Page 1 of Tinsel in Telluride

CHAPTER ONE

LEIGH

My lies are catching up with me.

Well, one in particular.

In my defense, I’ve had a damn good reason for not telling the truth about my son's parentage. But now my worlds are colliding and there’s nothing I can do to stop the inevitable catastrophe that lies ahead.

“Leigh?” Willow waves her hand in front of my face, the obnoxious bells sewn into the sleeves of her festive sweater jingling with every move.

“Hmm?” I look up from the popcorn I somehow got roped into stringing for a Christmas party I absolutely don’t want to attend. If it wasn’t for the incessant desire to give my son a normal childhood, I would be avoiding it like I do every year. But alas, here I am.

My best friend, who also happens to be my boss, narrows her scrutinizing gaze and repeats the question I conveniently ignored seconds ago.“I asked about the Renegade Hearts expansions. Is everything in order to be finished on schedule?”

Fuck.

It’s not.

But what am I supposed to say?Hey, I’ve got twenty-nine of the thirty teams all onboarded and ready to start building their individual chapters, but remember that one-night stand almost two years ago that left me knocked up? Yeah? Well, I kinda lied when I said I knew who the baby daddy was. The truth is, it’s one of two men and now that lie has come back to haunt me like the Ghost of Christmas Past, only this time he’s a gorgeous Italian in a Tom Ford suit who will absolutely kill me when he finds out.

Absolutely not.

I twirl the needle between my fingers, before nonchalantly stabbing another piece of popcorn and do what I do best when backed into a corner—deflect. “Define in order.”

Willow rolls her eyes, following it up with a slow shake of her head as she focuses on the separating tinsel. “Let me guess, the Monarch Chapter?”

Willow always jokes that I’m the perceptive one in our little friend trio, while Indie is the charismatic one, and she is the wise one. But it’s clear she hasn’t missed the subtle clues over the last nine months that I’m less than thrilled to be working with the Monarchs—specifically their owner.

Eight months ago, I was ecstatic when the MLB Commissioner announced the league would become an official partner with Willow’s philanthropy, Renegade Hearts. The partnership includes expanding Hearts’’ Chapters to each team in the league and has opened so many incredible avenues to help kids, who have lost one or both parents, cope and move forward.

As someone who lost her parents as a teenager, I love the mission behind what we do. As Willow’s partner and CFO, though, I’m selfishly hating that I’ve become the go-to person for establishing these chapters.

Chest full of shame, I sigh, press my lips together and nod, confirming Willow’s astute observation.

Willow cocks a brow and, like any good best friend, digs a little deeper. “Does this have anything to do with a six-foot-four, charming ex-baseball-player-turned-owner that has decided he’s going to head up Monarch Hearts himself instead of handing it off to his team?”

See what I mean? Perceptive.

“Maybe,” I answer too quickly, my voice going high at the end.

“Leighton Bennett.”

Fuck.

She full named me.

The only time Willow York full names you is when she’s absolutely done with your bullshit.

Not only that, but she used my parent’s last name. The name I changed in order to distance myself from everything that happened in Shady Grove.

“Fine.” I drop the popcorn in my hand to the table and look away from her prying gaze.“Yes, it has to do with him, but I promise to have everything up and running with his chapter by the end of the year deadline.”

“It’s December twentieth,” Willow deadpans, and I wince.

“I know.”

“Most people don’t work the last week of the year.”

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