Lights, Latkes, and Love

by Peggy Bird

  “Didn’t Angie tell you about the event before she left?”

  “What Angie told me, between violent retching and running for the ladies’ room, was I should contact Ted Reese, who turns out to be a caterer, to get the details. When I called Mr. Reese, he told me we were doing some event for two hundred or more people, including a bunch of kids.” She ran her fingers through her hair hard, pulling out a few strands in frustration. “I repeat, what is he talking about?”

  “Well, you’ll hear the details at the meeting in an hour, but Mr. Austin has adopted a local nonprofit agency for kids as the company’s Christmas charity.”

  “We always adopt a nonprofit at Christmas. What does that have to do with the company party?”

  “I don’t know that we’re having the usual company Christmas party. After Mr. Austin talked to Angie a while back, she started working on a party for the charity. That’s what the caterer was probably talking about. I assumed she told you. Guess you need to talk to him.” Mandy looked at the clock on Hannah’s desk. “Which you can do in about five minutes because he’ll be here to check in with you before the meeting.”

  “And when did that little change of plans happen?”

  “While you were on the phone. Check your email and text messages.”

  Hannah clicked on the icon on her computer and saw the message she’d ignored when she was talking to the caterer. “Crap. Just what I didn’t need this morning.”

  “I hope you don’t mean me,” an older male voice said. A white-haired man in a dark business suit was standing in the door of her office.

  Hannah stood so quickly she almost lost her balance. “Mr. Austin. No, of course I didn’t mean you. I was just—” She couldn’t come up with anything to finish the sentence, so she let it drift off. Gesturing to a chair, she said, “Please, come in. Have a seat.”

  When he moved to take it, she saw her boss wasn’t alone. A younger man followed him into the office—a younger, quite deliciously good-looking man. He was a good four or five inches taller than Hannah’s five foot five, with shoulders Michael Phelps would envy, big blue eyes, a scrumptious scruff of beard, and a mouth that looked like it was made to be kissed.

  Which was so not what she should be thinking about. If he was there with Mr. Austin, he was work-related and off-limits. An image of the dipshit from her past flashed through her mind, and she squared her shoulders, hoping to project nothing but professional interest.

  Her boss waved in the man’s general direction. “Hannah, this is David Shay. He’s the director of a very special program we’ll be helping out this Christmas season.”

  The man—David, that is, he of the great body and slightly shaggy brown hair that curled around his ears and neck so adorably—joined Austin on the opposite side of Hannah’s desk as the introduction continued. “David, this is Hannah Jenkins. She’s the manager of this store and one of the best in my whole chain. She’s on top of everything that goes on here, and probably everyplace else in the free world. I live in fear she’ll decide one of these days she wants my job. She’s taken over every position she’s set her mind to in the decade or so she’s been with us.”

  Hannah took the hand David Shay extended to her and used the introduction as an opportunity to look him over more intensely. The body she had already noticed filled a pair of jeans about as well as any man she’d ever seen. With them he wore a white shirt, a gold sweater, and a tan jacket. In spite of wearing no tie and what looked like hiking boots, somehow he made it all look very businesslike, even when compared to Simon Austin’s bespoke tailored suit and expensive-looking tie.

  “Hi, nice to meet you,” David said, a smile making his already attractive face positively irresistible. His hand was warm and solid, and he held onto her just a fraction of a minute longer than necessary.

  Hannah didn’t say anything for a heartbeat or three, maybe four. “Um, yeah, nice to meet you,” she finally got out. She had to get herself under control. Maybe if she moved away from him. She started for her small conference table to bring another chair over for him, but he seemed to read her mind and got there first.

  “Is it okay if I bring this over?” he asked.

  “Absolutely. Make yourself comfortable.” Well, that didn’t work. Coffee. Maybe coffee would help. She picked up the phone to summon her assistant, but she, too, seemed to be a mind reader and appeared in the doorway.

  “Can I get anyone coffee? A soft drink? Sparkling water? I have your favorite, San Pellegrino, Mr. Austin,” Mandy said.

  “Of course you do. Hannah always makes sure you do,” Austin said. “See what I mean, David? She has it all covered, down to the last detail.”

  David looked quite seriously at Hannah before saying, “I can believe just from looking at her that she’s good at whatever she does—in the office or outside it.”

  • • •

  David Shay was not inexperienced with beautiful women, in either business or social relationships. Usually he noted how attractive the woman looked and moved on. But Hannah Jenkins had stunned him into blurting out what was probably an inappropriate comment about the employee of the man he wanted to keep on his good side.

  He hoped Mr. Austin hadn’t noticed, although he wouldn’t have minded if Hannah had. The way she’d looked him up and down when they shook hands had surprised him. She liked what she saw when she looked at him—that was obvious. Not that he objected. He was quite happy she might be interested.

  Because he was certainly interested. The woman was seriously hot. She wasn’t like the usual tall, willowy blondes he had been going out with since college. In fact, she wasn’t tall at all—maybe five foot four—but she carried herself with a commanding presence that added at least a couple of inches to her actual height. Her not-blonde hair, pushed back from her face and tucked behind her ears, was some sort of reddish-brown color that looked like it might glow in the sunlight. As she turned her head, the silky mass of curly hair shifted across her shoulder. A few strands escaped confinement. He fought the urge to rub them between his fingers and inhale her clean, vanilla scent.

