Page 44 of Dragged Home for Christmas

She beamed. “Okay—Mike. And that’s wonderful news. I’ll email you with the schedule, and we can work out some dates for next year.” She glanced lower, then bit back a smile. “I think you missed a bit.”

Mike followed her gaze, and spied a splodge of paint on his jeans. “Oops. I knew I should’ve worn coveralls or something.” He sighed. “We’re painting the rooms.”

“I see.” Ellen gazed at the three men sitting with him. “All of you?”

He frowned. “Well, whoever isn’t occupied with something else.”

Ellen coughed. “In that case, I have a suggestion. A rather unusual one, so please, hear me out.”

“Color me intrigued.” Mike chuckled. “If you’re offering to help us paint, I think you’ll need bigger brushes than the onesyou’reused to.”

She burst into a peal of laughter. “Not me, dear boy. Let me explain. My grandchildren are visiting me this weekend.”

“Do you have many?”

“I have five, aged between ten and seventeen years of age. They come with their parents, which is great for them in the summer—they’re always on the beach—but not so greatat this time of year. The older ones usually sit around, glued to their phones, and the younger ones are bored witless, which is usually when they get under my feet andsomethinggets broken. Her eyes gleamed. “But you’ve given me an idea. Why don’t I bring them here, and you can give them a paintbrush and put them to work?”

Mike stared at her. “Seriously?”

“Why not? They’d love it. And I’m not the only grandparent in the Association who could put some extra hands your way. You might end up with as many as twenty children.” She chuckled. “And you’d be helping to preserve our sanity.”

Before Mike could decline the unusual offer, Sam got in first. “We could find extra brushes and rollers. Extra drop sheets. Provide pizza and sodas.” He beamed. “Think how much we could accomplish in one weekend.”

Mike wasn’t convinced. “I can’t see kids wanting to paint walls.”

Elliott snorted. “Are you kidding? Ilovedhelping my dad decorate when I was a kid. Of course, I ended up with more paint on me than on the walls, but that’s half the fun. We’d cover everything, right?”

“And we could maybe put a movie on for the younger ones who might get bored,” Sam suggested. “Hey, we could get in some popcorn.”

Mike had to laugh. “I think it’s the most outlandish thing I’ve ever heard.” He grinned. “I love it.”

“Excellent. I’ll be here bright and early Saturday morning, and I’ll spread the word.” Ellen stood. “Thank you for the tea. I’ll be in touch about the exhibitions.” Her eyes twinkled. “And thank you for agreeing to let my grandchildren help out. I’m certain they’ll find it more entertaining than spending hours on their phones.”

Mike wasn’t too sure about that part.

“And to sweeten the deal, I’ll bring my homemade cookies.”

Sam’s eyes lit up. “Have I mentioned how much I really like you, Ellen?”

She laughed. “Maybe I’d better make a double batch.”

After Ellen had left, Mike turned to the others. “What on earth have I just agreed to? I must be out of my mind. Letting a bunch of kids loose in here?”

“We’ll keep an eye on them,” Jim told him. “And we delegate. Put one older kid in with some younger ones.”

“Never mindfeedingthem pizza—bribethem with it,” Elliott suggested. “Tell them it’s their reward for doing a good job.”

“It might be an idea to add candy to the list of bribes,” Sam commented. “But only when they’ve finished. We don’t want chocolate fingerprints all over the place.” He met Mike’s gaze. “But one thing’s for certain. We’ll get a lot more done than we would if it was just us.”

Mike shook his head. “I can’t get over this town. People have been so generous.”

“You need to remember one thing.” Jim smiled. “Nick had a lot of friends around here.”

One way or another, once the hotel was reopened, Mike would find a way to thank everyone.

Anthony stood in the wings behind the velvet curtains, smiling as he listened to the rapturous calls of “Encore!” He’d gotten up from the piano bench where he’dsat for the past two hours, turning the pages as Phil played, to leave Phil free to accept the accolades and take a bow.

Damn, that man can play.

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