She thinks he’s a thief breaking into her house at Christmastime. It turns out, he might just steal her heart.

My plan, along with my fellow Outside the Bubble club members, was to surprise someone by putting up her Christmas lights.

When Annette comes home unexpectedly and catches me climbing a ladder to her roof, she assumes I’m the Grinch, coming to steal Christmas. Her dog gets in on the action, too, and before I know it, the three of us are on the ground in a tangle of twinkle lights.

She’s an organized, driven executive with two grown kids. She recently divorced a husband who hid things from her, so I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that she can tell I’m keeping things about myself hidden.

I was an intelligence operative in the field, and I still work for the same top-secret government agency. So you could say that I’m full of secrets.

Even though I’ve spent a lifetime staying away from relationships, sparks fly, and love sneaks up on me like a spy on a midnight mission. But I’ve spent my life in disguise—currently as Abraham in the office and Hammy everywhere else— and I’m not sure if I can show the real me.

This leaves me wondering if our budding romance will get tangled up in more than just holiday lights.

Holiday Lights and Cocoa Cookie Nights is a dual-point-of-view, festive rom-com novella with seasoned characters set in the world of Romancing the Spy. It’s packed with heart, humor, a little adventure, and plenty of cocoa-flavored Christmas cheer.