I was only one digit away from seeing Derek. I glanced at the building in front of me and saw the revolving glass doors leading into a lobby. This was it. I waited a few spins and hopped in for the short rotation.
Marble filled the entire lobby. The floors, walls, and furniture were all made from the stone. A bank of elevators sat behind a reception area where a man sat, looking at a computer. I tried to get a feel for what the building was, but there wasn’t a hint of any kind, and it certainly didn’t seem like the place Derek would hang out.
“May I help you?” the man asked. As I got closer, I realized he wasn’t a receptionist. He was an armed guard.
“I hope so. My friend told me to meet him here. His name is Derek Binter.”
The man broke into a friendly smile and nodded. “Yes, Mr. Binter told me he was expecting someone.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
“He’s on floor thirty-four in the Binter Community Lounge.”
My expression must have looked as confused as I felt.
“Does he live here?” I asked.
Laughter and excited chatter came from behind me so I spun around to see several families pushing their way through the revolving door.
“Good evening, Mr. Telman,” one of the women said, waving with one hand as she held her child’s with the other.
“Good evening to you, Ms. Dalton. Attending the festivities tonight?”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
He gave a slight wave as the group walked over to the elevators and got on the carriage.
Now I was even more confused. I had no idea if I was standing in the middle of an office building, hotel, or apartment building.
“Pardon the interruption. To answer your question, no, Mr. Binter does not live here, but I did hear he was moving to Montana. It’s a shame. He’s done so much for the community.”
“I noticed the community room was named after him?”
“Indeed. None of this would exist without Mr. Binter’s generosity.”
Since I had no idea what this was, I just nodded as the guard slid the logbook over for me to fill out. I glanced at some of the other names, but none gave me any clues as to what this building was. I pushed the logbook back and he smiled.
“Floor thirty-four. Have a nice evening.” He looked back at his computer, and I walked over to the elevators.
I hadn’t a clue what I was getting myself into. I slid my hands along my black pants and realized I didn’t even know what I was supposed to wear. The elevator chimed, and I stepped inside.
The elevator carried me swiftly up the building, and my pulse increased with each floor we passed. I shouldn’t have come. If I were to be honest with myself, I’d already been somewhat obsessing over Derek since Sunday. If I saw him tonight, who knew how long the withdrawals would last.
Truthfully, would he be that surprised if I flaked on him again? As I stood in the elevator, debating my options, the doors slid open to reveal an entire floor made to look like the North Pole.
Snowflakes dangled from the ceiling and fluffy foam sprinkled the marble floors. Stacks of glitter wrapped presents littered the floor, and Christmas music blared from a live band in the corner. The elevator doors began to slide shut again, and I realized I needed to hop off the elevator.
The moment I did, I smelled cinnamon wafting through the room. I spotted a few of the people from downstairs, taking off their coats, and the children jumping up down in excitement.
An elf jumped out from nowhere, and I almost had a heart attack as she dangled a bright red gift bag in front of me.
“Merry Christmas,” she gushed. “Are you here to see Santa?”
I looked around the room, hoping to spot Derek, but I didn’t see any hint of him. I turned my attention back to the elf in front of me, and my eyes slipped down her harmless elf costume. I was relieved to see whatever was taking place inside these walls was G-rated. After what Bodie exposed me to, I could never be too cautious.
“Santa?” I repeated, still trying to find Derek.
“Yes. Santa is visiting the community center tonight.” She whipped out a scroll from her apron and unrolled it. “What is your name?”
“Emily.”
“Hmm. I don’t see an Emily on our list. I’m sorry.”
“Is that the only list you have?” I asked, a sense of panic rising. Not only could I not find Derek, I couldn’t get into the party he invited me to.
“This is our nice list. I could check the naughty one, but no one ever gets put on that one. In fact, I haven’t had to pull it out all evening.”
My gaze dropped to the floor, and I suddenly felt like I was in grade school.
“Would you mind looking on the naughty list?” I muttered.
“Sure.”
The elf pulled out a much tinier scroll and unrolled it, her eyes scanning the paper.
“Well, here we go. I do have an Emily.”
“Thank goodness,” I laughed.
“Theoretically, I should take the gift bag back from you since you landed on the naughty list, but we’ll let it slide this time.”
One thing was clear. I was on his turf now. The elevator dinged behind me, and I turned quickly to see if it was Derek.
It wasn’t.
“We have a dinner buffet around the corner, along with several cookie and candy stations set up. You can just wander around if you’d like. Make yourself at home.”
“Sounds lovely.”
“If you’d like to see Santa, you need a ticket,” she added.
“Might not do me any good since I’m already on the wrong list.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” she offered. “There’s still some time to change it around by Christmas.”
She ripped off a ticket and handed it to me before disappearing to wherever she was hiding in the first place.
As I walked along the North Pole’s marked pathways, I realized the entire floor had spectacular views. Both the interior and exterior walls were floor-to-ceiling glass windows, but that didn’t make finding the elusive Santa any easier.
