“Ah,” he said. “Here come our first customers.”
Kids in pajamas began trickling out. Many had tubes dangling from their noses or taped to their hands while connected IVs rolled alongside them. Some walked in slippers, hugging stuffed animals or wore beanies to cover their heads. Others came in wheelchairs wheeled in by family members. Every face was lit with delight.
“Ella!” a boy named Jarom called from his wheelchair, waving energetically. A woman Ella didn’t recognize stood behind him. She wondered if it was his mom. Smiling, he held the red-and-green-striped pillow over his head.
“That’s the biggest grin I’ve ever seen,” Ella said. “What have you got there?”
“Santa brought these. They were on our pillows when we woke up this morning.”
Stepping forward, Hawk slid her a knowing look. “Oh, he did? Very clever of him.”
Ella wanted to jab her elbow into his side, but Jarom’s smile was too contagious. She knelt by his wheelchair.
“That’s amazing,” Ella said.
“I’m so excited. I couldn’t wait to show my mom. And now we have our very own store? This is the best Christmas ever!”
Ella hugged him and went from child to child, friend to friend, chatting with each one, hearing of their excitement, of their joy in something so simple as a new covering for their pillows or the toys and books their families had brought.
Ella paused at the sight of a sweet little girl, Laura, standing beside one of the shelves in a complete stupor. The little girl was completely bald, her skin soft and smooth. She wore a snowman nightgown.
“Everything okay, Laura?” Ella asked.
“These look too pretty to eat,” Laura said with a slight frown.
Ella bent down to Laura’s side, resting her hands on her thighs. “Which one are you going to choose?”
Laura’s smooth brow rose. “You mean I can pick one?”
“Of course,” Ella said with a chuckle. “This is your Christmas store.”
With excitement only a child can wield in her shining eyes, Laura reached carefully for the gift bag tied with a gold ribbon.
“I like this one,” she said with awe, cradling it to her chest. “Now what do I do?”
Ella crouched at her side, resting her hand on Laura’s shoulder. “You got tokens in your Christmas stocking this morning, right?”
A nod.
“See that good-looking guy behind the register? Go give him one of your tokens, and it’s all yours.”
With a grin as bright as diamonds, Laura skipped to Hawk and handed him her bag. Rather than remaining behind the register, Hawk stepped around the counter and knelt beside her, one arm around her shoulders as he answered her questions.
Laura gave him an excited smile and bounced up and down, hugging him before he resumed his place behind the register. He proceeded with the transaction.
The shared glee on every face, the sound of crinkling paper being opened, the shouts of happy surprise and laughter, were beyond satisfying. This was worth every stressful hour of sewing, and every hour of missed sleep the night before, to do something to bring a little happiness to these kids. Too bad Chloe and Brandy couldn’t have seen it too.
Being a part of the children’s joy in any way was a blessing, but sharing this with Hawk and the other hospital staff who worked so hard to care for these kids made things even more worthwhile.
Too soon, the phone in Ella’s back pocket vibrated. She checked it, only to have the name on her cell screen douse her elation in an instant.
Hawk was surrounded by kids, entertaining them as he made swooping motions with his arms. She wondered what story he was telling. Other kids were opening their gifts, pulling soft, squishable plush animals from boxes.
Ella didn’t want to answer Stina’s call, but she needed to deal with this sooner or later. Might as well be sooner. She stepped into the adjacent hall and braced herself.
“Hey, Stina.”
“Howard is rather disappointed his apartments didn’t get the treatment he was hoping for last night.” No other greeting. Just a jump right into criticism.
“Yes, I can understand that,” Ella said, regretting that she’d ever answered. “I’m sorry, but it’s Christmas, and I decided I was going to celebrate it. I’m sure he can wait just like everyone else.”
She anticipated the backlash, for Stina to spout all the horrible reasons she was disappointed in Ella and pronounce the end of her employment. Ella knew she’d never see her dad once that happened, but she rarely saw him as it was.
