Page 46 of Wait a HO HO HO Second!

“Am I hungry? Yes, but I need to get back to the mall. Marci is alone.”

“Marci is fine. I checked in with her just a few minutes ago. She said nothing is happening and that we should enjoy our lunch.” Kian turned his phone so she could read the message, and Joy finally smiled.

“You and my stomach win this one.”

Fist-pumping, Kian climbed out of the car, a stupid, goofy grin spreading across his face. It might be a working lunch, but he didn’t care. Time with Joy made him happy whether at work or at leisure. Part of him hoped they’d someday be partners at work and in life, but then he remembered. Joy still didn’t know they owned the mall together.

Kian handed her the crutches and held the door open so she could get out. Should he tell her now, before the Harrington and Vale meeting? Mark had no idea she was a part-owner of Snowcap Ridge. As far as Mark knew, Van Adler Holdings held the deed to the mall, but Joy was the general manager who made all the leasing decisions for the stores. Kian was only involved to facilitate the meeting. Except that wasn’t true anymore. Kian made a mental note to call the lawyer before they signed a lease with Harrington and Vale.

Just tell her before this gets away from you, that inner voice said.

Damn his mother for tying his hands.

25

#OTannenbaum

Shedding the Santa suit, Kian stepped back into his street clothes, quickly buttoning his pants before pulling his sweater down over his chest. Santa had left the building, but the night wasn’t over. It was less than ten minutes until the tree lighting, movie, and cocoa. He wanted to be there with Joy when she lit the tree, then he’d help pass out cocoa and cookies. The mall was packed with people waiting to see the tree, but if even half of them stayed, he was pretty sure they’d have to show the movie in two lanes. There wasn’t enough space for everyone to see it in center court.

Jogging out of the office, he headed back toward the tree. He’d spent nearly four hours talking to the kids and taking pictures, but that was a means to an end. The end was taking off the suit and spending the rest of the night with Joy. Over the last couple of days, her blister had healed thanks to the brace adjustment. She still limped a bit, but he suspected it was more about the brace not fitting perfectly than it was about pain. At least that’s what her face said as she moved around. Joy thought she kept her pain hidden, but she didn’t. He could see it. He could always see it. That should have told him something way back when, but he was too self-absorbed to pause and consider why Joy was in pain. Now, it was all he thought about.

“Hey,” he said, coming up behind Joy, who was standing by the tree, double-checking the cords. “Is everything a go?”

Looking up, she smiled. “I'm not so sure. This crowd,” she said, grabbing his sweater in her fist, “is twice the size of last year’s.”

“Makes me wonder if everyone came out to honor my mom,” he whispered, resting his hand over hers. “Which is lovely, but if everyone stays for the movie, we have a problem.”

“That’s what I was thinking, too! What should we do?”

Kian pulled out his phone. “Give me five. I have an idea.” He dialed the only person who could help, and they assured him they’d prep everything during the tree lighting. With a grateful sigh, he hung up and turned to Joy. “Sorted.”

“How? Who were you talking to?”

“Snowcap Ridge Multiplex. They’re going to gear up two theaters for holiday movies and keep the popcorn down there since they were already popping it for the event. If we can get the cookies and cocoa there before the tree lighting ends, everything will be set.”

“Wait, aren’t they showing their usual movies tonight?” Joy asked, concerned. “They’ll lose so much money.”

Kian motioned toward the crowd gathered for the tree lighting. “They assured me it’s a ghost town. If anything, I could tell they were happy to be asked.”

Joy grimaced as she nodded. “I should have thought to ask them, but I wasn’t expecting a crowd like this. I didn’t want to take up the theaters they could use for paying customers. I’ll smooth it over with them tomorrow.” After grabbing her black box and asking Kristie to reroute the cocoa and cookies to the theater, she grabbed the microphone. “Ready for this? I’ll introduce you first. You can say a few words, and then we’ll light the tree.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Kian said quickly. If she introduced him as the owner, how would she feel when she learned about his secret?

“Lorelei was your mother, Kian. You should say a few words to the crowd.”

He hated that she was right, but she was, so he nodded. “Okay, but just introduce me as her son. That’s who I am tonight.”

With a nod, they stepped around the tree, and Joy brought the microphone to her lips. “Good evening, everyone!” The lights dimmed the moment she began to speak. It wasn’t completely dark, but it would be when they hit two on the countdown. Kian prayed the lights would go on without a hitch so the little ones wouldn’t start to cry. “The Snowcap Ridge Community has turned out tonight, and we can’t thank you enough!”

A round of applause rippled through the crowd, and he gently shoulder-bumped Joy and smiled. Kian had noticed her chin trembling, so he hoped it would keep her from breaking down in front of half of Snowcap Ridge. He didn’t want her to be embarrassed, even though she had every right to struggle through the holidays this year. He was keeping it together, but just barely, so he understood how hard it was. The lights dimmed a bit more, quieting the crowd.

“To that end,” Joy said. “We’re moving the cocoa, cookies, and movies to the multiplex. The movies will be shown in the theaters, so everyone has a comfortable place to sit and watch the show, free of charge.” Cheers went up, but this time Joy didn’t let them linger. “Before we light the tree, I’d like to introduce our VIP for the night. Some of you may remember him as Lorelei’s little boy, but he’s now the CEO of Van Adler Holdings. Please give Kian a warm welcome.”

When Joy handed him the microphone, he couldn’t help but notice her rebellious smile and wink. Maybe she didn’t say he was the owner outright, but she made her point. That’s okay; he could one-up her with a rebellious smile and wink any day.

Kian took the microphone and thanked everyone for the warm welcome. “Tonight, I’m here not as the CEO of Van Adler Holdings, but as Lorelei’s little boy.” Trying not to choke up, he focused on what he wanted to say about his mother and what she meant to him and the community. When Joy wrapped her arm around his waist, it surprised the hell out of him, but it also calmed him, reminding him how he wanted to pay tribute to his mother: with love. Nothing else. Joy was helping him do that without even knowing. Having her soft, warm curves against him was a little piece of heaven, but he couldn’t focus on how incredibly sexy she looked in her little green pantsuit, or he’d embarrass himself in other ways.

“My mother loved Snowcap Ridge and this mall,” he said after clearing his throat. “Mom wanted to leave a legacy of giving, loving, and supporting the community that has always supported us. Even when I was fourteen and wreaking havoc on this town, everyone supported Mom and didn’t hold my antics against her.”