by Debbie Mason
“Even if I wanted to take you up on your bet, which I don’t, but if I did, I wouldn’t have the time. Jeremy’s looking for any excuse to get rid of me. I made a promise to my dad, and I can’t go back on my word. I won’t. This is Bailey Healthcare, and I’ll be damned if Jeremy pushes me out, too.”
Her lips moved silently as she swiped her key card at her office door. Her shoulders relaxing when the knob turned under her hand. “Thank God, I thought they might’ve deactivated my card. Maybe my luck is finally turning around.”
It was a good thing the phone on her desk rang just then. He didn’t have to point out that Jeremy would most likely fire her when her contract was up in a month’s time—if the guy didn’t find a way out of her contract before then. Matt scrolled through his contact list and sent Ethan O’Connor a quick text. Ethan was a district attorney and an all-around good guy. Now and again, he took on pro bono work for the hospital. It wouldn’t hurt to have him check out Charlotte’s contract.
As Charlotte registered the ringing phone, she released a panicked gasp, letting her suitcase and purse drop to the floor as she raced across the office to the massive cherry wood desk that sat in front of a wall of bookshelves. Her desk was on the left, a small seating area made up of a charcoal-gray couch, a glass coffee table, and two modern-looking chairs to the right.
It was an impressive office for an impressive woman, but what made it spectacular in Matt’s opinion was the view. Straight across from where he stood in the doorway, the bank of windows framed the snow-covered Rockies and below, nestled in the tree-lined valley, Main Street with its cobblestone streets and pastel-painted storefronts decorated for the holidays.
He didn’t know how Charlotte, who’d looked at that view for the past year, couldn’t see what he did. Like her, he’d been a city boy, and his love life hadn’t ended much better than hers. He’d go so far as to say it had been worse. But he’d healed with the help of the people in Christmas. Charlotte hadn’t.
Oh, she talked a good game, and she was definitely in a better place than when she first arrived, but until she found a way to let go of her anger and hurt, she’d have trouble moving on to the life she deserved. And the woman deserved a wonderful life.
“Christmas General, Charlotte Bailey speaking.” Her mouth turned down, and she pulled the phone away from her ear to strangle it.
Okay, so definitely someone from New York, and if Matt was a betting man, he’d say it was Jeremy. And…he’d be right.
“It’s five minutes after seven, Jeremy. I’ve already been on the phone for the past ten minutes dealing with hospital business.” She looked at Matt and lifted a shoulder. Probably because she was lying through her clenched teeth, and, as Matt knew from experience, Charlotte Bailey was a stickler for the truth. Other than someone not taking responsibility for their mistakes, nothing irked her more than someone lying to her face. Like her husband had, repeatedly, for years.
Matt decided it might be better if he came back later. Before he gave in to the urge to take the phone and tell Charlotte’s ex what he’d do to him if he upset or threatened her again—and as a former special ops medic with the Rangers, Matt was well trained in not only healing a man but making him suffer—he left the two suitcases by the door. Once he’d gathered up her smaller suitcase and purse, placing them with the rest of her luggage, he removed the now-squashed foil-wrapped box from inside his jacket and walked over to put the chocolates on her desk.
Through all of it, she sat quietly listening to whatever her ex had to say. What he hadn’t noticed before then was that she wasn’t only quiet, whatever color she’d had left on her face was gone, and her bloodshot eyes were no longer only glassy, they were wide with panic.
“No, no way. You’ll never get the board to agree to this.” She brought a hand to her mouth and slowly shook her head. “I can’t. There’s no way I can close CGH within a matter of weeks.”
He felt like he’d been sucker-punched and uttered a strangled sound of disbelief.
As though she’d forgotten he was there, her gaze shot to him. She covered the receiver and whispered, “I’ll talk to you later, Matt.”
“Charlotte, you can’t do this. You can’t—”
“Just go, okay. I can’t deal with both of you right now.”
He turned on his heel, anger dogging his every step as he strode to the door.
