by Ginny Baird
“The courthouse decorations didn’t cost Clark Creek anything, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she said, and motioned around the room. “This extra bit of Christmas cheer is lagniappe.”
Evan shut his desk drawer. “Lan-yap?”
“It’s what they call a business bonus in New Orleans.”
“So, you’re originally from New Orleans, then?”
“No. But I lived there. Lots of other places, too.” She shrugged. “When I was growing up, my mom and I moved around a lot.”
He considered her a moment, noticing she was nicely dressed in tailored black slacks and a red turtleneck beneath her business jacket. She had a well-put-together look that was casual yet professional. “Why the bonus?”
“Because I appreciate your business. I mean, we at Davenport Development Associates do.” Her dark eyes shone brightly. “Besides that,” she continued, “it appears that nearly every other part of this town but here is decorated to the hilt. And, oh…” She peered out his window. “The gazebo. We’ll need to work on that.”
“We rarely decorate at the courthouse,” he informed her.
“The mayor’s office looks festive.”
Of course it did. It was inhabited by his mom. He moved the reindeer sculpture aside and its weight ripped his ledger. She winced.
“Look, Ms. Ward.”
“Please, call me Mary.”
He nodded. “Mary.”
“May I call you Evan?”
“Uh. Sure,” he said, grappling with his thoughts. He stared down at the reindeer on his desk and then up at her. “Look, Mary,” he started anew. “I appreciate the gesture and all. I’m just not one for a lot of Christmas clutter.”
“Clutter?” she asked, aghast.
“Extra fuss and glitter.” He gestured to the coat rack she’d placed in front of the window. “Twinkling lights and tinsel aren’t really my style.” While he enjoyed the holidays as much as the next guy, he wasn’t a huge fan of going overboard.
“No? Oh. Well. That’s a shame.” She frowned. “I guess I won’t bring the rest of the stuff in, in that case.”
There’s more? “Thanks for the thought, though.”
She glanced back at the coat rack and then at his desk, wearing a downcast expression, and Evan worried that he’d hurt her feelings. “Want me to—?”
“No, no. Leave it. Everything’s fine.” He raised both hands. “Just enough!” He paused to study her. “How did you know the courthouse wasn’t decorated, anyhow? Did the mayor mention it?”
“No, I saw that with my own eyes when I got here, and I happened to have a few spare decorations in my SUV.”
“Ah.” What sort of person kept surplus holiday decorations in their vehicle, on the off chance they were needed? A Christmas Consultant, apparently.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” He gestured toward a chair, mentally preparing his delivery. While he didn’t want Mary sticking around, he aimed to be gentle in urging her departure. The sooner she left, the better off Clark Creek would be financially, and there were a lot of people Evan cared about in this town.
When she was situated, he said, “It was good of you to come here and I appreciate your efforts, sincerely I do. All of us in Clark Creek do. But I’m afraid we’ll need to make this a short stay.”
She seemed nonplussed by his comment. “I don’t know what you consider ‘short,’ but if it’s about ten days, then I guess we’re in business.”
Before he’d been apprised of her plan by Nash, he’d been thinking two days—at the outside. And even that seemed excessive, given that she’d already spent time in Richmond preparing her proposal.
Evan pushed back in his chair. “What I’m trying to say is that ten days is too long. Way too long for Clark Creek to pay a consultant, given our current circumstances.” He spread his hands out on his desk, striving to sound firm but fair. “I’m sure you understand our budgetary constraints.”
“I do.”
“Which is why…your staying through Christmas Eve won’t be necessary.”
She sat up straighter in her chair. “I beg your pardon, but I believe that it will be necessary. So do the mayor and the town council.”
He was a little thrown by her bullheadedness, but decided to carry on. “The mayor says you have a proposal?” She’d gone to the trouble to prepare one, so he might as well listen to her presentation, before saddling her with more disappointment.
