by Elle Rush
“Did you hear that?”
“I was standing right here.”
“She wants me to stay. As a partner, Rudy!”
“I know.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’d hoped she’d ask me to keep working for her, but I never dreamed of becoming a partner in the business. It would be my own bakery. Partly my own bakery. It’s everything I’ve been working toward.” She could hardly speak as she shook with excitement. Her grin was contagious.
“It is. Why don’t you know what to say? Are you having second thoughts about staying in town?” He thought she’d seize the opportunity without hesitation. He wanted her to.
“No, not at all.” Kris blew out a breath. “This is life-changing news. I want to be able to tell her I considered every angle with a clear head, and my head is whirling right now.”
The stars in her eyes warmed his heart. There was no question; she wanted this. It would be terrific for her career, and fantastic for their burgeoning relationship. “Can I encourage you for mostly selfish reasons, or do you want me to offer silent support while you make your decision?” He could keep his hopeful comments to himself…for a while.
“You can be selfish. Some of my reasons to say yes are.”
Rudy looked around the hall. Vivian was busy speaking with Jennifer, and the other volunteers were still engaged in cleaning. He leaned forward. “How’s this for an argument,” he whispered, then leaned in even further until his lips brushed hers.
“Ho, ho, ho!” called another woman who burst into the hall.
“Are you kidding me?” he muttered at the latest interruption.
Kris snickered.
“Is there a Vivian or Kris Singleton here?” the woman called as she scanned the room. When she finished unwinding the scarf from around her neck and removed her toque, Rudy looked twice at her face. He was certain he knew her, but he couldn’t place her. The short brown hair, the laughing brown eyes, the bubbly voice.
Wait a minute. He recognized that voice.
“Hey, look, it’s the miracle worker and the miracle baker! Just the people I was looking for,” she said.
He almost had it. Then she kept talking. “Nick put a cap on the number of units North Pole Unlimited staff could order from the Twelve Sales of Christmas, so I convinced him I needed to do an HR surprise inspection on all our western Canada sites. I left my last batch of paperwork with Tucker at the office, which means I have an entire suitcase I can fill with chocolate meringues while I’m in Calgary. It would be wasteful to take it home empty.”
“Jilly Lewis?” he said slowly.
She waved. “Hi, Rudy. Great job on getting Totally Iced on board. Nice to meet you, Miss Singleton. Can I call you Kris? I’m such a fan of your bakery that I feel like we’re already friends.”
“Of course. I’ve heard all about you and your admiration for our cookies,” Kris said.
“Let’s be honest, it’s an obsession. I’m not ashamed of it. I’m slightly ashamed of buying out your store this afternoon, but the lady behind the counter said you’d be glad to see them gone and you were planning to restock with new cookie varieties on Monday anyway.”
Rudy was still suck on the fact Jilly Lewis was in Calgary. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you. I’m doing spot checks on all our businesses to ensure proper human resources policies are being followed and enforced.”
He’d heard stories of Jilly. Of her off-the-wall requests and the resulting chaos. Wherever she stuck her nose, weirdness followed. “That’s all?”
“What else could it be? Besides the cookies, but I already copped to those.” She spun around, taking in the nearly cleaned room. “Tucker said you were one of the hosts of the community Christmas party. It looks like I missed it. How did it go?”
“Fine,” he said.
Vivian and Jennifer joined the group, and he made the necessary introductions. Jennifer Chang was particularly happy to shake Jilly’s hand. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciated all of North Pole Unlimited’s corporate donations. The gift bags, the candy canes, the luncheon supplies, the cash for the presents. It wouldn’t have been nearly the success it was if it wasn’t for you.”
Jilly accepted the praise gracefully. “We’re always happy to support community-building events.”
Kris raised her hand. “Wait a minute! The luncheon supplies? As in the plates, the napkins, the cutlery?”
“Exactly.”
“They came from North Pole Unlimited?”
Jilly and Jennifer shared a confused look. “One of our suppliers, yes. Why?” Jilly asked.
Kris covered her face and stifled a groan. “Do you know how much time I spent trying to return that box? Everybody insisted they had the right shipping address, but I knew I hadn’t ordered any of it.”
Jennifer slowly raised her hand. “I always have that stuff shipped to the bakery. Vivian stores it for us. I guess I forgot to tell you.”
Kris whirled on her aunt. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You didn’t tell me you were getting shipments. If you’d mentioned it, I would have set you straight.”
When she bowed her head again, Rudy pulled her into a sympathetic hug. “You’ll know for next year.”
She stilled in his arms, then stared at the trio that had caused her so much grief. “What about the costumes?”
Vivian smirked. “You were working so hard, I thought you deserved a laugh. I didn’t think you’d actually wear them.”
“You. Coal. Stocking,” Kris threatened, eliciting laughs from everybody else.
“Help me out here, Rudy,” Vivian begged.
“Are you kidding? There was an elf costume in that box for me too.”
“Please?”
“I’ll think about it. What about hiring St. Nick?” Rudy asked.
His question was met with silence.
