Chapter 2
“Taylor! There you are,” Mona Grayson, the mayor of Christmas Falls, exclaimed as he approached where she was standing back from the stage, set up in front of the still-dark tree.
“Right here, boss,” Taylor said. “What’s up?”
His old college friend, Joey, always joked that his deputy mayor job was little more than a glorified personal assistant, even though he knew better.
When Taylor had listed out all the projects he’d spearheaded during his four years here, even Joey, who made a living not only being an in-demand business consultant, but a sarcastic smart ass, had been impressed.
He hadn’t used the phrase, you’re a shoo-in regarding the soon-to-be-empty city manager job, but Taylor had read between the lines and had let himself feel optimistic.
At least until the latest round of Mona’s concerns.
“Oh good, you’re here,” she said. “I’ve got to have someone keep Heath Kelly from running away.”
She gestured towards where Heath Kelly, former soap actor, Hallmark heartthrob, and when they’d finally gotten their conservative heads out of their even-more conservative asses, the male lead in their last three queer-themed holiday movies, stood.
And, even more pertinently, this year’s Christmas Falls Festival grand marshal.
Next to the podium and the gigantic tree, was Heath, undeniably tall and undeniably handsome. Taylor could see Heath’s gaze roaming over the growing crowd, his apprehension not particularly well-hidden. Even for a celebrity used to Hollywood’s excesses, the festival was a lot.
A whole bunch of holiday joy.
Maybe a lesser man wouldn’t admit it or enjoy it, but the truth was, Taylor fucking loved it.
Last year, Taylor had been convinced Jem Knight, the retired Charleston Condors defensive end and one of the town’s most famous sons, would take a dive off the platform just to stop all the overly enthusiastic screams and catcalls.
“Go charm him,” Mona said, giving Taylor a little shove. “Maybe he’ll take one look at you, decide that he’s been waiting for you for his whole life, and you can settle down together with three cats and a nice picket fence.”
“Three cats?”
Mona chuckled. “Doesn’t the other Taylor—”
“No. I don’t need three. Just Meredith is fine,” Taylor said resolutely. This was one of his favorite nights of the year. He was not going to tolerate comparisons to certain very famous female pop stars, not tonight, anyway.
“Taylor, you know this town. Maybe you didn’t grow up here—”
“Mona,” Taylor interrupted again.
“And that’s another ding—and we both know it is, Taylor. This town doesn’t particularly like change. And they don’t like strangers. They don’t like single, tall, dark, and handsome strangers, especially.”
Taylor rolled his eyes, hoping that his outward disdain for the mayor’s worry might protect that tiny flame of hope-tinged optimism deep inside him. “If that was actually true, they’d be way less excited to see Heath Kelly.”
She laughed and patted him on the arm. “I do love you, Taylor. You’re so funny.”
“Don’t say you’ll miss me when you’re gone.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Mona said resolutely. That much Taylor could believe.
Mona had been the mayor for a long time, at least fifteen years, and she was as much a fixture of Christmas Falls as Christmas Falls was a fixture for her.
Someday, Taylor wanted to take her spot. But for now, he was going to be perfectly happy getting the city manager position he’d had his eye on for the last two years.
And old, curmudgeonly Mr. Granger, who’d probably worked for Christmas Falls longer than Taylor had been alive, had finally announced his retirement.
Taylor, who’d been learning the ropes from both him and Mona for the last four years, had seemed like the most natural fit. Mona had even cautiously said she’d give him a recommendation to take to the city council during the hiring process.
But he was young. He wasn’t originally from Christmas Falls. And he didn’t have a family.
Three strikes Mona couldn’t stop reminding him about.
“Go keep that nice young man company. Flirt a little. If the town and the city council think you’re interested in settling down .
. .” Mona waggled her eyebrows, and Taylor knew he should laugh, but he could barely muster a smile.
He wasn’t interested in settling down. When he lay in bed, sleep elusive, and thought of the future, of what he wanted more than anything else, it was a job that helped him preserve what made Christmas Falls so special while adding just enough growth that the town didn’t stagnate.
That might, eventually, when Mona had decided that she didn’t want to be mayor anymore, empower him to run in her place.
“Right,” Taylor said. He didn’t remind Mona that Heath Kelly wasn’t going to be interested in him, even if he was interested in Heath Kelly.
Which he wasn’t.
Not even a little.
Yes, as Taylor wandered closer to him, he couldn’t deny that Heath was very good looking. And famous. And rich.
Maybe Joey was right and his sex drive, ignored for too long, had finally shriveled and died.
