by Laura Ann
“Okay,” she breathed. “Okay.” Leaning forward, she closed the distance between them and Eli wasted no time in accepting her answer. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in as tight as he could, nearly lifting her off her feet as he let her know how he felt.
When they finally came up for air, they were both breathing heavily and he tilted his head back to look at the mistletoe. “We’re going to have to have that stuff hanging all over our house,” he panted.
“Why?” Esther leaned back and looked where he was indicating.
“Because it would appear that my courage is tied to that stupid thing. It gave me the courage to kiss you for the first time and to propose.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Not to mention, I think all our best kisses have been beneath it.”
Esther raised a sassy eyebrow and gave him a look. “Oh yeah? Well, marry me and take me home and we’ll just see about that.”
Eli’s eyebrows shot up and he choked. “Whoa. Where did that come from my shy, little secretary?”
Esther shrugged and grinned. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it does give people courage.”
“Oh no.” Eli shook his head and grabbed her hand. He marched her further into the ballroom, looking for Pastor Larsen. “We’ve been under mistletoe before and I’ve never seen you like this. Hang onto that for a minute while I grab the Pastor, then we’ll put that sass to good use.”
Esther laughed, but followed along. “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she sighed.
“I can’t believe we’ve waited this long,” Eli growled. “There he is. Come on.”
CHAPTER 5
“You’re absolutely sure you know what you’re doing?” Pastor Larsen asked again. “When I offered to marry you, I wasn’t referring to tonight!”
Esther looked up at Elijah, her heart ready to burst and her soul ready to move forward. “Yes... we’re sure. This is long overdue.”
Pastor Larsen chuckled. “Amen to that.” He glanced to the side. “Alright, well, Mrs. Larsen and Melba here will act as witnesses.” He paused again. “You don’t want to go grab any of your friends? Most of them are just in the next room, after all.”
Esther shook her head. “No. We’ll celebrate with them later.” She smiled when Elijah squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Besides, they all have their own dates to worry about this evening.”
Pastor Larsen’s eyebrows went up and he nodded slowly. “That they do. I think something has been in the punch tonight.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “I’ve never seen the like.”
Straightening, he held his arms out. “Then let’s begin.” He cleared his throat. “Dearly, Beloved...”
Esther turned to look at the man she had loved for half of her life and couldn’t look away. While Pastor Larsen spoke the short words in order to join them in holy matrimony, Esther reveled in the love shining in the light blue eyes staring back at her. They were familiar eyes, ones that had spent a great deal of time in her past, but right now... she was only looking forward to how they much they would appear in her future.
Okay... I admit it.
I’m a total sucker for a
second chance romance.
I mean, who doesn’t want to see
an old flame flare bright again? Right?
Not ready to be done quite yet?
Never fear! Britta’s story is next!
You can find “Mistletoe Maverick”
HERE
Tired of Christmas stories?
Keep scrolling to read the first chapter
in my “Overnight Billionaire Bachelors” series.
What happens when three brothers find a hidden
treasure and suddenly become billionaires
overnight? Paparazzi, drama and turbulence on the path
to true love, that’s what!
Read on!
“Her Billionaire Boss”
CHAPTER 1
“Well, Mrs...”
“It’s Miss. Miss Monson,” the woman sitting across from Eli interrupted.
“Sorry, Miss Monson. As I was saying, everything appears to be in order.” Eli’s face was emotionless as he shuffled the papers in front of him before looking up at the middle-aged women in front of him. “We will be contacting people later in the week to let them know the results of our hiring.” He stood and the woman eagerly jumped to her feet, fluffing her hair. Eli held out a hand. “Thank you for coming in, we’ll be in touch.”
“You’re welcome.” Miss Monson smiled as she gripped his hand and fluttered her eyes a little. “I mean, thank you for your time.” She giggled and shrugged her shoulders.
“Yes, well,” Eli’s long legs took him over to the door of his brand new office and he quickly opened it. “Have a nice day.”
“You too.” She watched him as she walked past, wiggling her fingers in goodbye as she slowly moved out into the hall.
Eli shut the door firmly behind her. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he moaned as he slumped into his desk chair. The smooth, buttery leather of the seat didn’t so much as squeak as he settled in. “Money might not buy you happiness, but at least it buys comfortable chairs,” Eli mumbled as he lay his head back and closed his eyes.
“How goes the job hunt?” Hayden asked as he stormed into the office.
“Probably about as well as yours.” Eli peeked through one eye. “Have you filled all your spots in the kitchen?”
Hayden huffed and fell back on the sofa on the far wall. “Half the people coming in to interview are women looking for a date, not a job.” He ran his fingers through his hair.
Eli held in another groan. Last year, the three Truman brothers had become instant billionaires, not to mention media sensations, when they had discovered a room full of hidden treasure in the old castle they were struggling to renovate. Low on funds and down on their luck, they had plans to redo only enough of the castle to rent out a few rooms and open a bed-and-breakfast.
