Seducing Santa (Holiday Series Book One)

Chapter One~It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Holly stared at the seating chart for the hundredth time, making sure everything was correct and in the right place. She had been planning the annual Toy Drive for the past four years, and she knew nearly everyone on the guest list, including their plus ones. For instance, she knew that Mrs. White preferred not to be seated next to her husband but across from him, wanting her friend Mrs. Fredricks to her right and her daughter to her left. Holly had her suspicions that Mrs. White and Mrs. Fredricks were more than just friends, but she knew better than to speak those thoughts out loud in her line of work. She reviewed the seating chart one last time before signing off on it and returning to her desk, then reviewed the menu to ensure that everyone’s food allergies and needs were met before signing her initials.

She let out a sigh and rubbed her eyes, having been staring at either her computer screen or at the tiny text written on small labels all day. She lifted her arms above her head and stretched before spinning her chair around towards the one window in her office. She should feel grateful she had even been given an office, but she could not help the slight bit of resentment that snuck in when she thought about her brother’s office a few floors above her that was three times the size, enough to fit his own seating area and golfing practice mat. Hers, on the other hand, hardly fit her desk and unable even to squeeze in a small loveseat. Though not many people visited her office anyway.

She stood up, doing a few more stretches while gazing out at the Boston Skyline. The sun was setting, casting a warm, orange, and pink glow over the city, as the streetlights began to turn on, and people crowded the sidewalk on their way home. The vendor that always stood on the corner for lunch was still there, selling hot cocoa and churros like he did every holiday season. Holly’s mouth watered at the thought of those crunchy cinnamon treats and the way they melted in her mouth. Maybe she could run down and get one? She still had a lot of work to do and would probably once again end up sleeping on the couch in the employee lounge and changing in the bathroom in the morning before everyone showed up for work tomorrow.

She tried to avoid being home as much as possible, not wanting to run into her brother. Their rivalry was more than just a professional one. To say he was a bully would be an understatement. Having your little brother as your sworn enemy was complicated, to say the least. When he was younger, they were very close, but after their mother passed away, everything changed. Suddenly, they were left with only their father, who had always been working and had never spent much time with. As they grew older and their father’s obvious favoritism toward her brother became more apparent, the rivalry began. Chris would do everything he could to make Holly feel small and insignificant. Any accomplishment Holly made was only met with disinterest or sometimes even disapproval for being too ambitious from her father.

She graduated at the top of her class with a major in business and a minor in design, while Chris had hardly graduated and his chosen major had been computer science with a minor in business. Her father had accused her of trying to undermine her brother’s accomplishments and refused to attend her graduation to watch her “gloat,” as he put it. However, Holly had been forced to go to her brother’s graduation, which took place only two years after hers, and he had been given a car and a huge party, which she had had to plan. She remembered getting very drunk that night and possibly saying too much during the speech she had been forced to give. Her father did not talk to her for a whole year after that.

Holly had been amazed when he had even allowed her to work at the family company, but when she found out her role would be merely an entry-level job and she would have to work her way up while her brother had been made Manager, she felt less surprised. In the past four years, she had risen all the way up to head coordinator, but this was far from the department she wished to be in. She wanted to be in the planning department, where she could finally take on the crucial projects that truly impacted the company.

McCormick Attractions was mainly in the business of making theme parks and rides, and that was what she truly wanted to do. Every time the company started a new project, they would ask all their employees to share their ideas. Holly always jumped at the chance, though she doubted her ideas would ever be seen. This year, they had announced an idea for a holiday-themed park, and it had made Holly’s imagination go wild with ideas. She spent nearly a week creating concept art, along with reports on the best locations, vendors, and sponsors, as well as outlining how the entire park would operate and be laid out.

She knew the meeting had been held today, going over all the ideas, and she had tried to distract herself with work, which had not been hard. Whoever said being a coordinator was easy had no idea how much it took to plan a party or event. She turned and saw the massive pile of documents she still had to approve sitting on her desk before looking back outside toward the street vendor. Even though the window was sealed, she swore she could smell that cinnamon deliciousness from here. She went to grab her purse and walked the four steps to the door to get her coat when suddenly the phone on her desk rang. She walked back over and noticed it was not from any of her team members, but on the mainline that only the higher-ups used. She set down her purse and coat, then quickly picked up the phone and held it to her ear.

“Holly McCormick speaking, how can I help you?” she answered.

“Holly, it's your father. Could you please come up to my office?”

Holly froze for a moment, nearly rendered speechless, since she could not remember the last time her father had ever called her for anything. She nodded her head, but quickly remembered he couldn't see her, and stammered out a reply before hanging up the phone. She bit her lower lip while walking over to the mirror to check her appearance. She had not showered in two days, and her blond curls were escaping from the messy bun. She had not bothered with her contacts and was wearing her thick-framed glasses that hid her bright blue eyes, her clothes a bit disheveled. She knew she could not go in front of her father looking like this, knowing he would judge everything she had noticed and possibly more.

