“All right, everybody, listen up,” I said, a smile spreading across my face. “We’ve got some toys to deliver.”
#
With Swifte’s superspeed, Black Samba and Granny Cane commandeering several city buses, and everyone else’s assorted powers, we managed to get all the toys and decorations back over to Oodles o’ Stuff. Using his teleportation power, Debonair was even able to transport the solidium tree back into its spot inside the store.
Just before nine on Christmas morning, I once again found myself inside Oodles o’ Stuff. The Mintilator and Caveman Stan had managed to strip hundreds of items off the tree, and I was trying to put everything back where it belonged—but not having that much success, because all the superheroes kept talking at once, offering their suggestions.
“I think the tea set goes over here, dear,” Granny Cane said, pointing her cane at a spot on the tree.
Wynter shook her head and hefted the box in her hands. The motion made the giant snowflake pulse like a strobe light in the center of her ice-blue costume. “I don’t think so. That branch is too small for this big box.”
“I’d say put it a little higher on the tree,” Swifte chimed in, zipping around both of them.
And on and on it went, until my head was pounding just like it had been after Caveman Stan had hit me. I was just about to step in and tell them that it didn’t matter exactly where the tea set went, when Fiera shoved her elbow into my side.
“Incoming,” Fiera muttered under her breath.
I rubbed my side and turned around, wondering what she could possibly be talking about. A second later, I realized it wasn’t a what, so much as a who.
Abby Appleby marched over to me, a stony expression on her face. “Do you care to explain this—this mess, Karma Girl?”
I sighed. Abby had every right to be upset. Thanks to me, a couple of ubervillains had stolen the toy tree and almost ruined everything. Even as it was, the kids wouldn’t get the picture-perfect Christmas they were expecting. But Abby deserved an explanation, so I filled her in on everything that had happened.
I finished my story, and Abby looked around, her eyes going from the tree to the toys scattered around it to all the superheroes milling around. After a moment, her face softened.
“You did the best you could, Karma Girl,” she said. “The best anyone could do. You got the toys back here for the kids to enjoy. That’s the most important thing.”
Her features hardened once more. “But I’ll not have them digging through this disaster area. Swifte! Get your scrawny ass over here! Debonair! You too! Now! Now! Now!”
Abby’s voice roared through the store. The event planner started barking orders at the superheroes, telling them where she wanted the toys, the clothes, the decorations, and everything else to go.
Swifte raced around the store, stringing up lights and ribbons, while Debonair used his teleportation power to pop! things into place. Mr. Sage used his telekinesis to lift the heavier toys back where they were supposed to be, and the rest of the superheroes pitched in to help as well.
At nine o’clock sharp, the front doors opened, and the kids and their parents streamed inside Oodles o’ Stuff. For a moment, they all stood there, staring up at the toy tree, expressions of absolute wonder on the kids’ faces, and gratitude and more mingled together with the tears on the parents’ faces. Then, everyone started clapping, yelling, and jumping up and down in glee and sheer excitement.
The cheers made me smile—and I knew it would be the perfect Christmas after all.
#
The kids spent the next hour playing with the toys, trying on the clothes, and checking out the school supplies and other goodies while their parents watched. Then, everyone headed over to the store’s food court to dine on the ham, turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies, and other holiday fixings that had been provided by Quicke’s restaurant.
No one noticed when Karma Girl slipped away from the crowd—or that Carmen Cole took her place a few minutes later to cover the event for The Exposé. And I wasn’t the only reporter in attendance. Kelly Caleb with SNN, the Superhero News Network, was on the scene to film a piece for the evening broadcast.
I talked to half a dozen kids and their parents, getting quotes for my story. I also made sure to interview Abby, because I wanted to highlight all of the hard work and long hours she’d put into the event. Finally, I talked to the superheroes who pitched in to help at the last minute.