“Yes.” She reached into the satchel she’d set on the floor and withdrew some papers, handing him a business folder. “Here you are.” She tugged at her jacket lapel, looking pleased with herself, and not the least bit intimidated by his lack of enthusiasm. She probably thought she could win him over with her glossy proposal…and that smile, like sunshine on a springtime day.
Evan averted his gaze from her mouth and opened the folder she’d handed him. As he’d anticipated, stellar financial projections filled the first few pages. Colorful bar charts showed revenues skyrocketing on Christmas Eve—not only for the local government, but also for every business in town. Yet there was no immediate indication of where that huge infusion of cash was coming from. He suspected she was paving the way for her huge reveal by starting with the promise of big money as an end result. If he hadn’t been tipped off about the parade by Nash, he might have started worrying about those “legalities” his mom had alluded to.
“What are you recommending?” he asked her, deadpan. “That the council go out and rob a bank? Because if you are, I’d better warn you, the Clark Creek Savings & Loan isn’t in any better shape than the rest of us are.”
“Ha! You’re funny.” She twisted up her lips and his heart thumped. It was an unexpected thump, pounding hard against his ribcage in a manner that was oddly distant, but vaguely familiar. He really didn’t like it. He found the disruption inconvenient.
She retrieved her folder, flipping to another page. “No, Evan,” she said. “I’m proposing a parade.”
The sass in her tone made his neck warm. Yet another inconvenience. He tugged at his uniform’s necktie as Mary continued.
“The town council and the mayor loved the idea,” she said. “We’re going to recruit sponsors from the neighboring town with the ski resort.”
Evan cleared his throat which felt scratchy and dry. “Hopedale?”
“Yes. They’re doing very well as a tourist destination. I talked to the director of their Chamber of Commerce and she was totally supportive.”
She handed her folder back to him and he set it on his desk beside that unwieldly reindeer sculpture. “I’m afraid you don’t understand,” he said, focusing on the facts. Much better to do that than contemplate the shimmer in her warm brown eyes. “I don’t have the resources to patrol something like that. My office is very short-staffed as it is.”
“Then, we’ll recruit volunteers to help out. And the payoff will be so, so worth it.” She angled toward him, becoming more animated as she cranked up her spiel. “We’re planning three sponsorship levels: Reindeer Team, Elf League, and Santa’s Circle. We’ll sell tickets to raise money, and—”
“Mary, wait.” He hated being the bearer of bad news, but he also didn’t want to waste more of her time. There was no earthly way she was going to convince him to endorse her parade plan. Even if she was a very convincing individual, certain things mattered to him more...like the future of his town. He was not going to sacrifice that.
“I’m really sorry to have to tell you this,” he said, “but there’s not going to be any Christmas parade. Not this year. Not in Clark Creek, anyway.”
She stared at him blankly, like she was a kid and he’d just told her there’s no Santa Claus. “What? Why not? This parade could save Clark Creek.”
His stomach roiled. “What if it sinks it?”
She blinked. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’re talking complicated logistics. Traffic, parking, crowds that need regulating…an entire influx of visitors into Clark Cree
k—”
“Yeah, that.” She leaned toward him, pointing to her proposal folder. “Holiday tourists happy to spend money. People who will boost the local economy at a crucial time of year.”
She locked on his gaze and a for a moment he lost his bearings. He drew in a breath, willing himself back on track. “And they’ll overwhelm our roadways. And our scarce resources, while making a major headache for my already stressed office.”
Mary gasped. “I thought you were supposed to help me.”
“I am helping,” he said. “By helping you understand our limitations.”
“You’ll have fewer of those once the parade is successful.”
“I’m afraid I’ll need to talk to the mayor and the town council. Express my concerns.”
“No problem.” She tucked her satchel under one arm and stood, smiling cordially. “Express away!”
“You do see where I’m coming from?” he asked, as she prepared to go.
“Uh-huh, I think I do.”
“Good. That’s good.” Evan shot her a parting wave, glad that she was going. He didn’t enjoy butting heads with anybody, especially when they persistently believed themselves to be right. At least he’d gotten his message across. “I appreciate your understanding.”
