Page 5 of The Naughty List

Meri smiles as we get back down to business, chatting about the security firm I’ve hired to be support staff for the event. I’ve secured a highly-rated company to handle the parking, lines, and general patrolling for the festival. When we first started talking, Meri told me that was one of the main reasons she needed help—the last event got too out of hand. And while she loves doing the toy drive, she needs some fresh ideas and someone to help contract out for security.

I’ve checked off one of those boxes, and I’m excited to tell her about the ideas I’ve come up with, too.

“Okay,” I tell Meri once we’ve gotten through the logistics of the security company. “Now for the really good stuff.” I pull out a clipboard and my notebook full of miscellaneous ideas that I can’t wait to see her reaction to. “We have four weeks until the festival and in that timeframe, I’d like to do social media countdowns to get the community excited. You have zero problem with attendance, based on your numbers from the years prior, but I still think it’s important to tease everyone about the new attractions, too.” I flip open my notebook as Meri nods, and I catch her trying to peek at my writing. She’s clearly just as excited as I am about this.

“So, hear me out,” I say, grinning. Hah! Not so stuffy and uptight and miserable now, am I, mystery man? “We’ll have all of your usual attractions that the community loves, the visit from Santa, the pick-a-prize for donating to the toy drive, the reindeer feeding, but I’d like to propose a few other things, too.”

“You sure know how to build up the suspense, dontcha?” Meri asks and we both laugh.

“I’ve got three words for you, Mer,” I say, feeling silly and giddy. “Mistletoe. Kissing. Booth.”

Meri’s eyes light up, and just as she starts nodding her head, a man rounds the corner and comes into the kitchen.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

FIVE

ELLIOTT

“You have gotto be kidding me,” the woman from Ivy House repeats, her jaw practically falling to the damn floor. If she’s surprised, I’m more so. I knew my mother had taken it upon herself to hire someone to help with the event, much to my chagrin, but I had no idea it was her. I watch as a red flush appears on her chest, and her hand flies up to a necklace strung around her neck. She fidgets with it as we eye each other up.

Mom looks between the two of us, a scowl forming on her face as she finally settles her gaze onto me.

“Elliott Winters,” Mom says, her voice taking on the tone she uses when she means business.

“Mother,” I say, and then I look ather. The frigid woman who high-tailed it out of the speed dating event like the whole of Ivy House was going up in flames.

Did I feel slightly bad about telling her like it was? Yeah, I suppose so. But at the same time, she needs to learn that people in this town don’t take kindly to a sour attitude, no matter how beautiful the packaging is. Sometimes the most evil things have the most beautiful exteriors.

I look at the woman sitting at our old wooden kitchen table up and down, unable to deny the strong attraction I feel to her. If only she weren’t such a damn grinch. She places both of her hands out in front of her, hooking her fingers together and cocking her head to the side.

“Didn’t get a good enough look at Ivy House?” she asks, and I see my mother’s face further contort out of my peripheral vision. “Sorry, Meri,” she says, looking away from me. Her face visibly changes, and unlike the dark gaze and nasty frown she gave me, she softens for my mother.

“Can I ask the two of you what I’m missing here?” My mother asks, and I pull out the chair the unfamiliar coat is on and plop down into it, cracking my knuckles.

As I look around the kitchen, I feel a strong sense of pride and protectiveness over this house and my mother. I understand she wants to hire someone to help lessen some of the load on all of us, but I still don’t think it’s necessary. And no matter how many conversations I have with my parents—or with Bennett—I’m not going to agree. I could have Googled a security firm and hired them for fuck’s sake. We didn’t need a random woman coming onto our property and taking over an event that we’ve successfully run for years.

“Elliott…” my mom coaxes, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Well, this gem of a woman and I just met a little bit ago at Ivy House. Clara was putting on a speed dating event,” I tell my mom. “I can confirm there won’t be a second date for the two of us.”

The woman turns to me and gives me a sarcastic smirk and an eye roll.

“Well, looks like we agree on something, don’t we?” she asks before turning back to mom. The dryer buzzes its loud, annoying buzz that I’ve heard for years now, giving me a potential out of this situation, but something about this woman makes me want to poke at her just a little more.

“Hard to believe, huh?” I say.

“So you two have met. That’s nice,” Mom says, ignoring the clearly bad vibes in this room. “Tillie, I was a bit worried about this son of mine. Elliott here has always had a bit of an issue with change, but I assure you he’ll come around. And if he doesn’t, he’ll have his momma to answer to.”

Tillie? What kind of name is Tillie?

“You can stay here and help us with the event if you’d like, or you can get on going. Bennett is down bringing the horses in for the night. I’m sure he’d like your help now that you’re home,” Mom finishes, and I know that’s her semi-kind way of telling me to get lost.

I’m actually lucky she isn’t giving me a lecture on hospitality right here in this kitchen. But the way I see it, I’d rather be here and in the know, even if it means being in the presence of this woman that I don’t want here.

I run my hand through my hair and relent, knowing that the devil I know will always be better than the one I don’t.

At least I think that’s the saying…

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