Ridge actually wondered why his father was even bothering with his attempt at molding Ridge to take his place at the family business when Elliot was already poised to take over the helm after JD retired? Why was it necessary for Ridge to even work at the company?
The younger Holiday really had no desire to join his family at Holiday Toys any longer than his current stint which ended on Christmas Eve. He knew it was expected of him, but he had to wonder why? With his father insisting, Ridge didn’t see how he could get out of the obligation, but joining the C-suite at Holiday Toys was the furthest thing from his mind.
Leo led him toward JD’s library/study and closed the door. “You don’t want to work at the company, do you?” Ridge swallowed the lump in his throat, unsure of how to answer. The only thing worse than telling his father he wanted to be a professional photographer was explaining it to his grandfather, the patriarch of the family.
“Uh, Grandpa, I’ll take my place at Holiday Toys as expected. I realize I’m the family screw up, but I know what JD expects of me, which is why I’m being put through this little exercise to get me to understand I need to contribute to the family business.”
“Working at the store has been enlightening,” Ridge stated, unable to hold the big smile that blazed across his face as he thought of Cristian Gamble.
His grandfather laughed. “I see someone fell in love,” the elder Holiday stated as he turned to hand Ridge a crystal highball glass with two fingers of rye whiskey and one ice cube, precisely as his grandfather drank.
Leo Holiday had been the one to introduce Ridge to rye as opposed to Scotch, which was what his father and Elliot preferred. It was when the unbroken bond between Ridge and Leo began to form.
Ridge loved and respected his grandfather because the man had business savvy and a charismatic personality, which he believed JD lacked just as much as Elliot. Eve was the toss-up, but Ridge was sure she would be the perfect person to take over the company when she was older.
Unfortunately, Ridge knew his grandfather was wrong about the love thing. He didn’t know enough about Cristian Gamble to have fallen in love with the man. That was something out of a cheap, romance novel.
“Not even close. I just met Santa about ten days ago, Grandpa. I hardly think that’s enough time to fall in love,” Ridge joked as he took a sip from his crystal tumbler, grateful to feel the burn that slid down his throat and up his spine.
The ouzo in Greece couldn’t hold a candle to rye whiskey, but then again, the twins he’d spent time with couldn’t hold a candle to Cristian Gamble, could they?
“Santa, you say? Uh, that store has had the same Santa for a few years, hasn’t it?” Leo asked, surprising Ridge, though his grandfather had an uncanny ability to remember names associated with the company, even those in other states.
“Why, yes. The guy’s name is Cristian Gamble. He’s a mechanic at a garage in West Philly, and he’s the guardian of his teenage sister, Hannah. I was supposed to meet her last night, but he canceled our date… uh, dinner… at the last minute. I’m not sure what happened,” Ridge explained, as he considered the events of the previous day that could have led to Cris to back off rather abruptly. Ridge didn’t like it one bit.
“Ah, that’s right. Your father told me about the new implementation of quiet visits, which is genius, my boy. The donation from the Santa project to children’s charities was actually your grandmother’s idea after I told her about them.”
“We should have considered more community investment opportunities over the years, but you were the one to strike the match. That dress and tuxedo shop was a peach of an idea, Ridge,” his grandfather told him.
Ridge could feel his cheeks flush at his grandfather’s praise. Having JD’s approval was one thing, which Ridge had received when he was in college because he’d been a good student. Unfortunately, that was a few years prior, and the accolades had been much fewer and farther between of late.
“That guy… Cris? His sister was invited to a formal dance at her high school, but he couldn’t afford a party dress for her. I talked to Eve about all of the dresses she had in her closet. It was really a family affair.”
“Elliot helped with the planning, and Miss Willoughby rallied the troops to help out. It’s been a great success,” Ridge explained.
“So, you thought of it to help the young man you’re in love with? I understand that completely. I can’t begin to tell you the things I did to win your grandmother,” Leo told him with a faraway look in his eye.