She undid her messy bun and grabbed her dry shampoo, spraying it onto her roots and rubbing it into her scalp before opting for a ponytail instead. She pulled out some fresh clothes and locked her office door, lowering her blinds before changing into a fresh dress shirt and pencil skirt, tucking the shirt in and undoing the first two buttons, so her snowflake necklace could be seen. She would have to live with her father seeing her in glasses, not having enough time to put in her contacts without seeming like she had not left immediately after being asked. She popped a peppermint in her mouth before unlocking the door and heading towards the elevator, pressing the button to the top floor.

When the door slid open, her father’s assistant stood up from her desk and approached Holly, a warm smile on her face. Holly had always liked her father’s assistant, Rose, who had worked for him for nearly thirty years and had watched over Holly and her brother during her employment.

“He is waiting for you, dear, now don’t be nervous! He seems to be in an excellent mood today,” Rose informed her.

Holly appreciated her reassuring words, always grateful to her for knowing exactly what to say. Rose placed her hand gently on Holly’s lower back and guided her toward the looming double doors. Placing her hand on the massive handle and pushing one of the doors open before motioning for Holly to go inside. She took one more deep breath, swallowing the peppermint that was only halfway dissolved, before walking into the office she had not seen in years.

Holly was never called up here and couldn't exactly recall the reason for her last visit to her father’s office, but it looked exactly as she remembered. It was large and open, surrounded by tall windows that overlooked the city on three sides. Her father’s desk was to the left, and to the right was a sitting area for informal meetings, featuring a large TV that played stock market news on mute. Noah McCormick was obsessed with reading the running headlines at the bottom of the screen.

“Oh, good! I thought you might have gotten lost.”

Holly turned to find her father sitting behind his desk, a smug smile curving his lips. Of course, he would point out that she had been a few minutes later. Suggesting she had not left immediately at his call, which was technically true. She also did not miss the implication that she was not called here often and had probably forgotten where his office was. Holly gave him a tense smile in response before approaching his desk to sit down in one of the comfy armchairs across from him. She tried her best to keep the smile plastered on her face, knowing he might comment if he saw even a hint of annoyance or displeasure.

“I am sure you are wondering why I called you here.” He began, reaching into one of the drawers of his desk and pulling out a very familiar red folder.

“That is my holiday-themed park proposal,” she said, a little anxious and apprehensive about what her father might say about it.

“Yes! I have gone over it, and I must say I am impressed. I had no idea you were interested in this kind of stuff, Holly. I always thought you much preferred party planning, but it seems you are good at planning other things as well,” he replied, sounding surprised.

Holly bit her lip to force herself not to correct him. She had made it clear to him several times throughout the years that she wanted to do exactly that and never once brought up that party planning was what she preferred. In fact, she had submitted a proposal each time, and they had all been ignored. She started to wonder how this time it had finally gotten noticed, but she knew these were things she could never ask her father out loud.

“I am glad you like it,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I do! And that is why I am putting you in charge of the project!” Her father stated, handing her the folder back.

Holly sat there in shock, looking down at the red folder and then back up at her father. Her mouth felt dry, and she tried to swallow a few times so that she wouldn't give away any of her feelings when she finally spoke.

“Me? You want me to head the project?” She asked, still in disbelief.

“Yes! Your ideas are perfect, and we already have a location in mind. The problem is that we need the town's approval before we begin building, as we don’t want the same thing to happen that happened with Dino Land. The protests and court hearings delayed the project and cut the budget nearly in half! We were never able to give the place a proper opening, and it flopped within two years of operation. That is why this time I am going to make sure that everyone is on board!” he explained.

Holly nodded, remembering how much that incident had hurt the company. They really needed this new project to go smoothly.

“Where is the location you are looking at?” she asked.

“In Rhode Island, near a town named Holiday! How perfect is that?”

“Almost too perfect to be true,” Holly agreed.

“Good news, too, it's only about a three-hour drive from here! I got you a meeting with the mayor on Friday, so you'd better go home and pack!” Her father informed her.

Holly nodded and thanked him for the opportunity before leaving his office. Rose was waiting for her on the other side of the door and congratulated her with a kiss on the cheek. She had been the only one to attend her graduation, so she knew how much this meant to Holly. She got back on the elevator and pressed the button to her floor, completely in a daze. She made it all the way back to her office and closed the door before letting out the cheer of excitement she had been desperately holding in. Yes! She finally had a chance to prove herself to her father! She would not screw this up!

She quickly grabbed her coat and purse before rushing out of the office, planning on stopping off at the corner vendor for a celebratory churro and hot cocoa before heading home. As she walked out the front doors of the building, she noticed that it had started to snow. It was not a heavy snow and melted the moment it touched the ground, but it still filled her heart with joy. She took a deep breath of the crisp, cold air, thinking to herself that it truly was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.