Joy McLedon wiped down the counters for the third time in ten minutes.

She’d served a couple a pair of coffees and called out their names — Pandora and Jack — and the two had taken the beverages to the comfiest pair of armchairs in the bakery. She was a curvy gal, much like Joy. Jack was looking at Pandora as if she was the only dang woman in the entire bakery. She’d served many couples during her short time at The Wreath, but the two lovebirds made her believe in more than just Fate. They gave her hope that love was real.

Well, hope that love could find its way into the hearts of others.

Joy wiped the counter and looked at the cute couple. She sighed to herself and smiled.

She knew that Fate could lead shifters to their mates. The way Jack was looking at Pandora, she knew that he must be a shifter. But, Joy was just as sure that Fate didn’t have a plan for her. She’d never been looked at the way that Jack looked at Pandora — not by any man, not by any shifter, and certainly not by her two werebear exes.

Sometimes, things between a woman and a bear just weren’t ‘right.’

“Can’t take your eyes off’m,” said a voice. “You some kind of stalker?”

“Avery,” said Joy, turning to face her boss. “Sorry. I just —”

“I’m kidding,” said Avery. “Relax. They’re a cute couple, aren’t they?”

“They are,” said Joy, putting the towel away. “Sorry I got distracted.”

“Hey, it’s hard to be single around the holidays,” said Avery. “It’s also hard to be hungry. Come on. I made a fresh batch of peppermint sugar cookies. Goes great with our peppermint white mochas. Why don’t you make the mochas and take your break, hang out with me out back?”

“You sure?” asked Joy.

“I’m your boss,” said Avery. “Of course I’m sure.”

Joy made the two mochas, extra peppermint, extra white chocolate syrup, and left her coworker to man the counter. She slipped on her old raggedy jacket and boots before carefully making her way to the outdoor seating area in the back of the cafe.

“I can’t believe you’re sitting out here without a jacket,” said Joy, looking over her boss. She looked around the outdoor patio area. There was a random sleigh made of brown wood, with metal runners, with red and yellow and green accents, sitting off to the side. Joy frowned to herself. It must’ve been a prop Avery was planning to use for one of the bakery’s Christmas promotions.

“I grew up around The Wreath,” said Avery. “The weather suits me. Plus, that’s why I know that couple you were making googly eyes at — they ain’t a couple. Just friends. That’s my boss Santana’s kid, and his…well, I don’t know how to explain Boreas, but, he’s Jack’s father. He’s uh…a colleague of Santana’s, you could say. Those two, Jack and Pandora, actually just met today. Guess they’re fast friends — unlike their fathers. I’d be surprised if they weren’t frikkin’ married by Christmas! Anyway. Enough about local gossip. Where are you from again, Joy?”

“Just a small town called Port Jameson,” said Joy.

“Port Jameson?” asked Avery. “No kidding. That’s where the original Bear Claw Bakery is. I heard there’s a bunch of werebears out that way.”

“There are,” said Joy. “They’re crawling all over Oregon and Washington. Can’t walk ten feet without tripping over a baker’s dozen.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” said Avery, sipping her mocha and eyeing over her newest employee. “Is one of those bear shifters the reason you’re not home for Christmas?”

“No,” said Joy. “Two of them are. I have two exes at home, one who just broke up with me in September. I guess I have a type: bad boy shifters who are afraid of commitment, but not afraid of my curves. The first one was hot but too hot. And he knew it. Cheated on me. The second one? Total ice prince. Cold. Never let me in. I’m looking for a guy who’s just right, and I’m done wasting my time and my curves on bear shifters.”

“Curvy girls unite!” said Avery, reaching across the table to high five Joy. “So, you worked at the original Bear Claw Bakery?”

“Yeah, the one in Port Jameson,” said Joy. “When they said they were looking for someone willing to come all the way up to Montana to help with the holiday rush, with company housing and transport and a food stipend all paid for, well…I took the opportunity.”

“Are you running from something or running towards something?” asked Avery.

“Ain’t that the golden question?” asked Joy, tapping her cup against Avery’s and looking out over the lake.

The Bear Claw Bakery’s entrance faced the long road that encircled the lake, but the back of the combination bakery and cafe overlooked the lake itself. The lake had an island in the center, covered in trees and a few cabins, with a solitary pier.

For the first time since Joy had started working at Avery’s bakery, she saw activity at the pier. Two figures were fiddling with a speedboat.

“What’s going on over there?” asked Joy.

“Where?” asked Avery.

“Over there, on the island,” said Joy.

Avery glanced at the island and then went back to eating her cookie and rolled her eyes. She muttered something under her breath.