“Grandpa, I’m not in love with Cris Gamble, and I didn’t, solely, set up the dress and tuxedo thing. I found out a lot of kids in that part of the city had the same issue, and I found myself with an outlet for old prom, bridesmaid, and party dresses from spoiled girls who liked the idea of feeling like they did something nice for others. Sure, I’d like to date Cris to see if we have the chance at something more. But love? Love is way on down the road for me, I can assure you,” Ridge explained.
His grandfather cocked his eyebrow. “Eight and a half minutes,” the older man stated before he took another sip of his rye and crossed his ankle over his knee, studying Ridge very carefully.
“I got one better, Dad. Four minutes and fifteen seconds,” Ridge heard from the doorway, seeing his father standing there with a smirk on his face.
“What’s that mean?” Ridge asked.
“That’s the amount of time it took for me to fall in love with your mother when I met her at one of the stores where she was working as an elf. She was so damn cute in that little outfit…” his father trailed off, which made Ridge chuckle.
Leo looked at his son and snickered along with Ridge. “Get a drink. We have a bit of a problem,” Leo offered.
An hour later, the plan had been formulated. Ridge explained about Eve coming to work at the store to be a pain in his ass, and JD quickly deduced that the close relationship Ridge had with his sister could have jeopardized the possibility of getting to know Cris Gamble.
Eve and Ridge could finish each other’s sentences without any effort, which wouldn’t wash with people if they were to believe the two were strangers. “We need to compromise your sister. I’ll handle it,” JD stated as he walked over to his desk and punched in a number on the speakerphone.
When the line was answered, Ridge smiled. “Liza Doyle,” he heard, remembering the woman was the regional manager for Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. She was also a friend of Elliot’s, from what Ridge remembered. They’d been softball teammates for many years; Liza was the best shortstop Elliot claimed to have ever seen. Her girlfriend was the pitcher on their team.
“Liza, how are you? It’s JD. I need a favor, please,” his father began.
By the time brunch was served, there was a new Santa suit on its way to all of the Holiday Toys stores in the Philadelphia area, and new elf costumes were going to be delivered as soon as possible. “I didn’t realize we hadn’t replaced them in so long. That’s an oversight on my part. I’ll rectify it,” JD offered, which made Ridge smile.
It was the beginning of a plan, at least, and Ridge knew the remainder of it rested squarely on his shoulders. He wasn’t sure about the love thing when it came to Cris, but there was a lot of like there, because Ridge had never met anyone like Cristian Gamble. He couldn’t help but want to know more about the man. Anyone with any sense would feel the same way.
Chapter 7
Cris hadn’t had time to speak with Ridge, because the photographer was late getting to the store, but he was able to clue in Mandy and Nicole to the fact that Lou Ridges was actually Evelyn Holiday, the daughter of the company’s current CEO. Cris quickly explained the rumor Kirby had told him, and then he begged them to ensure everything went smoothly that night with the quiet visits, so Miss Holiday had nothing negative to report back to corporate.
Cris was stalling to take the chair, because he was trying to give David enough time to show up, and the benefit of the doubt regarding the interaction he’d seen between D
avid and the owner’s daughter. Miss Holiday had taken over the responsibility of setting up the refreshments in the quiet room that Monday night, so when David finally rushed out from the break room, Cris took his elbow and led him behind the decorated Christmas trees.
“Look, I just wanted to let you know that Lou, the girl you’re trying to date? She’s actually Eve Holiday, the owner’s daughter. There’s a rumor floating around that the company is going to downsize, and it’s been speculated she’s here to assess our performance so she can make a recommendation to her father about this store. Please, let’s not fuck this up. If you want to date her after Christmas, so be it, but for right now, can you stop flirting with her? We don’t need her to report to her father that she was sexually harassed at the store if your little hook-up doesn’t work out,” Cris tried to explain.
He noted confusion on David’s face, so he felt the need to explain himself further. “I saw the two of you yesterday. You guys were on the parking lot together, and I could see the chemistry. That’s why I canceled last night, because if you’re interested in her, I don’t want to be roadkill. I’m guessing you’re bisexual?” he offered.
