Page 1 of Knotty Bargain (Monster Holidays #3)

CHAPTER 1

CORDELIA

T he Devil’s Mountain is absolutely glorious. Blood reds, golden browns, and warm yellows make it a fall paradise.Burgundy maple leaves swirl around our car as we drive closer. The crisp autumn air whips through the open windows and tousles my hair as I stick out an arm to take another picture.

It’s picture-perfect, beautiful, and quiet. It’s...

“Bitch, I’m freezing my tits off; close that window or I’ll kick you out of the car!”

I sigh as dramatically as possible as I close the window. “You’re no fun! I’m just taking a picture!”

Sylvia curves her spine, pressing closer to the steering wheel. “Are pictures more important to you than the health of your best friend? It’s like twenty-five degrees out there!”

“More like fifty,” I say in a mock whisper to the window. Sylvia punches me in the shoulder.

It’s been years since Sylvia and I visited our hometown, and I hadn’t noticed how much I missed the sight of the mountain. There’s something magical about growing up in a small town near a massive mountain with its own rich local folklore. Our entire lives, we wanted to move out. Sylvia and I would share the same twin bed and daydream about touring the world with our favorite bands and our celebrity crushes falling for us at first sight in New York.

But there’sa sweetness about going back home.

Sylvia rubs her arms. “Can you believe we’re finally taking an entire month off? No work, no responsibilities. No construction at seven-thirty Sunday morning while I’m trying to return to my hot dream with Pedro Pascal.”

“That was too specific.” I laugh, glancing at my best friend.

Sylvia rushes her fingers through her dark brown hair, her dark eyes glinting when she looks at me. I always liked how Syl smiles with her eyes. “Are you going to tell me you don’t have hot dreams? You’ve been in an extremely long dry spell. You must have some dreams.”

I shake my head, rolling my eyes. “It’s not a dry spell if I’m not looking for it. The world has more to offer.”

Sylvia scoffs. “Alright. You say it as if I don’t know you spend your nights with your smut books and a rabbit.”

“Sylvia!” I try to sound offended, but it’s impossible with her. We’ve been best friends for too long. We dreamed about leaving Shadow Glen and we left. Together. We live together. We support each other.

I don’t know who I would be without her. No romantic love compares to lifelong friendships.

“And here we are!” Sylvia sing-songs as we approach, then fly past the town sign.

Welcome to Shadow Glen , it reads. Settled in 1623. Population: 6,624

I crane my neck to glance at it. “That sign is new, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, looks like it. The old one was probably from the foundation.”

I chuckle. We used to joke that it looked almost like a keep-out sign—old, rotting in the corners, the yellow paint peeling out. Shadow Glen had a handful of legends, but that sign only made it look like the place was haunted.

Sylvia sings along to Chappell Roan on the radio as we pass the first houses. Now that we’re here, reality is finally settling. My stomach feels funny.

It’s great to come back. I missed Sylvia’s mom. But... should we have come? I chew on my bottom lip. Was this a good idea?

Who accepts to come to their ex-boyfriend’s wedding anyway?

My mind moves to the wedding invitation crumpled in my purse. Being invited to your ex’s wedding isn’t that bad. I wasn’t in love with Marcus. We had been friends before. Besides, all of our high school friends would be there.

The problem is Marcus’s bride. Because not only did Marcus cheat on me, but he cheated on me with my cousin .

“Ugh, stop thinking about those two assholes,” Sylvia scoffs, her dark eyes flashing as if reading my mind.

I arch an eyebrow at her. “How do you know I was thinking about them?”

She tosses her long brown hair. “Perks of being your best friend.” She takes a beat. “Marcus and Vivian deserve each other. Two lying, cheating snakes.” She shrugs. “I hated them and I was right. My intuition never goes wrong.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek. “You’re right.” I sigh, trying to shake off the melancholy. “The betrayal still stings a little, but this trip isn’t even about them. We just took advantage of the date. It’s about us having fun and letting loose for once.”

“Exactly! It could have been any other date. It’s a sad thing that your boss could only be convinced to give you the month off because your cousin was getting married.” She narrows her eyes as we pass an ad for a restaurant. “Karma will take care of your boss, Vivian, and Marcus.”

We pass a second ad. I don’t remember the town having these many ads and posters and such. What are they advertising anyway? We only have like two restaurants.

Sylvia waggles her eyebrows at me. “We haven’t been here in forever. Do you think there’s anyone we don’t know? Anyone you’d want to sleep with?”

Heat floods my cheeks and I glance away. “I doubt that very much. Besides, that’s none of your business.”

Sylvia blows raspberries. “As your best friend, it absolutely is. You need to get back out there! Screw Marcus.” She pauses, then snorts. “Well, don’t screw him. Screw someone better. You know what I mean.”

Marcus’s betrayal hurt, but less because of love—since I didn’t really love him—and more because of the broken trust. It feels like everyone I trust—Sylvia being the exception—betrays me somehow or abandons me in the worst possible ways.

After Marcus, I stopped searching. Just because I never fell in love doesn’t mean I can have sex with anyone. Sex is still about trust to me and there’s no way I’ll trust a random guy I meet on some dating app.

“I’ll add it to the to-do list,” I say, curling my nose at her. “Along with the hundred other things you think I should try, apparently.”

“Hey, I’m just saying, this is a perfect time to face some fears and try new hobbies.” Her eyes gleam with mischief. “I still can’t believe you never learned to ride a bike. And your handwriting could definitely use some work. Maybe take a calligraphy class or something. Watch some videos online.”

“Gee, thanks,” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. But a reluctant smile tugs at my lips. Sylvia always knows how to tease me out of a funk with her special brand of affectionate mockery.

We turn onto Oak Street, the main drag of downtown Shadow Glen. Here, we have to slow down—there’s a bit of traffic. Golden trees line the street. There are still the same Victorian street lamps, though they’ve been painted. The colorful awnings are cleaner than I remember. The flower baskets that only a handful of stores used to have now overflow with chrysanthemums from every window. It’s like driving into a Thomas Kinkade painting.

Sylvia parallel parks in front of Hex & Co. I remember spending hours here as a teen, giggling over spells and palm-reading manuals. It felt like our secret clubhouse in this sleepy, provincial town. Sylvia’s mom, the owner, would bring us tea and apples and cookies every couple of hours.

Nostalgia is a knot inside my chest. It makes me grin like a fool as I open the door.

But there’s something else.

“Doesn’t it seem different now?” I muse as we climb out of the car. Glancing over my shoulder, I study the street. “Maybe... cleaner? There are more shops, too.”

Syl slams her door shut, then climbs onto the curb, her hands on her hips. She stares at Hex & Co.’s window display. When we were kids, this display held books and crystals and Miranda, Sylvia’s mom, used to only clean the windows once every month.

Now, the glass is so clear it’s almost invisible and Halloween decorations take up every inch of the space. Pumpkin candles, cute bat plushies, dainty porcelain rats, and the piles of books are aesthetically piled. And when I study the street, that seems to be a rule. Every shop is decked out in orange, purple, and black, with fairy lights, ghosts, and pumpkins.

Sylvia laughs. “Did we just walk into Halloween town?”