Seducing Santa (Holiday Series Book One)

Chapter Three~O' Little Town of Holiday

The following day, Holly did not leave until much later than she planned. She went over the instructions with the head housekeeper, but she had ideas of her own so Holly took the time to listen. It took them nearly the whole morning to come up with a plan for not only the decorations but the menu and invitations that would have to be sent out. Holly was sure she would be back in time but still felt better with a contingency plan in place. The Christmas Eve Party was a huge event every year, all the big-wigs in the city were invited and her father liked to use it to rub elbows with them.

Last year had been her Brother’s introduction into the company so it had mostly been focused on him but this year the focus was just on McCormick Attraction’s new project since it was holiday-themed. Her father never missed a chance to get investors interested, even on Christmas. Holly had e-mailed her concept art to the engineers and architects that worked for them and they were already making a mock-up for the party along with enlarging her art so it could be showcased for people to look at. Holly was nervous about showing off her ideas but also excited to see what people thought about it at the same time.

Now, she only had to settle things with the Mayor of Holiday and everything would be perfect! She packed up her suitcase and was just about to leave right after lunch when she got a call from the senior team member she had left in charge of the event planning during her absence. There were still a few documents Holly had to sign before she left so they could go ahead without her, meaning Holly had to stop off in the city before she could leave for the three-hour trip to Holiday, Rode Island. By the time she was done, it was nearly three in the afternoon meaning she would not arrive until around six in the evening.

When Holly was finally on her way, she felt reassured that everything at home and work would be fine without her for a few days. It was not until she was about halfway there that she realized she had not made any reservations anywhere so she could stay the night!

The meeting was not until tomorrow morning and she had planned to explore the town a bit today, but now she was way behind schedule. She debated on turning back around and heading home to start back again early in the morning, but then she would be cutting it close. The meeting was set for nine in the morning and Holly was not much of a morning person nor could she see herself going to bed on time either. She would just have to hope that there was a place in town she could stay. Looking at the map on her GPS the town was mostly surrounded by forest and the nearest town was at least a good forty-five minutes away. She could only hope she would not have to sleep in her car, but she could not completely rule that out if she had to.

As she neared the town, the sun was just setting and as if by clockwork the moment it turned six-thirty the trees that lined the two-lane freeway lit up! Brightly colored lights wrapped around the trunks of the trees all the way up through the branches, making it feel like a tunnel. It was almost as if she were going through a portal and at the end of it was the town of Holiday, able to see their welcoming sign in the distance.

It was a full archway over the freeway, the poles striped like candy canes, and the archway painted in festive green, red, and white. Did they change the archway for every season, she wondered? Regardless, this place was already magical and she had not even seen the rest of it yet!

Once she passed under the archway, the freeway ended and she came straight into town, the main road lined with homes and a few streets on either side that seemed to lead off into different neighborhoods. Every house was decorated for Christmas, even a few she saw had Hanukkah and Kwanza themes but still were just as festive and bright as the Christmas ones.

It reminded her of a place her mother used to take her as a child during Christmas affectionately called Candy Cane Lane. It had been in the suburbs of Boston where the whole street held a competition for best decorations and they were all fierce competitors. One man even had a whole miniature Christmas carnival in his yard! She turned down a few of the roads looking at the decorations, reliving her childhood, and feeling as if her mother was in the car with her as well, just as enamored with all the beautiful homes.

She saw a sign that indicated which way the Town Square was, there were hardly any cars on the road but the few she did see all seemed to be heading in that direction as well. She turned onto what must be Main Street, the street lamps all decorated with different Christmas characters. From Santa, Rudolph, Frosty, and even a nutcracker, she was so entranced that she didn’t even notice the large Christmas tree at the end of the street until she reached the stop sign at the end.

The Town Square was true to its name. She could either turn left or right, the road making a perfect square around a large park where the Christmas tree stood. It was decorated in colorful lights, no golden or white which were the only colors her father allowed, and at the top was a beautiful angel with golden hair whose iridescent-looking wings seemed to be moving in a slow filtering motion like she was just hovering above the tree rather than sitting atop it. A little path led through the park and to the left was a large white gazebo that was covered in lights as well and looked like the perfect place to sit and just enjoy the secrecy. Holly turned right, the right side of the street lined with various shops that all seemed to be closed or getting ready to close down. It was a small town so that was to be expected but it was still a foreign concept to a city girl like Holly for businesses to close before nine at night.

She went slowly down the road which was fine since no other cars were behind her, looking at each of the buildings for a possible Hotel. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw a brightly lit wooden sign handing over the door of a cozy little three-story building that said Holiday’s Inn. She giggled slightly at how they just got away with that name by adding the ‘S so as not to infer to the very popular chain of hotels across the country.

She saw a sign that indicated there was parking around the back and pulled into the small alley, the parking lot seemed a bit packed which made her a bit uneasy. She pulled her little white compact Fiat into the guest parking and put the vehicle in park before turning it off, deciding to go in and check if there were any rooms first before she grabbed her luggage out of the car. The back entrance which had to be more of the main entrance looked just as quaint and cozy as the front, like a hotel you might see in old-timey photos.

