Page 38 of The Holidays with Mr. Mitchell
“And you’re a cheater because you know what we’re doing already, but you won’t even give us a hint about what you’re doing,” Izzy declared, all drama.
“Your dad told you this, I’m sure?” I asked, arms crossed.
“He didn’t have to,” Addy said, eyes sliding toward her sister like two of Jim’s soldiers teaming up in his absence. “You know what we’re doing, and you’re probably already copying it.”
“Yeah, and so?” I pressed.
“That’s how you cheated,” Izzy finished.
“Do you two want ice cream before bed? Eggnog flavored?”
“Nice try, Mom,” Addy said sweetly, then disappeared into her office.
“What about you, Izzy Bear?” I asked with my best smile.
“Nah,” she said with a cheeky grin.
I narrowed my eyes at the two rooms my sneaky girls had vanished into. Jim had these girls armored up and working for him to get to me already.
He’d orchestrated some mental operation to throw me off while I was making good headway on his anti-festivity ass. Even so, he was now stuck in Madrid saving an acquisition, behind on his planning, while I’d be two steps ahead.
Was I cheating? Hell yes. And I was perfectly fine with it. I would’ve done the whole event myself, until my husband and his ego dragged our daughters into this war. So, yeah, I was cheating. Who cared, call the Grinch on my ass…
I was about to find out if my latest scheme had actually worked. Time to call Nat and get the update on how Spence managed to put Jim on that flight to Madrid instead of taking it himself. As Jim’s VP, it wouldn’t have been unusual for Spencer to go in his place, especially because Spence was a bulldog, andnobodypushed him around.
Nat picked up after two rings. “Avery, honey,” she said over the phone, “everything’s rolling flawlessly. And even better news, Spence got everything from Cat approved.”
“I can’t believe we pulled it off,” I chuckled, slipping out onto the terrace with a glass of wine.
I needed privacy away from Jim’s little spies, and outside was the most private place to be for these discussions, away from any nosy little girls.
God, tonight was beautiful. The night air was cool, brushing over my skin as I leaned against the railing. Below, the city stretched vast and endless, a living map of glittering city lights, where we sat hidden in the hills to observe it all in its beauty.
From up here, LA felt like it belonged to us alone, sprawled out beneath the canyon. The terrace had always been my favorite place to think. I always loved snuggling up on our oversized sectional pulled close to the outdoor fire pit. I loved the faintrustle of eucalyptus from the canyon, and the muted hum of the 405 freeway out in the distance. It was all private, yet vast, like it was our kingdom in the clouds.
“Actually, I can believe it,” I said, smiling under our patio lights. “Jim’s such a control freak, and there’s no way he’d let Spence take over closing the Madrid acquisition once he was made aware of it.”
“Spence even offered to go himself so Jim wouldn’t catch on to it, but Jim refused,” Nat laughed. “Now, he’s stuck overseas, while we build the Dickens set at Paramount.”
“This is so good. And honestly, he can’t even blame me. He’s the one who is still putting work before the holidays, as usual. He’s going to fall on his own sword with this one.”
“Typical man,” Nat said. “Their egos run their lives…straight into the ground. That’s why he’ll lose this whole ordeal that he turned into a war, instead of letting his wife bail him out.”
“Exactly.” I grinned. “I’m so glad Spence told you about the Madrid deal, and you told me. The best part is that your husband went along with our plan and pushed it straight to Jim this morning. Of course, Jim took the bait. Now, he’ll be consumed for the next four days, jet-lagged, and the last thing he’ll want when he gets home is to do Christmas planning.”
“I know you were skeptical about Spencer’s allegiance, but I never had a doubt he’d make the right decision. Besides, if there is any chance to prank Jim, he’s in. Plus, now I get my husband for the week. That’s my bonus in this confetti-and-popcorn war you two started.”
“Hold on, that’s Ash calling me.”
“I’ll let you go. Spence just got home, and we’ve got Nobu reservations,” Nat said.
“Enjoy your week with your husband. I’ll enjoy beating mine’s ass while he’s gone.”
We laughed as I clicked over to answer my call-waiting. “What’s up, babe?”
“I heard Jim was rushed off to Madrid,” Ash giggled. “You’re starting to play dirty.”
“No, no. This was all Jim. I just worked an angle to bait him on how important his Christmas planning was. When Nat told me Spence might have to fly over to stop the deal from falling through, I asked if there was a way to involve Jim. Of course, my husband took the bait without one damn question. Spence even offered to go in his place, and Jim refused.”
