Overview

Ashley Turner has finally accepted a life without romance, but Cupid apparently did not get the memo.

Nic (Nicole) Cupidi has been looking forward to their first Christmas off in almost a century. Instead, they find themself working through the holiday yet again. As a direct descendant of the original Cupid line, Nic carries the weight of expectation, and their father, the Provost of Universitas Cupidi, never lets them forget it. At 490 years old, they are one of the oldest active Cupids still in the field. Their match record is legendary, their methods are unconventional, and their most recent assignment went more sideways than usual. Their refusal to explain what happened costs them their vacation and lands them on a new assignment in Hollybrook.

Ashley Turner is the town’s unofficial holiday elf. The fifty-five-year-old Director of Community Development lives for seasonal celebrations, even if she keeps her cheer carefully separated from her private life. Five years after discovering her wife’s infidelity beside their two-story Christmas tree, she has sworn off love entirely. This year she plans to lose herself in decorations, community events, and the temporary hire who will cover Maryann’s maternity leave.

When Ashley and Nic meet, sparks fly. She tells herself it is static electricity. It is certainly not attraction. And it is absolutely not magic. Yet there is something about the charming temp who should be a stranger but feels oddly familiar. Cupids spend weeks observing their human charges while invisible, manifesting only when it is time to guide a destined match. Ashley should not be able to see Nic at all. But what happens when a human can see a Cupid even when she shouldn’t be able to? It might just be a Christmas miracle.