“Yes, I’m here, Jeremy. And what you’re asking me to do makes no sense. CGH is operating in the black, which is more than…Of course I want to come back to New York, but…I don’t understand. What’s going on? Why would my promotion and my father’s reinstatement as chairman of the board hinge on me closing Christmas General by the beginning of the new year?”
Matt swung around to stare at her. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, just shook her head and waved him out.
* * *
The next morning, Charlotte arrived at her office at the more reasonable hour of nine. She preferred to start her day at eight, but this morning she’d had trouble getting out of her bed at the lodge. Probably because she’d spent half the night trying to figure out how she was going to face Matt. She hadn’t seen him since he’d stormed from her office yesterday. He was angry, and he had every right to be. He wouldn’t be any happier with her today or tomorrow. None of the staff would.
Yesterday, she’d spent the entire day and early evening on the phone with her father, Bailey’s lawyers, Abbie, Kate, and then every single board member trying to understand what was behind the decision. Well, every board member except Samantha. None of their answers made sense to Charlotte, but she soon learned there was nothing she could do to change their minds. Jeremy had the board members wrapped around his crooked little finger.
Either Charlotte closed CGH, or they’d send in someone who would. And if she couldn’t do her job, she was out of one. The unspoken inference was as clear as if they’d said it aloud: Good luck finding another executive position in healthcare if you don’t do as directed. There was no doubt in her mind that Jeremy and Samantha would make sure no one hired Charlotte or her father if they didn’t toe the line.
Today was going to be a long one. People’s livelihoods were on the line, and she was all too aware of the impending holidays. It was a difficult time of year for a tenth of any community’s population to receive pink slips, but more so she imagined for the citizens of a town named after the holiday. Her stomach tossed and turned like she’d taken a ride on Santa’s sleigh. She could use a little Christmas magic right about now.
Only Charlotte didn’t believe in Santa or magic, and never had. The only way out of this mess was to come up with a solution that would work for Jeremy and the board, and the citizens of Christmas. She’d been mulling over an idea since late last night. Neither side would get exactly what they wanted, but if she could get them both on board, she might have a chance of pulling it off. First, she had to talk to Matt.
“Sheila, would you do me a favor and schedule a meeting with Dr.—” Charlotte began as the door to her office opened. She stopped and stared at the man who walked in with two takeout cups in his hand. “You’re not Sheila.” Though the handsome man with the red-framed glasses and model-perfect dark hair looked vaguely familiar.
“What gave me away?” He grinned and set a purple to-go cup that read SUGARPLUM BAKERY on her desk and then took a seat across from her, crossing his legs. He wore black pants with knife-edge creases and a black wool vest over a silk shirt that matched the frames of his glasses.
The divine smell wafting past her nose distracted her, and she picked up the cup and took a careful sip. Cocoa and candy canes. It tasted as divine as it smelled. “Oh my gosh, this is amazing.”
“Yes, I am.”
“I was actually talking about the hot chocolate. Thank you, though. Uh, is there something I can do for you?” she asked, choosing to go for the politer version of What are you doing in my office? She knew for a fact she didn’t have any appointments scheduled for today, because she wasn’
t supposed to be here. She was supposed to be in her beautiful corner office on Park Avenue looking out at the gorgeous view of her beloved city. Not at a crystal blue sky and snow-covered mountaintops.
“Pour moi? No, no, it’s what I can do for you. And darling, let me tell you, I can do a lot for you. Starting with your hair.” He put down his cup and rose from his chair to come around to hers.
She stared at him as he fluffed the hair she’d spent twenty minutes straightening this morning.
“First, I think we’ll—”
Shaking off her shock, she raised a protective hand to her head. “Who are you?”
“Ty. The owner of Diva’s Hair Salon and Diva’s Catering. I’m also right-hand man to the mayor, Chloe McBride, and now, part-time assistant to tu.”
“Who’s tu?”
He laughed and lightly swatted her shoulder. “You, silly.”