“My pleasure. Yours too.”
Wait. A warning flag skittered up the pole and Evan wondered what she meant by that. Next, he told himself to relax. This was finally over. All he had to do now was talk to his mom and the town council about planning their next move. One that would involve bringing money into Clark Creek, rather than further draining its coffers.
“Safe travels back to Richmond,” he added, as she traipsed toward the door. “And thanks for the lan-yap!”
She reached the threshold and peered over her shoulder. Her chestnut-colored eyes held a determined gleam, and his pulse raced. “Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “At least, not yet. I’ve been hired to do a job and I’m going to do it well.”
Evan swallowed hard. It was like she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. Had she been oblivious to their whole conversation? She couldn’t just bulldoze her way into his town and walk all over it in those high-heeled boots of hers. Despite what his mom and the town council thought. He should have some say in this too.
“Mary,” he said, pleading. “You need to consider what you’re asking of Clark Creek. Your parade will stretch its resources too thin, and—just like an overstretched rubber band—it could completely snap.”
She turned to face him fully. “Or bounce back.”
Chapter Four
Mary hurried away from Evan’s office, clutching her satchel under one arm. She couldn’t believe she’d had the nerve to stand up for herself. Not just for herself: for the parade. Yay! It was so unlike her to be confrontational, but she hadn’t been, really. She’d been more like…professionally assertive. Maybe Judy’s self-assurance was finally rubbing off on her. Or, possibly, the contrary sheriff brought out this more dynamic side in her.
She’d never met anyone so intentionally irritating in her life. Suggesting that she make this a “short stay.” Uh-huh, she knew what that was about. He thought Clark Creek was wasting its money on her services, but this project had nothing to do with her consulting fee. It was all about saving Clark Creek. Okay, it was true that she would benefit too, if things went well. But now that she was here and had seen the town, she felt a personal obligation to its people.
You’d think the sheriff would share that sense of obligation and open his mind to new possibilities. Possibilities that could help Clark Creek get back on its feet again. Instead, he’d stubbornly refused to even consider her proposal. It was like the man had set up a roadblock in his brain before their meeting had even gotten started.
It was a shame he was so impossible, too. In another universe, she would’ve considered him good-looking, with his sandy brown hair, ruddy complexion, and those deep blue eyes. But nuh-uh, she wouldn’t go there. She refused to have any even modestly appreciative thoughts about the sheriff. He’d certainly not thought one positive thing about her, or her proposal, which she was on fire to defend.
She rounded the corner and found Itzel at her desk in the reception area. Mary now saw that this suite housed offices for both the sheriff and his deputy. Her arms had been so loaded down with Christmas decorations coming in here, she hadn’t been able to see above the tops of those reindeer antlers. She peeked into Dennis’s open doorway, but the outgoing deputy was nowhere in sight. Itzel’s expression was just as friendly as Dennis’s had been. In fact, everyone around here appeared welcoming except for Evan, who was acutely eager for her to go.
“For the record,” Itzel said, whispering behind the back of her hand. “I think your parade’s a great idea.”
Mary wondered how she’d heard about it. “Thank you.”
“My mom’s on the town council,” Itzel explained. “Vivi Torres.”
“Oh, right.” Mary hadn’t met Vivi in person, but she’d delivered a virtual presentation to the pleasant woman and the other town council members at the end of last week.
“I wouldn’t worry about Evan. He’ll come around.”
“Hope so,” Mary said, bristling at the thought of his dismissal. “In the meantime, I’m going to speak with the mayor.”
“Good idea.” Itzel’s eyebrows rose. “But you’d better hurry so you get there before he does.”
From the corner of her eye, Mary saw Evan approaching at a brisk pace, but he didn’t see her. His gaze was on her presentation folder, which he held in his hands, as he hustled along.
“Oh, no.”
“Elevator,” Itzel said quietly. She pointed down the hall. “That way.”
