"For now, Frank is the chief, and I have to do everything I can to prove I'm capable of handling his job."
That made sense. But I couldn't forget how grouchy he was at the prospect of being in the parade, much less working with me.
I could separate our initial encounter from everything else. All that mattered was that the party was a success. He'd get the promotion he wanted, and I'd get fire trucks in the parade. "Any chance you can be the Santa on the fire truck?"
He growled. "Don't push your luck."
I couldn't help the laugh that rang out. "You're too easy to tease."
He was quiet for a few seconds, and then he said, "I'll be in touch, Eve."
Then he hung up, and I was left thinking about how nice my name sounded on his lips. There was a kinder, softer side to Maddox, and I had a feeling it was all his daughter's doing. Or maybe that was the guy he was before life dealt him a blow.
Natasha and I had inherited my parents' estate and used the cash to buy Mistletoe Inn and the surrounding property. We spent our life savings on it, and we had a lot of people relying on us. I couldn't get distracted by a rough-around-the-edges firefighter who was a softy underneath.
I didn't have long to think about it before there was a knock at my door. I wished that I had quiet to work, but part of the job was being accessible to townspeople and visitors. I was theone that greeted everyone with a smile and had an answer to any problem.
"Come in," I called, hoping it wasn't one of the shop owners who was against our new ownership. After my phone call with Maddox, I felt a little off-kilter.
Bill opened the door and stepped into my cramped office.
My office had a window that overlooked the town, two guest chairs, a metal file cabinet, a leather couch, and a desk. There wasn't room for anything else.
I stood. "Bill, so good to see you."
From his disgruntled expression, I assumed he wasn't pleased to see me.
He sat in one of the guest chairs.
"What can I do for you?" I asked.
"I'm not happy about the parade that you're planning in town. I'm worried about the parking and whether shoppers can get to my store."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you that I enjoyed that puzzle I bought last week from you. Let me show you the picture."
I'd done the puzzle on my kitchen table, and it was still set up. I hated to take it down when it took so much time. I scrolled through my photos until I found it. "It was the Christmas one you had in the window."
Bill leaned over the desk to see the image.
"I worked on it on the kitchen table. I can't eat there now, but it was worth it."
He frowned. "You could use a puzzle board and then move it whenever you needed the table to eat."
"I've never heard of a puzzle board."
Bill pulled up a photo of one. "It has borders around the edge so your pieces won't fall when you move it and drawers to organize your pieces."
I smiled brightly. "That's amazing, and it would solve all my problems."
"I'll set one aside for you."
Bill loved puzzles, and they were something I enjoyed too. So it was easy to connect with him this way. I prided myself on connecting with people, but it was always genuine. "I'll stop by as soon as I'm done here tonight."
"I close at seven," he reminded me gruffly as if he wouldn't wait a minute longer.
"I'll make a point to stop early then."
"There's this new company I started working with, and the pieces are real wood. They are specially cut to spell out words in the puzzle and various objects, like wreaths and trees. You have to see it in person."
