Seducing Santa (Holiday Series Book One)

Chapter Eleven~I'll Be Home For Christmas Eve

“You!” Grayson exclaimed harshly as Holly struggled to overcome her shock.

His assistant was doing a poor job of helping her, stunned as well by his boss’s unexpected outburst. She snatched away the napkin that he was dabbing over her chest and grabbed her bag before rushing out of the room, pushing Grayson out of the way as she did. She had seen a bathroom on the bottom floor when she had first come into the building and headed straight there, going through the door designated for women and quickly making an assessment of the damage in the mirror.

The coffee had spilled all the way down the front of her green silk shirt and a little bit on her white pants. Luckily, none had gotten on her jacket. She carefully took it off and set it aside before doing her best to clean herself off with a dry towel, not wanting to get the silk wet and ruin it more. She knew she was a clumsy person and wearing white was always a gamble, but this was her power suit that she wore for special occasions. She had thought that since this was her first real project for the company, it was a perfect choice. Nothing could have prepared her for this unforeseen disaster.

After cleaning up as much as she could, using a bit of water on the pants that were made from a mixed fabric, she put back on her coat and buttoned it closed to cover up as much of the stain as possible. She glanced at herself in the mirror and took a moment to compose herself, taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

The way Grayson had looked at her was unsettling after the night they had shared, but she was not going to let it get to her. She was here for a job and nothing more. She could not let personal feelings get in the way. She grabbed her bag and headed out of the bathroom and back up the stairs to the office, the door to the waiting room still open. She stepped inside and the assistant seemed to be relieved to see her.

“Are you alright?” He asked, looking over the damage which was still a bit visible.

“I’m fine but do you happen to have a dry cleaner in this town?” Holly asked, wanting the information, but also using it as an excuse to stall a few more minutes.

“Oh, there is a laundromat in town, but, I know that is not what you mean. The lady that runs it, though, will wash your clothes for a small fee. She is good at delicate fabrics. I will write down the information while you are in your meeting with Mayor Holiday. He is waiting for you,” he told her while gesturing towards the office door.

She nodded, walking toward the door while wishing that her heart would stop beating so hard. She tried her best not to bite her lip, a bad habit of hers when she was nervous, reaching for the door handle and turning it open. She stepped inside to find him on the phone, his back to the door and the only thing Holly was able to see was the top of his head over the chair. She took a seat across from him on the other side of the desk, glancing around the room to pass the time as she waited for him to finish. There was not much in the room that seemed personal, no photos of family on his desk or little knick-knacks or keepsakes. There was only a laptop and a neat stack of papers with folders to one side, everything else looking rather barren.

She glanced up and saw another painting on the wall to the left of his desk in the same style as the one in the waiting room. This one depicted the harbor area she had not seen yet. A restaurant on top of a pier with a fishing boat docked beside it and a lighthouse in the distance with the sunset over the horizon. Her eyes continued around the room, landing on a large map of Holiday and noticing that the old mill was rather close to the B&B. Maybe she could go look at it later, if everything went well in this meeting, that is.

“Thank you very much, Fred. I will be over later today to talk over the details a bit more. See you soon” Grayson said into the phone before turning around in his chair and hanging up the phone.

His eyes landed on her and widened a bit as if surprised to see her again. Did he think she had run away? He glanced down at her shirt which was covered by her jacket, it being a tad tight. This jacket was not meant to be closed at all, especially when sitting down, and she was having a slight issue breathing. Also, she feared that that tightness was pushing her bosom up, probably putting a little bit too much on display.

She wished she had buttoned up her shirt a bit more, but it was too late now. Those green eyes slid back up to her face, no longer warm and alluring like they had been last night but cold and calculating as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

“So, what was last night? A ploy? A trick? Did you have a good laugh?” Grayson accused.

Holly sat there confused, having no clue as to what he was referring to. She could not understand this sudden change in him and wondered what she had done to offend him so much. Had she dropped coffee on him as well?

“I have no idea what you mean, Mr. Holiday” She replied.

“No reason for formalities, Holly, we have gone way past those, and don’t play coy with me. Only a few weeks ago, I was getting calls daily from McCormick Attractions to sell them the old mill land. I turned them down each time, but they were persistent. I thought they had finally gotten the message until the other day when they set up this meeting. Are you trying to tell me it's not a coincidence that you suddenly showed up in town and got me in bed? Trying to butter me up? Why didn’t you tell me who you were last night?” He alleged.

Holly was stunned into silence, her throat tight with the threat of tears. She hated how crying was always her instant reaction when it came to conflict. Her brother used that to his advantage in their childhood and sometimes still today. She had learned over the years, however, how to hold them in and held her breath in order to keep them in check as she took in all of what Grayson had alleged against her.

She consented that he really knew nothing about her, so she could somewhat see how he could think such a thing, her being a complete stranger to him, but the accusation was still hurtful. He had basically just accused her of being a p********e for her father’s company and she needed to remain calm in order to set him straight.

“Mayor Holiday, I am only here at the request of my father to see if it would be acceptable to allow us to ask the people of Holiday their thoughts on building an amusement park near their town. You see, in the past, we have been met with resistance from people living in the city or town near our parks, but since this will be our first amusement park focusing on family instead of intense thrill-seekers, we are hoping for a much more welcoming place to build it.