“I—I’ll start job hunting,” Ella began, attempting to ward her off.
“Why ever would you do that? And leave me shorthanded again?”
Puzzlement crumpled Ella’s forehead. “I thought you’d be firing me.”
Stina laughed, a wicked, horrid sound. “Why would I do that? I expect you to show up as always. After what you pulled last night, you owe me.”
That was something no one ever wanted to hear, not where Stina Malus was concerned. The woman held grudges as the dying clung to life. Did Stina think she was doing Ella some kind of favor by keeping her on?
Ella knew this was her chance. She should speak up, state her intentions of finding a new job, and continue being brave. But her courage fled. It whiffled and deflated like a punctured ball, and Stina ended the call before Ella managed to utter a single word.
Regret nudged its way in between her ribs. You owe me. Ella shook it off, refusing to let the worry settle. She wouldn’t focus on that. She was having the most amazing Christmas of her life, and it was time she returned to it.
Hawk stood with an elbow resting on the counter and a gift in the other hand. He straightened as she approached.
“There you are,” he said. “I was afraid you’d left before I could give you this.”
Pushing away the unease inside of her, she took the gift. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get you anything.”
“Just open it.”
Ella tore the festive paper and pulled out a lovely, knitted, red scarf. Its yarn was thick and soft. Positive thoughts began to stream in, one at a time like droplets of water to fill a half-empty bucket. Time to turn that thing around. This was a half-full kind of moment.
Who was she kidding? Hawk Danielson was with her. He’d kissed her, invited her to be here with him. He could have asked anyone, but he’d asked her. And he’d gotten her a gift. Her bucket was overflowing.
She hugged the scarf. “Hawk. I love it, thank you.”
He took it and settled it onto her shoulders, brushing a hair away from her face in the process.
“Merry Christmas, Ella. Thank you for coming to help me today.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else,” she said. It was true. No matter what Stina threatened, she was glad she’d chosen this.
Her heart skipped a beat as he inclined in, right there in the hospital waiting room, and pressed a tender kiss to her mouth. The kiss spun and coiled through her, zinging all the way to her toes.
When she lifted her lids, it was like seeing everything for the first time. The blue of Hawk’s eyes, the flash of delight on his lips, the possessive gleam that spoke of desire, that implied how much he wished they weren’t in a public waiting room at that moment but back in his office with only each other. And how badly she wished for that too.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night?” he said.
She cleared her throat. She had to kick her brain back into gear. Ice skating. With Hawk. “I—yes. I can’t wait.”
She needed a nap in the worst way, but she wasn’t sure the adrenaline charging through her blood from that kiss would let her sleep now. A nice long nap, work the next morning, and then she’d be seeing him again.
Hard as she tried to ease it, an apprehensive feeling still hovered over her. She still hadn’t told him who she really was. What would he do once he found out she was on his custodial staff?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The day after Christma
s and already it was back to business as usual. Everything seemed to be in line for the production and manufacturing of commercial-sized bags. Hawk had worried the candy would lose its homemade quality, being packaged differently and in larger quantities, but his team assured him it wouldn’t make a difference.
The bag on his desk was proof of that. The divinity was still as divine, and his mouth watered with satisfaction. Reassurance shone at this decision. It wouldn’t destroy the ma and pa feel of his stores after all, and having commercial candy available only increased interest in people coming to the actual, original sites.
His financial advisor predicted it would double the profits. Hawk was trying to determine the best use for those funds, and his thoughts were turning again and again to the hospital.
He thought of the children. Jarom, Laura, Harrison. Their sunny, eager gazes, the squeezable excitement in their cheeks. Their jokes, their smiles, the magic in their laughter. Those kids deserved help. Cures, college funds. He wanted to sponsor them somehow.
His excitement began building. Even backing research foundations to help with curing their various ailments might be satisfying enough, but he wanted something personal as well.
