Page 467 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
I spent the next half hour in the chair by the Christmas tree taking pictures and teasing kids. It wasn’t all bad. Sure, I wanted to get up and join the others at the bar, but bouncing four-year-olds on my knee while they played with the faux beard and listed off the toys they wanted for Christmas was its own kind of fun. I poked bellies, ruffled hair, and gave them all my attention. The shy children took some time to warm up to me, but once I won them over, they never strayed too far from where I sat.
After I’d seen all the kids of the employees, I got to my feet and moved to where the food was, snatching a tin of shortbread cookies and bringing it over to where the kids were playing by the Christmas tree. I sat cross-legged on the floor with them and passed the tin around.
Meanwhile, the party continued to get rowdier. I glanced over my shoulder and met my dad’s eye. He stood by the bar with Aleena and the others, and I made the motion of taking a drink and nodded back at the little ones, hoping he’d get the message: this party is getting to be a bit too much for kids. It was time for their parents to take them home.
After another twenty or so minutes, the last child left the party. I abandoned my faux beard on Tinsely’s desk, took off the Santa hat, shrugged out of my suit jacket, and joined my father for an Old Fashioned at the bar.
Aleena, who stood on my father’s other side, leaned around him and flashed me a smile. Her lips were tinged a dark purple color from drinking red wine. “Hey you,” she said. “You were pretty good with those kids. One of them started kicking up a storm when he had to leave. He said he wanted to take you home with him.”
I chuckled. “It’s not my fault that I’m everyone’s favorite. Poor kid. He’ll get over it.”
She laughed.
“Where’s Tinsely?” I asked before taking a sip of my drink.
Aleena’s eyes flicked to the elevator. “She should be here any minute. She just texted me to say she was running late. Something about a call from her mother she couldn’t get out of. Her parents are a bit of a headache sometimes.”
I didn’t ask follow-up questions. It wasn’t my business. Tinsely had told me some things about growing up, but she hadn’t divulged many details about the state of her relationship with her folks now other than it being obligatory. I knew they weren’t particularly close, and I hoped everything was okay if she’d been caught up on the phone with them.
My father set his finished drink down a few minutes later. “I think I’m going to retire for the evening, my boy.” He patted me on the back. “These parties are too damn loud for me to hear a thing, and truth be told, I’d rather be sipping scotch in front of my fireplace. Take care of everyone tonight and see that they have rides home?”
I nodded and gave my father a one-armed hug. “I will. Goodnight, Dad. I’ll see you tomorrow at your retirement party. I have a King of Denmark with your name on it.”
My father grinned. “You’re my favorite son.”
“I’m your only son.” Laughing, I walked him to the elevator as he said his goodbyes.
Back at the bar after my father left, Aleena swirled a glass of red wine and watched me with a knowing smirk. Her eyes were hooded, and her cheeks were pink, and I could tell just by looking at her that she was already drunk. I made a mental note that she would be someone I’d have to arrange a ride for.
I arched an eyebrow when she continued smiling at me. “Yes?”
She shrugged. “What’s a King of Denmark?”
“A cigar.”
“Oh.” She sipped her wine, seemingly bored by my answer. Then her eyes lit up and she pointed across the office. “There she is! Tinsely! Tinsely! We’re over here!”
I turned toward the elevators just in time to see Tinsely stepping off and into the office. She paused under the chandelier by reception when she heard Aleena calling her name, sought us out, and smiled.
Good lord, the woman was mercilessly beautiful. Unconsciously, I put a hand to my chest like I’d just been stabbed in the heart by her beauty. She walked toward us, her hips swaying with every step in the tight ruby red dress that hugged every curve like it had been painted on. It had no sleeves, but rather gold chains that draped over her shoulders and twinkled with tiny crystals that caught the light. Her short blonde hair had been curled and pinned up with a few strands left out to frame her face. A pair of gold earrings in the shape of teardrops bounced with every step, and when she arrived at the bar I breathed in the feminine scent of her floral perfume.
She offered me a stunning red-lipped smile. “Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Bamford.”
I could hardly find my voice, let alone convince my tongue to move in my mouth. “Tinsel… you look incredible.”
For once she didn’t correct me on her nickname. Instead, she looked down at herself. “Much better than the striped leggings and the tutu, right?”
I cleared my throat. “Much better is an understatement.”
Aleena snickered and smacked the back of her hand to my chest. She pushed her drink into my hands to give Tinsely a sloppy hug. Over Aleena’s shoulder, Tinsely met my eye and mouthed, how drunk is she?
“Oh, very,” I said out loud.
Tinsely pulled out of the hug and smiled at Aleena. “Babe, how do you feel about a glass of water? And have you scoped out all the food? There are mozzarella sticks. I know how much you love mozzarella sticks.”
Apparently, that was the right thing to say because Aleena launched herself toward the tables of food, leaving her wine with me.
Tinsely took it off my hands and had a sip. “Not bad,” she mused. “Has she been harassing you for long?”
