I frowned and shot Sandy a look, tipping my head in that direction.
Sandy shrugged. “Hey, Jaden, I really want to see that cool basketball that Marcus got from Santa.” She held out her hand, and I swung Jaden to the ground. “Come on over there with me.”
“Okay! See you later, Joe!”
“See ya, kiddo.” I turned immediately toward Paris and the two men.
“I’m so pleased to know that you see everything I do in this place,” I heard Paris say as I approached.
“We absolutely do. I’m sorry that wasn’t clear,” the one to her right said. He was probably in his late forties, with gray peppering his temples and a used car salesman smile.
“I’m fairly certain I didn’t misinterpret what you said about closing the Christmas side,” Paris said.
Her back was to me, and the men seemed engrossed in what she was saying. They’d clearly been tuning out all of the hubbub behind her for a little while and that included me now.
“We were actually quite surprised by how taken we were with everything,” the older man next to him said. He had a completely white head of hair, but his smile was much less fake than the first guy’s.
I scowled but hung back. I hadn’t been invited to this little party. I didn’t like the looks of these guys, but it was clear that Paris wasn’t displeased to have been pulled off to the side. I’d just hang out until she was done.
“This place reminded me so much of the store in the little town in Ohio where I grew up,” the older of the two men said. “I was quite overcome when we were last here.”
“You had a store that was half a feed store and half a year-round Christmas shop?” Paris asked, her tone light.
The man chuckled. “No. But the local department store would decorate the entire first floor like a Christmas village starting in the first part of November,” he said. “It was… well, quite magical really. Walking in here the other day brought it all back. Your website doesn’t do it justice.”
Paris nodded. “I would agree. That’s something we need to work on.”
I felt a surge of pride. For her. She’d worked her sweet little ass off on getting the store cleaned up and decorated, and it looked amazing. I liked hearing more people telling her that.
“And I want to apologize for how long it’s taken us to get back to you. We got tied up in some last-minute complications with another merger, and I’m sorry to say that it’s taken more time and attention that we’d expected. But we are very interested in the Holly Jolly and would like to talk numbers.”
Wait a second. What? That didn’t sound like these two were here just for the party. I felt trepidation tighten my gut.
“I see. I will admit that I was under the impression that you were going to pass,” Paris said.
“Yes. Again, I’m sorry. We should have communicated more clearly,” the older man said to the younger one.
“We did have a few reservations,” the younger man inserted.
“But we cleared those up, Todd,” the older man said with a frown. “We have fully discussed all of it and are now in agreement.”
I watched Paris draw herself straighter. “Well, I wasn’t expecting this at all. I want to clarify the stipulation that everything in this store must stay exactly as it is now. With the same employees. No significant changes. Did you get that information from my lawyer?”
“We did,” Todd said. “We’re hoping that we can negotiate some of that, actually.”
“No.” Paris’ response was swift and firm.
“Upgrades. Improvements. That’s all, my dear,” the older man said. “I promise you that we want to make no changes to anything of substance.”
“What my father is saying,” Todd said with a heavy sigh. “Is that he is enchanted by this place exactly as it is and would intend to keep it the same. However, we have to be realistic about what we can agree to. If we’re going to operate this business for the foreseeable future, we have to be given the leeway to make appropriate changes. Your stipulations from your attorney are very...stringent. Crazy really.”
“Todd,” his father snapped.
“Dad,” Todd returned. “It’s ridiculous to sign a clause that says we can never paint the outside any other color and that we will always include Randy Travis in the playlist and that we have to keep the power tools in aisle seven. It’s—I’m sorry—crazy to stipulate that this place will look exactly the same twenty years from now that it does today down to every last detail.”
She’d done that? She’d actually gotten her attorney to write all of that into the proposal? Wow. That was a little...crazy. And amazing.
Paris crossed her arms, and I felt my heart pounding so hard I almost couldn’t hear her response over the sound.
“I don’t see why not. My aunt was able to keep it the same all the years she owned it,” Paris said, her tone cool.
“I promise you that the bird seed and fake snow that your aunt stocked in the past year is not the same that she stocked twenty years ago,” Todd said, obviously a little exasperated.
Paris’ shoulders relaxed slightly. “I suppose that’s probably true.”
“We’re talking basic changes. Keeping up with the times. Making reasonable improvements to improve our margins. Things like that,” Todd said.
“Again, I’m going to have to insist that you are sensitive to pricing and keeping things affordable,” Paris said. “These people work hard, and they need this store for their supplies.” She gestured toward the seed and feed side of the building. “As well as deserving to...wallow in their love for Christmas. They deserve to be able to afford to go Christmas crazy.” Her voice wobbled a little at the end. “They all have to be able to fill their houses and yards and businesses with as many elves and candy canes and as much tinsel as they want.”
The older man was gazing at Paris with an obvious look of affection. As if he thought she was magical.
Dammit, he was right. She was.
She understood this town, and she was fighting to keep this place here for them. Everything that she’d thought was silly and over-the-top and tacky and ridiculous before were now the things she was insisting stay the same.
