by Ali Parker
That meant I needed to consider what it really meant. Did Nick have a thing for Cori? Did Cori like him in return? The idea of my best friend hooking up with my sister made me feel icky. I didn’t like it. I was going to have another conversation with him and let him know I didn’t approve. I would forbid her from seeing him as well. I did not want a Nick and Cori situation. I knew Cori and her track record with men. I didn’t want to lose a friend because they crashed and burned. And I didn’t want to have to kick his ass for breaking her heart.
I was going to put my foot down. As soon as I had the thought, I thought of Harper. Oops. I had dated Cori’s best friend. I broke her best friend’s heart, and no matter what anyone said, the breakup did have an impact on their friendship.
How could I possibly have a leg to stand on in that conversation? I had no right to tell Cori who she could and couldn’t see, especially because I was hoping I had the chance to start dating Harper again. If I opened my big mouth and asserted my dominant big-brother thing, it would only backfire on me later. I was going to need Cori’s approval if I wanted to make a real go at having Harper back in my life.
The mature thing to do would be to talk to Cori about it. I remembered what she said a couple of weeks ago when I asked her to recruit Harper. If I was polite and asked for her approval, she might prove to be a real asset in my fight to win Harper back. If she shot down my idea, too bad. I would go around her.
I was going to fight for Harper.
Chapter 17
Harper
Cori’s idea of a pop-up and my idea were just a little different. We blended the two visions and were now occupying a good corner of the lobby. It was tasteful and not too much, I thought. I would have preferred something a bit smaller, but Cori had gone overboard with the merchandise. There was no way we could cram it all into the space I had in mind.
“I love these,” Parker said, holding up a pair of earrings.
“They are very pretty and nothing like what I expected to sell in a pop-up.”
“This is perfect for that man that feels romantic and wants to surprise his lady with something special.”
I stared at the snowflakes with pretty, shimmering diamonds that sparkled in the light. They were really pretty and weren’t overly expensive. “Thankfully, she only ordered a small number of those. That’s a big-ticket item to be holding in inventory through the summer if they don’t sell.”
“Cori bought herself a pair. She is a walking advertisement for just about everything here.”
“The boxes of gourmet chocolate are next level,” I said with a laugh.
“Again, very clever and an easy way to brand something. The boxes are gorgeous. They can be used to hold pens, earrings, or whatever in. Imagine a woman with this sitting on her desk in her busy office. She’s going to look at that box and think about her time at this resort. She’s going to be booking another stay.”
“I hope so,” I said with a laugh.
We worked together, stocking the shelves and putting items on display without getting too carried away. I was still a little nervous about the sheer number of products being offered. Everything from teddy bears, to towels, to boxes of chocolates was available. That didn’t include the basic things like the shirts, hoodies, pens, and so on that were being sold in the gift shop.
“I love the robes,” Parker said. “I’m definitely buying one before we leave here.”
“I think you can buy the same robe without the resort logo for half the price,” I told her.
“That wouldn’t be the same. I want people to know I stayed at the posh resort.”
“Do you plan on wearing the robe around town?”
“I might,” she shot back.
I picked up another box, carefully cutting it open and looking down at the ceramic coasters emblazoned with the resort logo. “Oh my god,” I groaned. “How in the world did she get so much stuff done in such a short amount of time?”
“An ex-boyfriend back in LA hooked her up.”
“Seriously?”
She nodded. “Yep. I guess they broke up a while ago and he wants her back. This is how he’s trying to win her back. He gave her a huge discount and rushed all this stuff.”
“Wow. That’s a good connection to have. Is she going to take him back?”
“Nope.” Parker laughed.
“Hmm, I might have to get this guy’s number. This is a very good connection to have in our line of work.”
Parker grinned. “I agree.”
“Ladies, the final shipment will arrive this afternoon,” Jake announced.
I groaned. “More? Where in the world are we supposed to put all of this stuff?”
“Maybe we could put it in Cori’s room,” Parker suggested.
“And then it would have little kitten fluff all over it,” Jake reminded her.
“Kitten fluff is the cutest,” Parker replied.
“I didn’t picture you as a cat lady, but I guess I can see it,” Jake said, leaning back and sizing her up.
Parker did a few weird poses before they both burst into laughter. I must have missed the joke. “Is there room in the shed?” I asked him.
“No.”
“Are there any spare rooms?”
“No,” he answered again.
“Jake, seriously, help me out here. Where is this stuff going to go? Clutter is unsightly. Too much is too much. Less is more. Need I go on?”
He held up a hand. “I get it. I’ll see what I can move around. Your boss is a real picky lady, Parker.”
Parker was grinning. “You have no idea. I could help you find somewhere to stash stuff. I’m good at making space where there is none available. I live in a really tiny apartment.”