Once I was done gathering material for my story, I stood off to one side, watching the kids, parents, and superheroes mingle, along with volunteers like Piper Perez and Roberto Bulluci who’d come to help with the event. Even Jasper, Lulu’s bomb-making friend, was here, along with Joanne James. Apparently, they’d both donated their time and money to the charity drive.
Johnny Bulluci, Fiona’s fiancé, had also shown up to lend a hand. Johnny was keeping his distance from Fiona while she was still in her Fiera costume, but the two of them exchanged more than one lingering look. And Fiona thought Sam and I were still in the honeymoon phase. Please. It was a wonder Johnny didn’t spontaneously combust with the hot glances she was sending his way.
I was happy that everyone was enjoying their Christmas—really, I was—but I couldn’t help but miss Sam and wish that he was here with me. It would make the day that much more perfect. With everything that had been going on, I hadn’t had a chance to call him, but Sam had left a message on my voice mail saying that the merger had taken longer to wrap up than he’d thought. My heart ached at the idea of spending the holiday without him, but it looked like that was what was going to happen—
A pair of arms snaked around my waist, and a low, sexy voice murmured in my ear. “Guess who?”
My breath caught in my throat, and I whirled around. “Sam! You’re home!”
My husband grinned at me. “I told you I’d make it.”
“But how?” I asked. “In the message I got, you said your meetings had gone too long, and there was no way you could fly back in time for Christmas.”
He jerked his head at Debonair, who was standing next to Bella Bulluci. The two of them were showing a little boy how to mix the paints in the art set he’d gotten.
“When I realized I wasn’t going to make it back to Bigtime by plane, I called in a favor with Debonair,” Sam said.
“I didn’t know he could teleport so far,” I murmured. “But it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you’re here with me now.”
All around us, the kids and their parents smiled and laughed, while the superheroes and volunteers watched. But I had eyes only for Sam, and him for me.
“Merry Christmas, Carmen,” Sam said.
“Merry Christmas, Sam,” I whispered back before I pulled his lips down to mine.
EXCERPTS
Read on for excerpts from KARMA GIRL,
HOT MAMA, and JINX
in the Bigtime paranormal romance series
by Jennifer Estep
Excerpt from KARMA GIRL,
Book One in the Bigtime paranormal romance series
PART ONE—BEGINNINGS
Chapter One
My wedding day.
It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. A time of joy and celebration and new beginnings. The day every girl dreams of from the time she’s old enough to play dress-up in her mother’s clothes.
It wasn’t that sort of day at all.
I stalked up and down the narrow hotel room. My hellish high-heeled shoes poked holes in the thick carpet and rubbed hot blisters on my aching feet. My white tulle dress rustled with every step I took.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
I’d had the feeling for weeks now that something just wasn’t quite right between myself and my fiancé, Matt Marion. He’d been distant lately, distracted. We’d been together over two years now, and I loved Matt with all my heart. But his odd behavior was enough to make the most trusting woman suspicious. I’d asked Matt many times if
anything was wrong, if he had cold feet and wanted to postpone the wedding, but he’d assured me repeatedly that everything was fine.
Matt had been working lots of overtime at his construction job and had all sorts of unexplained bruises and scratches on his body. He’d blamed his frequent absences and injuries on work, but I couldn’t quite shake this feeling, this cold sense of dread deep down in my stomach. Doubts whispered in my mind. I’d learned long ago to listen to my inner voice. Following my instincts was the reason I’d become the top investigative reporter at the Beginnings Bugle, the town newspaper.
I wasn’t about to ignore my instincts now. I couldn’t get married with this doubt hanging over me. I had to ask Matt one more time what was bothering him.
I slipped out of my hotel room and made my way to the elevator. It had been Matt’s idea to get married at Forever Inn, the most romantic hotel in all of Beginnings, Tennessee. Weddings took place on a daily basis at the four-star hotel, and no one batted an eye when I crowded into the elevator in my billowing dress and sparkling diamond tiara.
I rode up to the next floor and walked to Matt’s room. It was bad luck—bad karma—for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding, but I had to talk to Matt. My inner voice wouldn’t shut up until I did.
