Full Contact Decorating

by Robin Weaver

  Gads, even caffeine didn’t help. How did Suzette know about Tripp? Had to be Kaley. The coffee shop owner and Suzette were BFFs. That Brew Mistress of Darkness had probably been dialing her phone before Katarina even got out of the coffee shop.

  “I didn’t mean to interfere,” Suzette said.

  Katarina took a breath, willing to forgive but not ready to talk about Tripp. She’d change the subject. “You seriously expect me to believe you liked that man’s decorations?”

  “Actually, I love them, but I wouldn’t have even suggested you look at the HollyGrams except you said the Phantom theme wasn’t working. I thought the HollyGrams would work perfectly with your roses and pearls. I suppose I was being selfish, too. Having our product on the winning Christmas Tree would get us lots of exposure.”

  “Suze, you can’t expect me to believe those…” Katarina worked hard to keep the as if out of her tone. Being good was damn hard. “You can’t seriously think I’d use those ornaments. They were so…” She paused. Tacky might be a tad unfair, but strings of shiny red ornaments would never garner a placement in the Merryvale Christmas Tree contest. “They are so ordinary.”

  Suzette laughed again. Katarina really wished she’d stop all the ho-ho-ho’ing. “That’s because you didn’t see them turned on.”

  Turned on? So they glowed. Or flickered. Or whatever. Big deal.

  “Kat…”

  Uh-oh, here it comes. Katarina braced herself. Surely Suzette wouldn’t demand she use some crazy lights just because she planned to sell them.

  “I’ve asked Hunter to return to the shop. If you don’t like the decorations, don’t use them. All I’m asking is that you let him demo the product. Please. And think about joining the company. We can’t pay anyone right now, but I’m willing to give you a five-percent share of HollyGrams.”

  Oh, hell. “Don’t you have to clear that with Lord Hunter?”

  Suzette laughed. “Absolutely not. I’ll take it out of my share. We need you, Kat.”

  She would play the need card.

  “I’ll let you know after I see the demo,” Katarina replied, sure the answer would be no. “Right now, I’m not impressed.”

  “But you will let Hunter demo?” Suzette asked.

  “Fine. But promise me you aren’t trying to set me up.”

  “I swear. And one more thing,” Suzette said, her voice so soft Katarina could barely hear.

  Like she needed one more. “Shoot.”

  “I’m swearing you to secrecy, but I know something that might help you with Tripp.”

  Dear Marley’s Ghost. How was she supposed to respond to that? Any response except “I’m not interested in Tripp” would be a confirmation that she was indeed interested in Tripp. “I’m not saying I need help, but I will keep your secret.”

  “Tripp is dyslexic. Don’t let on that you know, but if you can figure out a way to read his lines for him… Just a thought. Gotta run. Call me after you see Hunter’s demo.”

  A dial tone echoed in her ear.

  Katarina stared at her phone, her head spinning. She’d always suspected Tripp was dyslexic.

  A soft knock sounded on her door. “Katty,” Leo whispered—if you could call his hoarse post-puberty growl a whisper. “Mr. Montgomery is back.”

  Merry freaking great. Just when she thought her day couldn’t get any kookier.

  Chapter Four

  It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Ordinary

  Hunter stiffened when Katarina walked into the shop. Such a pretty package for all that bitchiness. Her lips alone could make a man think thoughts that got him on Santa’s naughty list. And that hair. He couldn’t look it her without imaging the long locks spread over a pillow.

  Or he’d think that, if she weren’t a bitch.

  He mentally swore at Suzette again. How dare she subject him to further humiliation? So what if the shopping channel wanted exclusive rights to their product? It wasn’t a bad deal.

  “Mr. Montgomery.” Katarina actually smiled at him. Who would have guessed the witch cast him out of her shop only four hours earlier. At least she’d made him so mad he had to leave. “Please come back to my office.”

  He followed, a dead man walking. Inside her office, he didn’t wait for an invitation. The sooner he showed her how his Hollygrams worked, the sooner he could get to the airport. Hell, maybe he’d rent a car and drive to Charlotte. God knew he could get a quicker flight from that airport.