David seemed to study him for a moment before he touched the front of the Santa suit. “No, uh, no. I’m not bisexual, and I didn’t realize my discussion with Lou… uh, Miss Holiday, gave the impression I was interested in her. She’s easy to talk to, and she’s funny, but I’m only interested in you, Cris. I want to get to know you better, not Miss Holiday,” David whispered.
Cris felt his heart beating a little faster as he bent forward, leaving a gentle kiss on the handsome blond’s soft lips, sorry the stupid Santa beard was in the way. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take it off in the event a child saw him out of costume and become confused. When they parted, David’s smile was as bright as the Christmas star.
“Mommy, Santa Claus kissed that elf! What will Mrs. Claus say?” both men heard, turning to see a pregnant woman with a toddler in the cart. The nasty, homophobic whisper, goddamn fags, that fell from her lips was unwarranted, but Cris let her comment go without a word.
He wasn’t about to have a discussion with the woman regarding her bias against men kissing each other. He hoped she’d come to her senses at some point, but it wasn’t really his problem to change her mind.
“I’m sure that’s Mrs. Claus in disguise,” the mother snapped before rushing away. Cris suddenly had an idea that might offer more assistance to the families who were trying to shop for the presents Santa would leave on Christmas Eve, ignoring the mother’s bigotry.
“I wonder if next year, in the event this store is even still around, corporate would consider setting up a sort of daycare or playroom situation. Kids from say, three to seven, could play with Santa’s elves for an hour to allow their parents to shop, checkout, and stow the gifts in the car. We could actually ask if kids at the high schools in the area would be interested in offering babysitting services a few evenings and weekends to make it happen. It would help families who shop here and need a little cover to get their Santa gifts. It would also offer part-time jobs to kids who live in the neighborhood, just like that formal dress place across the street,” Cris whispered as he and David headed back to the break room to straighten their costumes, before it was time to begin the picture session with Santa.
They were running about five minutes behind, so any discussion of Cris’ idea would have to wait, but Cris was glad the air had been cleared between the two of them. David didn’t seem rattled by the corporate spy, which put Cris’ own mind at ease while he still wondered what they should do about her.
Cris secured the new Santa suit on the fancy hanger it came with, hanging it on the clothing rack while he waited for David to emerge from the unisex bathroom. When the sexy blond stepped out, Cris caught his breath. The man was nothing short of beautiful.
“So, uh, I know I bungled last night, but would you like to come over for a beer? I think Hannah’s still up, because she left me a voicemail on my phone asking me to bring home ice cream. I, uh, well, I don’t have a car, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to take the bus with me. It’s not too far away,” Cris offered, feeling a little embarrassed regarding travel arrangements.
He saw David smirk, which made him chuckle as he braced himself for whatever snarky thing the man had to say. “Do I get to kiss you goodnight? I rather liked the kissing, you know?”
Cris took his hand and led him outside to the loading dock. They stepped into a shadowed part of the structure, and Cris didn’t hesitate to pull David into his arms, sealing their lips together firmly before he swept his tongue over David’s mouth until the man opened and accepted Cris inside.
David stepped closer, rubbing his hard cock against Cris’ which made Santa pull away to break the kiss. “Oh, god. I’ll come if you keep doing that,” Cris whispered before the door opened, and they both watched as Eve Holiday walked out of the backdoor, looking around before she shrugged and walked down the stairs. A fancy black sedan pulled into the parking lot, and a man got out to open the back door for her. After the woman was secured inside, the car left the parking lot.
“Well, uh, at least we know the devil. She didn’t seem like the spy type, did she?” Cris asked David as the blond man took his hand and led him down the stairs to the white Impala. David didn’t respond, but Cris actually didn’t expect him to answer. He was pretty sure David felt like he’d been betrayed, just as Cris had when he heard the news of the new employee’s true identity.