I passed by one of the candy stations the elf had told me about and decided to stock up for my hunt for Derek. He had to be hiding somewhere. I filled a small bowl with chocolates and went on my way again.
Laughter filled the air, and I followed the melody to the far corner where Santa sat on a throne atop several steps covered in red velvet. An empty, red chair sat next to Santa that looked like it was for someone twelve inches tall. A long line of children and their parents waited to meet the jolly man. Presents of all shapes and sizes stood tall next to Santa, and I spotted an elf handing out the boxes two and three at a time after each child got to sit on Santa’s lap.
A little girl with curly brown hair sat on Santa’s lap next, and she whispered something to Santa, which made him laugh. The jolliest of laughs wrapped around each one of us as my eyes centered directly on Santa’s gaze. The sparkle in his brown eyes told me everything I needed to know. The spirit of the season filled me in a way I hadn’t felt for years. No matter how hard I’d tried, I could never recreate the feelings I used to revel in. Now as I stood watching Santa perform his magic, my heart overflowed with the magic of Christmas.
As the little girl slid off Santa’s lap, an awful sound echoed through the air, and I immediately looked around to see where it was coming from. It almost sounded like an elderly person just broke a hip or something. The crowd looked a little unsettled as the noise continued. It wasn’t until Santa bent over and slid a small, black dog out from under his seat that the noise stopped.
I chuckled remembering that Derek had described his dog’s bark as an old man pulling his hamstring, and I’d have to say he wasn’t that far off. The little dog was dressed in a white and red striped outfit, hat included, and she looked like a candy cane. Santa set her on the other chair, and she curled into herself, the horrific noise stopping.
A few more people walked over to the line, and I just stood watch
ing him in amazement.
I let out a silent sigh. He was moving to Montana.
Several of the families had gathered around the dining tables, plates overflowing and smiles wide. It wasn’t until I saw the line dwindle down to one last family that I realized I had my shot. One of the elves was roping off Santa as I arrived. She looked at me and flashed a knowing smile.
I walked slowly along the path to Santa, allowing the family in front of me plenty of time to get all their children ample time with him.
When the last one trundled off, I heard his voice and chills washed over me.
“You made it,” he said, standing up.
“I did. I had no idea.”
“Why would you? There’s still so much we have to learn about each other.” His smile, even under the white beard, made me weak in the knees.
He came down the steps and held out his gloved hand. The white satin slid along my fingers, and I shook my head.
“You never cease to amaze me,” I said. “It’s hard to believe all the things that are rolled up into one human being.”
“I’m never bored.”
“I can see that.”
“So do you want to sit on Santa’s lap? I know you’re into that kind of thing.” He pulled down his beard and kissed my cheek. I giggled in glee, glancing around the winter wonderland.
“I’d be game, but your beard’s a little crooked now. I don’t want you scaring the children.”
I was standing in front of the hottest Santa out there, but there were children scattered everywhere so I could do absolutely nothing about it.
“I’m starving,” he whispered.
“Do you want to eat here?” I asked, looking at the long tables of food.
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
He looked like he wanted to kiss me again but instead leaned over and whispered he needed to go change and would be right back.
To pass the time, I wandered around the space. I found a pool table, ice-hockey tables, ping-pong tables, and old arcade games hidden in a corner. I was dying to know what Derek had to do with this. I walked over to the window and stared at the beautiful city. It was spectacular to see the lights from this high up.
“Ready?” Derek asked, sliding his arm around my waist.
“That was quick.” He cleaned up nicely in a thick wool sweater and slouchy jeans. No one would ever know that they were dining next to Mr. Kringle.
“I talked briefly with the guard downstairs and found out I’m now standing in the Binter Community Lounge.”
Derek shrugged. “They didn’t have a very imaginative naming committee.”
“Sure they didn’t.”
To change the subject, he did a quick whistle, and his dog woke up from her deep sleep and trotted over to us. I braced myself for another horrendous noise but none came.
“This is Samantha,” he said, bending down and scooping her up in his arms. “She’s half pug and half Boston terrier. She’s a buggs.”
“She’s gorgeous.” I scratched her ears before he put her back down and slid his hand in mine.
We walked toward the food tables with Samantha following close behind. While everything looked delicious, I had it in mind to make dessert my dinner. I’d never seen so many different sweets layered on platter after platter, and this was coming from someone who worked in a bakery.
We were far enough away from everyone that I pulled on Derek’s hand and tugged him to a stop.
“What’s the deal with this place? I wasn’t sure if I was stepping into an exclusive spa, apartment building, or high-rent office space.”
His smile widened.
“Exactly what I like to hear.”
He glanced at the people circling the tables, enjoying their family and friends.
“How about if we go over there, and I’ll tell you all about it.” He pointed to an empty corner with bright red and green beanbags.
“Sure.”
Samantha obviously understood English as well as Bodie and bolted toward the beanbags before we even took a step forward.