  Green eyes that looked intelligent, a body that looked killer, even in the very serious black suit she wore with a white shirt, and the endorsement of the smartest businessman David had ever met presented a picture of a woman who intrigued him and who he’d like to know better. Much, much better.

  And with that handshake they’d shared, he was sure she felt the connection he did. He’d expected to see sparks emanate from their hands when they touched, and was almost disappointed when it hadn’t happened.

  “I brought David in to meet you today, Hannah, because I expect you’ll be seeing a lot of him around here over the next few weeks. His program, SafePlace for Children and Parents, is this year’s charity for the company. There’ll be the usual gifts and donations, but this year, I’ve decided to make a change in the Christmas party we always have. Attendance has been falling off at our annual Christmas Eve staff get-together. On top of that, a number of people have said it would be nice to see where their donations went. So this year, we’ll be delivering the gifts to David’s kids in person at a party we’ll be hosting at his facility. Angie’s already started on it.” He turned to David. “Angie Colleto is the assistant manager here, David.” He smiled at Hannah. “I hope you don’t mind I went over your head and talked to her about it last month.”

  “I don’t mind, of course, but I’m afraid Angie’s out of the loop, Mr. Austin. As of yesterday, she’s home on medical leave. Her obstetrician wants her in bed for the next few months.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Is it serious?”

  “Well, not so serious that she’s in the hospital, but serious enough that she’ll be out for the duration of her pregnancy.”

  “You’ll let me know if there’s anything the company can do for her, won’t you? I don’t want her to lack for good care.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Austin. I’ll let her know. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”


  “But that means we need someone else to work with David on this project.”

  “She left me with a contact for the caterer, and I talked to him this morning.” Hannah shrugged, as if it was nothing, but looked as if she was fighting a frown.

  Simon Austin must have picked up the same vibe. “Does that add too much to what you already have to do for the holidays? I don’t want you to feel like you’ve been asked to take on more than you’re comfortable doing.”

  “It’s all good, Mr. Austin. Don’t worry about it. I can manage, even if it’s not the store’s usual Christmas party.”

  “No, it’s a party for all my people, plus all of yours,” David said. “I apologize for making your job harder. Whatever I can do to help, I’ll do. It must be a circus, working retail during the holidays.”

  “Circus. Zoo. Mosh pit. War zone. Take your pick. It’s any of those things on any given day.”

  “But you love it, don’t you, Hannah?” Austin said. “We all do. Christmas is such a happy time of year. Everyone is in a giving mood.”

  David thought she seemed reluctant to say what she really felt. Interesting, he thought. She’s obviously one of Simon’s best employees, but she’s trying to hide something. Not letting him see something she’s sure he won’t like. Is it about his store? Or something else?

  “I’m always happy to see the sales figures from this time of year, Mr. Austin, that’s for sure. It’s the best thing about the season.”

  “Well, this year, the best thing will be what we’re able to do for David’s program. I’ll let him tell you what he needs and what I’ve agreed to provide for him, then I’ll answer any questions you have. I want to make sure we’re on the same page before we go into the meeting today to announce the program to the rest of your staff.”

  • • •

  Hannah listened, trying to take in what David Shay was saying. It wasn’t easy. Part of her brain screamed in protest at having to plan an event for two hundred people when she already had plenty of other things to handle. Another part of her—perhaps not so much her mind—drooled over the man she would get to work with on a close and personal basis.

  As he went on describing his program, her protesting brain pointed out that, no matter how hot he was, he was a work colleague. He was not a candidate for any attention she or her hormones wanted to give him. Besides, she was already up to her ears in alligators—or teacup poodles, depending on the day—all without her assistant manager and down two sales associates. There was no time for the distraction of wayward hormones.

  Crap. David had stopped talking. He and Mr. Austin were looking at her as if they expected her to say something. She had no idea what they wanted. “Sorry, I got sidetracked while you were talking. It was rude of me. Can you repeat what you said?”

  David smiled. “All of it, or just the part where I asked how you wanted to handle the kids’ Santa letters?”

  “Just that part will be fine. I heard the rest, but was so busy thinking of ways to set up the giving tree my mind wandered.” She hoped the little white lie would pass without comment, but the look on David’s face pretty much told her he knew what she was really thinking about. “Do the kids write out the letters by hand?”

  “Yes, or the moms do for the littler ones.”

  “If you could get me the originals, I’d like that. I was thinking maybe I’d put the letter—or a copy of it—in an envelope on the giving tree. Put the name, age, and sex of the child on the envelope and let people pick who they want.” She turned to David again. “Are the letters simply a list?”

  “Sometimes. But often there’s something else, maybe a bit about the child writing it. Sometimes a request for something for a sibling or a parent instead of for themselves. It varies.”

  “That’s what I was hoping. The more information there is, the more my staff will feel connected. It’ll spark their interest, get them involved.”

