by Jenna Brandt
“Improvements?” Mara rolled her eyes. “I’ve been all over this island, and I hardly consider that an appropriate word. Slapping together a spa filled with fads, calling a glorified yoga studio a wellness center, and changing a few items on the menus doesn’t make this place original.”
“Watch it, Mara. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Blake growled out. “Peyton’s done an exceptional job around here.”
Mara pursed her lips in a pout as she clicked her perfectly manicured nails on the side of her champagne glass. “It must be serious for you to defend her like that. Are you sure that’s a smart idea, mixing business with your personal life?”
“I’m not sure why you think what I do, and don’t do with Peyton is any of your concern.”
Peyton noticed Blake side-stepped his stepmother’s question as well as not admitting how he felt about Peyton. The truth was, he’d only ever confessed it to her privately. She thought because he had been affectionate with her in public, it meant he was ready to take their relationship to the next level. Now she wondered if maybe she had been mistaken. Was he doing all of this for an ulterior motive? Was she simply just a fun distraction? Peyton wanted to believe it was more, but if he wasn’t willing to tell his own stepmother it was, what did that mean for her prospects with him?
“I think I will go grab another glass of champagne and let you cool off Blakey,” Mara cooed. “You always were the hot-head in the family.”
Before Blake could shout a rebuttal, the DJ announced it was time for the ugly sweater contest. Peyton invited all of Blake’s brothers to come be judges, but only three could make it. Tonight, Dasher, Prancer, and Vixen joined them. As they took to the stage, Blake’s eyes grew wide with surprise.
“What are my brothers doing here?”
“I invited all of them to be the judges,” Peyton explained. “The rest said they would have loved to come, but they had other plans they couldn’t get out of.”
Blake looked happy and relieved. “Well, the good news with them being the judges, they definitely won’t vote for me. They wouldn’t want it to look rigged.”
“Don’t be too disappointed, now,” Peyton teased.
“I’m not. Believe me. I wouldn’t want to try to wrangle Comet up on that stage if we did,” he said with a chuckle. Then glancing around, he asked, “Where is he, by the way?”
“Oh no,” Peyton gasped. “With your stepmother showing up, I let go of the leash. I can’t believe I did that.”
Blake pulled out his phone and turned on the app. “Great, he must have slipped the collar off. It shows it right…” he bent down a few feet away, and lifted the collar up, “here.”
“What do we do now?”
“Why don’t we look for him while they whittle down the contestants?” Blake suggested.
The next half hour passed with the employees strutting across the stage in their various ugly sweaters; from giant elves to Grinches to Santas, every Christmas motif was represented in all their ugliest splendor while Blake and Peyton looked for Comet. Several times, she heard employees cry out as something got knocked over by him, he stole someone’s food, or he tripped someone, but before she could catch him, he darted away and hid again. At least he couldn’t get very far with the doors to the rest of the hotel closed.
The contest got narrowed down to Joelle, Cindy, and Danny. Though she liked Cindy, she was secretly rooting for Blake’s friend, who decided to not only wear a green Grinch sweater, but to paint his whole-body green as well.
“All right, it’s time to announce the final decision,” the DJ announced, taking the paper from Dasher. He opened it and read the contents. The DJ picked up the giant trophy with a gold star on it and moved down the line past the women. He reached over and lifted Danny’s hand in the air. “We have our winner. The Grinch in all his glory.”
Danny took the microphone and waved to the crowd, then turned his attention to Blake’s brothers. “I want to thank the “Reindeer Brothers” for voting for me, but honestly, this honor shouldn’t go to me. When I first got here, I started asking around what people thought about all the sweaters. Almost every single one of them said they thought Blake’s was the absolute worst one here, especially when you add to the fact he chose to dress his dog in a matching one. I think this honor should go to them.”
The employees clapped and cheered, and Peyton pushed Blake forward until he was at the edge of the stage. “Go on up,” she encouraged with a wink. “You earned it.”
“I hardly think so,” he whispered in irritation. “This was all you.”
Even though he didn’t want to go up, he climbed the stairs and took the microphone. “Thanks everyone. I’m not really sure how to take this ‘honor’ but I want to make it clear, this night isn’t about me. It’s about all of you. Each one of you make this island great. I couldn’t run Comet Island without you. That’s why I wanted to announce tonight that each of you will be getting not only your annual Christmas bonus, but a handmade glass star I made with your name and the island etched on it. I hope you will put it somewhere where you can see it on a daily basis and remember how much I value you.”
Blake left the stage and came back to Peyton’s side. “How did I do?”
“Great,” she declared with a smile.
“I took your advice and went with something homemade for their Christmas gifts.”
“It’s perfect, just like you.”
* * *
As Blake handled everyone coming up and congratulating him on his win for the sweater contest, all he could think about was how good Peyton was at getting him to do things he thought he’d never do. Was this what it was like to be wrapped around someone’s finger? Did Mara do this to his dad in the beginning? What else could Peyton get him to do? It was a perplexing thought, and for a moment, it terrified him. Then he reminded himself, he knew Peyton, and she wasn’t anything like Mara, or the endless money-grubbing, attention-seeking socialites he had met all his life. She was different, and that’s why she made him different.
