Page 5 of Wrapped Up with the Three Scrooges

Janet smiled. “Well, welcome aboard! Don’t worry about Mr. Gray. He’s... passionate about our services.”

I nodded, still processing what had just happened and if I should be excited or scared. I had a job now but had also apparently signed up to work for the Christian Grey of gift wrapping. At least the view would be nice, even if he had the humor range of a brick wall.

“Thank you, Janet. I’ll go home and practice my serious face in the mirror.”

And maybe Google search how to stop making inappropriate jokes while I was at it.

Chapter Three

Emery

Ishifted in the uncomfortable metal chair, trying not to fall asleep as the training video droned on. The break room of Wrap It Up was about as exciting as watching paint dry, with its stark white walls and motivational posters that seemed more threatening than inspiring. One of them showed a perfectly wrapped present with the caption “Perfection isn’t optional.”

“Is anyone else wondering if this is actually a cult?” whispered the guy next to me, a lanky twenty-something named Tyler with more piercings than I could count. “Because I’m getting strong cult vibes.”

On my other side, Maria, a petite woman with purple hair, stifled a giggle. “Shh! They might hear you through the walls. I bet they have secret microphones in the paper rolls.”

“The first rule of Wrap Club is you don’t talk about Wrap Club,” I muttered, earning snickers from both of them.

The video continued its monotonous explanation of corner-folding techniques when the door suddenly opened. Ronanentered, followed by two equally gorgeous but distinctly different men.

“Fresh meat,” Tyler whispered, earning an elbow from Maria.

“Welcome to Wrap It Up,” said the shortest of the three, although that wasn’t saying much, seeing as they were all somewhere near six feet. “I’m Levi Taylor. This is Max Parker, and you’ve already met our resident cheerleader, Ronan Gray, during your interviews.”

Ronan’s glare could have melted steel. “This isn’t a comedy club, Levi.”

“No kidding,” I mumbled under my breath, but Max caught it, his lips twitching slightly as he ran a hand through his brown hair. There was something softer about him compared to the other two, despite the tattoos peeking out from under his rolled-up sleeves.

“We expect excellence,” Max said, his voice deep and measured. “Every package that leaves this building reflects our standards.”

“And our expectations reach the stratosphere,” Levi chimed in, drawing yet another murderous look from Ronan.

“Can we maintain some professionalism?” Ronan snapped.

I caught Max rolling his eyes behind Ronan’s back, and suddenly I felt a little better about my new workplace. At least not everyone here had a candy cane stuck where the sun didn’t shine.

“You’ll each be working with an experienced wrapper today,” Max continued, consulting a tablet. “Tyler, you’re with Mark. Maria, you’ll work with Barbara. And Emery...” His brown eyes met mine for a moment too long. “You’ll be with Blake.”

The puns at this place just kept on giving, and I was unable to help myself. “Should I create some fancy performance name? The Wrap Master? Doctor Package?”

Tyler and Maria burst out laughing, while Levi snorted. Even Max’s lips curved into a reluctant smile.

Ronan, however, looked like he was considering firing me on the spot. “Ms. Williams, this is a professional establishment.”

“Right, sorry.” I tried and failed to bite back another grin as I watched Ronan’s jaw twitch in barely contained frustration. My brain was already spinning with more ridiculous suggestions, but I forced myself to behave. Sort of. “So, Wrap Daddy is a no go. Got it. I’ll save that one for my memoir about my time in the gift-wrapping trenches.”

Levi actually laughed out loud this time, quickly turning it into a cough when Ronan turned his Arctic glare on him. Max stepped forward, clearly trying to defuse the situation.

“Blake is waiting for you at station twelve. He’s one of our best.” His voice was gentler than I expected considering I’d just made a fool of myself, and I swore I saw a glimmer of humor in his eyes. “Try not to drop any sick beats while you’re learning.”

As the three men left, Ronan muttered something about “maintaining standards” while Levi responded with what sounded suspiciously like “maintaining that stick up your...”

“Well…” Tyler stood and stretched. “That was interesting. Is it too early to start a betting pool on how long before one of us gets fired?”

“My money’s on me.” I sighed, gathering my things. “Apparently, my filter has taken an early holiday vacation.”

“Are you kidding?” Maria grinned. “You’re my hero. Did you see Levi trying not to laugh? And Max was totally into it.”

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