The intercom on his office phone droned, interrupting his musing.
“Yeah?” Hawk said.
“Sorry to bother you, sir,” Clary said. Her wary tone struck him. He stopped rocking in his chair. “I just received a call from security and they have something they think you should see.”
Concern drew his forehead down, but he pressed the button to respond. “I’ll be right there.”
Hawk signaled for Clary to join him. Together, they hurried with troubled anticipation to the surveillance room on the third floor. Scenario after scenario shuffled through his mind as to what the threat might entail. A bomb scare?
After a steadying glance from his assistant, Hawk buttoned his jacket and entered. Several guards Hawk recognized stood in response. Ethan’s bald head shone beneath the dim light of the small room. He shook first Clary’s hand, then Hawk’s, before indicating the top left screen.
“We thought you should see this. Remember the theft that was reported?”
Suspicion made way for certainty. Hawk’s attention zeroed in. “You caught someone on camera?”
“Turns out the paper, ink cartridges, and tablets that went missing? The culprit struck again. This was captured Christmas Eve.”
A brunette woman in a jumpsuit peered over her shoulder before shuffling past and stuffing things into her purse.
Hawk leaned in, unable to believe it. He’d seen that purse during a too-long stint in an elevator. It was dark purple, with a roped handle and several buckles. It looked just like—
“Who is this?” he asked, crouching in closer. “Can you zoom in?”
“We’re trying, sir,” Ethan said. “It looks like someone on the custodial staff. See the uniform she’s wearing?”
“Custodial?” He’d suspected as much, which was why he’d sent the notification to Stina Malus a few days ago.
That wasn’t what bothered him, though. With that one word, the confusion, the intrigue, the mystery of the woman he’d danced with Christmas Eve began to wither away in place of clarity. No wonder he hadn’t found Ella when he’d searched out his staff. Custodial was hired out by a completely different company, but they’d each received an invitation as well.
A flashback struck him. The woman in the hall that day had seemed familiar, but she’d ducked behind the garbage can and had kept her face away so he didn’t get a good look. He hadn’t wanted to linger or seem awkward, so he’d kept going, but he thought it’d been Ella.
The woman from the elevator. Ella Embers.
No wonder she claimed she didn’t work for him. It was because she didn’t. Malus Custodial Management was a separate company.
“What would you like to do?” Ethan asked.
Hawk paced away on an exhale and rubbed frustration from his forehead. He couldn’t let emotion cloud his judgment. Not when decisions needed to be made.
“Did you find the missing supplies?” he asked.
“No. It’s one reason we haven’t taken any action yet.”
Finding the supplies would give them just cause for an interrogation. But wasn’t the video feed proof enough now?
“What are the parameters for searching lockers?”
Ethan and the other guard swapped glances. “If you have cause, then we can conduct a search, sir,” Ethan said.
Hawk thought it over. It was still morning. Chances were, the custodial staff was still on duty. “We need to get to the bottom of this. Page Stina Malus and have her keep the crew after their shift.”
“Will do, sir,” Ethan said.
Clary peeked up at him with concern. Hawk touched her arm, not entirely sure how to form the words. Was he glad she’d told him? Glad they’d finally obtained an indication of who the culprit was?
Of course. It was always better to know. But he never—never—would have suspected it would be her. Ella. The woman whose kisses unraveled him. The woman who’d branded herself into him. Unfortunately, now his focus was on her for a different reason.
He felt so betrayed. So tattered. All that talk about stealing kisses. About thievery. Had she been trying to give him hints, or just plain mocking him with the insinuations?
Hawk thanked Ethan and the other guards and dismissed Clary before stepping out to a quiet corner in the hall. His thoughts were a tangle.
Ella’s smile. Her charitable gifts and sacrificed time for the kids at Harmony Children’s.
The jubilant interaction he’d witnessed of her with them completely contrasted the sneaky, over-the-shoulder glance and devious stuffing of stolen items into her bag. How could she be the same woman?