Mara was one of the last people to approach him. She had a sour look on her face. “Do you know all of your brothers took off without saying so much as a word to me? Why do they treat me that way? You all act like I’m worse than the plague.”
“Maybe it’s because all you ever do is come to beg for money or to try to steal the spotlight, Mara. If you tried being a mother for once in your life, maybe we’d all treat you differently.”
“What a mean thing to say, Blakey. Don’t you know, all I want is to be a part of your lives? I want to help you—” Before she could finish her sentence though, there was a loud clamor behind them.
They both spun around to find Comet tearing off a tablecloth, causing all the food to fall to the ground as well as all over Comet. Peyton was right behind him, scolding him. “Bad dog, Comet, bad dog!”
He barked twice at Peyton, then took off away from her, running directly at the worst person he could possibly pick. He hit Mara like a ton of bricks, smearing the mixture of food and sauces all over her white cocktail dress.
“This can’t be happening,” she shrieked at the top of her lungs. “Look at this mess!”
“Oh no, I’m so sorry, Mrs. Holliday,” Peyton said, coming up to her and picking up Comet. “I can get your outfit dry cleaned for you.”
“Dry cleaned? Dry cleaned,” she yelled in disbelief. “My dress is ruined beyond repair. You can’t fix this.”
“I can buy you another one,” Blake offered. “Two if it will get you to stop making a scene.”
“Me? This is my fault? It’s her,” Mara screamed, pointing at Peyton. “Look what she’s doing to your island, Blakey. She’s brought a rotten dog onto it, she’s encouraging your employees to participate in low-class activities like this party, and she’s manipulating you with her sex appeal.”
“I am not,” Peyton refuted, her cheeks turning bright red with anger. “I would never do that.”
“She’s right. Peyton i
sn’t like that—she’s not like you!” Blake shouted. “If you can’t be supportive, you need to leave.”
“You’re kicking me out, Blakey?” Mara whined. “I’m your mommy.”
“You’re not my mom, you never were. I tried to have a relationship with you, but you cared more about my dad’s money and your social status than you ever did about any of us. In all these years, it’s never changed.”
Mara blinked several times, glancing between Peyton and Blake. “I can’t believe you’re picking this low-rent, hussy over me. What has she done to you to cause you to behave like this?”
Peyton’s mother stepped forward, placing her hand on Mara’s shoulder. “Mrs. Holliday, you heard Blake. It’s time for you to go. I would think you would know better than to behave like this, but apparently money can’t buy you class.”
Mara must have realized she was outnumbered because she flipped her curly locks over her shoulder, turned her nose up at everyone, and headed for the exit.
“Are you okay?” Blake asked, turning to Peyton. “I’m sorry she said all of that about you.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Peyton whispered, her eyes staring at the floor.
Blake reached out and placed his hand under her chin. He pulled her face up so he could meet her eyes. “You know none of it’s true. You’ve done an amazing job with this place.”
Peyton bent down to pick up Comet. “I need to go get him cleaned up. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Blake realized she probably needed some time to calm down. Rather than chase after her, he decided to go talk with his brothers before they took off.
Several of the employees came up to talk to him, keeping him from reaching his brothers.
He didn’t make it very far before he was cornered by Joelle. “Wow, your mom is a lot, and that’s coming from me.”
“Right, she’s something all right,” Blake said with a shake of his head. “At least she’s gone now.”
“Do you need me to help with anything?” she inquired, placing her hand on his arm as she gave him a sexy smile.
“Look, Joelle, I know you think if you keep making passes at me, that at some point I might give in to one of them. Let me make this clear; I’m with Peyton.”
“But you shouldn’t be. I mean, it’s clear she’s too much of a good girl for you, Blaze. You need someone who can keep up with you, sexually that is,” she purred. Reaching out, she grabbed him by the sweater and pulled him hard against her. Before he could stop it, her mouth was slobbering all over his.
“So, at least now I know why you haven’t told anyone how you feel about me. It was all a lie, and you’ve been sneaking around behind my back with her!”
Blake yanked back from Joelle and rushed towards Peyton. “No, that’s not true. She kissed me.”
“You weren’t pulling away from her, were you?” Peyton accused with hurt in her eyes. Then raising her hand, she added, “You know what, I don’t even care. Everything is done with the island. I met all the requirements of my contract. I was planning to stay for you, but I can see that was a mistake. I’m leaving tonight.” Without waiting for a response, she spun around on her heels and took off.
“Good riddance,” Joelle said with a cackle. “She was like a wet blanket. Could you get any more boring?”
“That’s enough, Joelle. You’ve crossed the line for the last time. I want you to pack your bags and get off my island. You’re fired.”
“You can’t fire me. I have a contract,” she snapped at him, placing her hands on her hips.
“And I have a buyout clause in it, which I’m invoking right now. Any amount of money is worth getting rid of you.”
“Fine, have it your way,” she said in a huff. “I hate it here anyway.”