  “Do you need a plug?”

  He looked at her, wondering when her other head would materialize. “A plug?”

  She nodded, looking all sugarplum-sweet. What an illusion. “Yes. Electricity. I assume you need to plug in those…the balls so they can do their thing.”

  He would not let the witch get to him. “Ms. Snot…eh, Snodgrass. I’m an engineer. I’m perfectly capable of designing automation with batteries. Maybe you’ve heard of them.” Okay, definitely sinking to her level, but hell. “Here, look.” He pointed to the watch-sized battery at the end of the string.

  “Wow, all you had to do was turn them on? Why didn’t you do that before?”

  Hunter took a deep breath, determined not to waste useless conversation.

  With a flick of his finger, the HollyGram came to life.

  ****

  Katarina’s breath whooshed out. She didn’t want to be impressed, but holy Rudolph, anyone would be impressed. She hadn’t even seen how Hunter activated the change, but the commonplace red ornaments became anything but ordinary.

  The balls changed first into fiery maroons and golds before the colors swirled and turned each globe into the most beautiful pearl, luminous and beckoning the touch. She scarcely had time to catch her breath before the pearls began to sparkle with pure light. The decorations should have been gimmicky, but each ball looked like a magnificent diamond, free of flaws and of the highest clarity. The thin wire connecting the spheres glimmered, first like the finest silver and then a waterfall on a string.

  “That’s…” She had no words.

  “Cool?” Hunter asked, his voice not completely void of I told you so.

  She shook her head. The man might be a genius, but he clearly had no concept of description. “Not cool. Amazing. Beyond amazing.”

  “Well…” he paused, forcing Katarina to look at him. “I’m sure you can find these in any drugstore.”

  Normally, his sarcasm would have registered higher on her attention meter—no one appreciated a sassy comeback more than her—but the twinkling diamonds morphed into stars and mesmerized her entire being.

  These ornaments would definitely work. They’d look fabulous with her roses and could win any contest anywhere in the world.

  Then the balls changed again. Katarina took a step back. “Uh…”

  Her dream turned into a nightmare. Each ornament turned plain old white and had some kind of illustration. She looked closer. Was that a bird? And on the other one…two birds? Oh dear Lord. The third had pictures of chickens.

  She got it. And wanted to scream. “You ruined it.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Before she could respond, the noise registered. Not noise, music. Of a sort. Gimmicky, electronic music. The Twelve Days of Christmas blasted in ten-ball stereo.

  “Cool, huh?”

  Katarina turned to glare at Hunter. Was he insane? “No.”

  The Twelve Days of Christmas. Seriously? Twenty-two contestants had used that decorating theme in last year’s Christmas Tree Contest.

  Her nightmare was complete.

  Chapter Five

  I Saw Mommy Hugging Santa…Cost Him Five Percent

  Hunter took another breath, wondering if he’d ever get a chance to speak. Finally, Katarina slumped down into her office chair and put her elbows on the desk, her head in her hands.

  “What exactly is the problem?” He’d probably wish he hadn’t asked.

  She sighed. “I simply cannot use the twelve days as a theme. It’s been done and done.” She raised her
head, shooting icicles from her eyes at him. “And done.”

  Unlike her previous tirade, he found this rant amusing. Katarina Snodgrass might be a snob of the highest order, but she made ranting look good. He didn’t admire her, not in the traditional sense, but he was a man and could appreciate a shapely woman full of passion—even if that passion was negative and aimed at him.

  She groaned. Then Katarina put her head back in her hands, looking a bit like his last girlfriend’s yapper dog after the mutt had gotten a scolding.

  “It can be undone,” he said, intentionally speaking very softly.

  She raised her head again, he expression confused, and maybe a bit hopeful. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, if you don’t like the Twelve Days of Christmas, I can make it go away.”

  She blinked. “For real? You can do that?

  “Not only can I do that, I can reprogram the HollyGrams to look like anything you want. That’s the beauty of this design. Each holiday season, we can introduce new themes. People can have the same decorations, but a new look every year.”