She may have had next to no involvement in the community, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t heard about Mayor Chloe McBride and her right-hand man. “No, I’m good, thanks. I already have a full-time assistant. Sheila. Sheila, can you come here, please?” Charlotte called out with a nervous hitch in her voice, hoping her assistant had finally shown up for work. She’d never been late before.
Chapter Four
Abbie and Kate leaned forward, their faces filling the computer screen. “Why are you whispering?” Abbie asked.
Charlotte was at her desk, talking to her best friends via Skype. “Because I swear I heard him outside the door. He’s probably got his ear pressed to it now.”
“You better hope not. You more or less accused him of kidnapping Sheila to take her place,” Abbie said before she took a bite of what looked like the grilled polenta slice Charlotte would’ve eaten two nights before if she hadn’t been forced to take a red-eye back to Colorado.
“I know you think I’m overreacting, but you guys haven’t heard the stories I’ve heard.” She frowned. “Why are you looking at each other like that?”
“Well, the thing is, I’ve not only heard the stories, I’ve read them.” Kate held up a paperback: The Trouble with Christmas. “It says the author is Debbie Mason, but I think the town’s matriarch, Nell McBride, actually wrote it.”
“I’ve met her. The town matriarch, I mean. She’s the chief of staff’s aunt.”
Kate gave her a knowing nod. “And the town’s matchmaker. You’re lucky she’s retired, or she’d be trying to marry you off to one of the single men in town. That’s what she did to Madison Lane in The Trouble with Christmas. And Madison hated the holiday and small towns even more than you do. You probably know her; she’s Dr. McBride’s daughter-in-law.”
“Dr. McBride’s mentioned Madison, but I haven’t actually met her. And I don’t hate the holiday or small towns. I just love New York, and want to spend the holidays with you guys.” The thought of spending another Christmas here was depressing. She’d never felt so alone or lonely as she had last year.
“You know I’d come if I could, but my mom’s not doing well,” Kate said, taking a bite of her polenta slice. Charlotte’s stomach growled. All she’d had was the hot chocolate Ty had brought her that morning. She’d passed on lunch, and it was close to four in the afternoon. Her best friends had stuck around after work to talk to her.
“And Mark won’t let me take Emma out of state,” Abbie said, referring to her five-year-old and her ex, who was almost as bad as Jeremy.
“I’m sorry for being so whiny. You guys have enough on your plates without me going on about my problems. I’m sorry Mark’s being a jerk, Abbie, and that your mom’s not improving with the new meds, Kate.”
“Stop. If anyone deserves to whine, it’s you, and you never do. We’re going to do everything we can to help you from here, but we’d both feel better if you had someone in Christmas to support you.”
“Abbie’s right. I know the situation isn’t ideal, but you and Matt seemed to be getting along really well before you left. For a while there, Abbie and I thought you guys were dating. Didn’t we, Abs?”
“Okay, don’t even go there.”
“Why not?” Abbie said. “It’s been a year since you and Jeremy split up. It’s past time you got out there.”
“Says the woman whose been divorced for two years and hasn’t gone on a single date.”
“It’s not the same. I have Emma to think about. But trust me, if I met someone like your Dr. McSexy, I wouldn’t be single for long. That man is—”
“He’s not mine.” And she didn’t need to be reminded how amazing he was. Matt probably hated her now, and she wasn’t about to let her friends know how much that bothered her. It was one of the reasons Charlotte hadn’t asked Ty to schedule a meeting with Matt yet. The other reason was she had to find Sheila and convince her to come back to work before she did anything else. Ty obviously had an agenda, and it didn’t coincide with Charlotte’s.
“The only reason Matt isn’t yours is because you put up roadblocks every chance you get,” Kate said with a raised eyebrow, challenging Charlotte to deny her accusation
Which she couldn’t, because after spending an incredible night with Matt at Thanksgiving and having one glass of wine too many, she’d confessed as much to Kate and Abbie via Skype.
“And before you try to deny it, remember who you’re talking to. No one knows you better than we do. We’ve had the feeling something was going on between you and Matt long before Thanksgiving. He’s perfect, and he’s perfect for you.”