“What was that?” asked Joy.

“It’s someone I know,” said Avery. “You know what the deal is with the island, right?”

“No,” said Joy. “Nobody’s talked to me about it.”

“Well, it’s a Christmas tree farm,” said Avery. “It’s called Camp Kringle.”

“Camp Kringle? Like Kris Kringle? Like frikkin’ Santa?” asked Joy.

“Uh…yeah,” said Avery. “Anyway, the farm has a program for reforming…let’s call them bad boys. A nice girl like you should stay far, far away from them. They may be charming, they may be handsome, but they’re doing their community service on the farm for a reason.”

“Charming and handsome?” asked Joy. “Sounds like you have a crush on one of them.”

“No, I don’t,” said Avery, blushing. “And neither should you. You’re a nice girl. You don’t need whatever drama those bad boys will inevitably introduce to your life. After all, you and I have to focus on Operation Milk and Cookies.”

“Operation Milk and Cookies?” asked Joy.

“I forgot to brief you, didn’t I,” said Avery, rubbing her temples. “Gosh. I’ve just been so busy figuring out logistics with my boss.”

“The owner of Bear Claw Bakery? Jasper Dixon? He’s such a nice kid,” said Joy. “Hard to believe he’s a single billionaire.”

“No, this branch of the Bear Claw Bakery is actually a franchise,” said Avery. “Don’t worry about it.”

“You were talking about Operation Milk and Cookies,” said Joy.

“Right,” said Avery. “Although The Wreath attracts rich people who come here for water sports during the summer and snow sports during the winter, there’s also a lot of poor families in the area, families who can’t afford luxuries. One of those luxuries is holiday sweets. What the bakery’s doing this year is baking up a storm and donating batches of baked goods to families…along with, of course, some containers of milk and plates of cookies for the kids to leave for Santana Claus.”

“Who? Oh, Santa Claus,” said Joy. “Guess y’all call him something different up here.”

“Yeah, that’s what my family calls him,” said Avery. “Guess you know him as Santa instead. Anyway. Operation Milk and Cookies is very labor intensive, as we’re going to need to make up five hundred packages for five hundred families, all in one night. We have the equipment, we can get the ingredients in advance, but what we need is manpower…or, womanpower. That’s why I sent out the APB, looking for a temp, and thank goodness you answered. You’re really my Christmas angel, Joy, so if there’s anything I can do to make your Christmas special, you let me know, okay?”

“Okay,” said Joy. “Hey, why is that boat coming this way?”

“Because it is,” said Avery. “Shizz. Let me handle this.”

Avery sat outside and watched with Joy as the boat made its way over to the small pier hooked up near the bakery’s back patio. The dock was usually used by the wealthy summer tourists during the summer. Avery saw that the boat wasn’t a speedboat after all. It was a metal rowboat. Although there were two men in the boat, only one was rowing, using two oars to propel the boat forward.

The man who was rowing had brown hair, in a grown-out crew cut, a wild stubble, and, across his left pec and shoulder, one word, emblazoned in absinthe green: ‘Naughty.’

“Girl…you watch a lot of nature documentaries?” asked Avery.

“Yeah, they’re super relaxing,” said Joy.

“You ever watch any about animals and their coloring?” asked Avery. “Some animals opt for camouflage. They want to blend in. They don’t want to stick out. They’re really effective in groups. Other animals? They go for bright colors. You know what those colors mean?”

“Danger,” said Joy. “They mean you should stay away.”

“That, right there, that mark? That ain’t camouflage,” said Avery. “That’s a straight-up surgeon general’s warning label. Doesn’t get any more clear than that, Joy.”

“Trust me — I know all about mate marks,” said Joy, shaking her head. “Fate gives shifters those marks when they get their shifts. The marks…they lead the shifters to their mates, their fated mates. Well, as you can probably tell by the fact I’m here trying to run away from my own damn broken heart, those marks…they may be like big X’s on a treasure map, but I’ve never been that treasure. I’ve only ever been the ‘ex.’”

“That ain’t a mate mark,” said Avery.

“Is it meant to lead that shifter down some sort of destined path?” asked Joy.

“I mean, it is —” started Avery.

“Then that mark is from Fate, and it might as well be a mate mark,” said Joy. “If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s probably a werebear in a duck costume trying to get into my heart and chomp it to bits.”

“Sounds like you got it all figured out,” said Avery, shaking her head — some people thought they had things all figured out when they couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Sorry if I sound rude, like a know-it-all or something, but…I’ve had enough heartbreaks to last me, well, quite a while,” said Joy. “I’ll make sure to stay away from…whoever that is.”

