Page 65 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

The man gave a deep sigh. “Yeah, I know. She’s hard to say no to, and I have to deal with her and Bella. Her mother’s heart is just as big. Probably the reason I fell in love with both of them on sight.”

Guilt squirmed through him. Crap. Now he felt like a Scrooge instead of a good businessman. “Zoe, that’s very kind. Santa would be really proud of you. But you don’t have to worry because I’ll take care of it here. My staff will get some presents and a tree and we’ll give them out tomorrow. Okay?”

She clapped her hand. “Okay! Thank you, Mr. Jameson. You are a very nice man.”

His ears felt like they were turning red. Gabe reached out to shake his hand. “A pleasure to meet you. Let me know if there’s anything my wife and I can do to help with the Fur Gala. I’m sure you have your hands full.”

“Thank you. Devon has been my point person on the whole thing.”

Gabe’s dark eyes twinkled. “Ah, Devon is the perfect person to keep it all together for you.”

“Are we talking about the same woman?”

Gabe laughed. “I think so. She knows exactly how to deal with the heart of any problem without flinching and get things done. You’re in good hands.”

Jameson turned over those cryptic words in his head, wondering why it seemed Gabe knew her well. “Good to know. Have a wonderful rest of your day. Zoe, it’s been a pleasure.”

He bowed formally which made her giggle, and walked away.

The rest of the day held the same undertones. Kids cried when Santa didn’t show up. Customers complained. The staff seemed miserable. The chef sent out a whipped cream sad face on the French toast, inciting giggles from the table. With each hour, Jameson became more frustrated and confused to why no one in Cape May saw his vision, and how much better Vintage was if they just gave it a chance.

He left to go home before the dinner shift and take care of Bear.

When he opened the door, he was met with a frantically happy, drooling dog with a very large piece of furniture in his mouth.

The leg of the sectional.

In growing horror, Jameson took in the damage to the house.

Pillows were torn. The sectional limped drunkenly to its side. The beach coffee table book was shredded into confetti. He’d gotten into the garbage and had a food party, so coffee grounds, banana peels, and the remains of Vintage take-out were strewn all over the kitchen floor.

“Bear. What did you do?”

The canine ducked his head for a moment, as if feeling guilty and wanting to take a moment to form an apology.

And then with a mighty leap, he jumped up, toppling Jameson over, and licked his face furiously. Jameson fought off the drool from his drippy jowls and the massive weight trying to pin him down as Bear’s tail wagged with pure happiness.

Jameson was not as happy.

He was going to kill Devon.

Chapter Six

“Devon? You okay?”

She shook her head hard and re-focused on the woman across from her. Avery Sunshine, part owner of Sunshine Bridal, stared at her with a concerned look. This was the third time she’d drifted off, distracted by some odd thought ofhim.

“Sorry, I didn’t sleep last night and feel a bit foggy. We decided on the red calla lilies, white roses, and lavender pine cones?”

“Yes, that’s perfect. I need a coordinating flower girl bouquet, and can we bring in some mistletoe with fairy lights? I’m balancing whimsical with holiday.”

“Hmm, I think mistletoe can be overdone. How about we do holly bushes and I can string the lights around like mini Christmas trees?”

“Done.” Avery sat back with a sigh and smoothed back her honey-colored curls. She was a business dynamo and Devon had always admired her, along with her two sisters, Bella and Taylor, who’d created a wedding empire in the beach town. “Why does everything have to happen around the holidays? Last year, Bella got married, and now Taylor announced her and Pierce are tying the knot.”

“Oh, how exciting! Are Taylor and Pierce back from Paris?”

“Yep. Her last art show exploded so she’s taking a long break and came back home for a while. We’re so excited.”

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