I was in love with her. If I hadn’t been sure before, I would have been in that moment. Everything about what she’d just said to these men made me want to grab her and never let go.
But she was leaving.
There was no longer any reason for her to stay. She’d come to sell the business, and now she had a buyer. Even more, a buyer who thought the store was wonderful and wanted to preserve it as it was.
I realized in that moment that I’d hoped she’d never find a buyer. That if someone did make an offer, it would come with a plan to bulldoze the place. The first couple of days, she would have gone along with that, I knew. But I also knew it hadn’t taken her long to get to the point where she at least wouldn’t let someone tear it down. Still, it wasn’t until the last few days that I knew she truly couldn’t imagine this place being anything other than the Holly Jolly and she understood how important it was to the town.
But I’d hoped now—now that I knew that she loved the place exactly as it was—that she would never find someone that would keep it as it was, and she wouldn’t be able to let it go.
“I can’t wait to be here and get to know the people and know that they’ll be using the tools they buy from me in the spring to hang their Christmas lights that they get in here in December.”
Paris’ shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath. She dropped her arms.
Dammit. She was feeling less defensive. That wasn’t good.
“The name must stay the same. The inventory must stay the same. The employees must all maintain their jobs with the same salaries and benefits. You even have to continue to play both Christmas music and country music at the same time inside the store,” Paris told them.
Todd rolled his eyes, but he nodded. “That’s one of my father’s favorite parts.”
“
Me too,” Paris said.
That was all I needed to hear.
These guys were buying the Holly Jolly, and Paris had no more reason to stay in North Pole.
The cold ball of hurt and dread in my gut was completely my own fault. She’d never said she would stay. We’d gone into the whole sex thing knowing that it was just sex. At least, that’s what we’d said. It was nothing new that I fell hard and fairly easily.
So the fact that I wanted to put my hand through some drywall or drink a bottle or two of whiskey or yell and rage was not her fault.
I still felt all of those things though.
I turned on my heel and headed for the door. I had to get out of here.
Eleven
Paris
My heart was pounding.
Frank Winters wanted to buy the Holly Jolly.
He wanted to keep it exactly as it was. He was agreeing to all of my stipulations. Even the super crazy ones.
Hearing his son, Todd, point those out made me realize that they really were crazy. I hadn’t really thought about that when I’d insisted my lawyer put them in there. Keeping everything exactly as it was in the Holly Jolly right now was a must. I had felt it like a nagging ache in my gut when we’d been talking about it. But when Todd was talking about how it was ridiculous, I realized that I’d put it in there because I’d figured it would prevent any serious offers.
But Frank had just made a serious offer. Not just an offer. He was willing to pay the stupid high price I’d also set. In hindsight, that had probably been to discourage any buyers too.
And his last name was Winters. I mean, he had to own the Holly Jolly right? The man talked about the place with an affectionate wistfulness in his eyes that I could completely relate to. It was exactly how I would want the next owner to feel.
He was perfect.
And I didn’t want to sell to him.
Because I wanted to keep the Holly Jolly.
The realization hit me between my breasts, right in the center of my chest, making it hard to take a deep breath.
I wanted to keep the Holly Jolly.
I wanted to stay in North Pole.
I wanted to stay with Joe.
God, it was so fucking cold here. So out of my comfort zone in every way. So nothing I had ever expected. But I wanted it. I wanted all of it. Yes, Joe was most of it. I would want him wherever he was. But I could honestly say that I also wanted North Pole and this crazy, wonderful, quirky, weird, amazing store.
“What’s wrong?” Frank asked me. He looked legitimately concerned as he leaned in with a frown.
“What do you mean?”
“You look like you’re about to faint,” he said.
“Or throw up,” Todd added, also frowning.
“Oh, I’m…” I waved my hand in front of my face. I suddenly felt hot. But not like I was going to throw up. More like I was going to cry. But in a good way. I needed to find Joe. I needed to tell him. I needed to ask him if it was okay if I stayed.
Oh…crap. I was going to stay and that was not part of our plan. We’d talked about this being just sex for sex while I was here. Short term. Nothing serious. Now I was just suddenly going to stay? I knew that it would seem out of the blue to him too. Who would guess that I would suddenly be madly in love with snow and stuffed reindeer and country music and candy canes?
Okay, loving candy canes wasn’t that hard to believe. They were awesome. As just candy canes. But now I knew how they could be used during hot sex with a big bearded guy whose heart was even bigger than his cock—and that was saying something. Yeah, I wasn’t worried about the cold. I would have Joe.
I hoped.
I turned and looked around. There were a few people still lingering in the store after the party. Surely Joe was one of them. He’d be here waiting for me. I’m sure he was planning that we’d clean up together. He’d definitely stick around and help. In fact, I half expected him to be there already, filling a trash bag with the ripped up wrapping paper and the red and green napkins that had held cookies and snacks.
I didn’t see him. He was big so that was weird, but he had to be here somewhere. I’d noticed him come back in after changing out of his Santa suit but just as he’d headed for Jaden, Frank and Todd had caught up with me.
