Chapter 2
2
“ Y ou should have seen his face when he took that first sip of coffee.” Ginger laughed at the memory, reenacting Haywood’s reaction. “‘Who the hell puts cinnamon in dark roast?’ He acted like I was trying to poison him.”
“It doesn’t sound like things are off to a good start.” Odette held a plastic bag imprinted with the logo and contact information for the Love Beach Animal Shelter, which she was filling with promotional material. The bags would be handed out during the Jingle Bell Festival, along with homemade organic dog treats. The fun part, making the doggie cookies, would start when they’d finished stuffing five hundred goodie bags.
“I’m surprised at you,” mused Willa Leigh Lewis—formerly Osborn—the third in the tight-knit circle of friends. The fourth, Jezzy Brant, was currently in Palm Springs with her flavor-of-the-month boy toy. “You’re the sweetest, least antagonistic person I know. You get along with everyone.”
“Excerpt her new boss,” Odette intoned.
“Haywood Holloway.” Ginger scoffed. “Pretentious snob. Likely has a trust fund. Arthur would have hated him. I mean, who doesn’t love Christmas?”
“Not me!” Lulu Osborn-Lewis, Willa Leigh’s eleven-year-old daughter, strolled into the lobby of the animal shelter, leading a scruffy dog on a leash. “I love Christmas. Daddy says it’s gonna be extra magical this year.”
Six months ago, Willa Leigh had reunited with her high school crush who’d left town the day after prom, unaware she was pregnant after their one night together. Learning he had a daughter—and that he’d missed the first ten years of her life—had been rough for all of them, but they finally had the happy ever after they deserved. Kobe and Willa Leigh were married in a ceremony on the beach three months ago and now split their time between Kobe’s ranch in Montana and the South Carolina beach town.
“Who’s your new pal?” Ginger asked, still prickly about Willa Leigh’s comment. It was true; Ginger embraced the adage that strangers were friends waiting to happen. But that was before Haywood walked into her life. She was still debating if he was more Scrooge or Grinch, but after threatening to pull the company’s sponsorship for the Jingle Bell Festival, he was showing a definite Grinch-like leaning. Important nuances, in her opinion. Scrooge was stingy and unsympathetic, but the Grinch took things a step further by actually stealing presents in an effort to ruin Christmas. If Haywood pulled support for the festival, it would steal joy—and much-needed funding—from hundreds of people.
“This is Max.” Lulu crouched next to the timid mutt, scratching behind his ears. “He’s not doing so well.”
“His owner is in the Army. He’s being deployed and couldn’t find anyone to keep Max for him. He asked us to find a good family since he’ll be gone a year or more.” When Odette began working at the rescue, she’d cried and cried. So many tragic stories that ended with someone’s beloved cat or dog being surrendered. She’d toughened up over the years; not because she grew insensitive but because she got more accomplished when she wasn’t sitting in a puddle of tears.
“He looks exactly like the dog in the Grinch movie,” Willa Leigh said. “The one with Jim Carrey.”
“He does, Momma!”
“And his name is Max,” Odette noted.
“I’m not in the market for a pet,” Ginger declared. “Besides, Max is the Grinch’s dog. Talk to Haywood aka The Grinch of Love Beach.”
“He can’t be that bad.” Willa Leigh straightened the bags they’d already completed, making space in the cardboard box for more. “He’s only been here three days.”
“When Marietta told him how Calhoun Designs donates labor and supplies to the festival, he said that would be one of the first budgetary cuts. Without even looking at the company records!” Sadness welled up inside Ginger.
The Jingle Bell Festival had started fifteen years ago as a fundraising initiative for local non-profits. They tapped into holiday good will and added a few dollars to already-tight coffers. Over the years, it had grown into a beloved tradition. By expanding the festival to include food, crafts, and games, it drew in visitors from outside Love Beach which translated to more funding for the town’s charitable organizations.
While Calhoun Designs was the official sponsor, most of the money earmarked to support the festival was spend on salaries for the carpenters and crew who assembled safe and sturdy stalls for the vendors, plus signage and a wooden dais where musicians performed. The average income in Love Beach, a town that relied heavily on tourism, was modest, so employees appreciated the opportunity to pick up extra money while helping their neighbors and friends. In Ginger’s opinion, the overtime pay benefitted everyone versus doling out a token holiday bonus.
“Put a Santa hat on Max and bring him to the office on Monday,” Odette suggested. “The Grinchmeister was a cold-hearted sonuva, but he did love his fur baby. Think of it as the first step in dethawing the man’s frozen heart.”
“Lulu, I thought you were taking Max for a walk. Go!” Willa Leigh shooed her daughter out of the lobby, muttering, “This conversation was not meant for ten-year-old ears.”
“Eleven!” Lulu shouted as the door swung closed behind her.
“Ten going on sixteen.” Willa Leigh shook her head, face softening as she watched the girl trot off with Max before turning back to Odette. “What’s the next step?”
“Huh?” Odette spun around to open a new box of paw-shaped magnets, part of the swag going into the bags. Her silky black coils danced around her broad face.
“The next step in The Plan.” Willa Leigh emphasized the last two words as if referencing a top-secret military action to save the world.
“Ohhh,” Odette drawled, gears spinning behind wide espresso-brown eyes. “The Plan!”
“What plan?” Ginger paused in her assembly-line approach to filling the slick bag she pinched between thumb and forefinger.
