A Lot Like Christmas

by Dawn Atkins

  “So you think he would do this?”

  “We’re going to get him in here and find out, dammit.” Leo looked furious. “That kid, he wants it all on a platter. What he wants, when he wants it. My sister spoiled him. I’m just sick that I brought this on us.” He shook his head, staring at the floor.

  “You didn’t know, Leo.”

  Fifteen minutes later, a red-faced Jesse admitted to the poster-paint graffiti and damaging the security carts, as well as calling in the bomb threat. “I didn’t hurt nothin’,” he insisted sullenly. “The carts needed fixing. You told me that, Uncle Leo. You said they neglected equipment and stuff.”

  Leo grimaced, clearly embarrassed to have been complaining about mall management.

  “I didn’t know they’d get out the SWAT cops and the dogs. The mall needed guarding, you said so, Uncle Leo. You said, ‘What would it take to prove it to the bosses?’ So I proved it.”

  He denied vandalizing the inside of the mall. Sylvie hoped Detective Lawson would get the whole truth out of him.

  At least the mystery of the attacks had been solved. Sylvie couldn’t wait to tell reporters it had been a misguided kid who wanted a guard job, not a crime wave.

  High on the news, she left a message for the PriceLess VP explaining what had happened, then went store to store to tell the shop owners. She left a voice mail for Chase, who’d gone to see the real estate guy.

  After that she stayed until the mall closed at midnight, reveling in her success. The store owners couldn’t have been happier with the day’s receipts. Already, two of the stores that had wanted to leave had decided to stay, and, on top of it all, she no longer needed to worry about the vandalism. It seemed the storm truly was passing.

  Happily exhausted, Sylvie got home to find a hopelessly huge bouquet of exotic flowers on her doorstep with a card from Chase congratulating her on a job well done. “Get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  SO SHE SLEPT. LIKE A LOG. The next morning, Sylvie got out of her car and smiled at the bright facade of the mall, now safe from damage. The winter sun was warm and bright, like her mood.

  The morning was crazy busy. Sylvie talked to three reporters and left messages with the rest. Mary Beth nabbed the sales figures from the day before so Sylvie had something to show Chase even before Monday and, best of all, Roger Munford from PriceLess called to let her know they were still interested in a Starlight Desert location.

  Randolph came in with a letter of resignation because he’d failed to identify Jesse as the culprit, but Sylvie convinced him the mall wouldn’t be the same without him.

  As the morning passed, Sylvie kept an eye out for Chase, eager to share her triumph.

  It was nearly noon when Cyndi called over the intercom, “I have a Shelley Clark from the Arizona Daily News on the phone. She says it’s urgent.”

  Shelley was a business reporter, so Sylvie assumed she was doing a roundup of Black Friday profits from all the malls.

  “Put her through,” she said, pasting on a smile, knowing it would come across in her voice. “Hey, Shelley, how are you?”

  “Fine. I’ve got a quick question for you.”

  “I bet I know the answer. Our Black Friday sales were off the chart. Record-breaking profits. We’re thrilled, but not surprised because—”

  “Great, but can you confirm that MegaMalls is buying Starlight Desert?”

  “Excuse me?” Sylvie’s entire body went rigid and she stopped breathing entirely.

  “I’ve been informed that MegaMalls has made an offer and that it’s been accepted. Can you verify that for me?”

  Sylvie forced herself to speak through numb lips. “Where did you hear this?”

  “A reliable source. I simply need confirmation.”

  “You’ll have to speak with Chase McCann, our general manager, who’s not here at the moment.” The words were dust in her mouth. “Let me have him call you.” Her hands shook as she wrote down the reporter’s phone number.

  Frozen at her desk, Sylvie stared at her door for what felt like hours, but only a few minutes had passed when Chase entered, Dasher on a leash beside him.

  “You’re selling us to MegaMalls?” she asked him.

  His face told her yes. “Where did you hear that?”

  “A reporter called.”