“What about St. Nick?” Jennifer asked.
“Come on, you can admit it now. Who did it and where did you find him? I called everyone who owed me a favour, and nothing. I want to say thank you.”
“What are you talking about? You were Santa. I reimbursed you for the suit rental, which was a steal for the quality. You looked great,” Jennifer said.
Kris came to his defense. “It wasn’t him. Remember when Santa ducked out the back before we handed out the gifts, and I ran to bring him back? I found Rudy locked in a storage closet, wearing an obviously rented suit. He says he was there the whole time, and he had no idea there was another Santa in the building.”
“He was Rudy’s height and shape, except for the padded belly. They even had the same voice. If it wasn’t Rudy, who was it?” Jennifer looked at Vivian expectantly, who shrugged.
“What about you, Jilly? It’s awfully convenient you appear on the same day as a mystery Santa when North Pole Unlimited is one of the primary sponsors of the Christmas party. You knew I’ve asked everyone in the company if they could recommend a St. Nicholas. Are you sure you didn’t pack an extra holiday surprise in your suitcase?”
“Don’t be silly. How could I have possibly packed a six-foot tall, blue eyed, white-haired, white-bearded mystery man in my suitcase?”
Rudy levelled his brown eyes on her. “How did you know he had blue eyes?”
Jilly pulled her phone from her pocket and pressed a button. It beeped at her. “Wow. Would you look at the time? I must be off!” She hugged Vivian and thanked her again for supplying her with cookies for the season. When Jennifer shook her hand, Jilly promised to be in touch for next year’s party. Then she came over to him and Kris.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about you two from Jennifer. I’m very pleased we had a small hand in what sounds like such an important event in your community. Congratulations on a fantastic party, and thanks for all your hard work.”
Kris shook her hand heartily. “Thanks for pushing for the chocolate meringue contract. I’m glad we decided to do it, and if we have any more customers
as grateful as you, it will be totally worth it.”
“I’ll recruit more myself. Payment to be made in other baked goods.”
“It’s a deal,” Kris replied with a laugh.
Then Jilly turned to him. “You didn’t do bad either, St. Nick.”
“The other Santa was your doing, right?”
“Wow, my Uber to the airport is here already.” Jilly pulled her white, red, and grey sock-monkey toque over her head. “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good afternoon.”
“She’s a real holiday whirlwind,” Vivian commented.
“That was five minutes. Can you imagine working with her regularly?” Rudy asked.
“Not without getting a headache,” Kris said with a laugh.
It didn’t take long to load the vehicles, take out the trash, and lock the doors to the community centre. The room would soon be used by another group for another purpose, but Rudy had the feeling the good vibes from the party would linger a while.
He and Kris paused between their vehicles. “Now that you plan to stay in Calgary, can we start filling our calendars with dates?” There was so much he could show her about her new hometown. They’d need days to discover all the hidden gems of the city, months to explore the surrounding area. Even that might not be long enough.
“I haven’t said I’m staying for sure.”
“You’re going to tell your aunt no?”
She laughed. “Of course not, but sometimes a girl needs to play a little hard to get to feel appreciated.”
“Will you play hard to get if I asked you to join my dodgeball team for the session starting in February?”
“No. It’ll be fun to play together again.”
“Would it be hard to convince you to go to the Arrowhead concert in January?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“What if I asked you to be my date to a New Year’s Eve party?”
“I’d say yes.”
“Yeah, you’re playing really hard to get, Singleton.”
Kris leaned forward and rose to her toes to give him a smack right on the lips. “I’m not hard for you to get, Gillespie. Just Aunt Vivian. She needs some payback for the costumes.”
Rudy pulled her in for a much deeper, longer kiss. He wasn’t even pretending he was hard to get when it came to Kris. She already had him. Her aunt deserved some payback but, “On the other hand, she is the reason you were on the party committee and we spent time together and you finally went out with me, so maybe you should cut her a little slack.”
“If you give me another kiss, I’ll think about it.”
Rudy thought about those elf tights. And then about the woman in his arms. And then he kissed her again.
Epilogue
North Pole Unlimited Headquarters,
December, Manitoba
“This is quite the spread, Jilly.” Nick Klassen looked at the pair of dainty trays on the sideboard in the meeting room. They were loaded with delicious confections: iced cookies covered in sprinkles, bars drizzled with chocolate, unadorned shortbread dotted with chopped cranberries and curls of orange zest. He was tempted to skip the soup and sandwiches they’d ordered in from Norma’s Buns and dive right into dessert.
“It’s the second last staff meeting before Christmas. I finished the western Canada human resources report, and the Twelve Sales of Christmas promotion was a huge success. We’ve all earned a treat.” His assistant snagged a shortbread cookie and popped it into her mouth. “These are so good.”
“I’m not seeing any chocolate meringues on these trays.”
“I barely share those with Dan, and I gave birth to him. I’m not putting them out for the masses. If you wanted some, you should have ordered your two-and-only-two-per-employee boxes.”
Yeah, he’d be paying for that rule for a while. “You tried to order ten boxes, and bribed Joy McCall to order another ten for you!”
