Chapter Nine
Besides the overabundanceof cheerful families, the Christmas music playing on speakers, and the distant sound of saws, Natalie’s day wasn’t so different from her usual time spent working in the coffee shop. Well, there was also the fact that she was freezing her ass off working in a converted horse trailer, but, other than that, yeah, it kind of was the same thing.
It was still early in the season with Thanksgiving being a week away, and the farm wasn’t too busy, but she’d had a steady stream of customers buying hot beverages from her. She liked it when it was busy because the day went by faster. She couldn’t wait to scratch a tally mark on the inside wall of her horse trailer as though she was ticking off the days of a prison sentence.
Ironically, Natalie had spent her last few nights with Mason on her mind before falling asleep. She thought about that damn blue jay ornament more times than she’d care to admit. The reason for her straying thoughts wasn’t for any reason Mia would have supposed. It wasn’t as if she had a crush on the guy or anything. She didn’t. Although, she may have let her imagination entertain what could have happened if she’d leaned into him, let him kiss her. Once or twice, she even considered it a good idea. He was the type of person who would be so easy to sink into and—
But, again, she didn’t allow herself to go there often. It was more along the lines of,Well, I hope our paths don’t cross too often at Poinsettia Paradise.
Their last interaction at Pony Expresso had ended clumsily and she wasn’t eager to repeat it. Too bad she’d already failed when he innocently handed her a poinsettia and she assumed it meant something more. The whole situation made her want to dig a hole next to the horse trailer, fling herself into it, and bury her body from head to toe. Her family could get a tombstone to mark the spot, reading,Here lies Natalie. She died of avoidable embarrassment.
It appeared all her worry about him had been unfounded because, besides this morning, she’d hardly seen the guy. Another employee had been by to bring the extra heat lamp. She’d actually been hit with a ping of disappointment. In fact, she’d seen Bentley roaming around the yard more than she’d caught sight of Mason. Not that she’d been searching for him.
Luckily, day one was coming to an end, and she’d soon make her escape. Natalie couldn’t wait to go home, order a pizza, toss the eggplant-shaped bath bomb (also a joke gift from Carla) into the tub and relax. She was in the middle of cleaning when she noticed Stan strolling toward her truck.
He gave a couple carrying a tree across the yard a pair of finger guns. “Nice. You guys went with a Dougie. That’s a good tree.”
Oh God,she thought, taking a deep breath, and preparing herself for incoming annoyance.
“And how’s your day going, baby?” Stan asked, leaning against the trailer, but somehow making it not at all casual or cool.
She pretended to be involved with deep cleaning. “Busy. Did you need something?” She wasn’t optimistic but perhaps he’d order a drink, take it, and leave her alone. She could always dream.
“You know, I never got that hot chocolate. I bet you make a good one.”
“Yeah, well, like I said, I’ve been really busy. I can’t just stop everything and run a hot chocolate over to you. Maybe Santa should consider hiring an elf assistant.”
He laughed but it wasn’t the big, gusto type of laugh Mason had, one that expressed his enthusiasm with his whole body. She found Stan’s laugh to be grating, the same as the rest of him. He acted as if she was a teasing friend instead of a person who was setting boundaries and not interested in befriending him.
“I like you,” he replied, emphasizing this by pointing a white-gloved finger in her direction. “You’re feisty. And I also happen to know something about you. I know your…” he paused dramatically before whispering, “…secret.”
The way he emphasized the word made Natalie freeze with a cleaning rag in her hand, her gaze slowly returning to him. She didn’t consider herself to be a secretive person but there was one big secret. How would he know anything about her Tahoe trips? It didn’t seem possible, except…
“Do you spend a lot of time in Tahoe?” Natalie tried to decipher the exact physical specifications of his face, but it wasn’t easy through the Santa disguise. All she could tell was that he was a white guy with pale blue eyes and wasn’t very old.
His face lit at her question. “Not as much as I would like. Of course, it’s much better when you’re with the right friend, who can, you know, help you have a good time.”
Oh God.
Had she met Stan before?
Maybe he went by a different name. Like Kriss. She may have met a Chris or two on her vacations. She may have even made out with a Chris. Her stomach twisted into a knot. Had she done something with Stan, a guy who was now a photo-booth Santa, and he had found her in real, everyday life, serving coffee in a converted horse trailer? The thought made her want to vomit the protein bar she scarfed for lunch in between customers.
One thing was certain. Either she needed to stop these fun trips to Tahoe or the place wasn’t far enough away to prevent these types of run-ins. Perhaps her next vacation would be a ticket to Atlantic City, someplace on the other side of the country.
Her eyes stayed glued to him. What was he wanting from her now? Did he expect she’d be as flirty and free as she was at the state line? He was smiling at her again, all confident and smug.
“Do you recognize me? I get that a lot,” he said.
“You do?” Maybe because Kiss-with-an-R also did regular trips to Tahoe. Oh God, what a nightmare this day was turning into. She took it all back. This wasn’t like a regular day at all. It was her worst shift at Pony Expresso times ten. At least there she could hide in her office if necessary.
He nodded. “The Santa Heist.”
“What?” She couldn’t be more confused.
“I was one of the Santa extras inThe Santa Heist. Well, the second one.The Santa Heist 2: Wreck the Halls. It wasn’t in theaters, went straight to streaming, which was too bad because it was good. Some even say it was better than the originalSanta Heist, at least according to a reviewer on IMDb. I was one of the Santas in the elevator scene. I pushed the button. Well, not really, but I stood next to the guy who pushed the button. You can tell it’s me because my Santa suit is a slightly deeper red than the other Santas. It’s the silk rayon velvet. Even the set costumer was impressed with the quality of my suit. It was filmed in Tahoe, you know. Right at Harveys. I got a hundred bucks and a comp ticket to their buffet from the production team. Do you have Tubi? Because if not, I’m totally willing to let you borrow my account information.” He stopped, seeming to remember something. “I mean, I might be willing to do that if I can get that delicious hot chocolate and then secrets can stay secrets.” One of those blue eyes winked at her.
“What?” she repeated. What was even happening here? Was he bargaining with her? Blackmailing her? Or flirting?