  “Sounds great. I’ll deliver the letters to you as soon as I get them,” David said.

  Mr. Austin grinned and smacked the desk twice with the flat of his hand. “I told you we’d get behind this, David. I was counting on Angie, but it’s even better with Hannah in charge. She’s got her finger on the pulse of the holiday season. It’ll be a great event.” He rose from the chair. “On to the staff meeting. Let’s get it over with so we can all get back to work.” Without waiting for a response, he headed for the door. David Shay followed.

  “I’ll be along in two minutes, Mr. Austin. I have one more thing to do here,” Hannah said.

  Which was, as soon as her office door closed, to put her head down on the desk and moan. It was a Tale of Two Cities moment—the best of times, the worst of times. She would be working with the cutest guy she’d met in years, which put him on the no-date list, and this project was just one more thing she would have to fake her way through in the holiday season she had come to dislike.

  Fate had one hell of a sense of humor.

  • • •

  After Mr. Austin opened the meeting and David had given a brief description of his program, Hannah took over. David admired the professional and enthusiastic way she handled her part. By the time she’d outlined her ideas for the giving tree and what they might do for the party, she had a forest of hands raised, eager to help. She motivated her staff as naturally and easily as most people ordered coffee.

  Nevertheless, when she wasn’t “on,” when she wasn’t doing her part of the presentation, David thought he could see an expression on her face that looked somewhat less than enthusiastic about the assignment she’d just been handed. He decided it might be a good idea to see what was going on. At least, that was the reason he gave himself for hanging back to talk with her.

  He turned down Mr. Austin’s offer of coffee, and instead loitered around the meeting room, staring intently at his phone as if reading his emails and messages—although he wasn’t doing either. Finally Austin left, and Hannah finished a conversation with one of her staff. As soon as she made for the door, he followed her.

  “Hannah, wait up for a minute, will you?” he called. He was relieved to see her stop immediately.

  “Is there something else I can do for you, David?” she asked, her eyes glued to her phone, which he was sure, unlike his own, was actually turned on.

  “Yes, you can grab a cup of coffee with me. I want to ask you something.”

  She looked up, then consulted her phone again. “I don’t have a lot of time today. Can you just ask it now?”

  “Okay. If that’s what you’d rather.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “I’m not sure how to say this without offending you, but I get the feeling your heart’s not really in the idea of working with my program. Am I wrong?”

  She laughed. “Yes, you’re wrong. I’m impressed with what I just heard and happy we can do something to help.”

  “Then what was with the look on your face when Simon talked about ‘helping out in the holiday spirit’? You looked like it was the last thing on earth you wanted to do.”

  He thought he saw a flash of surprise cross her face, but it was gone so quickly he was almost convinced he’d imagined it.

  “No, it’s nothing like that.” She turned to go.

  He put his hand on her forearm to detain her. The warmth of her skin seeping through the sleeve of her jacket almost sidetracked him. “Wait. Please. I didn’t imagine the look on your face when Simon was talking. If it’s not that you don’t want to work with my program, what is it?”

  She stared at the ground for a moment. When she turned to face him, she wore the same professional expression on her face he’d seen when he and Simon Austin had first invaded her office.

  “It’s nothing that will keep me from doing a great job on the party or the giving tree. Your kids and their parents will have a perfect holiday. Don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried about them. I’m wondering about you.”

  She closed her eyes and sighed. “You don’t give up, do y
ou?”

  “Nope. It’s my most annoying habit. So you might as well just answer the question.”

  She seemed to be biting back a smile. “Well, at least if I’m going to work with you, I now know your worst habit.”

  “I didn’t say it was my worst habit. I said it was my most annoying one. And you still haven’t told me what I want to know.”

  The smile broke through for a few moments before the serious look returned. “Okay. If you must know, I don’t like Christmas. And listening to all that talk of how happy everyone is during the season turned me off.”

  “Really? What’s not to like about an excuse to get presents and eat cookies?”

  She didn’t laugh at his attempt to lighten the conversation. “Cookies and presents are great. But the season also brings out the worst in people. They’re nasty and unpleasant to deal with. They’re rude. They yell. They act like barbarians. No one seems happy, no matter how many gifts and goodies they have. If I could go to sleep after Thanksgiving dinner and wake up on New Year’s Day, I’d be a happy camper.”

  “Wow. That must make it hard to do what you do for a living. Although you seem good at covering it up. You could have fooled me with that speech you gave in there.”

  “That had nothing to do with Christmas. That had everything to do with making this work for your kids. It’s important for them. And that’s important to Mr. Austin. I’m not about to let him—or you—down.”

  “So, when you’re not trying to please your boss, you’re, what, like Scrooge? I don’t remember him being quite as beautiful as you are.”

  The color rising on her cheeks was the only indication she’d registered his compliment. “I’m afraid I’m very close to sharing Ebenezer’s original opinion of the holidays, although I don’t believe I’ve ever uttered the words ‘bah, humbug’ until just this moment. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a to-do list that won’t quit and need to get back to my office. Just let me know when you have those Santa letters, will you please?”