The boat docked. Joy watched as the shirtless man roped the boat to the dock. All the man was wearing was work pants and some work boots.

“Avery,” said the man wearing flannel.

“Krampus,” said Avery, not bothering to look up and away from the island. “Took you long enough to get here!”

“It’s ready?” asked Krampus.

“Yup, and, Pandora’s in there – with Jack,” said Avery. “I’ll be right back, Joy. You’re still on break. No need to rush in. The bakery’s already a little crowded.”

Joy frowned. There was obviously tension between the two. And what kind of a name was Krampus? Joy was left alone on the patio, sipping her coffee and nibbling the crumbs left from her pastry.

Well, she wasn’t entirely alone. There was one person nearby, somebody she was watching, a man who was looking past her, at the building behind her. Joy turned to see what was so exciting about the old bakery. It wasn’t as if Santa Claus and his flying reindeer had landed on the roof!

The man didn’t walk up to the patio. He just stood, arms crossed, watching the bakery.

“Hey,” said Joy waving.

The man looked her way and looked back at the bakery.

“Yeah, you!” shouted Joy. “Hey!”

“What?” asked the man.

“You look cold,” said Joy. “You want a jacket?”

“I’m fine,” said the man.

“You sure? It’s freezing out here,” said Joy.

“I said I’m fine,” said the man.

“Oh, okay,” said Joy. “Just thought I’d ask. Whatever.”

The man looked back at Joy and walked up the dock to the patio.

Oh great, thought Joy. Now I’ve gone and done it. I should’ve just ignored him. He was satisfied ignoring me.

“Sorry,” said the man softly, taking a seat across from her, placing his arms on the table as he sat facing outwards, staring at the island. “Thanks for asking. I’m not cold, though.”

Joy couldn’t help but stare at the man. She was only looking at his firm, muscled back, and his chocolate brown hair, but she already felt that there was something there. It was chemistry. Chemistry could be good. It could be used to make medicines and vaccines and whipped cream in a can. It could also be used to make dynamite and Agent Orange. Avery was right. Some things looked good but came with warning labels. This man was included in their number.

“How are you not cold in this weather?” asked Joy.

“Shifter – we run hot,” said the man. “Name’s Sean. I’m working for that goat guy, Krampus.”

“I’m Joy. You work at Camp Kringle, right?” asked Joy.

“I see word travels fast,” said Sean. “I’m just here for the season.”

“Oh, that’s funny,” said Joy. “Me too.”

“Really?” asked Sean. “Where you from?”

“A little town called Port Jameson,” said Joy. “You’ve probably never heard of it.”

“Oh, I know it,” said Sean.

“Really?” asked Joy.

“Yeah,” said Sean. “I’m in Clan Marron, based out of Nuthusk, small town you probably ain’t never heard of, north from you folks. I know people in Clan Asher and Clan Dixon.”

“And that would make you a bear shifter,” said Joy. “Of course you’re a frikkin’ bear shifter.”

“Kinda,” said Sean.

“How can you be ‘kinda’ a bear shifter? You’re either a werebear or you ain’t,” said Joy.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Sean. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself, Joy.”

“Boy,” shouted a voice.

Joy and Sean both turned towards the bakery. Krampus was standing there, arms crossed.

“Carry the lot inside to the boat,” ordered Krampus. “Don’t drop anything or spill anything. I shouldn’t have to say that.”

“You’re too hard on the boy,” said Avery.

“Wouldn’t have to be so hard on him if someone’d been harder on him before,” said Krampus. “Make sure Pandora and Jack head back before it gets dark. I had a talk with them.”

Sean got up from the table and walked to the bakery.

“It was nice meeting you, Joy,” said Sean.

“Nice meeting you too,” said Joy.

Sean carried a few large covered trays into the boat, as well as four big cardboard boxes of hot coffee. When he was done, Krampus got in the boat, and the pair left without a word, Sean rowing them back towards the island.

Avery came back out to sit with Joy.

“Sorry that took so long,” said Avery, passing Joy a fresh cup of tea. “Frikkin’ Krampus always manages to find something to pick at. Was his ward polite to you?”

“His ward? Oh, Sean,” said Joy. “Yeah, he was nice enough.”

“Handsome lad,” said Avery, sipping her tea.

“Nothing worth getting in trouble over,” said Joy. “Bear shifter. Just like my exes. I may be a hopeless romantic, Avery, but even I know fairytales don’t come true. Goldilocks may’ve found her match on the third try, but Sean and me? That just ain’t right. We won’t have a fairytale happily-ever-after. No way.”