Page 66 of False Evidence

Still, it wasn’t like his stepmother to forget to tell him such an important detail—what if he’d been running late and went straight to the hall?

Luckily—or unluckily—traffic had been smooth on the drive south and stopping at the Mayflower was no problem. He’d rather hoped he’d find Lex here early, but the room was sadly empty with no sign she’d been here during his absence, even though he’d told her she could use the suite as much as she liked.

Would she meet him after he performed his Santa duties, or would she back out? He knew he’d been asking a lot when he invited her to spend Christmas Eve with him. They barely knew each other.

He crossed to the bedroom and set his suitcase on the rack. He’d unpack later. Right now, he needed to put Lex’s Christmas present in the safe and get ready for the party. He pulled the blue Tiffany box from his briefcase and lifted the lid, pulling out the jewelry case. He opened it to reveal the diamond earrings and matching necklace.

He couldn’t look at the stones without imagining what she’d look like in the necklace and nothing else. Well, nothing except those four-inch heels that brought them eye to eye.

Never in his life had he spent this kind of money on a gift for a woman he’d only just met, but something about her made him want to shower her with gifts, treat her to all the things his money could give her.

As fun as the fantasy was, he had to get moving. He needed to shower and shave so the damn beard would adhere to his face.

He deposited the jewels in the safe, stripped, entered the shower, and tried not to think about the woman who’d been the center of his fantasies for the last week.

Two hours later, JT was in the chair. The beard itched. The suit was hot. And he had not learned how to talk to children in the 366 days since the last time he did this.

The first kid was cute. Big smile, no front teeth. He wanted a baseball bat, gloves, and ball, and Lee stepped in to assist one of the hall’s overworked volunteers in locating the boy’s present, which included cleats in his size and a baseball uniform signed by his favorite Baltimore Orioles player.

Like kids the world over, the boy would open his presents tomorrow morning. For tonight, he had no idea that he was getting far more than he’d asked for. Only Santa and his elves knew.

“I thought you were going to have an elf to help you?” the harried volunteer said as the kid slipped from JT’s lap and headed for his mother. “Mrs. Talon said you were bringing a helper this year.”

“She probably meant me,” Lee said.

“I had you down for helping with the party games.”

“Must be a mistake, then. Where am I needed most?”

The man glanced at the line of kids. “Here. Move the kids from the line to the lap.”

That was all JT was tonight. A lap.

Lee nodded and turned to the kid at the front of the line, taking the slip of paper from another volunteer in charge of ensuring all the kids had the number that corresponded with their name and gift.

JT let out a hearty “Ho! Ho! Ho!” as the girl approached. All at once, she stopped in front of him and let out an ear-piercing shriek.

It was going to be a long night.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Alexandra slipped through a side door and found herself in a service corridor. She moved deeper into the building, following the sounds of clanging of plates and squealing children. On one side of her was the kitchen; on the other was the service entrance to the main hall, where the party was in full swing.

Across the hall, she spotted Santa’s throne. The gilded seat was up on a stage surrounded by white cotton batting and a red carpet lined with candy-cane-striped poles topped with poinsettias. Gold glitter ornaments and white twinkle lights decorated fake evergreen trees that flanked the seat of power.

On the throne sat an alarmed-looking Santa with an angry child on his lap.

Alexandra stepped deeper into the room, drawn to the spectacle. She passed men and women who shook with silent laughter as they hid their mouths behind hands.

One woman whispered to another, “This is my favorite part of Christmas every year. He has no clue how to talk to children who are afraid of Santa.”

“You’re late,” a young man in a service uniform stepped up beside her.

“Sorry. There was an accident on GW Parkway.”

The man reached for her bag. “I’ll put it in a locker and bring you the key. Santa needs help. He’s got a crier, but Mom isn’t giving up on getting a photo.”

Poor kid being forced to sit on a stranger’s lap for a photo that would only come out terrible. And poor Jay was little more than a prop in the sad photo.

---