Seducing Santa (Holiday Series Book One)

Chapter Five~Here Comes Santa Claus

Holly drove back into the Inn parking lot, pulling her car into the same spot it had been in before. She turned off the engine and sat there for a moment, staring at the door and wondering what had gotten into her. Sure, she planned parties for a living, but when was the last time she had actually been to one? When was the last time she had even been invited to a party instead of being in charge of one? She had a few friends from college, but they were more the type of friends you only saw occasionally for small get-togethers. Most were married or in serious relationships, Holly being the only single one. They invited her to dinners, but it was always awkward, so she tended to make an excuse not to go. Holly’s one serious relationship was with her work; she had devoted her whole life to it, making her father proud of her.

Was that not what she was doing right now, though? She was here for work, not fun. She was here to see what the people of Holiday were like and possibly get a sense of whether they would reject the idea of making their town a tourist hotspot. She lifted down the visor and checked her appearance in the mirror once more, giving herself a nod in reassurance before finally stepping out of the car and walking up to the door. When it opened, she was hit once again by the strong smell of roasted turkey, but this time, along with other tantalizing aromas, such as pecan pie and honeyed sweet potatoes.

The music was no longer the piano but the full-on classics she was used to hearing played over a sound system. Currently, it was Mariah Carey singing about what she wanted for Christmas, accompanied by the sound of talking and laughter coming from the room to the left of the entrance. Opposite the sitting room, she had been in before when Mr. Green Eyes had been playing the piano.

“Hello! Welcome! I’m Evelyn Mayfield, the owner. I don’t believe we have met. Are you here for the event?” announced a woman who was standing behind the front desk.

She had to be around her sixties, with bleached platinum blonde hair and slightly overdone makeup, her long acrylic nails painted a bright red.

“Oh, sorry. I was here earlier looking for a room, and one of your employees told me you were booked for the night and directed me to the Bed & Breakfast. He gave me an invitation,” Holly explained, pulling out the large red card from her purse and handing it over to her.

“Employee?” Evelyn questioned, raising a brow that was a bit too dark in contrast with her hair, but went well with her obvious spray tan.

“Yes, the piano player,” Holly said, feeling a bit uneasy that she had made a mistake in coming here.

“Oh! You mean Grayson! He does not work here, but it sounds just like him to invite anyone off the street. This charity event is very important to him and the people of Holiday. It’s to raise money for families that have fallen on hard times, and it's been a rough year for a lot of people in town. About two years ago, the sawmill shut down, and for the past year, many people have had to commute all the way to Boston or farther away for work!

They were hoping that some business would come in and replace the sawmill, but no new businesses have come. Now the land sits vacant. Anyway! I am rambling! Enjoy yourself! There is plenty of food, good music, and company. Currently, the silent auction is underway, but a live auction will take place toward the end of the night. Here, take this ticket! This will be for a special drawing later, so make sure not to lose it! Have fun!” Said Evelyn, handing her a yellow raffle ticket.

Holly wanted to know more about what Evelyn had disclosed to her. She knew that an amusement park would bring in lots of jobs and wondered what kind of work those unemployed townspeople were doing now, but Evelyn came around the desk and started taking off Holly’s coat before pushing her toward the open double doors. Holly quickly tucked away the ticket in her purse, which she had strapped around herself so as not to lose it.

The double doors led into a large room that seemed to be a restaurant, but someone had removed most of the tables and chairs to leave a space for dancing. A few couples were already there as an acoustic version of “The Christmas Song” played. For a moment, Holly stood there and watched the couples who gently swayed together with the music, some smiling and laughing while others just held each other as close as they could.

“The buffet is over here. Sadly, there are only a few tables I could keep inside, but I moved some heaters to the outside dining area. Luckily, it's not that chilly yet. The silent auction is located against the far wall over there, and the live auction will take place near the dance floor later on. Enjoy!” Evelyn explained before rushing off to talk to some of the other guests.

Holly was rather hungry, and the room was filled with all sorts of delicious scents, making her stomach rumble even more. She walked over to the buffet, and as expected, there was a whole roasted turkey. She grabbed a few slices along with some dinner rolls and a helping of green bean casserole. There was an entire table full of desserts, and she snuck in a piece of cheesecake on her plate before looking around for a place to sit.

Evelyn was right that all the tables inside were already occupied, so she headed out of the other set of glass double doors that led to a fenced-off area on the side of the building. There were some picnic tables and large heaters that made the space feel cozy and warm. Holly went to a table close to one of the heaters and sat down, placing the plate and cutlery she had grabbed on it, wrapped in a festive red napkin.

Most of the people were inside, and only one group was outside with her in the opposite corner. After she ate, she would need to mingle a little. Everyone here seemed very friendly so far, so it should not be too hard to make her way into some conversations.

She dug into the green bean casserole first, and it was heavenly, the cream of mushroom soup so flavorful and smooth. The turkey was juicy, and the dinner rolls were warm and soft. She had just finished the main course and was about to take a bite of the cheesecake when someone sat across from her at the picnic table. Before she could look up to see who it was, they placed a large glass of eggnog in front of her. Her eyes followed the arm up to find herself staring at Mr. Green Eyes, a smile curving his full lips, before he lifted his own glass to them and took a sip.

“I’m glad you came,” he replied after taking a drink.

“I was hungry,” she said, not wanting him to get the idea that she had come here looking for him, though she could not deny it was nice to see him.

His smile grew slightly, and those green eyes of his glimmered with amusement before he gestured toward the other glass he had placed in front of her.

“I saw you grab a plate but not a drink and thought you might like one,” he explained.

“Thank you.” She whispered a little shyly, hoping she could blame the heater on her cheeks that she could feel getting warmer by the second.

