Santa Daddy (Naughty Christmas in July)
1. Anna Marie
Chapter 1
Anna Marie
" I look ridiculous. The netting on this skirt barely covers my butt." I tug at the hem of the fabric, willing it to stretch over my long legs and wide hips.
"You look hot," my best friend Jolie says. "Besides, I already told you not to worry. My dad's in town for the holidays. I told him how you so graciously agreed to step in for Lola when she had a family emergency and had to leave town." Lola, the girl I'm filling in for at the Annual Christmas Elf Charity Auction, is at least five inches shorter and two sizes smaller than me. "And he agreed to bid on you. Isn't that great?"
Oh, no, not Jolie's insanely hot silver fox, widowed father that I've been crushing on since the first day of college four years ago when he helped Jolie move into our dorm room. I was an awkward teen living on my own for the first time. Growing up, I was too much of a bookworm, and I didn't make time to date. Looking back, I know now why I didn't date—I still don't. If I'm being honest with myself, the way Mr. Collins made me feel on that fateful day was something no other man or boy had ever made me feel.
"Where's your dad staying?" I bite my lip, imagining him staying in our apartment and sharing the same space with him.
"At the hotel where he always stays when he's in town, silly," she playfully slaps at my arm. You know we don't have enough room in our apartment unless you want to share your bed with him."
I know she's only teasing, but I feel my cheeks heat up thinking about sharing a bed with Mr. Collins. "Oh, right. I forgot." I'm finally able to say.
"Jolie, you're up next. You have three minutes before you hit the stage." Suzie, tonight's elf auction hostess, calls over her shoulder, saving me from any more embarrassing comments about Jolie's dad.
"How do I look?" Jolie adjusts the tiny elf hat that's perched on top of her curly blonde hair.
"Like the perfect Christmas elf."
Which she is with her petite body, and subtle curves, match that with her aqua blue eyes and white-blonde hair, and she's anyone's dream girl or in this case dream elf. I've seen pictures of her mom, and Jolie looks just like her. There's no way I stand a chance with Henry when I'm clearly not his type.
"Thanks, Anna Marie," she wraps her arms around me and gives me a quick hug. You look perfect, too. Dad is going to freak out when he sees you."
"What do you mean he's going to freak out?" Is he going to be mad that he wasted his bid on me? Or worse, what if he bids on someone else, too?
Part of the Christmas Elf Auction is for the participants to go out on a date. What if Mr. Collins brings the other elf on our night out together—his real date—and I'm the third wheel?
"I just mean, it's been a while since he's seen you. You've changed a lot. You're not the same clumsy girl he met. You're a sexy, confident woman who's going to be taking her nursing boards in three weeks."
That's what I should be doing tonight—studying for my nursing exams. Instead, I'm stuffed in this elf costume with Jolie's dad pity-bidding on me.
"Jolie, it's your turn." Suzie ushers Jolie to the center of the stage while I stay out of sight in the wings of the stage.
Suzie announces Jolie, and being the outgoing girl she is, Jolie blows kisses to the crowd, making them cheer even louder.
I wish I were more like Jolie. She's fun and outgoing—always the life of the party wherever she goes. We both recently finished our internships, mine in nursing and hers as athletic trainers. We both excelled and were offered jobs with the company we interned for.
Once I pass my boards, I'll start my new job in the labor and delivery department of our local hospital—the same hospital that holds the Annual Christmas Elf Auction. Jolie will start her job with the Minnesota Norse professional hockey team once she passes her boards.
Jolie and I moved into an apartment in town about two years ago. I was tired of the constant dorm parties, and like the best friend she is, Jolie, she moved in with me. I made sure to study at the library on the day Jolie's dad helped her move into our apartment. I was sure I was finally over my little crush on him until Jolie told me his schedule had lightened up, and he could help her move.
It might have been a cowardly move, but I made the decision my freshman year in college to forget about Henry and concentrate on my future—I would graduate with my nursing degree, get a good job, find the perfect guy, get married, and start a family. The only problem is that the husband in all my fantasies is none other than Henry Collins himself.
The bidding begins on Jolie, and I lean forward, pulling the curtain back just a little bit to see who is bidding on her. Three guys in the front row catch my attention as they increase the bid whenever someone else outbids them. Jolie should be happy she's making so much money for the Children's Charity that the Christmas Elf Auction funds, but she looks pissed. She's glaring daggers at the three guys in the front row. Her earlier flirtatious behavior is long gone. If looks could kill, those three handsome guys in the front row would have been dead by now.
Something about the three men in the front row seems familiar to me, and it's not because they all have the same dirty blond hair and sexy smile—it's more like I've seen them on television or somewhere similar.
The bidding on Jolie continues, climbing higher and higher—the three guys in the front row refusing to give up on their prize until their bid is declared the winning bid. The three guys stand and walk toward the stage, waiting for Jolie to walk down the steps so they can claim their prize. As she descends, one of the guys holds his hand out to help her down. Jolie slaps at his hand uncharacteristically, causing all three guys to laugh.
I lean forward, trying to get a better look at Jolie's reaction, but I lose my balance and my grip on the curtain, causing me to pitch to the side. I grab the curtain for support just as Suzie calls my name as the next Elf of the auction block.
"Anna Marie Heatherington."
Regaining my balance, I open the curtain wider and cross the stage to stand next to Suzie.
I scan the audience, searching for the silver fox who will save me from this disastrous situation. Like a magnet, my eyes land on him in an instant, sitting in the third-row center stage. The spotlight shines in my eyes, making it hard to make out all the details except his salt-and-pepper hair and sensual smile—the same smile that haunts my dreams every night.