Page 8 of Naughtying Up St. Nick

It’s not like I can argue with that. If I were a parent, I’d be pissed if I overheard what Jacklyn said to that kid stuck up on the slide.

The door to the office opens, and Harlow appears, his hair windblown. He gives Aubrey a smile and a one-armed hug. “Hey, I haven’t seen you around.”

“They put me on elf duty.” She wrinkles her nose. “Your sister sucks.”

“You don’t have to tell me.” He tugs on the end of Aubrey’s ponytail, then grabs a granola bar before turning to me. “Hey, Cal.”

“Hey.” My voice sounds strange, like the word doesn’t want to come out. “Is the kid from the slide okay?”

Harlow’s smile slips for a second, but it’s back in place quickly. “Yeah, he’s fine. Just a little scared of the size of the slide. He got there in the end.”

He doesn’t say one word about how Jacklyn probably could’ve handled it better.

“Oh, good. Aubrey was telling me you’ve been volunteering here for four years.” It’s not the smoothest segue I’ve ever used, but it could be worse.

“Talking about me, huh?” Harlow glances back at Aubrey, who gives him the same shrug she gave me.

“It just came up,” she replies, taking another bite of her apple. “You have to know that if gossip is spreading in this place, it’s about you.”

Harlow shakes his head and leans back against the counter opposite me and starts in on the granola bar.

The speaker on the counter crackles to life, and Archie’s voice breaks through. “Aubrey? Jacklyn wants you out here for clean up. And bring Harlow if he’s with you.”

Without hesitation, Aubrey says, “Harlow left for his lunch break. I’ll be right out.”

Harlow mouths a thank-you to her as Aubrey finishes her apple and tosses the core in the trashcan by the sink.

Once she disappears out the door with a little wave at us over her shoulder, Harlow relaxes further against the counter.

A small voice in the back of my mind is yelling at me to not bring this up. I’ve known both Harlow and Jacklyn for eight years now, and I thought I had a pretty good handle on their relationship and who they were. But after having worked with Jacklyn for the last few days and getting to know Harlow a little bit outside of this job, I’m realizing I have no idea how their dynamic works.

“So…Aubrey was telling me that you should’ve gotten the job to head the village this year,” I say, trying my hardest to make it come out casual.

“So you guys really were gossiping about me.”

My face warms. “It just kind of came up in conversation. But it made me wonder why you’re not heading it. I mean…haven’t you been volunteering here for four years? And Jacklyn just came back into town.”

Harlow crumples his empty granola bar wrapper and tosses it in the trashcan. “You know Jackie’s better at that stuff than I am.”

There’s something in his voice, something hidden, that makes me want to dig for more, but he doesn’t give me the chance.

“You should get back out there before she comes looking for you,” he says. “I’ll see you tonight.”

***

Even though I knew tonight was coming, and even though I’m looking forward to it, I’m still nervous as hell when I show up to Harlow’s place later.

I don’t know what to say or do, and I feel completely out of my element. But Harlow is at ease as always, oozing confidence from the moment I step into his apartment.

“You can relax,” Harlow says, closing the door behind me. “We’ll take it at your pace, okay?”

I nod, but I feel ridiculous for being so nervous. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m…like this.”

“Because the last person you did anything with was an asshole,” he replies, taking my jacket off and laying it over the back of the couch.

“I need you to remain unbiased.”

He chuckles and takes a step closer to me. “Well, let me get started, and I’ll make my own decision.”

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