  “Can you do more gemstones?”

  “I don’t see why not. We have a graphics designer on staff. Once you tell me what you want, I’ll order the visuals. Once we have those, I should be able to get the module programmed in three days. Tops.”

  She turned to face him, her mouth open. Without warning, she rushed toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  Hunter stood stock-still. She was like a baby deer, and he didn’t want to spook the critter.

  She stepped back, blinking. Like she’d been under a spell. One clearly cast by his ornaments, not him.

  “Don’t get any ideas, Montgomery. I’d have hugged Satan if he’d given me what I need to win the Christmas Tree Contest.”

  He smiled, having expected her return to snarky. Katarina would require constant marvels to keep her happy, and that was way too much maintenance for him, probably for any ten men.

  “So tell me what you want so I can start working and get out of here.”

  She blinked, and then bit at her lip. The Snow Queen couldn’t possibly be uncertain. “Do I have to decide right this minute?”

  “By all means, take your time. Let me just put my life on hold and await your bidding.” Damn, what an idiot he’d been to think she’d ever care about anyone except herself.

  “Okay Mr. All-Important, why don’t you fly home and I’ll call you when I work out my design.”

  “Because, Ms. Whatever, I don’t intend to buy two extra airplane tickets twice just because you can’t make up your mind.”

  “Two?”

  “Yes, two. You don’t think I’d risk putting the Holograms in the overhead, did you? These are prototypes. Until manufacturing is up and we can mass-produce, these babies are priceless.”

  “Oh.”

  Oh, indeed. “Don’t you already have a theme?” he asked. “Suzette said you plan the tree a year in advance. Why can’t we just go with what you already have?”

  “Because I found out someone else was using my theme.”

  Rudolph’s balls. God spare him from designers. He wondered again if he’d gotten into the wrong business. If he didn’t thrive on the engineering aspect of his product, he might seriously rethink his creation. “So?”

  “Geez, you don’t understand anything.”

  He’d graduated with honors from MIT. He understood a few things. Just not women. “I understand I’m being held hostage by Ms. Wishy-Washy.”

  “Oh poor you. Must be so tough being stuck in this winter paradise. Look,” she said, standing and putting a hand on her hip. “I’m doing the best I can. This contest is very important to me. To you, too, if you want the publicity generated by winning.”

  Damn woman. Just like a female—propping her hand to draw attention to her body and distract him. Damned if he’d fall for that.

  So stop looking at her hips. “Just what do you expect me to do while you’re figuring it out? Sell flowers?”

  She smiled. “Could you?”

  His frustration abated. Who knew Ms. All-That had a sense of humor. “Fine, but you have to decide by tomorrow. The longer you take, the longer I have to stay here.”

  “Oh, right. Because Merryvale is so terrible. For your information, Mr. New York, our hotels are already booked for next year.”

  That couldn’t be right. “I didn’t have any trouble getting a reservation.”

  Katrina popped a hand on her hip again. He really wished she’d stop doing that. “I’ll bet Suzette made the reservation for you.”

  “So? A reservation is a reservation.”

  Katarina shook her head. “Uh-uh. The owner of the Merryvale Inn hold a couple of rooms for locals and emergencies. You wouldn’t have gotten that room without Suzette’s string-pulling.”

  He didn’t doubt Merryvale got a lot of tourists. He just didn’t understand why he deserved a lecture. “So?”

  “So this is a pretty terrific place. You need to get over yourself.”

  Consider him properly chastised. She was correct, of course, but she didn’t understand. He had a game plan and intended to stick to it.

  Right now, work was his life. Work, work, and more work. If he had a couple minutes after that, he’d go out for the occasional beer, but he didn’t have time for a social life. He certainly didn’t have time for a relationship. Once his career was on track, once he was financially solid, he’d think about a life.

  He was finally on the verge of making that happen. And Katarina was holding him up.

  “I didn’t mean to insult Merryvale. I’m an engineer and timetables are important. Otherwise, I’d love to see more of your town…”

  “Good, if you’re still here on Saturday I’ll give you the tour.”

