“Oh, god. What happened?” I ask, unsure if I can handle whatever she’s about to tell me. I don’t need any more bad news or surprises right now.
“Nothing happened. Well, nothing disastrous.”
“Okay…,” I draw out. “Then what’s going on?”
“Mrs. Cromwell just called. Said that George has been down with a stomach bug for the past twenty-four hours. Pretty nasty one, too. I’m so sorry, Parker. He won’t be able to make it today.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, a knot forming in my throat. “But he’s supposed to be Santa. We can’t have a meet and greet with Santa without the jolly man dressed in red.”
“Is there someone else who might be able to do it?” Heidi asks. “Maybe Finn or one of the other guys at the fire department?”
“I can ask, but I’ll be limited to whoever’s off duty. I can’t have one of the guys agree to play Santa, then get a call and rip off his beard and hat in front of all those kids to go to a call.”
“Mrs. Cromwell felt horrible. So did George. They know how important this is to you. But he doesn’t want to get any of the kids sick. Plus, he can’t even keep water down right now.”
“I’m not upset. Just…frustrated.” I pinch my lips together, mentally going through my staff to see if there’s anyone I can convince to play Santa for an hour. I’m short-handed as it is, having decided not to hire any temporary holiday help this year, considering my circumstances.
Plus, I don’t have money in the budget to pay someone. George has played Santa here at Holley Ridge for years, refusing to accept any payment, since he was such a good friend of my dad’s.
“I know who you can ask,” Estelle says after several long moments.
“Who?” I whip my eyes toward her, desperate for a solution to my current predicament.
But when I see the smirk crawling on her lips, I know precisely who she’s thinking about.
“A certain guest staying here.”
“I can’t ask him to do that.”
“I thought you planned to inundate him with so much Christmas cheer, he’d flee this place faster than a reindeer on a pair of rollerblades. Playing Santa would most certainly do that.” She crosses her arms, a mischievous glint lighting up her gray eyes. “Unless you’ve changed your mind and want him to stay.”
“This is too important to let someone like Callum Reed help.”
“Do you have any other options?”
“I…” I stare into space, trying to think of someone —anyone— who will fit into the Santa suit that was specially made to fit George Cromwell’s larger-than-life physique, thanks to his years spent in the Marines.
Other than a couple of the guys in the fire department, only one man comes to mind.
Hanging my head, I push out a long sigh. “I’ll go talk to him. In the meantime, call Finn down at the fire department. See if he can spare an hour.”
“Sure thing, Parker.” Estelle waves me off.
I have a feeling she has no intention of following through with my request.
CHAPTERTEN
CALLUM
I stare at the pieces on the chess board as I sit underneath a heater on the veranda, trying to predict all possible outcomes of whatever move I make next.
Since I came to Holley Ridge with the intention of winning Parker over with my charm, this has become my favorite part of the day. I never thought I’d be the type of person to slow down and spend hours playing chess with a bunch of older locals.
But after they invited me to join them on my second day here, this has become part of my routine. Much like it’s a part of theirs.
I also like that it allows me to catch a glimpse of Parker on occasion, more so than if I stayed in my cottage, reviewing proposals and reports on my firm’s current projects. Which is precisely what I should be doing.
I tell myself the reason I’m not is to make sure I close this deal. I can’t do that by remaining cooped up in the cottage.