Blake turned around, ready to go chase after Peyton, but he found his brothers standing there with perturbed looks on their faces.
“You messed up, Comet. You need to go get her and fix things before it’s too late,” Dasher ordered. “You don’t want to miss out on the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
“Agreed. She’s a keeper,” Prancer added. “She’d make a great sister-in-law.”
“We need some nice women in the family for a change,” Vixen chimed in.
“Okay guys, I get it. You want me to go win her back.”
“You bet we do,” Danny declared, coming up from behind Blake. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Don’t be a fool and let her get away.”
Blake knew they were right. If he let Peyton leave Comet Island, he would regret it the rest of his life. She was the one for him, the only one for him, and he had the perfect way of showing her just that.
He needed to get to his seaplane as quickly as possible.
He punched the button for the elevator, but they must have been busy moving employees and guests around the hotel. He didn’t have time to wait. He decided to take the stairs, which for most people would be a long-winded nightmare. For an Olympic sprinter it would be nothing.
He reached the bottom floor within a few minutes. He was headed around the corner of the building when he noticed Mara and Joelle standing together in the shadows. Why would they be together? He moved over to where they were, making sure to stay out of their line of sight. As he got closer, he realized they were talking about him.
“I did my best, Mara, but I can’t help that your son wouldn’t take the bait.”
“All I asked was for you to keep him from getting involved with that twit of a woman. My ex-husband thinks he’s so smart hiring her and putting her right under Blake’s nose. I knew if I had you apply for one of the new instructor positions on the island, you could run interference. Little did I know, you couldn’t attract a bee with all the honey in the world.”
“Like I said, Mrs. Holliday, I did the best I could, but he’s a tough nut to crack.”
“Don’t I know it. I mean, I thought all the stories I planted about him in the newspapers over the past few months would have done the trick, but that didn’t work the way I planned. It’s why I had to resort to you. Little good any of it did me,” Mara mumbled under her breath. “He still hasn’t come home to mommy.”
“And I never will,” Blake said, coming out of the shadows. “I can’t believe you’re responsible for all of this,” he said gesturing to Joelle. “Not to mention the stories and Comet getting into trouble. Why would you do that to me? Did you actually think I would come running to you if I got my feelings hurt?”
“I had to try something. All of you boys are getting older which means you’ll be settling down soon, and then there won’t be anything left for me when you have wives and kids of your own.”
Blake shook his head. “I feel sorry for you, Mara. You don’t understand that when a family grows, it doesn’t mean you get less; it means you get more.” Turning around, he tossed over his shoulder before he left, “I have to go. I need to grow my own family before it’s too late.”
An hour later, he was landing his seaplane by his father’s yacht, The Cookie Cutter, ready to do whatever it took to win Peyton back. He marched into his father’s study, where he found him reading a book. He glanced up and his eyes grew wide with shock. “What on earth are you wearing?” Gordon’s face scrunched up in disgust as Blake got closer. “Are those snowmen?”
“Never mind that, I have an emergency, Dad.”
“What is it, Comet?” he inquired, setting down his book.
“I might lose Peyton if I don’t do something drastic,” Blake explained. “She thinks I don’t love her, but she’s wrong. I love her more than anything in this whole world.”
“Then you need to tell her,” Gordon stated firmly.
“Not just tell her, show her. I was hoping you would give me Mom’s ring so I could use it to propose to Peyton with it. I know I have four other brothers, but I think they would understand.”
Gordon nodded. “I think they would, too. Besides, your Mom would want you to have it, since you have
so little else to remember her by. Let me go get it.” Gordon left and returned a few minutes later with a black velvet ring box. He handed it over to Blake. “Make sure to do it right, Comet. Make it a grand gesture she’ll never forget,” Gordon ordered with pride.
“I’m a Holliday. Of course, it’s going to be epic.”
* * *
Peyton watched as the workers loaded the last of the luggage onto the helicopter. She wasn’t sure how it came to this, but she was about to be leaving Comet Island forever. She had thought Blake was the one, that they were going to end up together, but all along he had been playing her like a fiddle. Apparently, he really was the trifling playboy the newspapers and social media sites talked about.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Peyton’s mother asked with concern in her voice. “You don’t think you’re making a mistake, do you?”
She knew her mother had reservations about her choice. When she explained what she witnessed, her mother had suggested she find Blake and give him a chance to explain. The problem was, if she did that, she was certain Blake would talk her into staying, even if it meant always wondering if there was another secret woman to worry about. She couldn’t live her life like that.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Peyton nodded. “I need to leave. I can’t stay here one moment longer.”
“I hope that’s not true,” she heard Blake say from behind her. She spun around to find him walking towards her. “Please don’t leave, Peyton. I can’t live without you.”
“Save it, Blake. Your lines won’t work on me anymore. The articles were right about you.”
“No, they weren’t. I just found out Mara planted all those stories. She also fixed it so you would hire Joelle as an instructor so she could sabotage me.”
“Really? That’s awful,” Peyton said with a shake of her head. “I kind of feel bad for her. She’s so desperate for attention, she’s willing to hurt her own family to get it.”