Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Emily
“Where did the V come from?” Kayla asked, as I picked up a pink-and-gray flannel shirt and held it up for her to see. She shook her head. “Not for a fancy ski chalet weekend.”
“Don’t worry the V was fresh from the package. He had a bunch of unopened ones in a box.”
Kayla stopped and put her hand on her hip. The other arm would have gone to her other hip if it wasn’t too busy holding the items of clothing she wanted me to try on.
“Relax, Kayla, he doesn’t keep them there for his conquests, those are the gifts they put in the presents Santa gives out for the Sexy Santa Inc show.”
Her brow curves up. “Are you sure he just didn’t order an extra box for himself?”
I barked a laugh and an elderly lady beside me shot me a dirty look from the sale bin she was rifling through.
“Even if that were the case, why would I care? It was one night, and it was amazing and even if he got that good by screwing a different woman every night for the last twenty years, I’m not complaining. In fact, I’d like to send every one of them a Christmas card.”
This time Kayla barked the laugh. The elderly woman huffed, tossed the sweater she’d been looking at, and walked away. “Merry Christmas!” Kayla yelled.
“So no names, no identifying anything?” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Did you happen to peek at the delivery name on the box?”
I looked away.
“You did!” She grabbed me, gripping my arm tightly until I looked at her.
“It just said Sexy Santa Inc and the condo address.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“If I did some sleuthing, I could probably find out something. We were at his company condo and I’m sure if I dug a little, I could find out who played Santa that night for Sexy Santa Inc Madeline hired them, so she might know a bit more than I do too.”
“Well do it! Don’t let this man go.”
“The whole plan was to let him go.” I sigh.
“That’s why it was so hot.” I paused, wondering if that was true.
Did the mystery make it hotter? “We could be who we wanted, say what we wanted, do what we wanted without worrying about waking up the next morning face to face in the light of day and being embarrassed. Besides, I’m looking to settle down.
And a guy that plays a sexy Santa Daddy for randy women, even if it’s just for charity, isn’t the marrying kind. ”
“I guess." She held up a sweater. “How about this?”
I scrunched my nose. “It looks itchy.”
“Ugh. You’re so picky.” She tossed it back on the table and I picked it up and folded it.
“Can we try on what we’ve got now?” I begged, looking longingly at the change rooms. “There’s a lull there now.”
She beelined for the bank of doors at the back of the store and snagged me a change room before I’d even caught up. The woman was built for shopping. Probably because she had one of those bodies where she could pluck a size six off the rack and it fit as if it were made for her.
I tried on the one item I’d picked first. A dove-gray sweater with a pair of black winter lined tights. I admired the outfit in the mirror and popped my feet back in my black boots. I liked it, so I stepped out to show my best friend.
“That’s nice for a casual day,” she said and smiled, handing me something. “It’s also predictable. See, I got you one in maroon.”
“Oh, I like it!”
She laughed. “Of course you do. That’s what makes you so predictable.” She tossed it to me, and I put it on the keep pile with the wool socks and new warm pajamas I’d grabbed.
“You can’t have any more than those two though!
” Kayla called through the change room door after I shut it.
“But they both work with the black tights. So you have two outfits for when you’re being cozy, drinking hot chocolate in front of the fireplace and daydreaming about eating Santa Daddy’s candy cane. ”
“Kayla!” I whispered harshly and she laughed.
“I’m so excited about this trip. I hate that we rarely get snow here, and nothing significant when we do. Growing up out East, we always had lots. I miss it.”
“Well, you’re going to get plenty of snow in Lake Lucille. Do you know it’s Canada’s highest elevated town?”
“You’ve done some research,” I said, pulling on another outfit.
“Well, I thought you might ask me to be your plus one when Jett, la petite tête, got axed, but then my mother called, and surprise, they’re coming to stay with me for Christmas. Their cruise leaves from Port of Vancouver.” She gives my outfit a thumbs-up as I open the door and spin for her.
“How long are they going to be here? And can your tiny apartment hold that much hostility? And are they still trying to get you to marry that guy?”
She snorts, wedging herself into the change room with me. “Raj? Yeah, and he’s nice, has a great job, and he’s handsome, but he’s not my type.” She tosses off her shirt to try on a cashmere sweater in a sunflower-yellow color that matches her brown skin perfectly.
“Because your type isn’t the kind of man that lets his parents set him up?”
She turned to the mirror, examining herself in the sweater, and then her reflection grins at me.