  “It’s too soon to talk about it with media.”

  “How about with your operations manager? Is it too soon to tell me you’re selling my life?” Her voice went higher, then cracked. “You promised we’d have the weekend, that you’d decide on Monday.”

  “I’m sorry, Sylvie, but the deal’s too good to pass up.”

  She just stared at him, feeling hot, then cold, in waves.

  “They can close quickly, the price is as high as we could hope for and, frankly, McCann Development needs the cash.”

  “Why would MegaMalls want us? We’re not that kind of mall.”

  “For the location. The structure’s in place. The park acreage will be easy to expand into.”

  Her mind caught up with the implications of this decision. “They’ll put in their chain stores, won’t they? We’re out. Our stores, our staff, everything gone.”

  “We’ll give the stores at least three months to relocate and staff that long to find new jobs. Some stores might stay.”

  “No way could they afford that rent.”

  “MegaMalls may want a transition person and you would be perfect.” His words were wooden and his eyes looked sad. He had to know how devastated she was. “Of course, you’ve got our highest recommendation. Your work speaks for itself.”

  The horrible truth leached further into her being. “So our record-breaking weekend meant nothing? It was all pointless? What am I going to tell the store owners now?”

  “I’ll talk to them. This is McCann Development’s decision, not yours.”

  “They’ll think I’m a fool you kept in the dark.” Her throat squeezed shut. She blinked, her eyes burning. “They’ll think I betrayed them.” She felt betrayed herself, even though Chase had leveled with her all along.

  “They know you. They know you love the mall.”

  “I can’t believe Marshall would agree to this,” she said. He was her last hope.

  “He’s a businessman, Sylvie, and this is a business decision.”

  “It’s all about the bottom line, right? Not sentiment, not family, nothing but money.” She spat out the words.

  “It’s best for McMann Development.”

  “And for you, right? You get your share of the money? And there’s that deal in Oregon, right?”

  “That’s not why we’re selling, but yes.” Chase looked puzzled by her bitter tone. “I’ll invest in the Portland project and I’ll be able to pay back my investors sooner than with Home At Last, so, yeah, the money is nice.”

  “I thought you loved Home at Last.”

  “I do, but once all the investors are in place, my job is done. Chet will stay here for the day-to-day and I can—”

  “Walk away? Get in, get out, move on?”

  “If you want to put it that way, yes.” He swallowed, holding her gaze.

  “I guess that’s the point. We both knew you’d leave. I just didn’t think you’d also take away everything I’ve worked for. The mall. My job. My hopes. All of it.” She blinked back tears. “And I’ve let everyone down on top of it.”

  “You held the mall together, Sylvie. Everyone knows that. Hell, you even caught the vandal. I know you don’t see it now, but this is a chance for you to do something bigger.” He spoke gently, kindly, but that made her furious.

  “First off, I don’t want anything bigger. And, by the way, no mall will snap me up to manage it, if that’s what you think. The minimum requirement is a college degree or five years of management experience. I’d be lucky to be hired as a marketing assistant.”

  “So, forget malls then. I know Starlight Desert is special to you, but a mall manager is really just a glorified landlord. Is t
hat what you want? You’re smart and good with people and organized and creative and you understand retail cold. You could do so many things beyond this.”

  Sylvie felt as if she might explode. Garbage was spewing out of the mouth of the man she loved and her heart was breaking and breaking.

  “After all this time, after all you’ve seen here, you don’t get it, do you? You don’t get me. Or Starlight Desert, for that matter.” She glared at him. “Frankly, in business terms, which seem to be the only thing that matters to you, Starlight Desert has just launched its best holiday season ever, the vandalism is over and PriceLess is on board again. If you kept the mall you’d make tons more money than you will selling it. Not very bottom-line of you is it?”

  “That’s not the direction we’re going, Sylvie.” Chase’s voice was flat. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know I shouldn’t be so angry. I knew this might happen. I just thought you would find a way, that you would see…” She shook her head, fighting despair.