She lifted the glass to her lips and was instantly surprised by the creamy, smooth taste of the eggnog; however, she was not prepared for the slight burning aftertaste of the rum that had been mixed in, and let out a slight cough.

“Sorry! Should have warned you that Evelyn’s eggnog could be a bit potent.” He apologized, picking up her red napkin and handing it to her.

Holly took it and covered her mouth as she coughed a bit more, clearing her throat. She shook her head slightly at his apology, not wanting him to feel responsible.

“It’s fine, I just don’t drink much, so I was not prepared,” Holly clarified.

“Oh? Maybe I should get you something else then?” he offered.

“No, no! This is fine!” She reassured him, reaching for the glass and taking another drink.

It truly was delicious, and she was more prepared for the aftertaste, so she did not cough from the slight burning down her throat this time.

“Well, I am glad it’s okay. I have to go now and help Evelyn with setting up the live auction. I hope to see you there,” he said while standing, smiling at her and nodding his head before walking off back through the double doors inside.

Holly watched him go, appreciating the view of his backside while still questioning if the man was flirting with her or not. She looked back down at her cheesecake and finally took the first bite, it being just as creamy, sweet, and slightly tangy as it appeared. She devoured it within seconds and then finished off her eggnog, her head already feeling slightly tipsy since she had not had alcohol in over a year.

Luckily, she wasn’t drinking on an empty stomach now, so she hoped that would help. She stood up and walked back inside. A woman wearing an apron who was near the buffet came over and took her dishes, telling her that next time she could leave them at the table and someone would be by to clean them up. Holly nodded and thanked her, feeling slightly embarrassed, but the eggnog was doing wonders to make her feel more at ease. All the awkwardness of being a guest rather than the hostess evaporated, allowing her to simply enjoy herself.

She made her way over to the silent auction, all the items looking to be handmade by the residents. A wide variety of woodworking items, which made sense considering the town's history. There was also a very large painting of the old sawmill with a Christmas tree next to it. However, what caught her eye the most was a snow globe someone had made with a depiction of the gazebo from the park and a couple looking to be dancing in the center of it.

The person working the auction saw her staring and came over to wind it up for her, the snow globe coming to life. The couple began to dance to the tune of “White Christmas” as snow fell around them, colorful Christmas lights on the gazebo lighting up and twinkling. Holly knew she had to have it. She looked down at the sheet and saw that the highest bid was currently fifty dollars. She quickly jotted down her name along with a bid for two hundred, hoping no one else would come by and outbid her later.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Gather around! The live auction will begin shortly! But first, welcome Holiday’s very own Sexy Santa!” Evelyn announced over the sound system, gesturing toward the door at the back of the room that she assumed led to the kitchen.

The door opened, and out emerged a shirtless Santa. He had on bright red pants that hung low over his hips, exposing the indents right below his six-pack that would eventually lead straight down to Santa’s package. She shook her head and looked up. Sexy Santa was wearing a fake beard along with a Santa hat, making it hard to recognize him from this distance. He also had on a coat but had it pushed back to expose his perfect physique as much as he could. All the women in the room cheered, and the men let out a collective groan, that was until Evelyn announced Mrs. Claus. A woman dressed in a very skimpy Mrs. Claus outfit emerging through the doors, doing a little strut before standing next to Sexy Santa and giving the crowd a wave.

“Now it's time to pull out those tickets I gave you when you first arrived to see who the lucky winners will be! The ladies who win will get to sit on Santa’s lap and receive a gift, while the men will get to taste Mrs. Claus’s delicious cookies while getting a back massage! Who knew Mrs. Claus was such a good masseuse as well?” Evelyn joked before walking over to two glass bowls, one filled with yellow tickets and the other with orange ones.

She started with the orange ones and called out a few numbers, someone waving their hand and announcing they were the winner. The man who approached Evelyn looked to be in his forties, and his wife did not look very happy. However, when Mrs. Claus handed over the cookies, he gave them to his wife and then asked if a couple's massage was possible. Mrs. Claus nodded and then led the couple through the door she had come from, the wife already taking a bite of the cookies and announcing they were delicious.

“Well, crisis averted there! Now for the lucky winner who gets to sit in Santa’s lap!” she said, reaching into the bowl of yellow tickets and pulling one out.

She called out the numbers four-two-six, and all the women looked, but no one seemed to have them. Holly, who had never won anything in her life, did not even bother to look at her ticket, but Evelyn seemed to notice this and pointed in her direction.

“What about you? I see you have not checked yet.”

Holly could feel her cheeks growing warm when all eyes turned on her. She gave a sheepish smile and then reached into her purse, finding the ticket and checking the last three numbers.

Four-two-Six.

She lifted the ticket and waved it slightly, feeling embarrassed now that she had not pulled it out in the first place. Holly was not accustomed to being the center of attention, and at that moment, all the women in the room seemed rather irritated that she had won.

“I guess it’s me,” she announced.

“Oh, good! Come on down!” Evelyn said, trying to bring back the cheerful mood of the room with her infectious enthusiasm.

Holly cleared her throat and walked past the dance floor to where Evelyn and Santa were standing, two employees coming to bring over a chair for Santa to sit in. Holly stood there awkwardly, not even looking up at Santa as Evelyn announced that the live auction would start soon, the music starting to play again. This time to the tune of “Here Comes Santa Claus.” Evelyn walked away while smiling at her, and for a moment, Holly debated on running away, until she felt a hand take hers, causing her to lift her head and look up at Santa for the first time up close.

Mr. Green Eyes.

Holly felt her heart jump into her throat as he smiled down at her and led her over to the chair, sitting down, and then gently pulled her onto his lap. She felt his arm wrap around her back, his hand resting gently against her hip. Holly could not comprehend how she was still breathing at this point.

“So, what would you like for Christmas?”