Mary nodded her thanks and hurried out of the office suite, hearing Evan speak to Itzel as she did.
“Just popping upstairs to see the mayor,” he told his assistant. “Be back shortly.”
Mary scooted down the hall and punched the elevator button. Luckily, it opened right away, and she pressed the button for the third floor. She needed to speak with Connie before Evan could get there and undo all her hard work.
What was it with the guy? And why couldn’t he see reason? He’d scarcely looked over her proposal before deciding it wouldn’t work. She was going to show him. Her parade wasn’t just going to “work,” it was going to succeed exponentially. Then Sheriff Evan Clark could take back all his doubting words.
She peered through the closing elevator doors as Evan beelined in her direction. He stopped short, his gaze flitting to the lights above the elevator and the illuminated arrow, which Mary knew was pointing up. “Wait! Hold that—”
Panic seized her and she couldn’t move. Her hand froze in place as it hovered above the button that would open the door. If she held the elevator and let him in, she’d never reach the mayor first. She met his eyes with feigned apology, and he set his jaw as the elevator doors clamped shut.
Mary’s heart pounded when it occurred to her he might take the stairs, and when the elevator doors opened, she saw that he had. Evan leapt up the top step just as she exited the elevator and hustled down the hall. Mary scurried faster to keep up with him. And then, thanks to Dennis, who accidentally got in Evan’s way, Mary passed him.
“Sorry, Sheriff,” Dennis said, surveying Evan’s furrowed brow. “Everything okay?”
Evan huffed as Mary rapped at Connie’s door. “Yes. Fine.”
“Come in!” Connie called. She smiled at Mary, then saw Evan standing beside her.
Connie’s office was the only one in the entire building that hadn’t needed Mary’s decorating touch. It was adorned from floor to ceiling in Christmas pageantry. The mayor even had two fake Christmas trees, one on either side of her desk. “Did you both want to see me?”
“Yes,” Mary said at the same time that Evan said, “No.”
Connie looked from one of them to the other. “Well, which is it?”
“It seems there’s been some miscommunication,”
Mary said, keenly aware of Evan’s proximity. He stood so close they nearly touched elbows, and he radiated some sort of current in her direction. Antagonism, probably.
“A very big mix-up, yes,” Evan agreed. “I’m afraid there’s no way—”
“The sheriff here is not very enthusiastic about—”
“The parade?” Connie cocked her head to one side and studied her son. “Why not?”
“I’ve got a half a dozen reasons and more, starting with money,” Evan said. “There are parking issues besides, and traffic concerns. Crowd control and congestion, not to mention no place for all those folks to stay.”
“And I’ve got just one!” Mary smiled deferentially at Evan, who gave her a suspicious side-eye. “Mind if I borrow this?”
He handed her the folder and Mary strode right up to Connie’s desk, feeling her courage surge. Evan wasn’t her adversary, she told herself. He was merely a part of this larger challenge. Once she adjusted her thinking, she’d find a way to handle him, too.
She laid the folder down on Connie’s desk, open to her financial projections. She tapped the large dollar figure with her pointer finger. “It’s right…here,” she said smoothly. “Our bottom line. This is what we can achieve for Clark Creek by Christmas. And it’s just what this town needs: a huge financial boost from the parade, which actually…is going to be a whole lot of fun.” She added that last part for Evan’s benefit, heavily suspecting that his definition of fun was only something he’d read about in a dictionary. If the sheriff knew how to enjoy himself, he did a good job hiding it. Mary looked up to find Connie grinning.
“I like your can-do attitude, Mary. You make a very fine Christmas Consultant.”
Evan looked like he wanted to groan. “Mom—”
“It’s all right, Evan,” she said. “The council and I are well aware of the financial risks.” She leveled her gaze on his. “But more importantly, we’re aware of the potential benefits. So there will be a parade and Mary’s going to run it. I’d like for you to help her, but if you won’t, maybe Dennis will.”