“The Plan to convert Haywood-the-Grinch into the man who loved Christmas,” Willa Leigh said.
“Oh, no.” Ginger saved her hands as if warding off bad juju. “I have to work with the guy. Two months and twenty-seven days.”
The other two women laughed but persisted.
“Think of it as a challenge.”
“You’re doing it for Love Beach.”
“If anyone can turn their grumpy boss into a holiday hero, it’s you.”
“Besides,” Odette said coyly, sharing a sideways look with Willa Leigh, “the man is fine. I saw him picking up coffee at Caffeine Beach yesterday.”
“Because he doesn’t like my holiday blend,” Ginger groused.
“Is he hot?” Willa Leigh asked.
“Scorching, if you go for the buttoned-up corporate type.” Odette pressed a finger to her temple, remembering. “He definitely uses product on his hair. It’s short on the sides with just enough length on top for a bit of curl. Dark blond although I’d bet money it was coppery-blond when he was little. In the right light, you get these flashes of auburn.”
“Aw, if the Mistress of Merry had babies with Hot Grinch, they’d have cute little redheads. Go on,” Willa Leigh said.
“Guys—” Ginger warned but they ignored her.
“I’m not sure about eye color—he was wearing sunglasses—but he definitely works out. Big broad shoulders that filled out his tailored suit, and a tight?—”
“His eyes are blue,” Ginger snapped.
“Thought you might have noticed.” Odette passed a Cheshire smile to Willa Leigh, but kept her gaze on Ginger. “Haywood is exactly your type.”
“Is not!” Ginger protested.
“Is too.” Odette was unrelenting. “Willa Leigh, name our girl’s three favorite romantic movie leads.”
“Richard Gere in Pretty Woman . The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds.” She furrowed her brow, deep in concentration, then clapped. “Hugh Grant in Love Actually .”
“See any similarities?” Odette quirked a brow.
“So I like well-groomed men with style.” Ginger toyed with the white pencil stenciled with the rescue’s red logo before jamming it into a bag. “Haywood is a far cry from Richard, Ryan, or Hugh.”
“Any hero worth his salt—or, in your case, red and green sugar sprinkles—needs to be redeemed.” Willa Leigh had abandoned the task at hand, pulled into Odette’s proposal. “Kobe was easy because we were already in love, but it still cost him $2.5 million.”
“Which provided this state-of-the-art facility for Love Beach’s homeless and hapless animals.” Tears shimmered in Odette’s eyes as she gazed loving around the brand-new building.
“If ever a man needed saving, it’s Haywood. Can you imagine what his childhood was like if he grew up to hate Christmas?” Willa Leigh looked troubled.
“One way to find out.” Odette dropped a handful of pamphlets and led the way to the laptop behind the front counter. “Let’s Google him.”
“Guys, we have at least three hundred more bags…” Ginger gave up, following Willa Leigh to stand behind Odette. They looked over her shoulders as she typed in H-A-Y-W-O-O-D H-O-L-L-O-W-A-Y.
Odette gave a low whistle as Ginger read aloud, “…one of the oldest families in Charleston…leading members of society…family name besmirched by affairs and divorce…proudly announce the engagement of Haywood Leon Holloway to Margo Juliette Abernathy.”
“Look!” Willa Leigh pointed excitedly to a photo of six perfectly attired adults along a spiraling grand staircase fronted by an enormous evergreen swathed in gold ribbon and silver ornaments. “Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus Holloway and their four children—Johnston, Samantha, Patrice, and Haywood—hosting their annual Christmas Eve fete.”
“So much for his troubled childhood.” Ginger couldn’t explain the disappointment she felt after learning Haywood came from old money and had been raised with privilege.
Or maybe it was the fact he was engaged.
“There’s more.” Odette clicked the image of a stunning blonde in a haute couture bridal gown holding a bouquet of orchids. “…Margo Abernathy…exchanged vows at the William Aiken House on August 1 st with Johnston Dupree Holloway…”
“What? Check the dates, Odette.” Shock and sympathy vied for attention as Ginger scanned the captions. “Somehow his fiancée ended up marrying his brother?”
“That explains a lot.” Willa Leigh sounded ready to bake a casserole for the man. Classic comfort food for anyone dealing with a tragedy. “I’d be extra grumpy if Kobe dumped me and married my sister.”
“You don’t have a sister,” Odette pointed out dryly.
“If I did.” Willa Leigh turned wide eyes on Ginger. “At least there’s a plausible reason for the man’s behavior. He had the woman he loved stolen away from him. By his brother. That’s a double dose of betrayal.”
“You’re making a lot of assumptions.” Ginger seated herself on a metal stool. “Maybe Johnston and Margo met, took one look at each other, and realized they were destined to be soulmates. Haywood nobly stepped aside for the sake of true love. Now he’s here to make my life miserable because he’s an entitled snob who never had to stuff plastic bags or sell donuts or raffle off a date with a hot fireman to raise money for domestic abuse survivors or kids’ athletics or strays.”
Her statement reminded all of them what was at stake if the Jingle Bell Festival lost its sponsorship. Convincing Haywood to embrace the spirit of Christmas wasn’t about converting a holiday-hater; it could mean the difference in thousands of dollars that helped hundreds of people—and animals—in crisis.
“Okay. I’m in.” Ginger reached for a notepad and pen. “Ladies, what’s step two in The Plan to Convert Haywood Holloway from Scrooge McGrinch to Mister Christmas?”