Melodies and Mistletoe (Christmas in the City Book 3)

by Kasey Stockton

  “Just watch it to the end,” Nikki said. “And then call the guy! Gotta go.”

  The phone beeped in her ear, indicating the call had ended, and Hailey stood before the elevator, staring at the keypad that would give her access to get up to the Martinezes’ loft.

  She should just let it go. It would be healthier if she let it go, right?

  Oh, who was she kidding? Curiosity nipped at her, and she opened her browser, locating the video.

  Her voice came through the phone, soft and low. Then Ryan’s voice reached her ears. “This is interesting. You take the set-up of the girl with the guitar, the Santa hat…”

  Scrunching her nose, Hailey scrubbed forward, skipping the rest of the video until she reached the end. Her song had ended and Ryan, with his dark eyes and chiseled jawline, was speaking into the camera. He probably thought he was so hot. He wouldn’t be wrong, of course, but that was beside the point.

  “So all that aside, I’ve got a proposition for you, Hailey Grant.”

  She froze, lifting the phone closer to her face. Ryan directed a lopsided grin at the camera. His voice was husky, and his eyes lazy, slightly tired, which, she supposed, could be owed to the super late time stamp on the video; annoyingly, it only made him more attractive.

  “I know this is a long shot. But Hailey, I’ve got a gig that needs a performer. If you’re interested, get yourself to the Sound Magazine offices in New York City by the end of the week. If not”—he shrugged—“well, a guy can take a hint.” He winked at the camera, and the video ended.

  Hailey scoffed. Ryan Says actually had the gumption to wink at her after critiquing her singing voice and lack of professional training?

  “Miss Grant,” a wary voice called from behind her, and she jumped.

  The ancient doorman—complete in his crisp uniform and old-fashioned bellhop hat—approached her slowly, concern creasing his face. “Is the elevator giving you trouble, dear?”

  Her cheeks warmed. How long had she been standing there, watching her phone? She reached forward and punched her code into the command box, and the arrow lit up, which meant the car was traveling her way. She lifted her phone. “I was distracted.”

  “Ah.” Declan nodded in understanding. “Of course. I don’t know how you young people get anything done these days with those devices always in your hands.”

  The elevator beeped, the doors sliding open, and Hailey stepped inside. “Have a good day, Declan.”

  He dipped his head in the old-fashioned respect that fit his uniform well. “The same to you, Miss Grant.”

  It was too bad chivalry was a thing of the past. If more guys would act like that, maybe Hailey would have more interest in dating. Not that she had the time for it. Well, maybe now that her career had screeched to a complete halt at Nomad last night, she would have more time for dating.

  Unless…unless her career hadn’t ended, and she took Ryan Says up on his offer. What kind of gig did he have for her? That was the real question. Hailey tapped her short nails against her phone screen as the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. She tossed her coat, shoes, and purse into the closet that practically disappeared back into the wall then went in search of Kendra.

  She didn’t know what she was going to do about the proposition. But she had ten hours ahead of her with Kendra, and she couldn’t do anything about it yet anyway.

  “I have to run.” Amber whirled into the kitchen, her heels clicking across the marble floor. “I told you my brother just moved back to New York, right? Well now we’ve got a huge ad meeting for the company tomorrow and he’s stressed, so we have to go over numbers today.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I don’t have my own magazine to run or anything. And it’s almost Christmas. Why now?”

  “So you think it might be a late night?”

  Amber groaned, wrapping her scarf around her neck. “It better not be. No, it won’t be. I haven’t tucked Kenny in all week. Tell her to count on seeing me tonight.”

  Hailey nodded, and she hoped she wasn’t going to be lying to the poor girl.

  “Kenny’s in her room, and there’s a list of things she needs to get for a school project in her backpack. It’s due tomorrow.” Amber roughly pulled on her coat and buttoned it over her scarf. “I would’ve ordered them already, but I just learned about it this morning.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll get it taken care of.”

  Sweeping her purse off the counter, Amber shot Hailey a grateful smile as her footsteps clicked away from the kitchen and into the entryway. “Thanks, Hailey. You’re a peach.”