I raised my hand to knock. A low, muffled moan escaped through the thick wooden door. Was Matt hurt? I frowned and put my key, the one I had in case of an emergency, in the lock. The door opened, and I stepped inside.
“Yes, Yes, YES!!!!” a woman screamed out from deeper in the room.
Oh. That’s what that sound was. Someone was having a little afternoon delight. Good for them. I turned to give the enthusiastic couple their privacy when reality hit me.
Why was someone having sex in Matt’s room? He should have been in there, getting ready for his wedding, which was only thirty minutes away. His wedding to me.
I froze. A ball of ice formed in the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t going to like what I was about to see, I just knew it, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking. I tiptoed up to the doorframe, still hidden from view, and peeked into the bedroom.
Karen Crush, my best friend since the fourth grade, was straddling Matt, my oh-so-faithful fiancé. Karen’s pale-blue bridesmaid’s dress bunched around her waist, exposing her lean legs. Matt’s pants pooled around his ankles. A lacy thong sat crumpled beside the bed, along with some other pieces of blue and red fabric.
Karen flipped her black curls over her shoulder and threw her head back in pure bliss. The ecstatic look on Matt’s face told me he was thoroughly enjoying himself as well. The bastard.
My world spun around. I felt as though someone had stabbed me in the chest with a butcher knife. Twice. Hot tears welled up in my eyes and trickled down my face. My knees shook. My legs threatened to buckle. Now, I knew what had been so wrong. Why Matt had been so distant. This one moment, this horrible sight, made it all so clear. So painfully clear. Love, friendship, humanity in general. My faith in those was now gone. Obliterated by the two people I loved most in the world.
Matt and Karen let out more cries of pleasure, oblivious to me. To my pain.
The sounds shattered my heart into a thousand sharp, jagged pieces. Each one cut me like a razor. I wanted to run out the door, to cry my eyes out, to sob and scream until I was hoarse from both. But a flash of bright blue underneath Matt’s unbuttoned shirt caught my eye. I squinted through my cascading tears. It looked like ... spandex.
Spandex?
“Oooh, I love it when you kiss my neck like that.” A giggle escaped from Karen’s perfect, heart-shaped lips.
I loved it when Matt kissed my neck like that too. Anger bubbled up in my chest like a volcano about to explode. I swiped away the rest of my hot tears and straightened my spine. I wasn’t going to run away. Not from the two of them. Not until I had some answers.
Karen ran her hands down Matt’s broad chest. Her long nails zipped along the fabric like scissors. She ripped his shirt open the rest of the way, revealing a blue spandex suit with a giant red M in the middle of it.
My mouth dropped open.
“Oh, baby. You drive me crazy!” Matt yanked Karen’s dress down to her waist, exposing the lingerie-like red bustier she wore beneath. A yellow C stretched across her heaving chest.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. But it was real—I would have known those costumes anywhere. Molten lava flowed through my veins, burning away everything but my all-consuming rage. My bubbling volcano of anger erupted with a scream of epic proportions. “Sonofabitch!”
Matt and Karen froze. Their heads snapped around to the doorway. Matt swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Karen’s eyes widened. For an instant, I wondered what they were more upset about—that someone had caught them cheating or discovered their other precious secret. I didn’t care either way. They’d both betrayed me.
My anger roared back, stronger than before, and I marched into the room. My hands balled into fists. My body rattled with rage. Even my wedding dress twitched with fury.
“Carmen! I … I can explain—”
I threw my hand up, cutting off Matt’s pitiful attempt. “You’re the Machinator?”
Matt sighed. He ran his fingers—the ones that weren’t latched on to my best friend’s exposed ass—through his blond hair. “I didn’t want you to find out this way, Carmen.”
“Oh no? When were you going to tell me you’re Beginnings’ own personal superhero? After we said I do? Maybe on our first anniversary? Or perhaps when our kids were in college? Or maybe right after you told me about sleeping with my best friend. On our wedding day.”
