Page 50 of The Lie That Stole Christmas

“Of course not,” Lena Hart said.“We wouldn’t want your sparkling personality scaring away the children.”

Ashley added more brownie points to her tally.

Tori, who had appeared from nowhere, snorted so hard she nearly dropped her phone.She looked up, lips parting to speak, when her phone rang.With a sigh, she answered and disappeared out the other door.

“Are all event planners this annoying?”Gabe asked.

“Only the award-winning ones,” Lena declared.

“Jesus,” he muttered.

Lena smiled sweetly.“That’s not my name.”

Carter pinched the bridge of his nose.“Maybe we should start over so we can move on.”

“Good idea,” Lena agreed.She held her hand out to Gabe.“Hi, I’m Lena Hart.Professional event planner.Christmas enthusiast.Not a thief.”

Gabe stared at her hand, and Ashley wanted to punch him for being such an arrogant jerk.

“I’m undecided on that last one,” he said.

“Fair enough.”She dropped her hand to her side.“Anyway…” She motioned with her tumbler.“Festival.That is why I am here.We have a week and a million things to do.So if you’re not part of the Christmas festival committee, you should see yourself out.”

She turned her attention to Gabe.“Are you kicking me out of my own family home?”

“I would never do that, but Iamasking you in a not-so-subtle way to get lost.”

“You heard the woman,” Ashley said.“Off with you before I volunteer you to play Santa.”

Gabe turned on his foot and high-tailed it out of the vestibule without a word.

“If I knew it were that easy, I could have got him out of my way much sooner,” Lena said.

“I do apologize.Gabe is…”

“An asshole,” Carter said.

“Protective,” Ashley corrected.

“No harm.No foul.It was fun to push his buttons.It’s actually quite easy.”A mischievous smile spread across her face.“But now I am ready to bring on the Christmas spirit!”

“Let’s head to the dining room and we can go over everything that’s done and what we have left to do.”Carter held his hand out for Lena and Ashley to go.Ashley let Lena lead the way, but mainly she wanted to hang back and see if Carter’s eyes followed Lena.They didn’t.They couldn’t.Not when they were glued to her.

She followed behind Lena and sat across from her at the dining room table.Memories of the gingerbread house contest were still fresh in her mind.After voting, Taylor won, though it very well could have been a pity vote.Dad came in second, but one look at the smile on Taylor’s face and he didn’t argue.

Now she sat, waiting to see where Carter would sit.Next to her, or next to Lena.

Chapter fifteen

Carter

Carterwaitedforthewomen to be seated, then sat at the head of the table, completing their semicircle.He felt Ashley’s eyes on him, but after their impromptu make-out session in the hall, desire still coursed through his veins, so he tried not to catch her eye.

Lena opened her binder and started pulling out papers, placing them across the table.Each piece of paper was typed in either green or red font.The tabs in the binder each had a Christmas adornment, from Santa to a Christmas tree to toy soldiers to ornaments.She slipped off her coat, and Carter couldn’t help but smile at the sequined Rudolph on her sweater.

“Your sweater is adorable,” Ashley said, her smile a touch too bright.

“Isn’t it?”Lena all but beamed.“Wait for it.”Her hand slipped beneath the table, and within seconds, Rudolph’s nose started to blink red.