“I’m going to take you up on that offer. Come find me when you’re done here. We’ll go on the hunt for space together.”
Parker was beaming. “I’ll do that.”
“It looks great by the way,” he commented. “You girls have done a fine job.”
He walked away. Parker watched him go. There was no denying the little something happening between them. I thought it was cute. Parker clearly had a crush on him and he was sweet on her. They were both a little quirky and looked cute together.
“A space hunt, huh?” I teased.
“You know I can stash the hell out of shit. Half the time, the boxes are only half full. We’ll combine boxes. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Thank you for taking care of that for me. Cori really went wild with her order. I can only imagine how much all of this cost. I wouldn’t have put the year on this stuff. If it doesn’t sell, that’s a big loss.”
“We’ll sell it all,” she insisted.
“I’m going to put some coasters out in the sitting area. I want guests to see them in use.”
“Good idea. I already put some of the pens at the front reception desk.”
“Good. We need to finish the kids’ area.”
“I don’t think it will ever be done,” she groaned. “You keep changing your mind.”
She was right, but I was still trying to find that perfect balance of advertising and the comfort of home. “It will be done today. It has to.”
I walked away. My tennis shoes didn’t make a sound as I moved to the cozy lounge area that was perfect and ready for guests. I placed a few of the coasters on the side tables, making sure it wasn’t too obvious.
“Harper,” Chase’s voice echoed across the lobby.
I turned to see him coming in from the doors that led out to the back-office area. He looked flustered. “What’s up?”
“Can you look at these new Santa suits that just arrived?”
“Sure.”
We worked well together. When he was flustered, I was calm. When I was the one panicking, he calmed me down. It was a nice balance. We could read each other pretty well and recognized the signs of one of us getting worked up. That was one benefit of working with someone who knew you well. Used to know you well, I reminded myself. We
were adults now. We changed.
I followed him into the storeroom that was stuffed with boxes. I didn’t know how big the shipment coming in was, but Jake and Parker had their work cut out for them. Chase unzipped a black garment bag that was hanging on a rack with at least twenty others.
“What do you think?” he asked with a worried look on his face. “I don’t want to sound crazy, but the red is more of a maroon, right? Doesn’t it look off?”
I stepped closer, studying the suit that was definitely high end, but he was right. “It looks very cookie cutter. Very much like the type of suit you would expect to see at a corporate party. It’s better than the average mall Santa outfit, but it’s just not right.”
He groaned. “I knew it. What am I going to do on such short notice?”
“Your Santas all have their own suits,” I reminded him. “Each is going to have his own unique touch. I think that could work better in this situation. We’re going to have a lot of Santas milling about. We don’t want families getting mixed up with who is who. Remember, these guys are going through the process of learning the names of the families that have already signed up for the service.”
“But some of these guys—” he started. “Well, I don’t want stained and ugly suits.”
“We’ll have everyone show up with their suits a little early so we can inspect them. Any suits that are lacking will be given the option of fixing them or we’ll buy a new one. I don’t think it would be terrible to have one of these suits running around but not twenty.”
He looked at the suit in the bag. “They looked so much better in the picture.”
“They always do,” I said with a laugh. “The belt is cheesy. The beard is ridiculous. The Santas we are bringing in look far more authentic. They have natural beards.”
He groaned again. “That could be a turn-off.”
“No, they are groomed. Trust me. The union is for the elite. They train and have to meet their standards as well.”
“All right, but I swear if any of these guys shows up looking like the dude on the corner wearing a nasty suit, I’m going to lose my shit.”
I smiled and reached out to touch his arm. “It will be okay. Things are coming together. We have the orientation meeting scheduled with all of the Santas. You’ll get a chance to very tactfully tell them what you expect.”
“Tactfully, huh?” he asked with a smirk. “Maybe you should do the talking.”
“Maybe I should.”
I zipped up the bag. “I’ll talk to Jake and have him get these sent back right away.”
“Thank you. I should have listened to you in the first place. I was just thinking our luxury resort needed luxury Santas.”
“You were only doing what you thought was right. It probably would have been fine if we didn’t have so many. We don’t want them to look like cookie-cutter Santas. A little different here and there will add to the authenticity.”
“I get it.”
“Besides,” I said with a small laugh. “That color red will absolutely clash with the set we created.”
He laughed and held up his hands. “My lesson has been learned. I will not interfere with design and marketing again. You have it well in hand.”
“Thank you. Would you like to see the set? I finally figured out where to use those trees.”
“I would love to see it.”
I walked out of the storeroom with him falling in step beside me. “Keep in mind this isn’t going to be your typical setup with the tree on one side and fake presents stacked under it. There is no cushy green throne or anything like that.”
He got a worried look on his face. “I trust you.”
I opened the door to one of the small conference rooms we had commandeered for the set. I waited to see his reaction. I knew we were walking into something beautiful. I just wanted him to think so as well.