But it was hard to be sad about that, especially when he was the only candidate for his dream job, and he was hoping it would stay that way. Then, her warnings about his three strikes wouldn’t make much difference.
“Hey,” Taylor said to Heath. “You thinking about making a run for it, yet?”
Heath gave him a semi-embarrassed smile. “I do this entertainment stuff for a living, so it shouldn’t be so . . .so . . .”
“I get it,” Taylor said, shoving his hands into his charcoal gray jacket.
“Well, you’re the deputy mayor, so that means you signed up for this, right? You enjoy it.”
Taylor did not remind Heath Kelly that he had also signed up for this. Albeit temporarily.
“Actually,” Taylor said, “I love it.”
Heath gave him a surprised look. And yes, okay, Taylor didn’t look like a guy who was obsessed with Christmas.
He looked like who he was, on the outside, anyway. An urban guy in his early thirties, fit and decent looking, upwardly mobile with a job in marketing or IT or business, with a good wardrobe.
He had been that guy. He’d tried to be, anyway. It hadn’t stuck.
If you peeled him open, underneath his thick, sober charcoal peacoat and navy cashmere sweater, he’d bleed red and green and glitter.
“Yeah? That’s cool. I do this kind of thing, a lot.
Comes with my job, too. All this holiday rah-rah cheer.
But the funny thing is, I’m usually bundled up in the heat of August, sweating through my sweater and coat, wishing I could rip the scarf off and take a deep breath.
” Heath chuckled. “And the snow’s always fake. ”
“Not so fake here.”
Heath seemed like a decent enough guy. Maybe Taylor should be doing what Mona had suggested, but that easy charm that worked so well on the townspeople felt frozen when it came to a romantic possibility.
It hadn’t always been that way.
“Nope,” Heath said with a grin. “So I hear I’m getting a liaison, for, like, the festival events.” He gave Taylor another quick once-over. “Please tell me that’s gonna be you.”
Taylor was flattered. Still frozen, but flattered.
“Actually, no,” Taylor said apologetically. “That’s going to be Murphy Clark. He carves the gnomes. I’m sure you’ve seen them around town.”
Last year, the festival organizer, Griff, had convinced Murphy to do the liaison job, because by the time they headed into the five weeks before Christmas and the prime festival season, Murphy was always at a loose end. He’d already done all his work, throughout the year.
Plus, Murphy had an easy, quiet way about him. Supportive and friendly. When Griff had mentioned they should approach him again for the job, Marlene had argued that the only reason he’d agreed at all last year was because of the torch he’d been carrying for Jem Knight, last year’s grand marshal.
But when they’d asked, to everyone’s surprise, Murphy had agreed. He’d never be a people person, but after dating Jem for the whole year, Taylor could see that he’d begun to come out of his shell more.
“Oh yeah? The gnome guy? I think I met him at Rudolph’s the other night. He’s the one who’s dating the really hot football player.” Heath winced. “The one who replaced me last year, when I broke my leg.”
“Yep, that’s Murphy. Big guy. Gnome carver. Plaid-and-Jem-Knight aficionado.”
“Cool. I liked him.”
Taylor patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll be in expert hands with him. The guy grew up here. He’s practically Christmas Falls in a single person.”
Heath shot him a flirtatious glance. “I thought that was you. Loving it so much here and all.”
He should be flattered. He should not only be flattered, he should be listening to Mona’s advice and taking Heath up on all these promising looks he kept sending Taylor’s way.
When would he ever get to say he’d hooked up with a bona fide movie star?
If ego mattered, it would be full to bursting at even the possibility.
But Heath still left Taylor cold.
“I do love it,” Taylor agreed. Patted him again. “Come on, Mona’s getting ready to make her speech, and we’re on smile and wave duty. You can say a few things if you’d like, but it’s not a requirement.”
“I can do that,” Heath said, nodding.
“The mayor likes to flip the switch herself,” Taylor explained under his breath as they walked towards the middle of the stage, slightly behind the podium. “Gives her a rush of power, or so she says.”
“You ever interested in taking her job?” Heath asked, waving at where Mona stood.
“Being the mayor? Someday, maybe, but not now.” He wasn’t going to tell Heath that the real power in the town was working behind the scenes. That Mona was largely a figurehead.
“You’d be good at it,” Heath said and thankfully left it at that, as Mona approached the podium to a raucous wave of cheers.
He started waving and felt better when Heath joined in, seeming to get the hang of it.
No, he wouldn’t be making a run for it.
And no, Taylor wouldn’t be inviting him to his bed, either.
The reason why?