“No one is perfect,” Charlotte grumbled.
“So, you’re telling us that if Matt lived in New York, you wouldn’t be practically engaged by now?”
She may have had that fantasy every now and again. Not the engaged part; the part where Matt lived in New York. “First, you’re forgetting that I’m stuck in Colorado. And second, that I’ll never be engaged to anyone since I’m never getting married again.” From behind the door, someone laughed. “Did you hear that? I told you Ty’s spying on me. Somehow, they’ve found out that I’ve been ordered to close CGH.”
“Do you think Matt told someone? It’s a small town. Once one person knows—” Abbie began before Charlotte cut her off.
“No, Matt wouldn’t do that. He’s not like that.” He was loyal and dependable with a deep sense of moral integrity. Quite simply, he was the most incredible man she’d ever met, and she was going to have to fire him if she couldn’t convince Jeremy and CGH to get on board with her plan.
“It wasn’t Matt,” she reiterated, thinking back to yesterday. “It was Sheila. She came in while I was on the phone with one of the board members. I stopped talking as soon as I saw her, but she could’ve been there a while before I noticed.” If Charlotte was honest, someone could’ve been standing in front of her and she might not have noticed. By then, she’d been up almost thirty-six hours straight.
“So that means everyone in Christmas knows,” Kate said, making a face that Charlotte could take only one way. Her goose was cooked, as her maternal grandmother used to say. Then again, Kate had been power eating. Maybe she had heartburn. Charlotte was able to hold on to that hope for about half a second before her best friend added, “You know the old adage about knowing your enemy? Maybe you should pick up a copy of The Trouble with Christmas.”
* * *
Christmas General Hospital needed a miracle, and it looked like the folks in town had decided Matt was it. It felt like half of Christmas had paid him a visit today, and another one was on her way. He leaned his elbow on the table in the hospital cafeteria and raised his hand to the side of his face in hopes the mayor wouldn’t notice him, inwardly groaning when the chair across from him scraped across the tile floor.
“Matt, what are we going to do? I can’t have the babies at home. I have an incredibly high pain tolerance, but I’m not ashamed to say I want drugs. Whatever kind of drugs you can give me, I want them.”
He reached across the table and patted Chloe’s hand. A former soap opera star, the beautiful brune
tte was affectionately known in town as Diva #1, and her sidekick, Ty, was known as Diva #2. “Relax. The last thing we want is your blood pressure to go up. You’re months away from your due date. If necessary—and I highly doubt it will be—there’s lots of time to come up with a new birth plan.”
She relaxed in her chair. “Of course, you’re right. The babies will be fine, and so will I. What I’m really worried about is the town. The hospital is our biggest employer. Not to mention the best healthcare provider in the state. How will we survive without it?”
“I think it’s premature to go to the worst-case scenario. Charlotte’s smart. I’m sure she’ll figure out a way to save the hospital.” He hoped his voice sounded more confident than he felt. From what he heard of her conversation with Jeremy, both Charlotte and her father would be pushed out if she didn’t close CGH as directed. And if she tried to fight her ex-husband, what then? No doubt they’d send someone else to do the job.
“What if she can’t? Sheila told me Charlotte spent most of yesterday trying, and it didn’t get her anywhere.”
“I heard Sheila quit. She should’ve at least given Charlotte two weeks’ notice.” He’d meant to go up and check on her a couple times today, but between patients, concerned citizens, and shoring up the staff’s morale, he hadn’t had a chance. And maybe, if he was honest with himself, he’d admit he didn’t want her to validate his fear that this was happening and there wasn’t a damn thing any of them could do to stop it.
“Oh, don’t worry about Charlotte being left high and dry. She has a new assistant.”
Her grin made him nervous. “Chloe, what did you do?”
“You sound like Easton,” she said, referring to her husband. “It’s not like I was up to anything nefarious. All I did was suggest Sheila come work for me, and Ty would work for Charlotte. We need someone like him on the inside if we want to keep ahead of this. Oh, look, there he is. Ty!” She waved him over.
