Page 46 of Naughty Santa

“Oh, I haven’t spoken to him.” Paris frowned and glanced around too.

“He headed in your direction not that long ago,” Sandy assured her.

“He did?”

Sandy gave her an exasperated smile. “Yep. Just before Ryan Cuppers and Liam Drivers started a game of tag, knocked into the snack table, and dumped the punch bowl over. I lost track of him after that.”

“What?” Paris quickly looked around but saw no evidence of the mess.

“We got it cleaned up,” Sandy said, waving her hand as if to say don’t worry about it. “But I didn’t keep my eye on Joe.”

“He left!” Jaden said, bouncing like a bunny over to her. He wore two big red bows on top of his head. Bunny ears, she assumed.

“He did?”

“Yep! I saw him.” Jaden was still jumping up and down.

Wow, how many cookies had the kid had?

“When?”

“Before,” Jaden said, bouncing in a circle around her.

Paris rotated, watching him. “Before when?”

“Before now!” He giggled.

Right. He was eight. Telling time wasn’t really his forte. Especially when overstimulated with presents and a visit from Santa and a game of tag that had ended in a major punch bowl incident.

Paris would have normally asked what bunnies had to do with Christmas, but suddenly she didn’t have time because Joe had left.

He hadn’t stuck around to help Sandy clean up the snack table disaster or the wrapping paper mess? He hadn’t waited for her?

Had he overheard her talking to Todd and Frank? Had he heard their offer?

Oh God. Did he think she was taking it? Of course he did because why wouldn’t she?

She’d given no one—even herself—a reason to think that staying was an option. Until she’d been face-to-face with everything she thought she wanted and realized it wasn’t at all what she needed.

Then a more chilling thought occurred to her. What if he’d overheard her saying she was staying. What if that was the problem?

Her heart dropped to her stomach.

“I need to go.”

Something in her tone caught Sandy’s attention because she looked up quickly. “Are you okay, honey?”

“I’m not sure. I need to find Joe. I need to talk to him.”

Sandy looked worried, but she nodded. “Okay.” She reached into her pocket. “Take the truck. Jaden and I can grab a ride home with the mayor and his wife. It’s an election year, so he’ll be out there shaking hands and kissing babies until every last person is gone. Call me if you need me.”

Paris’s eyes stung, touched by Sandy’s kindness. She’d grown very close to Joe’s mom in just a couple of weeks. Paris loved her parents, but her mother had been less warm and cuddly and more like the “cool mom” inMean Girls. Somewhere around middle school, Mom had become less maternal and more friend. They had a great relationship, but Paris couldn’t remember the last time Mom made her soup when she didn’t feel good or hugged her when she was discouraged or offered help whenever Paris needed it. Sandy had done all three of those things in the past two weeks.

Paris nodded and sniffled. “I will. Thanks.”

She headed straight for the door, pushing it open, anxious to find Joe.

Of course, she was met by a blast of frigid air and also, of course, she’d forgotten her damn coat.

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