  A peach? Was that a good thing?

  Hailey turned to ask Amber if she’d already fed Kendra breakfast, but the elevator doors closed, leaving a still, empty silence behind. It wasn’t a problem though. If she could get Kendra ready for school in the next ten minutes, they could stop by that delicious bakery they both loved and have cronuts for breakfast. Flaky, buttery, fried dough drenched in icing was exactly what Hailey needed right now to get the YouTube critique and the stupid-handsome guy who did it off her mind.

  Ryan pulled his computer from his messenger bag and set it on the cafe table, powering it on. The little bakery was just around the corner from his sister’s apartment, and totally out of his way, but he’d stopped here after dropping some files at her place a few days before and had eaten the best breakfast sandwich he’d ever tasted.

  He’d returned two more times since. If he wasn’t careful, he was bound to become a regular. Not that he minded, but his waistline might. At least in New York he walked pretty much everywhere while his poor car sat unused. Hopefully, it would all even out.

  The dark-haired waitress brought over his plate with a side of orange juice, and he smiled his thanks while she adjusted her elf hat. Now, to get to business. He opened the reports Bradshaw would want to see tomorrow and scanned the numbers for the thirtieth time. Nope; they still hadn’t magically improved overnight.

  Sighing, he scrubbed a hand over his face. Carter was right. They needed to do something to become more relevant in this ever-advancing tech world, and they needed Bradshaw’s advertising account to do it.

  Ryan’s phone rang loudly in the little shop, and he pulled it out, answering it right away. He slipped his AirPods into his ears and waited for them to connect.

  “What’s up, Carter?”

  Carter’s voice was high, a mocking falsetto. “I’ve got a gig for you. Come to my place of business if you want a leg up in the music industry.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  His voice returned to normal. “Did you ask a YouTuber out on a date over YouTube? Be honest.”

  Yes, he had. But he wasn’t about to admit it now. “You saw the memos Sarah sent around for the anniversary party yesterday. We don’t have a band yet…to celebrate a music magazine. I may have just filled the spot.”

  “Or maybe that girl lives in Montana and wants to spend Christmas with her family and not travel across the country for a stab in the dark chance to perform for a stranger who asked her out online.”

  “When you say it like that you make me sound like a creep.”

  Ryan could perfectly imagine Carter’s brows raising.

  “Well, I don’t know if you meant to do this or not,” Carter said, “but you’ve flooded the lobby with music hopefuls. Security formed them into a line, and it goes out the door. We’re gonna have Manhattan cops shutting it down soon and citing us for lack of crowd control.”

  “Are you kidding?” Ryan’s mouth hung open. He thought telling her to come to the office was smart—he hadn’t posted his phone number or anything, and his secretary would be able to tell by her face if she was Hailey Grant because she’d been on video.

  “Do they all look like the girl in the video?” he asked.

  “Not even close. I don’t know how they think they’re gonna fool you. But it’s getting bad. You better get down here.”

  “Hang on just a second.” Ryan stood up, downing his orange
juice in two gulps. He closed his computer and shoved it back in the bag before taking out his wallet and dropping a bill on the table. Swinging his bag over his shoulder, he took the sandwich from the plate and spun toward the door. What had he been thinking?

  Okay, so he knew what he’d been thinking, but he could also admit to himself that it wasn’t reasonable. He’d been attracted to Hailey Grant. But not in a creepy way. She was beautiful, obviously, but her voice had drawn him in. He’d felt suspended listening to her. Yeah, she could use a few lessons on control, but she had a gift.

  You could teach music theory and development. You couldn’t teach God-given talent.

  And Ryan wanted to meet her. Maybe he’d made his proposition sound more like he was asking her out, but…well, okay. So he might have been asking her out. But he’d tried to save it by turning it into a joke at the end. Hailey Grant probably had a boyfriend anyway, and they probably watched the critique together, laughing at the pathetic attempt Ryan had made to meet her.

  At least the gig he’d offered was real.