“Exactly!”
“Did I tell you it was David’s best friend that gifted him the use of the venue?”
“Yes, and because I did some research, I know it’s a five-star resort with amazing ratings on Trip Advisor.”
“We’re not staying in the main chalet though. We’re staying in his private chalet.”
“Ooh, right! Charlotte showed you the pics that David sent her, right?”
I nodded.
“Tell me everything.”
“Then prepare to be super jelly because oh, my, it’s two stories with ten bedrooms — all with ensuites, fireplaces, and balconies with views of the mountains or the lake.
There’s a huge eat-in kitchen, a great room, a theatre room, library and a games room.
Not to mention the huge indoor pool and gym and the outdoor twenty-person hot tub complete with mountain backdrop and firepits. It’s going to be amazing.”
“God, I wonder what that costs?” she said as she stepped out of the changing room in her own clothes and I followed in my next outfit.
“I don’t know what it would cost a regular person, but he owns the resort so…”
“How do I get a rich best friend like that?” she asked, her right eyebrow arching as if it was my fault I wasn’t rich.
“I guess you’ll just have to be happy with a best friend, rich-adjacent, once removed.”
She laughed loudly, looked me up and down, and nodded in approval of the outfit. “But is he single?”
“Who?”
“The generous benefactor of David’s wedding?”
“I believe he is,” I said as I went back into the change room to get back into my clothes and sort through the try-on pile.
“Dibs!”
I tossed an ugly sweater over the top of the dressing room door. “On this?”
“Ew no. On David’s best friend. I know you’re looking even though it’s only been a few weeks so I’m staking my claim now.”
“You’re dibsing a man you’ve never met and probably won’t ever meet?”
“Damn right I am.”
“And if he’s ugly as fudge?”
“He’s all yours.” She laughed as I exited the room and we both headed to the checkout.
Ten minutes later we were sitting in one of the trendy little coffee shops downtown, sipping hot cocoa, listening to Christmas music play over the speakers, and talking about Santa Daddy again.
“I still can’t believe you finally got your Santa Claus fantasy fulfilled,” she whispered before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.
I pointed at the tip of her nose where some whipped cream sat.
“Even if I didn’t, it still would have been incredible.” I cocked my head. “I’m thinking I might like to try Club Red someday.”
“The BDSM club?”
I nodded. “I wasn’t sure reality would live up to fantasy, but it did.” I bit my lip. “It was so much better.”
“And maybe you’ll bump into him there.” She winked.
A tray of muffins was pulled from the oven in the back, and the smell of cinnamon spice filled the air. I breathed it in as I stared at the water droplets trickling in paths down the big glass windows.
“Damn, it’s started raining,” Kayla whined noticing the rain.
“I told you I don’t want to see him again. Seeing him again will ruin the magic. Besides. He’s not from around here. At least I don’t think so. If he was, why would he be using the company condo?”
“Maybe so his conquests won’t know his address.” She paused a moment and looked back at me. “Why does a company that donates all of its proceeds to charity have a condo downtown Vancouver?”
“I don’t know. It’s a non-profit organization, so maybe his real job owns the condo and lets him use it to support the charity.”
“Maybe,” I said against the side of my cup before taking a sip of cocoa.
“Was the condo nice?”
“Gorgeous. The view alone was worth a few mil.”
“Must be a good job,” she said in a low sing-song tone.
“So what? I have a good job too.”
“Emily, hear me out. You find a unicorn like that, you try to keep him.” She dismissed my groan with a wave of her hand. “Just saying, hot, sex-god, good job, volunteers…”
“Are you finished with your Christmas shopping?” I asked, attempting to change the subject.
This time she groaned. “No. You have no idea how lucky you are to just have a small family.”
“Said no one with two siblings ever,” I offered in challenge.
“You know what I mean.” She slumped, setting her chin in her palm.
“Two siblings, two of their spouses and two nieces that’s a manageable amount of Christmas shopping and bonus, you’ll all be at one of those sibling’s weddings, so no need to try to divide time.
Try doing two divorced parents, their new spouses, three blood siblings and their six kids, and two step-siblings and their three kids.
” She blew out and her lips buzzed. “It’s a shit-ton of shopping and a logistical nightmare. ”
“I never thought of my parents dying happily married as such a Christmas bonus before.” I chuckled halfheartedly at my morbid joke.
Her eyes widened and she reached across the table to grab my hands. “Oh god, how insensitive of me. I’m so sorry.”