving glance at Tasha.

"Have you seen him? Pure perfection. Jimmy O'Brien's everything a girl might want," Tasha said, toying with a strand of her platinum blond hair.

"And nothing a girl like us would get." Ivy snorted. "Get real, girlfriend. You might dream about having his babies, but don't you think we're too old for being so naïve?"

"Ava, tell them." Tasha pouted. "I know you get me."

I smiled. "Anything's possible, but you know my taste in music."

"Only old school," Isla said, giving me a timid smile.

Ivy and Tasha laughed. I took advantage of that and touched my best friend's hand with mine.

"Is it bad?" I asked quietly and broke on the inside when Isla whispered, "Yes."

Thoughts on the new characters?