Page 37 of The Naughty List Agreement

“Designing toys?”

There was a rosy flush to his cheeks. “Mainly I’m in there building and refining prototypes, that type of thing.”

Having been to his workshop, she could see why he’d get lost in there. She wouldn’t, but he would. He’d belonged in that space in a way she hadn’t belonged anywhere else.

“You seem very disciplined,” he mentioned around a huge mouthful of turkey.

“I am. Routine is one of the things that was lacking when I was growing up.” It took all of her willpower to stop talking there. To not reveal what her therapist had shared with her about feeling insecure and how routines had become her safety blanket. Who wanted to discuss that at a family meal?

“How’d you two meet?” Wendy asked Nick.

“She fired me,” Nick said.

“Hey,” Cora said, lightly punching him on the arm. “But I rehired you.”

“That you did.”

“Why’d you fire him?” his dad asked.

Cora shook off her emotions. She’d been justified in letting him go. “When I took over running the Winter Wonderland festival, Nick didn’t really understand the direction I was going in so I had to cut him out. It wasn’t just Nick—there were other vendors that didn’t fit our new vision.”

“But then the vision changed,” Nick said. “She needed someone to help her out. She came to me and of course I was the bigger person and forgave her.”

“That’s not the way I remember it,” she said wryly.

Nick squeezed her leg under the table and her brain stopped working. Warmth spread throughout her entire body. When he pulled his hand away, she missed it.

“We came to a mutual agreement,” Nick said, like nothing had happened, but her thigh felt branded by his touch.

Maybe she just needed to get laid. Maybe that was the answer to this lust thing she had for Nick Bari. Ha! No maybe about it.

“More like blackmail. He had a lot of demands.”

“Like what?” Wendy asked.

“That I work in his booth every day,” Cora stated. “Of course, we had to negotiate that one. I’m in demand at the festival. I’m only going to be there when he is.”

“That sounds lovely,” Wendy said. “You two will have a lot of fun together. What exactly is it that you do?”

“I’m the director of the event. I coordinate all the different activities, hire all the food and beverage, retail and toy vendors. I approve each year’s offerings. We always feature a new hot drink, baked good, and of course, a new toy.”

Talking about work always put her at ease. She smiled as she looked at each of the people around the table. “This year we’re featuring Nick’s WonderHaus. I’m very excited to talk about it tomorrow morning on The Today Show.”

“You’re going to be on national television?” Nick’s dad asked.

“For the third year in a row. The festival has really benefited from the extra coverage and of course our vendors also benefit from it as well,” she explained. Humble brag maybe, but it was the truth. She was proud to see her hard work paying off.

Everyone was speechless. Of course they were. It wasn’t like Pine Falls, Vermont was the kind of place that normally drew national attention. Her management of the festival had brought lots of money and new jobs to town.

“That’s interesting. What kind of baked goods do you offer?” Wendy asked.

“Usually something that looks incredible but can also be replicated at home.

We sell the product itself, but also recipe books and baking kits. Last year it was a matcha-tea-flavored butter cookie shaped like holly with some raspberry-flavored berries on it.”

“You put a lot of time and effort into your work,” Wendy noted.

“I do. I can’t reveal this year’s cookie yet but it’s going to be special.”