“It’s not his fault, Carmie,” Karen said, her brown eyes big and earnest. “He wanted to tell you. We both did. About everything.”
Carmie? I glared at my former best friend. She still had the nerve to call me that childish nickname even when she had her legs wrapped around my fiancé like he was a race horse and she was a jockey. The bitch. I wanted to rip her limb from limb. After I finished with Matt. “And you’re his archenemy, Crusher? The ubervillain of Beginnings?”
Karen nodded.
I rubbed my fingers over my throbbing temples. It was all too much to take in.
Sure, every town in the world had its own personal superhero, someone who showed up whenever the train ran off the tracks and wouldn’t stop. Or whenever there was a natural disaster that threatened to kill hundreds of people. Or even whenever little Timmy fell down a well and needed rescuing. Naturally, every town also had its own personal ubervillain, someone who wanted to rule supreme.
Beginnings was no different. We had the Machinator, a man who could control mechanical objects with his mind. The town’s ubervillain was Crusher, a woman of unbelievable strength who could break metal bars with her teeth and crush diamonds in her hand. The two were constantly at odds, with Crusher continually coming up with some wild scheme to either (a) take over Beginnings, (b) kill the Machinator, or (c) both. Usually, the Machinator would be put in grave danger before miraculously escaping to foil Crusher’s latest scheme. But Crusher always got away, or soon broke out of whatever high-security, supposedly inescapable ubervillain prison the authorities stuck her in. She’d come back to Beginnings, and the cycle would repeat itself, ad nauseam.
And the whole time, I’d never known the two of them were my fiancé and my best friend.
Never even suspected. Never had the slightest clue.
I’d been such a complete, total fool.
Some reporter I was. All the classic signs had been there. Matt’s many bruises and injuries, his late nights and odd hours. Karen’s long, strange absences from town and uncanny ability to open any jar, despite her petite size. The pieces clicked together in my mind like a jigsaw puzzle. The two of them must have spent hours laughing at my stupidity and nivet and trusting nature. When they weren’t having hot, superhero sex, that is.
My fiancé and best friend sleeping together and hiding their secret identities f
rom me. I didn’t know which betrayal hurt worse. Or which one made me angrier.
“How long has this been going on? I would think given your ... extracurricular activities that sleeping together would be out of the question.” I spat out the words. They left a foul, bitter taste in my mouth.
“Well, it’s actually a funny story.” Matt laughed in a vain effort to lighten the mood.
I crossed my arms over my chest, and his half hearted chuckle died on his lips. Too bad he didn’t follow suit.
“Anyway, we were down at the old abandoned mill a couple of months ago, doing the usual epic battle, you know, explosions and danger and stuff, when Crusher, er, Karen, reached out and grabbed me. All this radioactive waste was leaking everywhere, and it was making us both feel really strange, and we just sort of kissed and ...”
His voice trailed off under my red-hot glare. If I had the ability to shoot lasers out of my eyes, the two of them would have been extra-crispy by now. Too bad I didn’t have my own superpower.
Matt still sat on the bed, Karen straddling him. They made no move to disengage body parts or hide their costumes. I knew at once they were actually relieved I had caught them, not only doing the nasty but exposing their secret identities as well. Relief filled their treacherous eyes, and tension oozed from their pores as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. They were happy they’d just ruined my life with their lies and deceit and betrayal. It made me ill.
I took a step back. I had to get away from them. From both of them. My heart couldn’t take any more. I whirled around to dash out of the room.
My high heels snagged on the thick carpet, and I went down in a pile of white tulle. My tiara slipped off my head and rolled across the floor, and my hair tumbled out of its pearl-studded clips. I struggled to stand, and my eyes fell on a bagful of disposable cameras on the floor. They, too, had been Matt’s idea. We would use disposable cameras at the wedding so guests could take their own photos, and we could save the expense of a photographer. Except now they would go to waste.