  “This doesn’t change how I feel about you, Sylvie.” He took a step closer to her, arms lifting, as if to hold her.

  Nothing would make her feel worse. “Excuse me, but so what? You’re leaving for Oregon, right? As soon as you can escape?”

  “We have to figure out what to do.”

  “What to do?” She looked at him from across the cold ocean that separated them. How had she ever thought they could be together? Chase’s love was no more permanent than his presence at the mall. “There’s nothing to do. The mall’s over and so are we.”

  “You’re giving up? Just like that?”

  “We can’t last, Chase, and you know it.”

  She watched as the truth sank in. His face went slack, his brown eyes murky. “I never wanted to hurt you, Sylvie.”

  “Too late,” she said. “But you did warn me. You told me all about your hazard label, but I walked head-on into the hurt just the same.” Chase would never stay here, not for work and certainly not for love. “I’m an idiot.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re in love. And so am I.”

  “It was a fantasy, Chase. Built out of memories and hopes and need. This is reality. It’s busted down the door, so let’s accept it and move on.”

  He looked at her for a long moment. “Is that what you really want?”

  “It’s exactly what I want.”

  “I won’t argue with you.”

  “Good to hear.” Sylvie took a deep, shaky breath. She had a job to do for as long as it lasted—to look after the Starlight Desert family. She thrust the message slip she still clutched at him. “The reporter is Shelley Clark. Business section. I doubt she’ll delay a scoop this big, so I’ll call a tenant meeting for this afternoon so we can tell everyone.”

  Chase took the slip from her. “I can call the meeting myself. You don’t need to be there if you’d rather not.”

  “Of course I’ll be there,” she said. “It’s my job. I’ll do my best for Starlight Desert until my very last day.”

  “I know you will. But if you change your mind—”

  “I won’t.” Though it would be more painful than she wanted to admit.

  “No.” He sighed, “I don’t suppose you will. You’re the most determined person I know. It’s been a privilege working with you, Sylvie.”

  “Just call the reporter,” she said, turning away to hide her tears.

  At the tenant meeting that afternoon, Chase made the announcement to gasps and nos. Sylvie couldn’t bear the shocked and pale faces, the long, tense silence followed by an explosion of questions.

  Chase answered them calmly, but then he’d had plenty of experience ending things, she thought bitterly.

  “I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Sylvie said, stepping in front of Chase. She had to say something.

  “Did you know about this, Sylvie?” Theo demanded.

  “No, she did not,” Chase answered for her. “The offer came late last night. The reporter got wind of it before we’d even worked out the details or had a chance to talk with Sylvie. As soon as I know more, I’ll let you all know.”

  “Starlight Desert is home for me, too,” Sylvie said. “I hope holiday revenues will be enough to cover your moving costs. I just wish…it could be different.” And then everything was too much for her. She couldn’t bear the weight of this loss in front of people she’d let down.

  “Please excuse me.” She headed for the door. As she left she caught sight of Chase watching her, his eyes pained and sad. She didn’t want his pity, dammit. She didn’t want anything from him. Except her heart and she’d have to take that back herself.

  CHASE WATCHED SYLVIE walk out of the meeting, his throat tight, his fists tighter. He’d hurt her deeply. He’d had no business getting involved with a woman with as big a heart as hers. It had been as stupid and dangerous as too many peach margaritas that long-ago night.

  He’d wanted more somehow, but he’d been a fool to try for it. He was who he was, as Sylvie had pointed out, and people didn’t change. Even Fletcher had warned him.

  It was just that her rejection had been so swift. The mall’s over and so are we. Boom. She was right, of course, but it hurt like hell.

  He would do what he could to help Sylvie get a new job, make calls, whatever she’d let him do, which wouldn’t be much, he’d bet. She didn’t want to hear it, but she could do far better than be landlord to a bunch of shops.

