Page 2 of Sinful Santa
As a general rule, Tahlia didn’t hate people. There were only a handful of names that made it to that list, most of them belonging to her various foster parents. Even then it took awhile before she added them; she didn’t think it was fair to judge someone on first impressions.
Matt Nelson was an exception.
“You know what,” she stood up, “you’re right. This isn’t a good fit. I don’t want to work for a complete and utter prick.” Tahlia grabbed her folder and stuffed it into her bag, knowing she probably ruined it, but she didn’t care.
Nelson’s already impressive scowl deepened, and his jaw worked as he stood up, planting his hands on the desk. “Excuse me?”
“For a man who’s decking in his halls in all kinds of fa-la-la, you’re acting more like a Scrooge!” She was on a roll of burning this potential bridge and wasn’t about to stop. “I bet that Grinch song was written about you!”
“Goodbye, Miss Jameson.” Every syllable dripped with barely restrained fury; his hands now fisted at his sides.
“Goodbye, Mr. Nelson.” Tahlia pivoted toward the door, which seemed further away than it had before, when it slammedopen and a little girl, about eight years old with wild, dark curls burst in.
“Daddy!”
Ah, the offspring. I bet they’re just as nasty.Tahlia didn’t like having unkind thoughts about kids, but gosh, how could a man like that raise good ones?
Nelson rounded the desk, and Tahlia was surprised to see a somewhat panicked look on his face. “Maddy, what happened?”
“Daddy!” The little girl rushed up to her father, curls bouncing around her head. “Kaiden broke my robot dog!” She planted said dog on the desk with an angry pout.
“I didn’t mean to!” A little boy Tahlia assumed was the accused, shuffled into the room, crying. He shared the mess of curls with his sister, though they were shorter. Both children had ears that were a tad too large but all the more adorable for it. “It was an accident!”
“He did it on purpose!” Maddy pointed at her brother with tears streaming down her own face.
“No I didn’t!” Kaiden wailed. The two commenced arguing over the incident, both fully bawling now.
Tahlia could not help being delighted at seeing the giant irritant she’d come to know as Matt Nelson frazzled and paused to take it all in, but as she looked on and watched him look more and more helpless as he tried to console his increasingly upset kids, she took pity on him, though she was sure he didn’t deserve it. With a long-suffering sigh, Tahlia walked back over to the desk and knelt beside the two sobbing children.
“Hey,” she smiled when all three Nelson’s turned to her with identical expressions of confusion. She ignored the father and focused on the children. “My name’s Tahlia. What’re your names?”
She already knew but she thought kids appreciated it when they were asked directly.
“Maddy. That’s Kaiden.” Maddy jerked a thumb at her brother who had fallen silent and sort of edged behind his sister. The shy one, evidently.
“It’s very nice to meet the two of you,” Tahlia said. “I couldn’t help overhearing that your robot isn’t working. I’m really good with machines. Maybe I can fix him?”
The little girl eyed Tahlia appraisingly for a moment with an eerily similar scowl to her father’s before she sniffled and handed the toy over. It was typical of a robot dog toy, though this one had a transparent body through which the gears and inner machinery could be seen. Upon a brief examination, Tahlia was able to diagnose the problem and noticed it was accessible through a latch in the robot’s belly. All she needed was a screwdriver. A tool she happened never to leave her house without.
“You keep a screwdriver in your purse?” Nelson’s deep voice cut through Tahlia’s concentration.
“Do you mind?” she shot him a look. “This is a very serious operation.”
“Daddy, shhh!” Maddy exclaimed, earning a disgruntled huff from her father. Tahlia suppressed a smile as she returned to opening up the toy.
“Kaiden,” she glanced up at Nelson’s son, who peeked out from behind his sister. “Do you mind holding the screws for me?”
He looked at her warily. “Are you sure?”
Tahlia nodded. “It’s a very important job but I trust you.”
After a moment of hesitation, Kaiden put his hand out and Tahlia placed the screws into his palm. He closed his fingers into a tight fist and drew his hand into his chest protectively. Tahlia gave him an encouraging smile and returned her focus to the dog. One of the gears was out of place, a result of probably being dropped, but easily remedied. With a few careful taps ofthe screwdriver, Tahlia was able to push the gear back into place. Only after replacing the latch - Kaidencarefullyhanded the screws back - did Tahlia place it on the floor.
“Alright, Maddy. Give it a go.”
With bated breath, Tahlia watched as Maddy turned on the dog and it came to life, the gears and motor whirring beautifully. She screeched in delight and threw her arms around Tahlia’s neck.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she exclaimed. When she drew back she gave Tahlia a wide smile, revealing a couple of missing teeth. “Are you our new nanny? Is she, Daddy?”
