His phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts. “Hello?”
“Hi! Justin?” a perky, unfamiliar voice asked.
“Uh, yeah. Who’s this?
“Oh, I’m Rina Brewer; you’re trainer. We’re going to need to meet soon.”
Justin blinked and looked at his phone.
Out of Range.
Uh, huh.
“Who are you again? What does this concern?”
“Oh!” She giggled. Actually fucking giggled. But, it sounded sweet and not annoying like giggling usually did. Okay, enough of the beer for him. “It concerns Santa, of course. He needs you.”
Justin coughed. “Funny. I don’t know you who are, but really, come up with better jokes next time. Though you do sound pretty, I’m hanging up now.”
He pressed End as the high-pitched voice yelled at him to stop. Whatever.
He rolled his neck and stretched. His skin felt tight, achy. Something was coming. What the hell?
Chapter 2
“Oh, my God, did I actually just giggle?” Rina Brewer put down the phone and held her head in her hands. “I sounded like a freaking bimbo.” She traced the edges of her pointy ears and scowled. “I hate being an elf. I have to be perky, happy, and I always have the irresistible urge to giggle like a schoolgirl. And, now I'm talking to myself. This just tops the cake of my insanity.”
Oh, yes, she sure sounded like one of Santa’s elves. She just needed the pointy shoes and the pointy hat to match her pointy, pointy ears. Who had ever heard of a depressed elf?
No, she had a job to do. She couldn't stand around acting like a neurotic person while there was a soon-to-be executive out there who had no idea what he was doing.
She looked down at the phone and gave a little growl. How dare he hang up on her? Who did he think he was? He was just Justin Cooper, not anyone special. Not that you’ve ever seen him. After all, you’ve been stuck at the North Pole all your life, so quit being a second-class elf.
Rina rubbed her forehead and sighed. She really needed to get off the pity train; it was unattractive. She picked up the phone and was just about to dial Justin's number again when it hit her: Oh, God, he didn't know. He had absolutely no idea who he was and what lay on his shoulders.
Holy peppermint balls! Someone had really dropped the ball on this one. How could they not tell him he was going to be one of Santa's executives? It was only one of the most important jobs at the North Pole, if not the world. And, no one had told him. When she’d called him up to talk about the upcoming holiday season and what job he had to do, she assumed he'd known that Holiday, Montana, was the Mecca of holiday paranormals, and he was Santa’s charge.
How could he not know? Hadn’t he been feeling the symptoms?
She paced around her tiny office in the basement of Santa’s workshop and tried to come up with a plan. Her job was only to call up the executives and let them know the game plan. It wasn’t her job to train them or let them in on the whole secret.
What if it could be? What if she could be his assistant?
Only male elves were allowed to be the trainers. That's the way it always had been, and that's the way it always would be. However, what if she could help?
She smiled and clapped her hands together, giggling. No, she had to stop that. She flexed her wrists and shook her head. She had to be professional, soothing. She couldn't be the giggling fool that seemed to be trapped in her like a wild menace.
A plan formed as she quickly donned her puffy, green coat and left her office, climbing up the stairs to the ground floor of the workshop. She opened the door to step outside, the strong wind hitting her face like an assault of the cold kind. Even though all elves had naturally rosy cheeks, she had a feeling she was even more red than usual. She walked to her little home at the end of the street, tucked in the back of the neighborhood. She smiled. She loved her little home.
As soon as she got inside, she ignored the fruitcakes stacked on the table, gifts from her too-kind neighbors, and quickly packed a bag that would last her a week. She needed to have a plan in place before meeting with Justin. She tucked wayward blonde curls back into her bun. She hated the corkscrew blonde curls; they were the bane of her existence, so she made sure they were always bound tightly against her head. Rina couldn't leave right away because she needed to make sure she at least had an inkling of what her plans were, but she also couldn't leave work right away either. Though she wasn’t needed at work until after the holidays because she was only the girl who dealt with the leftover tasks, and her job lasted all year up until Santa’s busiest day of the year.
Two days later, she scrawled a note, telling everyone she would be out of town for a few days, being sure to include a drawing of a giggling elf just so people would know she wasn't being abducted or anything and left it on her door in case the neighbors were worrying. Even though they probably wouldn't miss her too much. Wow, maybe she really did need to leave the North Pole.
Yes, this would work. She would train Justin and show him the New World and what Santa required of him. And then she'd show the whole North Pole exactly what she could do. What all women could do.
It wasn't that female elves were held down and needed to rise up. Far from it. It was their species’ way of life. Elves were inherently happy, perky creatures. They did the jobs that they did because they loved them. They didn't feel like they were being forced to do something.
But, Rina had always been a little different. Just like that little elf, Hermey, in that animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer children's program. Unlike the animated elf in the movie, Rina didn't long to be a dentist; she wanted to be an assistant executive or a toymaker. Anything other than the female elf who filed old Christmas lists from children.