“She was a thief after all,” he said. He couldn’t believe he’d fallen for it.
***
Ella’s morning passed by in a blur. Excitement was a battle cry inside her. The usual, menial chores, typically such drudgery day after day, became nothing more than rungs on a ladder. A ladder that would lead her up to the glorious event that was an official date with Hawk Danielson.
Finishing the last few touches on a pair of carpeted staircases, she roped up the vacuum cord and wheeled it to the main closet with a whistle. Even the sight of Pris and Charlotte speaking in hushed tones and darting devious glances in Ella’s direction from the opposite end of the hall couldn’t put a damper on her mood.
The two continued on at her approach, making for the breakroom.
Janice fell into step beside Ella with one hand on the large, wheeled garbage can. Its wheels were anything but quiet.
“What are you so happy about?” she asked.
“Can’t I be happy?” Ella smiled.
“Yeah, but you’re never this energetic.”
“It’s the happiest time of year,” Ella said with a shrug. That kiss, the one in the hospital waiting room, it’d been clouds and illusion and all the things dreams boast about. It had wriggled its way into everything she did, everywhere she went, and everything she saw. She was definitely hoping for a replay later.
Hawk was not what she thought a billionaire would be like. He was friendly, funny, and completely charming. Not stuffy or prideful. She never would have been able to guess his financial situation if it was just a chance meeting on the street. And seeing him around all those kids? Talk about icing on the cake.
She turned the corner only to be confronted by Pris. Ella instantly tensed, a coil ready to spring. After what Pris did to her at the ball, she never wanted to speak with her again. Yet, Pris didn’t seem to get the message.
“I wouldn’t look so happy if I were you,” she said. She’d already slipped out of her jumpsuit and into her winter coat. The expression on her face somehow managed to be both derisive and gleeful all at once.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Pris pursed her lips, staring at the wall with a smug, ridiculous smirk befo
re returning her gaze to her. “You know what, Ella? I’ve found that people get what they deserve. And it looks like you’re about to get yours.”
Pris strolled past, knocking into Ella’s shoulder with her own and leaving fear pulsing in Ella’s veins. What was she talking about?
Stina strode behind them. Her nails were a vicious shade of red, and she folded her arms in an immaculate gesture as if to display her claws. “Pris, hold up.”
Pris paused, rounding back to Ella’s side. Ella sidestepped away from her.
“I guess you two didn’t get the memo?” Stina said.
“What memo?” Pris said, one hand on her purse strap.
“They’ve insisted the custodial staff with Malus Custodial Management meet in the breakroom. There’s been another theft.”
Ella’s astonishment was genuine. Who would be stupid enough to do it a second time? How could Hawk still think it was someone in custodial?
“None of us would have done that,” she said.
“I’m not so sure,” Stina replied with concern. “They have video evidence this time, Ella. It really is unfortunate you weren’t where you were supposed to be Christmas Eve.” Her words had too much undercurrent to be mistaken for anything but a jab.
“I get it, okay? I let you down. But I didn’t steal anything.”
Stina pursed her lips so tightly her dark lipstick gave the appearance of a miniature bow. “I guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?”
Misgivings accompanied Ella into the breakroom. The space was crowded. Crew members, including Pris, Charlotte, and Janice, gathered together before the row of lockers. The customary, lighthearted chatter, the relief at finishing another day, laughter at mishaps or discussing plans, were muted.
Discomfited silence resided in every glance, every unspoken question. Stina lingered near the door like some sort of guard.
A bald man in a dark suit had taken Stina’s spot at the desk and pushed her computer aside to place his laptop in its stead. Beside him, stood Hawk. Wonderful, charming Hawk, in a suit that made him look like a million bucks, with arms folded across his chest and an expression devoid of the delight that had been there Christmas morning.
Ella And The Billionaire's Ball (Once Upon A Billionaire Book 2) Page 11
