When Noelle Canton discovers that her uncle’s sale of the inn will ruin Christmas not just for her but for the town, she is determined not to let it happen. All she needs to do is delay the demolition by a month and convince the corporate troubleshooter to see things her way. Will her plan work or will Scrooge and his greedy band of followers carry the day?
The Hollygrove Inn on the outskirts of Oakville, Vermont, has always been Noelle’s home, but lately, things haven’t gone well. When Clarington Resorts makes her uncle a generous offer, he accepts, but the offer requires them to move out of the inn before Christmas, canceling the annual Christmas Extravaganza, something he failed to mention to Noelle.
Determined not to let that happen, Noelle comes up with a plan she hopes will delay the demolition and shows up at a town council meeting with a significant number of supporters. With goodwill essential to the company’s success in the area, they offer to send someone to discuss the matter and try to come to an arrangement.
It’s up to Noelle to convince the company’s man to let them have this one last Christmas Extravaganza at the inn. But things are not what they seem. There’s something familiar about Jim Hatcher. When she discovers the truth about him, will she forgive him, especially when it looks as if her gambit has failed?
We’ve all seen at least one Hallmark Christmas movie where the ski lodge everyone loves is about to close for one reason or another. In many ways, those movies influeneced my decision to write Noelle’s Gambit, but so did climate change, and it’s never been more eveident that this year.
I live in Eastern Ontario. When I was younger, we almost always had snow for Christmas–hell, we often had it for Halloween. Thanks to a massive system, we had snow for Christmas last year, but it was gone within days. This year, we’re definitely having a green/black Christmas. It’s hard to call it a green Christmas when every single plant other than the evergreens is dormant. We’re mere days from the Winter Solstice, it’s cloudy, and we’re expecting significant rain–an inch and a half–with the possibility of a thunderstorm today. We’re also experiencing unseasonable temperatures, 46 F today and looking at 39 F for Christmas Day, not a good time to be trying to hang on to an old-fashioned ski resort. New resorts are equipped with snowmaking machines that supplement whatever Mother Nature does or doesn’t send.
Noelle undesrstands that her uncle is caught between a rock and a hard place, but he promised her one last Thanksgiving, one last Christmas, and to her mind, one last Christmas Extravaganza at the inn before he sells. When she dicovers that’s not going to happen, she makes up her mind to find a way to stop it–at least temporarily. That’s Noelle’s Gambit, one last roll of the dice to preserve the memories of the place she loved and her beloved aunt.
And, of course, since it’s a Cocktails for You book, it contains a new winter drink for you to try. A Noelle’s Gambit is a variation on Hot Buttered Rum. It includes spiced rum, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, and hot orange juice to make a drink that will warm you on those cold winter nights.
Noelle’s Gambit is available in both e-book and paperback format from any Amazon distibutor.
Enjoy. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season this year. If you like snow, I hope you get some. If tou don’;t, well, you just might get your wish, too.
Living the Dream 