  “Saturday? I damn well better not be here on Saturday.”

  She snorted. “You do know today’s Wednesday, right?”

  He groaned, doing the day-counting she’d obviously already done. “Fine, but we better be done by then. I’m leaving on Sunday. Monday at the latest.”

  “Well, don’t think you’re doing Merryvale any favors by staying here. Why don’t you go back to your hotel and work on whatever you engineers do.”

  He supposed he deserved that. “I’d like nothing better, but there’s no Wi-Fi there.”

  He’d almost stroked out when he’d called the front desk after he checked in. The woman who’d responded seemed damned proud of being in the last century. “People need to learn to live without being on some electronic device twenty-four hours a day,” she’d said. “Talk to people.”

  “Fine,” she replied. “I have wireless, here. I’ll find you a spot in my office.”

  Being stuck in an small space with Ms. All-That and her hand-on-hip thing was not on his wish list. “Does that coffee shop down the street have Wi-Fi? Or is everything in this town stuck in Charles Dickens’ time?”

  “Wow, you say the sweetest things, but yes, the Brew Mistress has wireless. Maybe you should work there for an hour or two. That will give me some space time to come up with a preliminary plan for marketing HollyGrams. We can go over that this afternoon so the day won’t be a complete waste of your time.”

  She clearly didn’t want him in her office anymore than he wanted to be there. So why did that not sit well with him? “So now you’re willing to do the marketing?”

  She nodded.

  He admired Suzette’s loyalty to her friends, but he’d rather just hire a professional. Even if it meant more frozen dinners. “I’m not authorized to pay you.” Maybe that would deter her.

  “No one asked for payment, did they? Besides, I’ve decided to accept the five-percent share to do all the marketing management.”

  He blinked. Ms. Hellion wanted to be part of HollyGrams? No, no, and a blast to the North Pole, no. “I didn’t agree to any five percent.”

  She smiled, but even he knew she’d rather hit him. “Don’t worry, Scrooge. Suzette’s taking my cut out of h
er share.” She looked at him, as if she expected a response.

  Only he didn’t know what to say. His dream was spiraling out of control. Sure, the shares might not come out of his portion of the partnership, but bad marketing would cost him a lot more than five percent.

  “Look, chump,” she said, doing that hand-on-hip thing again. “I can tell you’re not keen on having me be part of the team, but I am qualified. More important, I love your product. But I’ll make this easy. If you don’t think my plan is solid, I’ll bow out.”

  He had to admire her brass, but he still wanted a professional—someone with experience and not just qualifications. If she was all that, why was she working in a florist shop?

  His alter ego nagged at him. Probably the same reason you’re still eating frozen dinners. To pay the bills.

  Not that it mattered. She wouldn’t be part of HollyGrams because Ms. Snodgrass clearly didn’t know what she was doing. “You’re going to create a solid market plan for a product you saw for the first time a few minutes ago in two hours.”

  “Sure.”

  This he had to see.

  Chapter Six

  Katarina Got Run Over By a Reindeer

  Katarina glanced at her watch. Only ninety seconds since she’d looked at it previously. What was taking the butcher so long?

  Deep breath and relax. Wasn’t the butcher’s fault Hunter Montgomery had taken all her time. So what if it was after six and she still had to prepare duck à l’orange. Cooking meant she wouldn’t have time to wash her hair—or do any of the other man-tantalizing things she’d planned.

  Thanks to Mr. Hunter Montgomery. That blasted man had gone to the Brew Mistress, but typically engineer, he’d returned in exactly two hours. Then he’d quizzed her on the marketing plan until she wanted to throw a figgie pudding in his face. He’d been impressed, she could tell, especially when she outlined what she planned to do with the website, but would he say so? No, no, no.

  At least she had the inkling of an idea about her Christmas tree. Correction: Forrester Florals’ tree. Katrina liked the correction. If HollyGrams made some money, maybe she could offer to buy the partnership in the florist shop even sooner than planned. Who knew she’d love a florist shop?