“The when, last night. The how, missionary, then a little reverse cowboy this morning,” I blurt out and she starts jumping again. “And the who… Nolan Duggan.”
Ellery squeals again and I shush her, but she isn’t listening. She rushed to me and grabs me by the shoulder. “You made the Grinch’s heart grow two sizes!”
“Well something grew two sizes, that’s for sure,” I laugh and she hugs me.
“Wait is this… like more than a one and done holiday hook-up?” Ellery questions.
I give her a small shrug. “It’s more. I mean, for me. And for him, I think. His post-orgasm talk was all promises. But I’m still a little nervous.”
“I hope it is,” Ellery announces and smiles at me tenderly. “I know he’s gruff, but he’s a good guy. And you deserve a good guy, Felicity.”
“Thank you,” I smile. “I think you’re right. On both counts. We have plans to meet up after the party, so we’ll talk more then.”
She hugs me again. “I want text updates tonight. Before more banging. Or after. Whatever works, but keep me updated.”
I laugh. “Okay, but for now, let’s concentrate on getting everything right for this event. I want to be able to watch Nolan play Santa without putting out fires.”
“Ha! This really must be serious if he hasn’t backed out,” Ellery quips, and we both walk over to my desk to wrap the extra gifts she brought for the kids who are attending.
Two and a half hours later, the amazing crew at the arena have solved all my problems. They decided to cover the ice with the floors they put down for concerts and bring the food trucks in through the Zamboni entrance. We’ve set up Santa’s throne at one end and the crafts and games tables at the other. The inflatable reindeer and snowmen are peppered throughout. The place is packed with families and kids, and everyone looks like they’re having a good time.
“Nice job, Roarke,” Jeremiah says as he walks over to me, a giant paper cone of truffles fries in his hand.
“Thanks,” I say proudly and steal one of his fries. “I think Mr. Isles is pleased with the result.”
I look over to where he’s standing by a six-foot inflatable snowman with some other men in suits, who are likely either investors or local advertisers. Both were invited. I look at up at Jeremiah as I chomp on my stolen fry, and he winks at me. “I was talking about your work with the Grinch. He’s been de-grinched. Walked into the locker room smiling and is happily putting on his Santa outfit as we speak.”
“Happily?”
“Well he’s not swearing,” Jeremiah explains, and I laugh. He nudges my shoulder with his own. It’s kind of like being hit with a bowling ball. Jeremiah is a tank. “I’m guessing you two decided to play nice?”
“Very nice,” I admit and try to tone down my grin.
He chuckles knowingly, but it’s interrupted by Martine, who runs over to grab my arm. “You need to announce Santa. He’s ready and almost as uncomfortable as a dog in a Christmas sweater. So do it now before he changes his mind.”
She starts pulling me across the cavernous space, darting in between people until we reach the microphone next to Santa’s throne. She shoves it at me and pulls her phone out of her back pocket to film. “Your panties are going to legit drop when you see him, Felicity. His shoulders and biceps are bulging out of the costume, and he refuses to wear the big cotton belly so he kind of looks like a Chippendale Santa. The moms will definitely appreciate it.”
I want to go back there and make him wear the stuffing, but I don’t have time as Martine says. “Go! I’m gonna hit record on Instagram.”
I blink and clear my throat and turn on the microphone. “Hey kids! Santa is here! Come line up to get your picture taken on his jolly, little lap!”
There’s a flurry of activity around me as all the kids scramble away from whatever they were doing to make their way towards me. And then Nolan saunters out looking like a pornstar Santa. Oh my God he is HOT. My jaw literally drops, and Ellery, who has walked up beside me, has to shove me to get me to close my mouth. He didn’t just skip the belly. He skipped the silly white cotton beard as well and opted to use white and silver temporary spray to coat his own beard and dark hair. It’s more of a silvery salt-n-pepper than a white, but nobody seems to care. Martine is right, all the mothers are eyeing him like he’s candy. I can’t blame them.
“You owe me for this,” he whispers as he passes me. “But don’t worry, you’ll enjoy the repayment too.”
I flush from the tips of my toes to the top of my head where my antler headband is. Ellery lets out a small whistle. “You make sure to spank this naughty girl later, Santa.”
Nolan blinks and I shush her. “Children!”
She giggles and steps away to help organize the chaos that is the children trying to line up. I watch for what has to be a full hour as Nolan gently lifts kid after kid onto his lap and listens patiently as they talk to him. He nods and even smiles – repeatedly. And then they move on to Jeremiah and Xavier, who give each child a wrapped present as they leave.
He looks at me sometimes between kids and winks or smiles. God, I am falling fast for this man. So very, very fast. The last kid climbs up on Nolan’s lap as Mr. Isles waves me over to where he’s standing a few feet away.
“You really are a miracle-worker Felicity,” Mr. Isles says as I come to a stop beside him He’s smiling at me with pride. “I really can’t thank you enough for how well you run these events. They mean as much to me as the games, really.”
“It’s not just me, sir, but thank you,” I say humbly and return his smile. “I’ll make sure the team knows how happy you are.”
“I was just telling your dad what an incredible job you do,” Mr. Isles continues, and I feel my shoulders tense. It’s not uncommon for a team owner to talk to a sports agent, except last time I checked, my dad didn’t rep anyone on the team. Which is another reason why I decided to take the job. My dad’s client list is mostly baseball, and I wanted to steer clear of him as much as Chet.