“And if I had all those cookies, I would have given you some. So, really, it’s your own fault you don’t have any delicious chocolate meringues.”
“You could still share. I know you got some in Calgary.”
“Prove it, boss,” she dared.
The boardroom got louder as a handful of department heads entered and circled the table, choosing their lunches while they still had options. Hollis Dash was in town and arrived with a tablet in each hand; it was better than the time he’d brought six three-ring binders full of contract copies and notes. Nick knew Dr. Farnsworth was out sick, which meant Joy would be sitting in for her boss to give the Animal Care department report, which meant she and Decker would be giving each other not-so-furtive glances all through lunch. He understood. If his fiancée worked at North Pole Unlimited, he’d sit beside her at management meetings too.
Seeing all the pairings gave him an idea. “Maybe you’re saving those chocolate meringues for somebody special. Somebody who might be arriving in December in a couple hours and is known to enjoy cookies with his evening hot chocolate at the Pumpkin Patch, but whose rig has been seen parked outside a private residence the last couple times he’s been in town,” Nick hinted.
“If you stop, I’ll give you two.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her.
“Three, but no more. Not even Dan gets more than that.”
“Three,” he agreed, astounded Jilly had caved so easily.
Payback was going to be fun.
THE END
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Check out other North Pole Unlimited romances
Decker and Joy (Book 1)
He was looking for a missing elf, not a date with the kitten foster-mom who may have helped it disappear.
Somebody messed up and let a prototype escape from North Pole Unlimited’s top secret Toys-and-Research division. Now P.I. Decker Harkness has the contract to track it down. He’s not exactly sure what E.L.V.I.S does, but he’s hot on the trail.
Joy McCall has her hands full of foster animals and pet treats at Kitten Caboodle, but she’s not too busy to notice strange goings-on at the pet shelter where she works.
When their paths cross during a triple kitten-napping, Decker and Joy will have to work together to close their cases. Will everyone make it home to celebrate a merry Christmas together? Only Santa knows.
Hollis and Ivy (Book 2)
Christmas is a season of surprises, but Ivy isn’t sure if Hollis is one of Santa’s helpers sent to help her, or a Grinch in disguise.
Unlucky Ivy Teague can’t shake the plague of bad luck following her around Whistler, BC. Business is so dire she’ll have to close her flower shop unless a holiday miracle lands on her doorstep. Then he arrives.
By-the-numbers Hollis Dash is in town to finalize a business contract with Ivy’s rival. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that he should be making a deal with the pretty florist down the street.
When a series of suspicious events target Teague Flowers, the pair find themselves caught in a real war of the roses. Hollis can only do so much to help his business competition, and Ivy is doubtful of his intentions since Hollis and her new troubles appeared at the same time. If they can trust each other--and Christmas spirit floating through town, they might make it to the new year together.
Nick and Eve (Book 3)
Nick’s plan: dodge his grandmother’s matchmaking attempts by claiming Eve is his date for Christmas. He probably should have asked Eve first.
Although Nick Klassen is grateful when Eve rides to his rescue after he breaks down outside of December, Manitoba, he can’t run fast enough when his meddling grandmother tries to set him up with the pretty tow-truck driver. Then he gets an idea.
Between juggling extra hours at work and a never-ending Christmas to-do list, Eve LeBlanc doesn’t have time for a new man in her life. But ever since she picked Nick up on the side of the road, she’s been running into him everywhere.
His flirtations s
tarted innocently enough but when his grandmother invites “his girlfriend” to the family’s Christmas dinner, Nick realizes if he wants to stop pretending about Eve, he must come clean. Once Eve learns of his deception, he’ll need Santa’s help to turn their fake relationship into the real thing.
Bonus Recipe – Chocolate Chip Cherry Coconut Cookies
(makes 2 dozen)
1/3 cup – 75 mL margarine/butter
1/2 cup – 125 mL granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp – 2 mL almond extract (can substitute vanilla)
3/4 cup – 175 mL all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp – 2 mL baking powder
3/4 cup – 175 mL semi-sweet chocolate chips (can substitute white chocolate chips)
1/2 cup – 125 mL shredded coconut
1/2 cup – 125 mL chopped maraschino cherries (red or green or both if you want to be really festive)
Preheat oven to 325F / 160C.
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg, extract flour and baking powder. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
These cookies stay soft in an airtight container.
Sneak Peek at DOCTOR MILLIONAIRE
Here is a sneak peek at the first book in my new Hopewell Millionaires series, DOCTOR MILLIONAIRE, coming December 1st, 2019.
Twelve friends. Ten-year reunion. One $50,000,000 lottery ticket.
The only reason Dr. Doug Little returned to work in his dying hometown was to keep a promise. Two years and he’s gone. The only things getting him through his first couple months are his ten-year reunion and working with his old high-school crush.
Although Jackie Dunn loves her quiet world, her small-town life gets even harder when her part-time hospital job is in peril. If not for her friends’ encouragement, she’d head to the city for better opportunities for herself.