Honestly, I had no idea who you were yesterday when I met you. I was only told your first name and did not have much time to research before I was ordered to come here, so, I had no prior knowledge of your appearance. I also did not know that my father had been harassing you over the land. My father had not even finished picking out the idea for this new amusement park until two days ago. My concepts were chosen for the park, which was why I was sent, having the best ability to relay the vision and theme of the park. I apologize on my father’s behalf if he has overstepped any sort of boundary. I am sure it was not his intention.” Holly explained calmly, proud of herself for keeping her emotions at bay.

Grayson sat there listening to her explanation, his face growing more solemn and serious as she went on. He was silent for a long time after she was done and Holly was nervous that he might still believe that last night had only been a trick and not the amazing but completely coincidental thing it had turned out to be. Finally, he let out a sigh and Holly released the breath she had been holding, her throat loosening and her eyes no longer feeling like they were about to water over and completely embarrass her.

“It seems… I have gotten the completely wrong idea about you. I apologize for that.” He said, looking directly into her eyes while saying it, making Holly feel like he was being truly sincere.

“However, I must turn down the idea that an amusement park be built here in Holiday. I do not think our town is the right fit.” He offered, glancing at his computer and starting to type away. “If you don’t mind, I have several important meetings to prepare for. I am sorry it was a wasted trip, but I hope you still enjoy your stay here in Holiday and see some of the sights before you leave.”

He was dismissing her. He had apologized and then simply ignored everything else she had said, not even giving her a chance. This was Holly’s moment to prove not only to her father but to herself that she was more than just some Event Planner and that her years in design school were not for nothing. She cleared her throat and sat up straighter in her chair, preparing herself for battle.

“Excuse me, Mayor Holiday, but I do not think it is up to you entirely if the amusement park should be built or not. I understand it is your family's land but has it not been vacant for years and the people of Holiday have been suffering from a lack of employment? Should it not be up to the people to choose and not yourself?” She asked, knowing she may be crossing a line but needing to get her chance.

Grayson looked up from his computer, raising a brow and then crossing his hands in front of him, lifting his locked fist to his mouth in thought. He stared at her, Holly trying to ignore the way those green eyes affected her. The man was far too attractive for his own good and if she was going to succeed in getting him and the people of Holiday on board with the amusement park she needed to put what happened last night far from her mind and keep her distance.

“You are quite the negotiator, Ms. McCormick. What exactly are you proposing then?” He inquired.

“Well, Christmas Eve is in five days and I need to be home by then. My family holds an annual Christmas Eve party and as the hostess, I cannot miss it. Give me until then to convince the people and if I can get enough of them to sign a petition in favor of the amusement park You must see the advantage it will give you in your upcoming election. I am sure bringing jobs to the people of Holiday is your main priority,” Holly reasoned.

“Aw, I see, and do you plan to go door to door to get these signatures?” Grayson asked.

“If I have to, I will,” Holly countered.

“Let me propose another idea. In two days the Snowflake Festival will take place. Why don’t you go visit the event office here in the town hall and speak with Mary? She can set you up with a booth at the festival where people can come and hear your idea and you can get them to sign. This seems fair,” Grayson offered.

A booth? At a festival? Suddenly, the image of the photo of her mom wearing a sash that said Miss Snowflake 1996 crossed her mind. Was that the same festival? It should not be hard, she had her visuals with her and she could put together a good presentation to grab the people’s attention.

Also, two days was a reasonable amount of time to get a better feel of the townspeople and find out the best way to get her point across.

One thing about being an event planner is you learned to work with all different kinds of people and could easily get someone to your side by just learning to compromise. She stood up and extended her hand toward him.

“Shall we shake on it? I hope you are not the type of man who needs things in writing in order to keep his word?” Holly baited, pleased to see a flash of irritation in his eyes.

She was trying to get a rise out of him now, a little payback for what he had accused her of being only a few minutes ago. Who knew that the sweet piano player from last night could be such a hothead? He stood up and instead of taking her hand he made his way around towards her, going to stand unnervingly close to her and causing Holly to back up into the desk. Any closer and she would be sitting on top of it, which was not the best position to be in with this man after deciding it would be best to keep her distance.

He leaned down close, his lips mere inches away from hers, Holly surrounded by the smell of his pine-scented cologne. She closed her eyes, her body shaking with anticipation and apprehension at the same time, one part of her wanting him to kiss her while the other was afraid that if he did she might not be able to stop herself from taking things further. However, the kiss never came, and instead, she felt him take ahold of her hand she still had extended.

“I am a man of my word.” He whispered, Holly able to feel his breath brush against her ear.

She opened her eyes, her whole body shaking with the need to turn her head and kiss him. Instead, she ducked down and escaped past him, picking up her bag and running over to the door. She placed her hand on the door handle and turned to face him one last time, knowing her face had to be burning red at this point.

“Thank you.” She said, unable to get any more words out without embarrassing herself.

“Holly,” he called out, stopping her as she turned the door handle and was about to step out of the room.

“Yes?”

“Just so you know, it was not your father who was calling me but someone by the name of Chris McCormick. Any relation to you?” He asked, having gone back to his chair behind the desk.

“Unfortunately,” She answered, not giving him any more of an explanation as she finally walked through the door and closed it behind her.