Page 50 of Wrapped Up with the Three Scrooges

And holiday shipping deadlines were coming fast.

After working overtime on Saturday and Sunday, I was exhausted, but knew the rush was almost over. Friday was the deadline to have all packages wrapped and ready to go out. With it being two days away, things were tense, to say the least.

Although there was a different kind of stress brewing for me; I had no clue what my future held. Wrap It Up was a year-round business with other holidays and birthdays bringing in a steady stream of profit, but the staff that was needed was reduced.

Did I even want to keep wrapping presents?

I glanced at the clock, relief flooding through me as I realized my shift was finally over. My fingers were cramping from hoursof wrapping, but at least I could go home and soak in a hot bath. Maybe even convince one of the guys to give me a massage.

That’s when I noticed Ronan was still at it, hunched over a workstation with a pile of presents that seemed endless. The tension in his shoulders was visible even from where I stood, and the harsh overhead lights cast shadows under his eyes that made him look almost gaunt.

“Ready to go?” Levi appeared beside me, car keys in his hand. “I thought we could grab some dinner on the way home.”

My eyes were still on Ronan. “Actually... you go ahead. I think I’m going to stay for a bit.”

Levi followed my gaze, his expression softening. “He’s like this every year. Won’t let anyone help with certain clients’ wrapping.”

“Well, he hasn’t met my particular brand of stubbornness yet.” I gave Levi a quick kiss on the cheek. “Rain check on dinner?”

“You’re something else, Christmas Spirit.” He squeezed my hand before heading out, leaving me alone with Ronan and his mountain of presents.

I grabbed some supplies from my station and made my way over to him, pulling up a stool without a word. He barely glanced up as I started wrapping. His movements were mechanical and precise despite his obvious exhaustion.

We worked in silence for a while, the only sounds the whisper of paper and the sharp snick of scissors. I matched his pace, falling into an easy rhythm beside him. Now and then, our hands would brush as we reached for tape or ribbons.

When his normally perfect corners started getting sloppy, I decided enough was enough. The concerned human being in me couldn’t watch him struggle anymore.

I reached over and plucked the scissors from his hands, noting how his fingers were trembling slightly. Working yourselfinto the ground wasn’t exactly the kind of Christmas spirit I was hoping to spread around here.

“Hey!” He made a grab for them that I easily dodged, dancing back a step. “I need those.” His voice had lost its usual commanding edge, replaced by something almost petulant that made me want to smile despite my concern. I’d never seen him quite this frazzled before. It was both endearing and a little worrying.

“What you need is a break.” I tucked the scissors under a stack of wrap sheets and snatched his tape dispenser too, holding it behind my back when he tried to grab it. “When’s the last time you ate something?”

He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in adorably disheveled spikes that made him look more like a rumpled college student than the usually impeccable CEO. The sight tugged at something protective inside me.

“I had coffee at... some point,” he mumbled, his words trailing off as if he genuinely couldn’t remember when that was. Coming from someone who typically tracked every minute of his day with military precision, that was practically a cry for help.

“Coffee isn’t food, Ronan.” I fixed him with my best stern look, which probably wasn’t very intimidating given I was wearing a Christmas sweater with dancing reindeer and jingle bells that occasionally chimed when I moved.

The irony of trying to scold a grown ass man while dressed like a walking holiday card wasn’t lost on me, but his current state was making me push past my usual hesitation to challenge him directly. Even the mighty Ronan needed someone to look out for him sometimes, even if that someone happened to be his overly decorated employee.

“I can’t stop now.” His voice was tight with anxiety, with that familiar edge of perfectionism that I recognized all too well. “If we don’t get these done…” He gestured at the mountain of giftswith jerky movements that made me want to grab his hands and still them.

“Then what? The world ends? Christmas is cancelled?”

“We lose customers. And then it starts. First a few, then more follow, and suddenly we’re scrambling to keep the lights on.” The words burst out of him like they’d been bottled up for too long.

I set the tape down and moved closer, sensing there was more to this than just holiday stress. “Has that happened before?”

He nodded, slumping on his stool. “Our first Christmas in the big leagues. We hired seasonal staff, thought everything was going great. Then we found out one of them had been deliberately messing up orders and keeping the client information. By the time we realized what was happening, they’d already stolen several of our biggest accounts.”

“Oh, Ronan.” I reached for his hand, and to my surprise, he let me take it. “That must have been awful.”

“We almost lost everything.” His fingers tightened around mine. “We’d put everything we had into this place. Max maxed out his credit cards, Levi borrowed money from his parents, and I...” He swallowed hard. “I sold my grandpa’s watch. It was the only thing of value I had.”

I felt a deep pang of sympathy for him. No wonder they were so intense about everything and protective of their business. The Three Scrooges nickname felt cruel now, a thoughtless label slapped on by people who had no idea what these men had sacrificed. They’d put everything they had into this place. Not just money, but pieces of themselves. That kind of betrayal would leave scars on anyone and make them build walls and guard them fiercely.

I couldn’t blame them for being cautious, for checking every package twice, for watching their employees like hawks circling overhead.

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