Rina made her way across town and headed toward the snow globe depository. The only way to travel, unless you had a sleigh with a reindeer, was through the magic of a snow globe. She walked in, inhaling the spicy scent of gingerbread cookies, and shook off the snow that had accumulated on her shoulders. She nodded at the older elf behind the counter and worked her way through the shelves and shelves of snow globes until she found the one she wanted, an average-sized globe with a chocolate brown base and a depiction of an old-time town, complete with the general store. She hefted her bag on her shoulder and traced the name of the town with her finger. Holiday, Montana. She couldn't wait.
With a look over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, even though the magic in the store would know she had gone, she held the globe in both hands, shook it twice, closed her eyes, and let the snow globe take her to its destination.
Her new adventure.
She felt the magic swirl and the snow dance across her cheeks as it pulled her through space and time until she landed firmly on her feet in a small room that wasn't where she had been before. She blinked and took in a deep breath.
This was it; she’d done it.
“Oh, fruitcake, what have I done? I'm going to get in so much trouble, and Santa is going to freak out, and I'm never going to be able to live like a normal elf again.” She took a couple more deep breaths. Her chest started to hurt, and she felt lightheaded. She'd never been impulsive before, no, she'd always done what she was told and put up with it to keep everyone else happy. Oh, Rudolph’s nose. What had she done?
She set the snow globe down on the empty shelf in the almost-bare room and tried to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. When she opened them, she felt a little bit better, but she still couldn't believe she'd just left home like that. She looked down at the snow globe and frowned. Instead of it saying Holiday, it said North Pole and had Santa's workshop inside the globe.
“Huh, I never noticed that. Maybe I should leave home more often. At least once before I decided to make the biggest decision of my life. No, Rina, don't freak out; you can do this. You’ll show Justin what he needs to do, and everything will be okay. Everything has to be okay. Now, where am I?”
With a bright smil
e that took a little too much effort for an elf, she left the room and walked down the stairs, hoping she wasn't in a random apartment and about to be arrested. That's all she needed, to come down to the southlands for the first time in her life and end up in jail. No, she should quit worrying. She was an elf; she was happy.
Sure.
Rina made her way to a lobby of some sort and smiled. She surveyed the scene. Based on the decorations, she surmised she was at an inn. This was great. She should have known better than to doubt the magic of the snow globe. Each snow globe went directly to a place owned by the North Pole. That way she wouldn't show up in someone's living room.
She mentally slapped herself then walked to the front desk and rang the tiny bell on the counter. A small woman with a cloud of white hair came out and smiled at her.
“Well, hello. I didn't realize we were having someone from the north today.” The woman winked, and Rina let out a sigh of relief. She didn't have to hide who she was. She self-consciously adjusted the hat on her head. Even though the glamour she wore would hide her pointed ears from the public, she didn't want to make a mistake, especially not on her first day.
“Oh, yes, it was unplanned, but I still have some things to do, ma’am.” Rina smiled and tried not to let her nerves show. Dammit, she was better than this.
“I take it you're here for Mr. Cooper.”
Surprise went through her. “Oh, you know of Mr. Cooper, ma’am?”
The little old lady waved her hand in front of her face. “Oh, stop calling me ma'am; it makes me feel old.” She winked again, and Rina smiled. “Call me Connie. I may be human, but I've seen enough go through this inn that I know my way around the paranormal. I'm just surprised it's taken this long to get to Justin.”
“Call me Rina. And, yes, I'm surprised as well, but that's why I'm here.” Yes, and, hopefully, no one would find out until it was too late.
“Well, it's good to know you. Take care of him. And, let me just say, he's a handsome man who really needs a strong woman in his life to take him in hand. So, I'm happy on that account as well that you're here for him.” The woman winked again, and Rina paled.
“Uh, I'm sure he's a sweet man, but I'm not here for that.” The last thing she needed was another man in her life with higher seniority.
“Oh, honey, they never are. Well, since you came here unplanned, I'm sure you don't know a lot of what goes on around here, so let me tell you. You're welcome to have one of the rooms, and I'll get it all set up for you. I also have a rental car for you. It has four-wheel drive so it will be okay in snow. You have driven before, right?”
Rina nodded, relief spreading through her that the inn was gonna take care of her. God, she was freaking idiot for coming here without knowing anything and not having a real plan.
“Okay then, we’ll schedule it and you sign it, and everything will be just dandy. Now I don't think that boy knows what he is, but I'm sure you can take care of that, right?”
“Oh, yes, that's why I'm here. Everything will be okay.”
Connie nodded, and Rina felt like a fool. She should just call up the main office, let them know what was going on, and try not to cry. Jack, her boss, would probably yell at her, but it would be okay. As long as Justin did what he was supposed to do, everything would be okay.
“I'm surprised, honey, that they sent you. It's just I thought most of Santa's assistant executives were male.”
Not most, all. But, she wouldn't tell Connie that.
“Oh, I'm in training, but I know what I'm doing.” She tried not to blush at that bold-faced lie. She might know what Justin had to do in his job, but she had no idea what she was going to do. Maybe she’d eaten some bad fruitcake the day before or something. That had to be the reason she was acting so impulsively.
Connie gave her a warm smile and explained a little bit about the town history and the tourist sites.