She walked through the door and was instantly hit with the smell of roasting turkey. The lobby was decorated to the gills in the typical golden and white fashion her father loved which she could see why. It did give a sort of elegance to the room letting you know the place was of good quality and not neglected or in disrepair. The check-in desk was made of dark mahogany that had been shined with love and care and it seemed the place used the old fashion key system rather than key cards like most hotels did these days, the back wall lined with hooks and room numbers with keys handing below each one. Each room had a key at the moment, did that mean they had rooms? She looked around but no one was manning the front desk. She could hear what sounded like voices coming from a room off the left but another noise caught her attention more. The sound of a piano gently playing “White Christmas.”

It was her favorite song from one of her favorite Christmas movies and it pulled her to the right where the lobby opened up into an elegant sitting room with antique furniture and a blazing fire in a stone fireplace. She turned the corner completely to find a black grand piano, seeing only the man's back as his hands drifted across the keys. He started out the song slow, having an almost sort of sadness to it but slowly the tune transformed into a jazz number. Improvising notes and adding scales completely changing the song into something beautiful and uplifting. Holly walked over near the fire, taking a seat in one of the comfy old armchairs, listening to the man play and admiring his shoulders and how his fingers worked across the keys.

His hair was dark but in the firelight, she could catch a glistening of gold highlights within the strands making her think the color was more of a warm chestnut than a dull brown. He had a thick neck and extremely broad shoulders, telling her he was very well built under his black suit coat. Holly sat there, enjoying the song, the view, and the warmth and smell of the fire until he finally brought the song to an end. Holly then clapped her hands together, feeling a bit embarrassed when she saw him jump at the noise and quickly turn around to see who was there.

“Oh! Sorry, I should not have clapped when you did not even know you had an audience, but that is my favorite song and I absolutely love what you did with it.” Holly quickly explained.

The man stared at her for a moment, still looking a bit taken aback but his lips slowly curved into the sexiest little grin she had ever seen, Holly could feel the blood rushing to her face and a tingle of awareness shoot down her spine. The man’s eyes were like two emeralds and he had a light beard that gave him a slightly rugged look.

“Thank you.” He replied, not saying anything else but continuing to stare at her so intently that Holly felt those tingles starting to spread through her whole body.

She quickly got to her feet, feeling self-conscious. She probably looked a mess having run around all morning, not even wearing much makeup, and having her hair tied up in her signature messy bun. She was wearing her large black parka coat with a faux fur-lined hood, jeans, and a pair of winter boots while he appeared to be in a full suit complete with shiny dress shoes. Had the Inn hired him to play for guests, perhaps?

“I should get going, need to see if I can get a room for the night.” She said, turning to leave.

“I’m afraid the place is all booked for the night.” He replied, confirming Holly’s initial guess that he worked here.

Holly felt her heart drop and she bit her lip, worried she might have to stay in her car as she feared after all. There were probably not any other places in this tiny town to get a room. The Piano player had to have seen her worry and stood up from the bench, walking towards her but stopping a few feet away.

“There is a charity event going on here tonight and many people have booked rooms that are attending so they can drink and not have to drive. However, there is a Bed and Breakfast just ten minutes out of town that I know has rooms available.” He informed her.

Holly’s heart leaped with hope at his words and then leaped again when she felt him gently place his hand on her lower back and guide her back toward the front desk. It had been a long time since a man had stirred anything within her, having not dated after the disaster with her ex and him stalking her the past year. She had almost forgotten how it felt to be so psychically attracted to someone. Everything about him was appealing, even the way he walked and the soft scent of pine that he gave off, his aftershave smelling like he came straight out of the forest.

He took his hand away and ducked behind the desk, grabbing a piece of paper and snatching a pen out of a cup, before using it to draw some sort of map. He put the pen back and then also grabbed what looked to be a large red card, walking back over to her.

“Here are some directions on how to get to the Bed and Breakfast from here, also you should come back later once you are checked in. The charity event is for everyone and there will be dancing, good food, drinking, and even an auction. It's to raise money for the families that have fallen on hard times this year.” He said, handing over his hand-drawn map and the large red card that must be an invitation to the event.

Is he flirting with me? She thought to herself as she looked down at the map, and invitation, then back up to him, giving him a small smile. It felt good to be appreciated, especially when she did not feel like she looked her best, but she was here for business and she needed to prepare for the meeting tomorrow with the Mayor.

“I’ll think about it! Thank you so much for the directions!” She said a little too cheerfully as she quickly turned and headed back out the door.

She made it back into her car, shutting the door and turning on the engine before glancing at herself in the rearview mirror. Her cheeks were pink and she was panting as if she had run a mile rather than just a few feet to her car.

“You need to focus, Holly! Don’t let Mr. Green-eyes distract you from what you are here to do!” she told herself in the mirror, satisfied with her pep talk before she put the car in reverse and pulled out of the spot, heading back onto Main Street.