When they had literally struck gold, they had jumped at the opportunity to turn the old castle into a resort destination with each brother overseeing a specific part. Eli worked in hospitality, Hayden was a chef and had built an in-house restaurant and Nelson had created an outdoor program that utilized the several hundred acres that had come with the castle. They had even made plans to move their twin sisters to the resort once they were graduated and help them find a place to work.
Now, a year after their discovery, the resort was set to open, but the brothers were struggling to find good candidates to fill all the positions necessary to make it run. Hundreds of resumes had come flooding in, but the vast majority were from single ladies wanting to get a glimpse of what the media had dubbed ‘The Overnight Billionaire Bachelors’.
Eli smirked. “How many of them left in tears?”
Hayden scowled. “I haven’t made anyone cry today.”
“Yet,” Eli mumbled.
“Shut up.” Hayden growled, then quirked an eyebrow. “Have you filled all your spots?”
Eli groaned. “No, I’m running into the same problem you are. The last one in here had to have been at least fifty, if she was a day, and she giggled at me. Actually giggled!”
Hayden chuckled. “I don’t think I got that one in the kitchen. She must only be after the oldest brother.”
Eli threw his stress ball at Hayden, who caught it with a laugh. “Anyway, I still have a couple more interviews today.”
“What position are they for?” Hayden tossed the ball in the air and caught it.
“Front desk clerk,” Eli replied after looking at the paperwork. “It shouldn’t be that hard to find a friendly person who can answer phones and make reservations. It’s not rocket science.”
Hayden smirked before throwing the ball back. “Good luck with that,” he said as he stood and headed to leave.
“Oh!” A feminine voice gasped when Hayden suddenly threw open the door.
Eli’s head snapped up at the sound; a slight shiver running down his back. What the
heck is that?
“Sorry,” Hayden said gruffly.
“No, no. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have been standing so close. I was just about to knock, because, I mean...” The voice sighed. “Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous. I have an appointment with Mr. Truman.”
Hayden folded his arms and smirked. “Which one? Technically, there are three of us.”
“Oh, right,” the voice gave a light laugh that resembled the tinkling of a bell. “Sorry. I’m looking for Mr. Eli Truman.”
Without conscience thought, Eli jumped to his feet and hurried toward the doorway. “I’m Eli Truman,” he stated louder than necessary, coming up behind Hayden. Whoa...
A petite, redheaded beauty stood in the hallway. Light from the large windows in the foyer was playing around her head, giving her porcelain skin an otherworldly glow. But it wasn’t her skin that drew Eli’s attention. It was the set of full, pink lips that were shaping a perfect ‘O’ that caught and held his stare. Holy-
When he managed to drag his eyes from her lips up to her eyes, he nearly choked. Wide, emerald eyes, almost too wide for her petite features, stared back at him.
“H-hi,” she stuttered out. “I have an appointment.”
“He’s ready for you,” Hayden said, turning to slap Eli on the back.
The whack woke Eli from his trance. “Uh, yes. Of course. Come in, please.” He schooled his features into the stoic facade he always put on for the public. Beautiful or not, this is just a job interview.
“Good luck, Brother,” Hayden said with a chuckle.
Eli scowled at him, but Hayden closed the door before he could see it.
“So, you are...” Eli forced himself to walk calmly around to his desk and look at his schedule. “Miss Thompson?”
“Yes, Ivy Thompson,” she said softly, still standing awkwardly by the door.
“Have a seat, please,” Eli waved his hand toward one of the chairs sitting close to his desk.
“Thank you,” Ms. Thompson murmured and followed his directions. She sat down, primly folding her hands in her lap.
“I have here that you are looking for a position at the front desk?” Eli glanced up at her.
“Yes, sir.”
“You can call me Mr. Truman,” Eli stated.
“Yes, Mr. Truman, sir.”
Eli glanced up and noticed a small smile on her face. It slowly melted when he didn’t smile back. “So, tell me Miss Thompson, why you are looking to work at Avangarde Castle?”
“Well,” her eyes dropped to her lap, “I’m looking to make a change and recently moved to this side of the state.” She looked up and tried to smile at him again.
Eli watched her in fascination. Her whole countenance was sweet and airy and seemed to shine a light on the dark parts of him that had shut down after his divorce.
“I was planning to start looking for work soon and saw this pop up in the paper. It seemed ideal.” She gave a light shrug.
“Do you have any experience in hospitality?” Eli kept his eyes firmly on the paper in front of him. Being attractive doesn’t make her qualified.
“No. But I’ve worked in retail, so I’m pretty good at handling people and solving problems.”
Eli grunted. “You understand that working at the front desk would mean handling multiple things at once? You have to be able to answer phones, take reservations and solve issues that might arise from those staying at the hotel?”
“Yes, Mr. Truman.” There was no teasing in her tone anymore.
Good. She knows I mean business.
“Just how old are you, Miss Thompson?” Eli blurted out before he thought better of it.
Her eyes widened, and she stiffened in her chair.
Eli closed his eyes. Now you’ve done it. You’re not allowed to ask those kinds of questions. “I apologize, Miss Thompson. It’s just that you look too young to-.”
