When I woke, it was light out, and my neck hurt. I couldn't believe I'd let myself fall asleep at my desk.
When footsteps sounded on the wood stairs, I straightened my hair and clothes as best I could before Bill stepped inside.
It was too early in the morning for him.
He burst into the room, standing in front of my desk, holding a copy of the Christmas Town newspaper, open to the front page with the headline "When will Tempting Dreams Reopen?"
"You have to stop Angela from reopening her store. No one wants it here. It doesn't match the theme of the other shops, and it's completely inappropriate for young kids.
I ran a hand through my hair, hoping it didn't look like a rat's nest. "So you've said."
He placed his hands on his hips. "And you're not going to do anything about it?"
"I believe you called a town meeting to discuss it," I said dryly.
"You won't do anything though. It's a joke. This town is a joke?—"
I stood then, anger winning out over my exhaustion. "I care deeply about this town. I'm working night and day to make things right for Angela and to inspect the rest of the buildings."
His face screwed up. "If you cared about this town, you wouldn't let someone open a smut shop."
I rolled my eyes. "It's a lingerie shop. If you don't like it, don't go inside."
"Oh, I don't."
He only harassed Angela on the sidewalks and in other stores. "I'm happy to discuss this at the town hall. But for now, I have work to do."
He harrumphed and left the room.
I let out the breath I'd been holding. I wasn't sure how much longer I could control myself around him. He was infuriating. I was sure that Angela was getting it worse than me, but if I could shield her from it, I wanted to.
I took a shower in my bathroom at work and changed into an outfit I kept here for that purpose. I brought in multiple outfits each time I went home. It was a good thing I didn't have a pet. I wouldn't be able to take care of it.
By Saturday, I was ready to go home and snuggle in my sweats. It was one thing after another. The shop next to Angela's had sprung a leak, so we were on a missionto stop any more from happening. Apparently, the pipes were all installed around the same time, so it was likely they'd malfunction, one after the other.
That was just my luck.
Then I had a meeting with a few concerned shop owners. I rubbed my temples. The headache was a constant now, and pain medication didn't do anything to curb it.
There was a knock on my door. "Come in."
Sofia ran into the room.
"Sofia, I missed you," I said even as my eyes hurt from the strain.
"Daddy said you've been really busy." She stopped next to my desk.
"It's Christmas, and we've had an issue with pipes bursting. It's one thing after the other." I glanced at Maddox, but he'd moved to the window, watching people pass by below on the sidewalk.
"It's crowded today," he said simply.
I stood and walked around the desk. "We're in our busy season now. We won't have a chance to relax until after New Year's."
His face was pinched as he turned to face me. "I wanted to give you an early Christmas present."
"Oh, what is it?" I hadn't even had a chance to shop for his or anyone else's. I'd been too busy with everything.
He handed me an envelope, and I assumed it was a gift card. "You don't want to wait until Christmas to exchange presents?"