“Well?” I asked, leading him across the fake-snow-covered trail with the white birch trees draped with lights lining both sides.
His mouth was hanging open. “No way,” he breathed.
The room had been transformed into a winter-wonderland scene. More trees and lights with a few props covered one corner. There was a fake snowman in the corner with fake snowballs that could be used as part of the picture, should the guests choose. There were deer and other woodland creatures scattered around.
“Santa can be included in the scene or it can be a basic family photo opportunity. Because we wanted to make sure the Santa experience was available for those who wanted it, we created a second option.”
“What? Where?”
I led him to a white curtain that blended right into the backdrop. “Here,” I announced, taking him into what we were dubbing as Santa’s living room.
He smiled. “Holy shit. This is going to be very popular.”
“I hope so. Santa can sit in his favorite chair in front of the fireplace while the kids crowd around him. We were thinking he could be reading them a story, or they can munch on cookies.”
“It looks like an actual cabin in here,” he exclaimed. “Even the window looks real.”
“This is Parker’s brainchild. The girl has a very active imagination. On the day of, there will be the scent of freshly baked cookies in the room. The other side will have a pine and woodsy scent.”
He was standing in the room, smiling like I’d not seen him smile in a long time. “Amazing. I’m absolutely blown away. I don’t have the words to describe how incredible this is.”
I felt myself standing a little taller. “Thank you.”
Chapter 18
Chase
We were two days from the opening. After Harper and I went over the final details, we made the decision to up our Santa request. It terrified me, but she insisted that with the number of people who already knew about the Santa concierge service and those that had signed up already, we needed more. Initially, our plan was to have one guy cover several rooms. That wasn’t going to be possible now.
More Santas meant more accommodations were going to be needed. The bungalows that weren’t quite ready for guests were our only option. They had heat, running water, and beds. That was going to have to be enough for now. After signing off on the new contracts for the additional Santas, I shut off my computer and left my office.
The grounds were gorgeous with lights everywhere. Tall shiny candy canes were neatly lining the sidewalks. They weren’t just pretty. They were functional as well. It would keep guests on the path while providing additional light for those nighttime walkabouts.
I walked into the lobby, and once again, I felt my breath catch at the grandeur. It was perfect. So much better than perfect. Working alongside Harper and not touching her or telling her how I felt about her had been difficult, but it was worth it. I made myself leave her alone so she could focus on her job. She was a talented woman. She set the bar so high I didn’t think there could ever be another marketing manager like her.
I checked every inch of the place, venturing into the spa, the daycare, the kids’ playroom, and into the pool area before going through the kitchens to make sure everything was in order. The kitchen was empty and gleaming. The chef and his staff were off for the day. I wanted everyone fully rested and ready to go on the big day.
That was why I was hosting an employee-appreciation dinner with free drinks. Everyone could get their hangovers out of the way and be bright and cheery on the day of the grand opening.
“There you are!” Jake hollered from across the lobby.
“I didn’t know you were looking for me.”
“I’ve been all over the place,” he said, slightly out of breath.
“You could have called me.”
He frowned at me. “I did.”
I patted my pants pockets. “Oops, I must have left it in my office.”
He handed my phone to me. “You did.”
“What’s up?”
“The caterers will be here in an hour to set up. I made sure they’re bringing all their o
wn dishes and linens.”
“Good. And the bartenders?”
He nodded. “They’ll be here at four. The alcohol is stocked and ready.”
“Great. Now, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? I’ll let the caterers in.”
“Really?” he asked with surprise. “But don’t—”
“No. Everything is done. We’ll handle the remaining details tomorrow. I need you on your best game and you can’t do that if you’re fried. You’ve been working nonstop for a month. It’s time to take a breather.”
He grinned. “Thanks, boss. I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome.”
“That explains why it’s a ghost town in here,” he said, looking around. “It’s kind of eerie to see it so empty after months of nothing but people and noise.”
“It’s nice,” I told him. “It’s the calm before the storm.”
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said and rushed off toward the hall that led to the staff quarters.
Only a handful of staff were living on site. The rest lived in or around Vail. It was one of the perks of working for the resort. It was a great way to attract seasonal employees as well. I enjoyed the quiet calm as I strolled through the main lobby area. I could sit and stare at the tree all day. It was stunning. I knew people were going to be taking lots of pictures of it.
It wasn’t long before the caterers showed up. I hired one of the top Mexican restaurants in the area to cater the dinner. Everyone loved tacos. Soon, employees from every department filtered into the dining room. We had overflow seating outside on the balcony with the patio heaters going full force.
I immediately spotted Cori with Harper and Parker at a table. They looked to be having a good time. The margaritas were flowing, and judging by the flushed cheeks and incessant laughter coming from their table, I guessed they were all feeling pretty good.
