Chapter 1
Lexie
I was sweating in my elf costume – not because it was too hot in the office, but because Ialwayssweated when I was about to throttle someone.
Right now, that someone happened to be my stupidly attractive boss – the grump who just two weeks ago had rolled into the company like a giant ball of ice, leaving a trail of wintery destruction in his wake.
From behind his massive desk, he asked, "Is there a problem?"
He was sitting.Iwas standing.
Good.
If he were standing too, I'd have to crane my neck to stare up at him – as if I were arealChristmas elf and not a costume-wearing, eggnog sipping, carol-singing substitute.
But I wasn't singingnow.
And the eggnog?Well, let's just say it wasn't sitting so great in my stomach.His fault. Not mine.The eggnog had settled well enough until ten minutes ago when my Grinch of a boss had shown up out of the blue to ruin everything.
Still I forced a smile. "What you just did out there – you weren't serious, were you?" By "out there," I meant outside his office, where the holiday festivities had screeched to a sudden halt thanks to you-know-who.
"Lexie." He didn’t smile back. "Do I look like I’m joking?"
I studied his face and wanted to groan at the injustice. Heshouldlook like a goblin.But did he?
No. Of course not.He had thick chestnut-colored hair and dark brooding eyes – the kind of eyes that might've put me on Santa's naughty list if only they didn't belong tohim.
Forget the pretty packaging.On the inside, the guy had been a huge disappointment, like a dog turd wrapped in a fancy gift box. Sure, youcouldopen the thing, but would you really want to?
As the silence stretched out between us, it slowly dawned on me that his question hadn't been rhetorical. I cleared my throat. "Well, youcouldbe joking."
He gave me a look. "I don’t ‘joke’ about personnel matters."
Probably, he didn’t joke about anything. Even if hedidhave a funny bone, which I seriously doubted, it was lodged so far up his butt, it was a wonder he could sit without grimacing.
But I digress.
Cole Henster wasn't just my boss. He was the new owner of Winterville Chocolates, a gourmet candy company that specialized in holiday treats. Rumor had it, the guy owned a bunch of other businesses, too, including a local brewery and the area's largest marina.
I swear, the guy had his fingers in everyone. A flash of heat seared my skin, and I stiffened with annoyance.No.Not everyone. Everything.
Big difference, right?
Stupid fingers.
I turned to study his office door, the one I'd shut just before approaching his desk. Beyond that door, the executive suite was dead silent – wellnowanyway.
I looked back to my boss and tried to laugh. The sound came out all wrong, like a candy cane caught in a blender. "But…you just fired Santa."
He didn't even blink. "No. I fired Lloyd."
As usual, he was missing the point. "But he wasdressedas Santa." The only upside was that no kids had been around to see Santa getting the ol’ holiday heave-ho.
Lloyd Grampkin had been all Santa'd up not for local children, but to help make our semi-annual holiday party just a little more festive – well, until Lloyd was fired, that is.
My boss replied, "So?"
"So…"Did I dare say it?I took a long, steadying breath before telling him, "You shouldn’t have done that."