After they were both in the car with seatbelts fastened, David turned to Cris, taking in his features long enough to make Cris wonder if he had something hanging out of his nose. The bruises were fading, but he still used the thick makeup David had purchased for him on Saturday morning. He didn’t exactly like it, but with the concealer, his appearance didn’t scare the kids, and more importantly, didn’t mess up the photos, which was the primary goal.
After they stopped to pick up the ice cream, Cris gave David directions to the apartment building in West Philly. When they parked on the street, Cris glanced up to see the light in Hannah’s bedroom was still on, which made him smile. “Hannah’s still up. She might be crabby because something’s upset her she won’t talk about. If she’s rude, I apologize in advance,” Cris offered.
David touched his arm before he opened the car door. Cris saw a look on his face that he didn’t know how to interpret, so he offered the photographer a way out of the last-minute invitation. “You, uh, you don’t have to come up if you’d rather not.”
David chuckled. “No, that’s not it at all. It’s just nice to see how much you care about your sister. She might not know it yet, but she’ll figure out how special that is, Cris. You don’t have to apologize for her behavior, trust me. We all have bad days.”
With that, David hopped out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door for Cris, which wasn’t anything he was used to having happen. He got out of the car and heard the creaking of one of the bolts that connected the door to the car.
“Bring it to the shop sometime, and I’ll fix that,” Cris offered as he slammed the door.
David laughed again before he took Cris’ hand, pointing to the front of the building. “Lead on, Sexy Santa.” It was Cris’ turn to laugh. David was unpredictable, and Cris was finding he loved it. Who knew?
They walked up the stairs, Cris leading David until they arrived on the third floor of the building. Cris directed them down the hallway, unlocking the door to unit 304. “Hannah Banana, I’m home,” he called out as he took off his coat before hanging it on the metal coatrack near the door. He took David’s coat and hung it next to his, placing his hand on the small of David’s back to direct him to the small living room.
Cris watched as David looked around for a second. “No tree?” David asked as he strolled over to a bookcase and began looking at the pictures in cheap frames that took up space on the flimsy shelves.
“We trim the tree on Christmas Ev
e. We like a real one, so I won’t get it until the twenty-second. I’ll put the lights on it the twenty-third, and then we’ll decorate it on Christmas Eve. It’s the way our mom liked to celebrate the holidays. She was pretty old-fashioned,” Cris explained.
David picked up a picture frame of the family from the last Christmas they were together. Janis, their mother, had asked a neighbor to come over to take a Christmas picture of them in front of the newly trimmed tree, and then the old woman had stayed for pie. The next Christmas found Cris and Hannah watching horror movies to distract them from the holiday and what they were missing. There was no tree, no gifts, and no smiles. It took a few more years before they could get back to their family traditions, and even those still felt somewhat hollow for Cris.
Both men heard the sound of a door opening and someone shuffling down the hallway. David replaced the picture on the shelf and turned toward the sound.
When Hannah walked into the living room, Cris saw David’s face morph into a big grin. “You must be Hannah. I’m, uh, I’m David,” he explained to Cris’ sister, with a hesitation in his voice that made Cris curious. David always seemed so sure of himself, so it wasn’t anything he’d ever witnessed since they’d met.
“Hi, David. It’s nice to meet you. Are you guys hungry? I can make grilled cheese,” Hannah offered with a glowing smile on her face, before she turned to wink at Cris, making him chuckle.
David held out the bag with the ice cream. “I’m fine with ice cream, actually.”
Hannah squealed a bit before she took the ice cream and raced to the kitchen. David looked at Cris, who smiled.
“You just became her favorite person on the earth,” Cris teased. David laughed, then he wrapped an arm around Cris’ waist, and pressed a soft kiss to his neck, lighting Cris on fire.
They proceeded to the kitchen and watched as Hannah scooped up three large helpings of ice cream, each bowl containing one scoop of coffee, vanilla bean, and fudge ice cream. Hannah brought out a can of whipped cream and sprinkles, fixing sundaes for the three of them, which settled a beautiful smile to David’s face that Cris wanted to see there every day.
The Holiday Gamble Page 6