Page 22 of Falling for the Grinchy Bad Boy

Mayor Sally Winslow had the kind of presence that could both intimidate and reassure at the same time. She was short, round in the middle, and wore a bright cranberry blazer that screamed holiday spirit. Her eyes were sharp. She was sizing me up and taking in every detail. She had a look that said she would catch you if you tried to cut corners. Definitely had school principal vibes.

“Victoria! And this must be Joy.” She shook my hand warmly, then gestured to the two chairs across from her desk. “Please, sit. Don’t look so nervous, dear, I don’t bite.”

“I, uh,” I started, voice wobbling. “Good to know.”

Aunt Victoria smiled fondly at her old friend. “She’s still adjusting.”

“That’s perfectly natural,” the mayor said. “So. Let’s talk about this little cocoa situation.”

I shrank into my chair. My aunt could try and tell me it was no big deal, but it was. The fucking fire department showed up at the elementary school. That was the kind of thing that made the news in a small town.

“It wasn’t supposed to smoke,” I blurted. “Cocoa isn’t supposed to smoke, right? I’m pretty sure it’s not. But then it did, and then the alarm⁠—”

“Joy.” My aunt put her hand on mine. “Breathe.”

I sucked in air.

Mayor Winslow chuckled. “It happens. No one was hurt, that’s what matters. But we do need to make sure there are no more hiccups like that one.”

“Understood,” I said quickly. “I’ll triple-check all cocoa-related operations from now on.”

“Good girl. Because we’ve got some big events coming up. The Christmas Tree Lighting. Santa’s Christmas Market. The Christmas Choir concert. Those have to go smoothly, or else we’ll have a very grumpy town council on our hands.”

I nodded vigorously, worried my head might fly off. She was naming off events that terrified me a little more with every passing second. I had no idea what any of it entailed. Why would these people entrust the cocoa girl with something so big and clearly very important?

Sally leaned back in her chair, folding her hands together. “Here’s the thing, Joy. If this goes well, there could be a future here for you. We’ve been talking about turning this role into a full-time position—someone to handle community events all year round. And with your marketing background…” She tilted her head. “You’d be perfect.”

I blinked at her. My marketing degree had spent the last six months gathering dust while AI bots churned out ad campaigns that used to pay my rent. The idea that cocoa mishaps and poster contests might turn into actual employment? It hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“This is a trial run?” I asked.

“Exactly,” she said. “Think of it as a job interview spread over several weeks. Show us you can handle it, and there’ll be a desk waiting for you come January. We make a lot of money during the Christmas season. Hotels are filled. Restaurants are packed. The little businesses all get a boost in sales. We want to extend that throughout the year.”

I tried to picture it: me, in an office here in Calton Hill, organizing Easter egg hunts and Fourth of July parades. It was weirdly tempting. Not forever tempting but resume-building tempting. Ideas were already bouncing around in my head for marketing strategies. I would need to check the town’s website. Did they have one? Something to ask. What kind of budget? Fundraising? Chamber of Commerce?

“To make sure you’ve got all the support you need, we’re pairing you up with a safety officer,” Sally said. “We have to make sure we’re in compliance or the insurance carriers will have an absolute conniption fit. If we’re going to be bringing in outsiders, we need to make sure we cover our butts.”

She looked at my aunt when she said it. Outsiders was code for anyone that wasn’t attached to the town by family. If you weren’t born or raised in town, you were an outsider. I was pretty sure the standard rule for no longer being considered an outsider was residence of at least fifteen years. And even then it was tricky. You had to have some kind of connection to a family. I was surprised I hadn’t lost my status as an insider since I had been gone for so long.

“I understand,” I said. “Is he an insurance man?”

Sally smiled. “No. He will be here to make sure the Yuletide Fest events follow proper procedures.”

Aunt Victoria’s lips twitched.

He.

My stomach sank. Oh no. Oh please, no.

“Who… exactly?” I asked weakly.

“One of our best,” the mayor said confidently. “There will need to be some schedule shuffling but we think this is for the best. If we plan to grow this event, we want to do it right. And avoiding problems is our top priority.”

My aunt was definitely smiling now.

“Oh,” I squeaked. “Great.”

“The safety officer will be overseeing all the safety aspects of the festival,” Sally said, her tone chipper, like she was handing me a gift instead of a death sentence.