"Hey, mind if I join you?"
"Mrs. Claus, it's so good to see you!" Elena says.
"Doesn't she look great?" Carly asks.
"She looked wonderful next to Jacob in his Santa suit. Sit down and spill, Marci."
"Let me get some hot cocoa first."
Because of the parade, the coffee shop is self-serve today. So, I serve myself a steaming cup of hot chocolate and add a ton of tiny marshmallows to it. I walk back to the table and sit down. The women have a look of expectation on their faces.
"Fine. I tried to seduce him."
"What?!" They both shout.
I shoosh them and look around to see if anyone is eavesdropping. The coast seems clear, and I lean forward with my cup in my hands.
"I was nervous, so I drank too much cider. He came home to find me sleeping in his bed like some crazy Goldilocks."
Both women just look at me and don't say a word.
"He tried to get me out, but we were snowed in. Today I continued my seduction."
I hear the bell ring as the door opens and someone walks in. I'm still looking at my friend's expressions of surprise. Then someone grabs me by the arm and starts pulling on me.
"You're coming with me, Marci," a male voice says.
I look up, shocked.
"Carl, are you crazy? Let go of me."
He pulls me off the chair and starts dragging me toward the door. By now everyone around me is screaming at him to let go, but he's a stubborn one and just keeps on going. At that moment, the door opens, and I sigh in relief. Jacob is here.
"Let go of her, right now."
"Get out of my way, old man. She's my girlfriend."
"I'm pretty sure she's not. Either way, let go of her."
"Are you sweet on her, old man? She's nothing but a dirty whore. Trust me, you don't want her."
"If you don't let go of her this minute, I swear to you that hand will be broken into several pieces."
Carl, being stupid as he is, doesn't listen to my Jacob. Things are about to get ugly. I can feel it in my bones, but I don't know what to do to stop it. Carl shoves me in front of him like a shield and starts pushing me forward. He's got both my arms in a tight grip, and I can't get loose.
Jacob's face is distorted in anger, and he's not fooled by Carl's antics. As soon as Carl pushes me past Jacob, he grabs him by the collar and pulls him back from me. I fall forward against the door and am glad to see that Hunter, Elena's husband, is outside trying to come in.
I open the door for him, and he rushes past me, where I realize Jacob is beating the crap out of Carl. Hunter interferes, but Jacob seems to be in a haze of anger and keeps getting loose and attacking Carl.
I don't like Carl, but even I know this has gone further than a simple beating.
Carly manages to get Captain Miller from the fire department, and together with Hunter, they manage to separate Jacob and Carl.
From looking at Jacob, I can tell he's not all there. I guess these are the episodes he warned me about. My heart breaks for him, and a big part of me feels guilty because I didn't tell him about Carl.
I hope he didn't believe the lies Carl said about me.
Someone else enters the shop, and I realize it's the sheriff. He starts interviewing Carl, and Carl has the gall to ask the sheriffto arrest Jacob for assault. Jacob almost gets away from the hold the two men have on him when he hears that.