  “You there, man?” Carter asked, his voice loud in Ryan’s ear.

  “Yeah, just gathering up my things. I’m heading your way.”

  Chapter Four

  The cutest part about Kindergarteners was how large their backpacks were in comparison to their small bodies. Hailey reached forward and tugged Kendra’s ponytail out of her coat, and her charge glanced over her shoulder, taking another bite of her banana as they walked down the sidewalk.

  Hailey wasn’t the worst nanny in the world. Life was all about balance, and this banana would balance out the fried, sugary cronut they were about to have.

  “Can we get hot choc—”

  “Chew,” Hailey gently reprimanded, and Kendra snapped her mouth closed, chewing her bite quickly.

  “Can we get hot chocolate?”

  If the banana was meant to balance the cronut, what was going to balance hot chocolate?

  A man walking toward them on the sidewalk was focused on his phone and veering their direction. Hailey slipped a hand over Kendra’s shoulder and guided her out of harm’s way. Maybe he shouldn’t be texting and walking at the same time.

  That was it! Walking. Walking would balance the hot chocolate. They had to travel two blocks past the school to get to the bakery anyway.

  “Sure, Ken.”

  Kendra beamed, shoving the last of her banana in her mouth and handing Hailey the peel. Of course there were no garbage cans around when she needed one.

  “I’m heading to Target after I drop you off to get the supplies for your project. What kind of ornaments did you have in mind for your All About Me Tree?”

  “Insects.”

  “Ah, I should have known! Who wouldn’t want spiders crawling all over their Christmas tree?” She reached forward and crawled her fingers over Kendra’s head like a spider.

  Kendra giggled, cringing. “Spiders aren’t bugs. They’re arachnids.”

  Hailey threw her arm over Kendra’s shoulder and pulled her in tight. “What’s the difference?”

  “Insects have three body parts. Spiders only have two.”

  “They still have eight legs.”

  Kendra looked up, her tiny, dark eyebrows pulling together. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “It makes them gross,” Hailey explained, tossing the banana peel in the garbage can on the corner. She opened the bakery door, the heat from inside the building clouding over Hailey on the sidewalk. Kendra rolled her eyes and moved to step inside, but a man barreled out of the bakery and slammed into her. He did a quick step to the side, but the croissant flew out of his hand, plopping on Hailey’s chest before it slid to the ground, leaving behind a greasy, white sauce. Gross. She pulled Kendra close to her side before turning her attention to the man, and—Ryan Says. Her entire body stilled.

  What were the chances she’d run into Ryan Says in a tiny bakery in Manhattan?

  “Send them home, Carter,” he said, staring at her with intense, hazel eyes, his dark hair swept to the side.

  Huh? How did that make any sense?

  “Just tell them I’ve found her,” he said. “Because it’s the truth.”

  Okay, was he crazy? Hailey tightened her hold on Kendra, pulling her closer to her side.

  Ryan Says stuck his hand out as if Hailey would actually shake it. “Hi. Ryan Bierman. Nice to meet you in person.”

  “Uncle Ryan!”

  Uncle what?

  His face dropped to Kendra, confusion on his brow until his eyes lit up. “Kenny?”

  She pulled free from Hailey’s protective arms and leaped toward the YouTube critic, throwing her arms around his waist. He returned her hug, then pulled AirPods out of his ears. “What are you doing here?”

  Shouldn’t Hailey be the one asking questions? At least she knew he’d been talking to someone on the phone…probably.

  Kendra didn’t have the same reservations. “We’re getting cronuts and hot chocolate before school.”

  “Yeah?” Ryan asked. “That sounds like a healthy way to start your day.”

  Wow. So he was judging her caretaker skills now, too?

  “Have you tried a cronut, Uncle Ryan? They are donuts and croissants mixed together and they’re amazing.”

  “I haven’t, but maybe I need to.”

  “I don’t know if it’s a good idea,” Hailey said, unable to help herself. “It’s not a healthy way to start your day.”

  He glanced up sharply, his hazel eyes widening. “Oh, I didn’t mean—I wasn’t saying…” He cleared his throat. “Are you two together?”