  The sales offer and terms were unbeatable. Even Marshall hadn’t argued against the sale. In fact, he’d been strangely quiet during the discussion.

  Selling the mall was the right thing to do, dammit, and Chase wasn’t going to let Sylvie make him feel bad about it.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  THE NEXT TWO DAYS were a wretched blur for Sylvie.

  Christmas shopping was brisk, the mall alive with holiday spirit. Heaven Scents’ festive aromas filled the air. Santa’s workshop was busy with children, the carols playing merrily overhead and the lights and trees made the place seem like the homiest of Christmas scenes.

  It was her favorite season in her favorite place, but Sylvie felt empty inside.

  Smiling as best she could, she went store to store discussing options and offering advice. The shop owners mumbled that it wasn’t her fault, but she felt as though she’d failed them.

  Soon, she’d have to figure out her own future, but for now, she intended to do her job as best she could for as long as she could.

  She missed Chase, although breaking up had been the right thing to do. Only the comfort of Dasher’s easy affection eased her misery. She didn’t even mind the middle-of-the-night trips outdoors anymore. Chase had been right about Dasher. She did love him and couldn’t imagine her life without him.

  Then, midmorning on the third day after the news of the sale, Cyndi alerted Sylvie to a commotion outside.

  In the parking lot, Sylvie found a crowd carrying signs, marching and chanting protests. The signs had been stenciled in red paint: “No Mega Monsters in our ’Hood”… “Negative, MegaMalls”… “MegaMalls Get Out!” The chants conveyed similar sentiments.

  While she stood there, a TV truck arrived. She wasn’t surprised. The media loved stories like this. People protesting against giant MegaMalls swallowing up the friendly neighborhood mall.

  Sylvie could hardly contain her joy. She’d been right. People did love Starlight Desert. They were loyal. She couldn’t wait to rub it in with Chase.

  She found him in his office, head in his hands. He looked up at her. “Did you see that mess outside?”

  “You mean the loyal customers who don’t want us to close? The ones you said only cared about the mall for a smoothie in summer? Yes, I saw them and I’m glad they’re there.”

  “Loyal customers?” He snorted. “Don’t be naive. This is a campaign to cause trouble with the sale. There were picketers outside MegaMalls headquarters and the CEO is fit to be tied.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh, yeah. This morning’s paper had a let
ter to the editor signed by ‘Take Back Our Neighborhoods’ using the same phrases that are on the signs. Also part of the plot.”

  “You’re kidding,” she said, sitting down. That did sound fishy. “The business story only came out two days ago. Who’s doing this?”

  “Someone with the clout and savvy to organize a protest group overnight.”

  “Like someone political? Like Reggie Collins? He was all hot to re-envision us, remember?”

  “He’d have the constituent lists for sure.”

  “But why would he oppose MegaMalls? You’d think he’d be trying to take credit for bringing bigger business to the area.”

  “Fletcher said he blocked permits for a condo project, which makes no sense, either. Who knows what his real agenda is?”

  “It would be worth asking some questions.”

  “Maybe. Meanwhile, MegaMalls is getting cold feet. They hate controversy.” Chase looked grim, but he studied her face. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m holding up,” she said.

  “That’s good. Is Dasher letting you sleep?”

  “Dasher’s Dasher. He is who he is.”

  “I guess we all are, like you said.” He looked so sad she felt a twinge in her chest.

  His phone rang. “Excuse me,” he said.

  Leaving Chase to what sounded like a conversation with his real estate broker, Sylvie went back outside to see what she could learn about the protestors. She was sick to death of people using Starlight Desert as a whipping post.

  The first thing she noticed was that the signs had been made from Tracer’s posters faced inward and stapled together so the blank back side could be stenciled on.

  Why would the department store be involved in a protest? Tracer’s would be closing whether or not Starlight Desert sold, right? She’d talk to Talley about that.

  Also, there were a lot of men among the marchers. Most mall shoppers were women, so that gave weight to Chase’s theory that these weren’t loyal customers.