“Now, honey, it is Thanksgiving, so most everyone is in their home. But, thankfully, that blizzard blew past us and only left us a little bit of snow, so the roads won't be so bad for you. Now, since it is the holiday, I do believe that Justin will be at his brother Jackson's house for dinner. I'm sure he wouldn't mind for you to go down there and meet him.”
“Oh, no, I couldn't meet his family like that. That would just be rude.” She bit her lip and tried to think of another way out of this.
“Nonsense. The Coopers will love to have you. Plus, Justin is a little lonely.” Connie gave a sly smile, and Rina rolled her eyes.
“Will you please stop trying to play matchmaker? I'm here for a serious reason. Santa needs Justin.”
Connie smiled and shook her head. “Oh, yes, I know. Don't worry; I know the importance of Santa. And, I know Justin needs you. But, it's okay to have a little fun with your hard work, too, honey.”
Rina blushed, but she didn't say anything. “I'd rather leave him alone on that front and we’re running out of time. I think I need to start training him now.” And, before anyone found out what she’d done.
“Okay, great.” Connie clasped her hands together and quickly jotted down some directions to the old Cooper place, where Jackson lived alone. “There. You have fun with those five strapping young men. Though Matt is taken. He's engaged to that little witch, Jordan.”
Anger sparked through her at the derogatory comment. “Excuse me, what did you say about Jordan?”
Connie's eyes widened, and she held up her hands. “No, Jordan is a witch. I meant that as a little playful thing. I love Jordan and always have. Despite what our old mayor said about her, I knew she was a good girl.”
“What?” She was more confused than ever.
“You should ask Justin about it once you get to know him better. Now get that frown off your face. I love Jordan. She's such a sweet girl and going to be the mayor of our town. She went through so much. I'm so happy that she and Matt are back together.”
Rina nodded and pretended that all of that made sense to her. Connie was a sweet old lady, but Rina had to get out of there.
“Look at me carrying on. Okay, so you just take these directions, and it’s really easy to follow down the road until you see the sign for the old Cooper place. It's a landmark, so you'll be able to find it. Good luck, honey. I'll be here if you need me; just like a fairy godmother.”
Rina smiled and said goodbye and walked out to the rented SUV. Thankfully, all elves knew how to drive, even if they didn't need to do so up north. She adjusted the seat to fit her short stature and started on her way to see Justin. Well, not too see Justin but to work on him. With him.
Dammit. She blamed Connie for this. Yes, she hadn't been on a date in way too long, but she did not need to mess up her one chance at being something more by finding a guy to be cute. Especially a guy who would be an executive, a job held in high regard at the North Pole.
There wasn't any snow or ice on the roads, thankfully. Even though she’d grown up on a literal ice cube didn't mean she liked to drive on the stuff. She was pretty sure the people in Montana felt the same way. Snow was piled high at the sides of the roads from where, presumably, a plow had moved it out of the way for drivers. There wasn't anyone outside walking, and only a few cars shared the road with her. It had been cold out, but it felt normal to her. Ironically, Holiday, Montana, was just about as cold as the North Pole to her. These poor residents.
She followed Connie's directions, thankfully having memorized them before she’d left. She didn't have to risk letting her eyes leave the road. She found the turnoff with an old wooden sign that said Cooper Ranch etched with a cattle brand and turned to make her way to Justin’s supposed location.
Rina drove down the driveway and stepped on the brakes when she saw the house. It was so beautiful. Strong walls, a Western theme, two stories, home. Smoke billowed out of the chimney, meaning the Cooper family was enjoying a warm fire on a cold day.
Fudge sticks. She was intruding, an annoyance.
It was too late to back out now. She’d thrown
caution to the wind, and now she just had to do it. She quickly parked along the side of an old Chevy, turned off the car, and got out. A cold breeze caused her to shiver, and she tightened the scarf around her neck. She looked at her reflection and smiled. Good. Her glamour was holding up, meaning no one would be able to see her pointy ears. The last thing she needed was for someone to call her freak even though everyone else, at least the elves, had pointy ears at the North Pole. She still didn't want to scare the humans. She'd seen enough TV to know that people weren't always as open-minded as they should be.
Rina took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She could do this. She was a tough elf. Justin would get what he needed to be the best executive out there.
Confident, she walked down the pathway and knocked on the front door. The wind blew again, and she huddled into herself, hoping that they'd let her in just to get warm. Montana was really too cold for its own good. Nerves ran through her, but she ignored them. She heard laughter and groans on the other side of the door then footsteps as someone walked toward her. The door opened, and she froze.
He was beautiful.
Oh, my.
Something clicked inside. Not love, but unadulterated lust.
Strong cheekbones and a firm jaw, pale skin, and deep blue eyes made his face look like an artist’s interpretation of the handsome man. He had black hair that had a slight curl to it, and those curls made her want to run her hands through it. Though his body was on the skinny side, she could see the traces of muscles through his corded sweater. He was taller than she was by at least a foot, but, since she was only five feet tall, that wasn't uncommon.
Her gaze traced his body then shot up to his face as she realized what she'd been doing. Seriously? She was checking him out, and she didn’t even know who he was. Please, don't let this be Justin. She wouldn't be able to work with this man if he was Justin.
Santa's Executive Page 2