  “Of course we are, silly.” Kendra beamed.

  “Do you want to introduce me to your friend?” His voice softened, his attention on his niece.

  She turned. “This is Hailey, my nanny.”

  He straightened.

  “You must be Amber’s brother.” The pieces clicked together so suddenly, Hailey felt like an idiot for not having figured it out sooner. Amber had mentioned her brother moved back to New York—the brother who co-owned Bierman Media, one of the biggest media companies in New York City. Was Ryan Says a YouTube name for Ryan Bierman, the media mogul? He’d kind of been absent from the internet for years.

  And never once had Amber talked about him in any specific sense. In Hailey’s defense, she spent all her time with Kendra, not her parents.

  “Yeah, I’m Amber’s brother. How long have you been working for her?”

  “Four years.”

  “Woah.” Ryan ran a hand through his hair, stepping back. “It’s weird that we haven’t met before now.”

  “Not really. They only see you when they fly to California, right? I’ve never traveled with them.” Amber’s mom came up from Florida more often than not and visited them here, so they didn’t have a lot of reasons to leave.

  “I can’t believe…” He shook his head. “How long have you been singing?”

  Any chance that maybe he hadn’t recognized her went out the door. Except, they were still standing in the doorway. “I don’t really have time to chat. I need to fill Kendra with sugar and grease before I send her to school.”

  “Okay, listen, I didn’t mean—”

  “Uncle Ryan, we can’t be late. Then I won’t earn any stars today.”

  “We don’t want to get in the way of your stars, do we?” He looked at Hailey. “Can I walk with you?”

  Kendra glanced between her uncle and her nanny. It was unfair of him to ask this around the kid. It wasn’t like Hailey could say no, could she? The guy was Amber’s brother. Kendra had confirmed it.

  “Sure.” She gestured inside, and Kendra skipped into the building.

  “I’ll meet you out here. I need to call the office. Oh, and Hailey?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Sorry about the…” He pointed to her chest, swirling his hand around the air like he was at a loss for words. “I didn’t mean to throw my sandwich at you.”

  “It was an acciden
t.” Hailey hurried after Kendra, letting the door close behind her. She placed their order with a barista dressed as an elf, adding an extra-large hot chocolate for herself just to show Ryan how little his health comment meant to her. The elf handed over their cronuts, and they moved to wait for their drinks. Taking a stack of napkins, she tried to wipe most of the gunk from her coat, but the giant grease stain from his sandwich was only spreading. Oh, come on. This could not get worse.

  “Uncle Ryan just moved back to New York, and it made Mommy really happy,” Kendra said, taking a bite of her cronut.

  Hailey paused, turning toward her young charge. “Yeah, I bet. It’s always nice when family can be nearby.” Would it be considered inappropriate to pump Kendra for information about her uncle? Hailey could probably Google him, but this source was much better and way more reliable. Probably.

  She glanced at the long, glass windows at the front of the shop and watched Ryan pace, his expression animated like he was talking to himself. Well, he probably was talking to someone in those tiny buds in his ears, but they weren’t immediately noticeable, so he just looked funny. Like one of the men who paced in the subway at night, shaking his hands at invisible enemies.

  “Daddy said that Uncle Ryan just needed to get some directions, and Mommy told him to be nice.” Kendra took another bite of her cronut. “But I don’t know why that’s mean. I ask for directions at school, and Miss Holmes is always happy to help me.”

  “It’s not mean. Asking for directions is a perfectly acceptable thing to do, Ken.” Which is probably not what Luis meant when he said that about Ryan. He probably meant that the man needed some direction in his life—or that would be Hailey’s guess, at least. It made her curious to find out why.

  “Two hot chocolates!” The barista in the elf hat put their to-go cups on the counter.

  Hailey checked the time then reached for the cups, handing the small one to Kendra. “Okay, we have eight minutes. We’ve got to hustle. Can you eat and walk fast?”

  “I’ll try,” she said valiantly.

  They went outside, and Ryan fell into step alongside them as they turned up the street.