Page 31 of Naughty Santa

Joe.

Only Joe.

Paris moved closer to him. Of course, they always had to be aware of Jaden and what he’d overhear—and repeat to Sandy—all the time. He’d told his grandma right away that Paris used the word “dammit” a lot when she was cleaning and organizing the store.

She ran her fingers over the front of his shirt. “I promise you I’ve spent more than a few nights in North Pole putting my hands in my own pants, and it’s really not as...effective.”

That now-familiar heat flared in his eyes. “Maybe you’re not doing it right. Maybe I could check out your technique, give you some pointers.”

Oh my God.

Was Joe suggesting she masturbate in front of him? She could so get behind that. “I’ve got twelve different ways of doing it.” That’s how many settings her new vibrator had. “I really like the third way,” she told Joe. “Actually, all of them are alright. They’re just not the same as...”

“You have twelve ways of warming up your hands?” Jaden asked.

Damn. Paris wasn’t used to having kids around.

“I have twelve, um, pairs of pants.” She had a shit ton more than twelve pairs, but she didn’t know how else to cover up her comment.

“But the third pair warms your hands up the most?” Jaden asked, looking completely confused.

Paris nodded slowly, looking up at Joe. “The third pair makes things really hot.”

Joe made a choking sound and grabbed her arm, pulling her to the side and addressing his nephew. “Are you done with your project? I’m going to take you over to Maggie’s place.”

“Why am I going to Maggie’s?” Jaden asked.

“Wait, who’s Maggie?” Paris couldn’t explain why she suddenly felt like she needed to know who Jaden was going to bewith and if this Maggie person could be trusted, but the words popped out before she could stop them.

“Maggie is a friend of my mom’s,” Joe explained as he helped Jaden gather his books and crayons. “She watches Jaden sometimes.”

“Why does someone need to watch Jaden now?” she asked.

“The…” Joe cast a look at Jaden. “The people who want to talk to you about the seeds are on their way in.”

“Oh.” The potential buyers were on their way. Paris glanced at the clock. They were supposed to meet her here in about twenty minutes. She’d completely forgotten, thanks to their cold hands/warm pants conversation.

Jaden ran to the end of the counter to retrieve his snow boots, and she lowered her voice. “You think he’d catch on and say something to Sandy about them wanting to buy it?”

“I just don’t want him to be in the way.” Joe scooped Jaden’s coat from where the kid had shed it when he’d come in from the cold.

“In the way? He isn’t in the way,” she protested. “He’s great. Dog walker and customer service rep all in one.”

“I know.” Joe shrugged. “I just don’t want there to be any distractions. I’ll stay away too. You can text me after they leave.”

“You’re all a part of this,” she said. “I don’t want you to feel left out of this decision. If they buy the place, they’re going to get to know all of you.”

“Why?” Joe asked.

“Well, Sandy will still work here and?—”

“You don’t know that,” Joe cut her off. “They might not want to have a little boy showing the farmers around the store or getting his after-school snack all over the counter. They might not need Sandy.”

“But…” Paris knew all of that, of course. It was par for the course for a new owner to clean house on staff. But she hadn’twanted to allow herself to consider that because it bothered her. A lot. Sandy and Jaden were a part of this store. They loved it. They knew it as well as they knew their own home.

Hell. This was a home to them.

Paris would have been lost without them, and she looked forward to Jaden running through the front doors every day. When the store was empty, they turned up the music—sometimes the country side, sometimes the Christmas side—and danced. He’d started bringing extra crackers and cookies in his snack bag so he could share with her. He’d helped her glue new sequins and white faux fur on the Christmas decor. She couldn’t imagine this place without him and Sandy.

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