The petite woman in front of him sniffed and crossed her legs. “Being small makes me look younger than I am. And yes, I know you’re not supposed to ask me that, but just to ease your mind, I’m twenty-five.”
Too young for you, Eli. Better steer clear of this one. He shook his head. What the heck? I’m steering clear of all of them! No more women for me, thank you very much. “Good to know,” Eli said curtly. “Thank you for your time, Miss Thompson, we will be contacting people at the end of the week, after we have finished all the interviews.”
“All right, thank you for your time, Mr. Truman.” Miss Thompson stood and stepped forward with her hand outstretched.
Eli reached across the desk and took her proffered fingers. After a quick shake, he dropped her hand like it was a live coal. A frisson of warmth had shot straight up his arm from her touch and he had no desire to examine why her touch had affected him so.
Eli stood, stoic and silent as she quickly walked out of the room, leaving the door ajar as she disappeared.
Once she was out of sight, Eli’s knees gave out and he dropped into his chair. His hands shot out, catching himself on the desk when the wheels shifted.
“Did you give her the job?” Hayden leaned his grinning face inside the room and waggled his eyebrows.
Eli scowled. “No, why would I do that?”
Hayden rolled his eyes. “Because she’s pretty.”
Eli mimicked Hayden’s eyeroll. “I can’t hire someone just because they’re good looking.”
“Was she just after a date?”
“No,” Eli grumbled and tapped his fingers on the desk. “She didn’t appear to be after that at all. She sincerely seemed to want a job.”
“Was she unqualified?”
Eli shrugged. “She looks like she would do fine.”
“Then what’s the problem.”
The problem is she’s stunning. And she made me feel things I didn’t like. “She seems a bit young.”
“How old was she?” Hayden frowned.
“Twenty-five.”
Hayden scoffed. “Why the heck would that be too young?” His eyes widened after a moment. “You like her!”
Eli scowled. “I do not. I told you I’ve sworn off women. Not to mention I’ve seen plenty of beautiful women during these interviews. Looks have nothing to do with anything.”
Hayden pointed his finger at his brother. “You can’t not hire her because you’re attracted to her.”
“I’m not attracted to her. Acknowledging that someone is good looking and actually being attracted to them are two different things.” Eli glared.
“Me thinks you doth protest too much,” Hayden said with a raised brow.
“Don’t you have a kitchen to fill?” Eli put his stoic face back on and put his eyes on his desk, refusing to look at the knowing glint in Hayden’s eyes.
“You’re right. Maybe I’ll see if she wants to work in there instead. What was her name?”
“If she wanted to work in the kitchens, she would have put that down,” Eli responded too quickly.
Hayden chuckled, and the sound became softer as he walked back down the hall. Eli sat back and tugged at his collar. Shoot. I don’t have enough real candidates as it is. I can’t just not hire her because she made me feel things. He scoffed out loud. “I sound like a woman.” Shaking his head, he wrote HIRED at the top of her resume and put it in a small pile at the top of his desk.
IVY RESISTED THE URGE to fan herself as she walked out of the office and eventually outside to her car. Once seated in the private interior, however, all bets were off. “Whew! That man is positively sinful!” She used both hands to fan her cheeks, knowing her fair skin was flaming from the encounter.
When she felt sufficiently in charge of her body, she turned the key in the ignition and worked her way out of the parking lot. She drove slowly, admiring the resort and surrounding areas. The castle itself was stunning. Although Ivy had never seen it before the renovation, she imagined that they kept it fairly similar to what it had been originally.
Large stones made up the outer wall of the massive b
uilding. It was so wide that Ivy couldn’t see any of the landscaping or forest she had heard sat on the back half of the property. But the plants in the front and the fountain that had been put in the middle of the circular driveway were plenty of eye candy.
Color greeted her everywhere she looked. It was obvious the plants were fairly new, since none of them were very large, but they still appeared to be thriving in their new environment. Azaleas and hydrangeas dripping in bright, spring blooms made a gorgeous hedge all along the cold grey of the castle walls.
Ivy knew there was a barn with horses and other outdoor equipment somewhere on the property, but she couldn’t see them from where she currently was. She had also heard that the brothers had hired a landscape architect to design a garden maze. I wonder if that’s already done or still a work in progress?
As Ivy pulled out onto the highway and turned toward her apartment, she let her mind wander. “If the back is as gorgeous as the front, I can just imagine how romantic that garden is. Mmm... a moonlit stroll on the arm of a handsome man.” She smiled. “Perfect. And if that man happened to be as handsome as one, Eli Truman, then even more perfect.”
Within a few minutes, Ivy pulled into her parking spot and bounced out of the car and up to her room.
“Hey, Heidi,” she said as she walked in.
“Hey,” Ivy’s roommate answered back; her nose in a stack of textbooks. “How did the interview go?” Suddenly, Heidi’s head popped up. “Did you actually get to see any of the brothers?”
Ivy felt her cheeks heat, and she turned so her roommate wouldn’t see.
“You did!” Heidi jumped off the couch and shoved her glasses up her nose. “Which one did you see? Are they as handsome as the magazines say?”