I wasn’t sure if we each got a beanbag or if I was supposed to squeeze in with him. Derek plopped into the center of one, and I saw absolutely no room for me once Samantha curled into him. I dragged one next to him and took a seat. Samantha eyed me suspiciously, and I realized if I could somehow get Bodie and Samantha together it would be a match made in heaven.
“This place was a passion project of mine. When the big crash happened several years ago, this building was mostly vacant. Floor after floor sat empty and wasted, lights on and no one was home.”
I nodded.
“I came up with an idea to make great use of the mixed-use space and somehow got enough investors on board to make it happen.”
“You do tend to be pretty persuasive.”
His smile deepened.
“My concept was simple. Why not devote several floors to schooling, jobs, and housing for low-income folks and provide services to the community at the same time. At first, it wasn’t an easy sell. But the model was simple. Take eight floors of unused office space and create a self-sufficient community. Three floors provided fifteen apartments. We housed fifteen families who would have had nowhere to go. Many were living with relatives, some in cars. The only qualifier was that they were unemployed. We then devoted one floor to on-site learning where they learned skills that they could take with them once they were ready to move on.”
“Sounds intriguing.”
“The other four floors were comprised of four start-ups, one for each floor. Some of the companies were app developers, another was a medical transcription service. We also had a call center for a local retailer. I’d only envisioned this working while the rent was cheap and the economy in dire shape, but we’d accidentally stumbled onto a really amazing model. Small businesses that needed help to get their business off the ground found workers willing to help see them succeed.”
“I’m in complete awe.”
“It’s turned into a somewhat utopian existence. The first couple years, I was worried the bubble would burst, but it hasn’t. Instead, we’ve grown and now take up fifteen floors of this building, and we are actually able to pay the landlord market value for the space. The management company took a risk on us and it paid off. They’re also able to rent the rest of the office space out, but as others vacate, we seem to snatch it up.”
Samantha sat up, stretching her spine, and waddled over to my beanbag and made herself at home.
“That’s a first.”
I reveled in this little accomplishment.
“Are you going to miss being a part of this when you move to Montana?” I asked.
“They don’t need me. The committee in charge understands the model. It’s an amazing cycle to watch and is repeated time and again. New residents move in, gain skills, become employed, and move out. At the same time, the small businesses come in, grow, and move on to bigger and better things, often taking the workers from our program with them. I won’t be missed, and I haven’t been as involved lately anyway. You know the chicken game that was all the rage last year?”
I nodded. I’d actually downloaded it on my phone, and it became my addiction on the ferry ride back and forth.
“It started out here and three of our families got to be part of its success.”
I let out a sigh. I really was doomed in the land of love. Perfection falls in my lap, and I let it move away. Not that I could stop him.
“I’m thoroughly impressed.” I looked around the room and let the spirit of Christmas soak into my bones.
“I’ve been thinking…” his voice trailed off.
My eyes flashed to his.
“Why don’t we try the long distance thing?” he asked. “What could it hurt?”
I wasn’t expecting this. I wasn’t even hoping for this. Long distance relationships weren’t my thing. They had risk stamped all over them, and I wasn’t much for risk in the love department.
Not realizing how much time had passed as I scrambled to come up with something to say, he stood up and so Samantha hopped off my beanbag.
“Or not,” he muttered.
I sprang up and flung my arms around him.
“A wise man once told me it was better to have someone you’re fond of somewhere than have no one you’re fond of anywhere.”
Derek slid his arms around me and pulled me in.
“I like that. Better to have someone somewhere than no one anywhere. I think that should be our motto.”
I nuzzled my nose into the crook of his neck and inhaled him completely. I had no idea what to expect, but I was truly excited that we were moving beyond the mistletoe.
Chapter Eighteen
“Well, don’t you look like you’ve been on a Fiji honeymoon,” I told Gabby as she came into the bakery.
“You think I got a little tan?” she asked.
“Yes, but I don’t think that’s what put the glow on your cheeks.” I jogged around the counter and gave her a big hug. “How does it feel to be Mrs. Baines?”
“Even better than I dreamed of,” she gushed. “You don’t look too shabby yourself. Is there something you want to tell me?”
“So Lily already filled you in.”
“Possibly. So tell me all about it.”
“Not much to tell.”
“Then why are you blushing?” Gabby walked over to the espresso machine and began tamping down some grounds.
“Well, he’s been officially living in Montana for nine days, and our relationship is even stronger than before. We seem to thrive via text and email.”
“I see. So we’re dealing with a purely intellectual relationship,” Gabby teased.
“Well, maybe not completely…” I flashed a wicked grin, thinking back to the one and only night we’d spent together. Would that be enough to solidify something between us? I already started thinking about when to visit Montana. But first I had to bring up something with Gabby that I’d seen on my way in this morning. It was going to change our plans greatly for the new year. She looked so happy and refreshed this morning I felt bad for bringing it up, but I needed to.
“So you know how we were planning on opening a bakery and shop on Hound Island?” I asked.
Beyond the Mistletoe: A Christmas Romance (Beyond Love Book 7) Page 15