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“Couldn’t be better,” he chirps as he fills his cup.
“Because Rogue seems a bit disgruntled. I mean, more than usual. Not that you hired him for his personality. Wait, don’t take that the wrong way.”
“Nothing he won’t work through.” Hale shrugs. “Are you still on for tomorrow at the children’s hospital?”
This is the problem with working around guys. They won’t gossip about each other in hissed whispers the way women will. Maybe I need to look for a job with co-workers who will spill the tea. Still, I beam at Hale. He asked me to be an elf at the charity event, but I would have volunteered if he’d given me a chance. “I have my costume finished and everything. I’ll be the best elf ever.”
He chuckles and the look on his face makes me think he knows a secret. “I’m sure you will.”
3
SUSIE
“I know you missed me.Try to contain your enthusiasm,” I tell Lucky as I hurry back into my apartment. I pause to hang up my coat and shake the snow flurries from my hair. The gingerbread house contest was a roaring success. Even though I didn’t have to, I stayed a bit later than usual to make sure the gym was cleaned up again.
Huh, my apartment smells funny. I sniff the air again. It has the spicy smell of men’s cologne. It takes me a second to place the scent. It belongs to Rogue. He was working on some of the other apartments today, but did he come into mine?
I glance around my space. Nothing is disturbed.
More than that, Lucky is lying on the couch looking completely unfazed. He cracks one eye open at me. No doubt he’s giving me the cold shoulder because his dinner is late.
“Ugh, I’m the worst cat mommy ever.” I flop down on the couch next to him and massage my calves absently after I take off my boots. That’s when it catches my eye. A wooden figurine in my dollhouse. I know I didn’t put it there. I reach for it, cradling the angel in my hand. It’s no bigger than four or five inches and fits in my palm perfectly.
I turn it over in my hands, studying the intricate work. Did Rogue leave this behind? It had to have been him unless Lucky took up woodworking while I was gone. I glance at my cat who meows mournfully, as if he’s one second away from dying because dinner is a little late.
“Is it a Christmas gift?” I ponder out loud. Should I ask him about it? What if he left it behind and didn’t mean to? No, the placement was too intentional. Maybe I should thank him next time I see him.
I chew on my bottom lip. The man barely tolerates my presence. Why did he do this? “He’s so confusing, Lucky.”
I shake my head and slip the angel into the pocket of my dress. I can’t remember the last time someone gave me a gift, and it wasn’t just anyone who gave me this gift. It was Rogue. A warm feeling fills me at the thought. Maybe I could get him something in return. But what could I get the grumpy mountain who fuels my every fantasy?
* * *
It takesme three tries to find the right building for the charity event. The hospital in Sweetgrass River is new and sprawling, composed of several buildings that all look alike from the outside.
Marsha, the event coordinator, is a blonde woman in her fifties with a warm smile. Her blue wraparound dress with the sweetheart neckline is decorated in white snowflakes. She’s wearing a Santa hat that jingles every time she turns her head. “You can change into your costume over there. The kids will be brought in soon, but we’ve already heard word that Santa is running late.”
I nod and hurry to the dressing area she indicated. Quickly, I slip into my homemade costume, pausing to smooth the material over my big hips. For a moment, I wish it were Rogue’s hands on me. What would it feel like if he touched me? Kissed me? Held me?
“Get it together,” I chide myself. I shouldn’t be thinking this much about Rogue. This can’t be good for me.
I yank on my striped tights and pair them with the green, pointy shoes that have jingle bells on them. Finally, I add the headband that makes my ears look pointy. Because I promised, I pull out my phone and snap a picture to send to my best friends, Ginger and Mackenzie.
As soon as I’m done, I go in search of Marsha again. The kids are starting to arrive, and the next hour passes in a blur. Just when I’m beginning to think that Santa will never show, Marsha whispers that he’s here.
I turn to the platform where she’s pointing. Sure enough, Santa is striding confidently toward it. When one little boy throws himself at Santa, wrapping his arms around his legs, West picks him up and bounces him. He carries him up the platform where Santa’s seat is located and settles with the boy in his arms.
Marsha gestures at the table that’s filled with brightly colored stockings. The hospital is giving away stockings with candy and gifts to each child who sits on Santa’s lap.
I grab one and make my way up the platform. As I walk, I feel his eyes on me, like a physical caress. It sends a shiver down my spine. What is wrong with me? It’s just West Kringle. I know him. More than that, he’s madly in love with his wife and their two little ones.
Then I hear Santa ask the boy what he wants for Christmas. The deep timbre of his voice has me sucking in a breath. That is definitely not West.
He raises his gaze to me, and those glacier blue eyes have me rooted to the spot. Rogue is Santa Claus. Since I’m frozen in time, he gestures for the stocking, and I finally remember to slip into character.
The rest of the evening goes by quickly, but even with all of the activity, Rogue’s gaze never leaves me. I can feel it on my skin, burning me like a brand. Why is he here? Is this why he was so angry yesterday? That doesn’t make any sense at all. He seems to be enjoying himself, and he’s in a jovial mood. In fact, this might be the happiest I’ve ever seen him.
“Come here. There’s someone I want you to meet,” Marsha says and links our arms together before I can refuse. Her cheeks are flushed, and she’s smiling broadly. She pulls me over to a man who must be in his late twenties. His suit is tailored, and his hair is perfectly coiffed. When he smiles, his teeth are straight from a toothpaste ad.
