Mint to Be

Emma Sherman left Briar Glen, a small New England town, for boarding school in New York City, and she did it without telling her best friend Aiden. He is still furious about it.

Aiden had known she was thinking of going. Emma showed him her acceptance letter at Cup o' Jo, their usual coffee shop, over mugs of their favorite peppermint hot chocolate. He never got the chance to tell her how he really felt about her.

Now it is the holidays and Emma is home again. She has brought her new boyfriend, Sam, with her. Emma knows she was wrong to leave the way she did, however frosty things had become between her and Aiden beforehand.

The visit puts the two former best friends in the same small town, with the weather and the mood both turning colder. Each of them has to decide whether the friendship can be repaired. A shared cup of peppermint hot chocolate, which once settled their quarrels, may not be enough this time.

This is a holiday romance with a friends-to-more setup, and the setting is a cozy winter town. The tone is light and seasonal, built around an awkward reunion and a confession that is long overdue.