Page 15 of Wait a HO HO HO Second!

“Oh, so kind of you to make this about Joy, Kian.” He could see his best friend roll his eyes. “She’ll feel so lucky that you were looking out for her when she learns the truth.”

“Don’t be an ass. And don’t forget who your boss is.”

“I couldn’t, even if I tried, because he reminds me every day. Listen, you’ve known about this for months. It’s no longer fair to her that you’re trying to learn her management secrets while you’re keeping such a huge secret of your own.”

Although his best friend was right about everything, Kian planned to stay the course. He’d grown up with Joy and remembered how often she adjusted her needs and desires to fit someone else’s. If she knew they owned this mall together, she might decide the only way to work with him was to conform to his wishes. Kian didn’t want that. He wanted her to remain at the helm of the mall, doing what she does best. What he had to figure out was how to compensate her for that, given that he lived a state away and wasn’t doing any of the work. He couldn’t take dividends from the mall if he wasn’t contributing, and he had precious little time to do so while working another job.

“I’ve decided not to sell the estate,” he said, refusing to play into August’s taunting.

“I’m not surprised by that, if I’m honest,” August said. “It’s hard to sell the one thing that still holds a few fond memories of childhood.”

“That’s not why,” Kian said, shaking his head. “If I keep the estate, I always have a place to return to when handling mall business. Besides, the staff has worked hard for the past six months, and I can see they’ll keep it up if they’re treated well. Keeping the estate also means I remain part of the community by paying taxes and participating in the annual Holiday of Lights Show.”

“You mean the staff will participate in the annual Holiday of Lights Show. I don’t see Kian Van Adler out hanging strings of Christmas bulbs in October.”

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean I can’t come home a few times in December to open the estate for the public to enjoy it.”

“Home, eh?” August asked. “You used to swear you’d never call Snowcap Ridge home again.”

Kian had said that so vehemently in college. Then he grew up and realized that no one had a perfect childhood. While he may have been raised by nannies, he always had enough to eat and never lacked for anything except his mother’s attention. Not every adult could say the same about their childhood. That was when his attitude toward Snowcap Ridge began to change.

“I’m not that jaded eighteen-year-old boy anymore. I understand life’s nuances a bit more now that I’m thirty and have seen a bit of it. If I could, I’d go back and relive those years I spent making other people’s lives difficult, but I can’t. All I can do is apologize when I come face-to-face with them and hope it’s accepted.”

“Very self-aware. I’m proud of you for figuring that out,” August said, and Kian knew he was serious.

“Don’t worry, I’ll figure out the rest with a bit more time. Gotta run, but are you coming over for Santa Supper? Freya is cooking, and I’ve already convinced Marci and Joy to come.”

The line stayed silent so long that Kian glanced at the screen to check whether the call had dropped.

“You convinced Joy to come to dinner at the estate?” August asked.

“That’s what I said.” The truth was, she hadn’t said yes, but she also hadn’t said no, so there was still hope. Kian hoped their little tête-à-tête in her office wouldn’t change that.

“I have to see this. I’ll be there to watch the fireworks.”

“Ha-ha,” Kian said, lacing his reply with sarcasm. “Joy and I only butt heads now on days that end in Y.”

All he heard was laughter as he hung up and tapped the phone against his hand a couple of times. Kian stood and walked around the bench to face his mother's smiling bronze face. Reaching out, he stroked his finger down her cheek. “I should have been here for the dedication, Mom.”

“But everyone understood why you weren’t,” Marci said from behind him, making him jump. “Truthfully, I didn’t think Joy was going to make it through until it was her turn to speak. It was almost as if your mother’s spirit filled her. She stood here and spoke about Lorelei and Lorelei’s dream for this mall. She described how Lorelei taught her to manage the mall not with an iron fist but with an open office door, a cup of coffee, and a willingness to compromise and find solutions to any problem we faced. Joy doesn’t just talk the talk.”

“She walks the walk,” he responded. “I suspect that it is often at great pain to herself.”

Marci nodded as she gazed at the bronze statue. “The stairs are getting harder for her to climb so many times a day, so she stays in her office for long periods in case she’s needed.”

Was he the asshole again? Did the answer to how many hours she put into the mall lie in her disability? He had never factored that in, which he supposed made him not just an asshole, but an ableist one.

Turning slowly on his heel, he faced Joy’s best friend. “You mean she stays in the office because her apartment is upstairs?”

“It’s gotten that way over the past year or so, yeah. She used to spend most afternoons in her apartment, preferring to work early mornings and late evenings. Of course, she was always available if anyone needed her. She says it’s just easier to stay in the office now, but it’s got to be a long sixteen hours when she can’t go upstairs to relax.”

“She works sixteen hours a day? From six in the morning until…” Kian did the math in his head. “Ten at night?”

“Nine or ten, depending on when everything is buttoned up for the night,” Marci agreed. “I give her as much time off as I can, but honestly, managing this place is a two-person job, so we’re always running. She insists I don’t come in until opening because she lives here and can handle the early shift. On her days off, I usually work 10 to 8, and then she closes up.”

Joy would probably be mad as a wet hen if she knew Marci was spilling all her secrets, but he, for one, was grateful to finally have some useful intel about the situation.

“Thanks for explaining that to me. I’m afraid I jumped to conclusions earlier about how many hours she works. I’ll make that right somehow.”