“Paris?”
I swung back to Todd and Frank. “I’m sorry.”
“Is everything alright?” Todd asked.
I nodded. “Everything is good. Everything is really, really good. I need to go.”
“We need to head out yet tonight,” Todd protested. “Is there somewhere we can go and get everything signed?”
“No. I’m sorry. I’m not selling.” That sounded great out loud. It felt great to say it.
“Excuse me?” Todd asked, frowning.
“I’m not selling,” I repeated.
“We came all this way,” Todd said.
I lifted a shoulder. Frank Winters was a very nice man. I wasn’t as fond of Todd. “I’m sorry, but you didn’t tell me you were coming.” Honestly, if he’d called and let me know they were interested, I might have come to the realization about my feelings for the store, and the town, and Joe, sooner. Without them making the trip. But they hadn’t. “I’ve very recently made the decision to keep the store. To stay in North Pole.”
“But...I…we…” Todd spluttered.
Frank was watching me thoughtfully. “Would more money make a difference?” he asked.
“No,” I answered honestly. Of course I needed money. Like every normal person. But I had also inherited Lydia’s house and the cost of living in North Pole was nothing compared to L.A. I didn’t know what I would do with my store there. Maybe I could maintain my ownership there and have Janice manage it. But no matter what, I would have a small income from the Holly Jolly, and I really wanted to make it work.
“What about if we offer you a job in another of our stores? Full benefits, large salary, your pick of location?” Frank asked. He was still watching me with a slight smile.
“No. I want to be here. In this store. Doing this.”
Frank nodded.
“This is outrageous!” Todd exclaimed. “You should have let us know that you’d changed your mind. You should have been in touch.”
“Todd,” Frank said mildly. “It’s fine.”
“But—”
“Paris owns this store. This is how it should be.” Frank gave me a smile. “I think you’ve made the right choice.”
I felt my eyes go wide. “You do?”
“Doing something with your life that gives you joy and that you can be passionate about every day is wonderful. Doing it in a place with people that give you joy and that you can be passionate about is a true gift. I’m so glad you’ve found that.”
I felt my mouth drop open. How could he read all of that about me so easily? We’d spent maybe an hour together total. “How can you tell that’s how I feel?”
He smiled, one of those wise-older-person smiles that came from seeing a lot of life and learning from past experiences. And maybe mistakes. “It radiates from you, my dear. This store will never be all it can be if it’s not yours. And I have a feeling the same is true of this town, and these people—whoever they are.”
“Joe,” I said without thinking. His name just slipped out. “Joe is the person. My person.” Jaden and Sandy and all of the store’s regulars were part of it too, of course, but Joe was definitely The One.
“Joe’s a very lucky man. I hope he knows that.”
I gave Frank a huge smile. Then on impulse I leaned in and kissed the older man’s cheek. “Thank you.” Wow, I hoped so too.
“I can’t believe this,” Todd muttered.
“You’ll be fine,” Frank said. “I’ll buy you a hot chocolate on our way out of town.”
I fought a smile. Todd Winters didn’t strike me as the hot chocolate type.
“Fine. But I want whipped cream and not marshmallows,” Todd finally said.
I huffed out a laugh. I guess I
was wrong.
“Of course,” Frank said with a smile. Then he gave me a wink. “I mostly raised him right, but his mother convinced him that whipped cream is the better topping for cocoa.”
I laughed and watched the two men head for the door.
Then I looked around the store again. My store. Everything in this place belonged to me.
I loved every bit of it.
But mostly I loved Joe. I needed to tell him that. Right now. Then I needed to tell him that I was staying. Or maybe I’d tell him I was staying first. It didn’t matter.
But where the hell was he?
Frowning, I started for the wooden Santa house. Sandy was just off to one side. Jaden was helping gather up paper and bows and talking nonstop. Clearly, he’d had a lot of sugar.
“Hi, guys!” I gave them both a big smile. I wanted to tell them I was staying too, but Joe had to be the first. “Have you seen Joe?”
“Yes!” Jaden answered nosily—and obviously gleefully—wadding up wrapping paper and stuffing it into a garbage bag. “He loves my new truck!”
“I’m sure he does.” And clearly that was all that really mattered to Jaden at the moment. Not where his uncle was just then. I looked at Sandy. “Do you know where he is?”
She smiled and looked around. “He was here. We chatted, and then he went to find you, I thought.”
“Oh, I haven’t spoken to him.” I frowned and glanced around too.
“He headed in your direction.”
“He did?”
“Yep. Just before Ryan Cuppers and Liam Drivers started a game of tag, knocked into the snack table, and dumped the punch bowl over. I lost track of him after that.”
“What?” I quickly looked around but saw no evidence of the mess.
“We got it cleaned up,” Sandy said, waving her hand as if to say don’t worry about it. “But I didn’t keep my eye on Joe.”
“He left!” Jaden said, bouncing like a bunny over to me. He wore two big red bows on top of his head. Bunny ears I assumed.
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