Page 9 of Santa's Little Helpers

I set my alarm for super early so I could get dressed and into the office before anyone else was awake, but as I snuck down the stairs, I heard the telltale sounds of Sadie making breakfast. I should have known she would be awake and cooking. She was a very accommodating hostess, and guests at the big house always left about five pounds heavier than they arrived.

“E, is that you?” Sadie came around the corner wearing the cutest princess pajamas I’d ever seen. “Morning! You’re up early.”

“Yeah, I need to—”

“Come help me with breakfast, will you? Derek turned off my alarm last night, so I got up late and could really use an extra set of hands. Please?”

You need to learn to say no to her. Dammit. Start now. C’mon, say no! “Sure.” No! No no no!

“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver. How about you take care of the bacon and sausage?”

I set my things down on the table by the elevator and reluctantly entered the kitchen. In true Sadie fashion, the breakfast spread was expansive. From fruit, yogurt, and bagels, to pancakes, hash browns, and egg casseroles. She had enough food made to feed an army. My guess was the ranch staff would be getting some amazing leftovers for brunch.

“Jared likes crispy bacon,” Sadie spouted as I grabbed an apron and made my way to the stove.

“Are you sure you want me cooking in your kitchen?”

Sadie rolled her eyes. “You know your way around the kitchen just fine. Plus, you should know how to prepare your man’s meat.” She giggled.

“Good thing I don’t have one of those, then, isn’t it?” I snarked.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. Jared is single and sexy and has the total hots for you.”

I turned away from her and flipped on the stove. “First off, he doesn’t, and even if he did, he is like fifty years older than me. Second, I can’t take you seriously in those pajamas.”

“Pft. He’s twenty years older, and these pajamas are adorable.”

“That’s the problem. You can’t be talking about meat and sexy men wearing pink princess pajamas. That’s just wrong!”

“Whatever.”

She would not be deterred, and she continued to make comments about Jared and me until the man in question finally joined us.

“Morning, girls. Everything smells delicious.” He reached for a piece of fruit but didn’t get far before Sadie whapped his knuckles with a wooden spoon.

“No touching! Go sit in the dining room and have coffee. We will be done in a minute.”

I watched Jared’s expression go from soft and pleasant to sinister in one point five seconds flat.

“Did you just smack me with a spoon, little girl?”

Sadie smiled as she hid the spoon behind her back and shook her head vigorously.

“Come here,” he snapped and pointed to a spot on the floor in front of him. Sadie stayed where she was and continued shaking her head.

My pulse quickened, and my palms started to sweat. She was going to regret that. Hell, I regretted it for her.

“One,” he began counting and held up his right index finger.

“Uncle Jared! I’m sorry,” she whined. And that was all it took to send her deep into her little space.

“Two.” He put up the next finger. “You don’t want me to get to three, young lady.”

Dropping her chin to her chest, she glanced at me and winked before shuffling over to him and placing the spoon in his outstretched hand. Silently, I removed my apron and headed toward the elevator. Maybe I could escape before we all sat down to eat.

“Where are you off to, little squirrel?” Jared asked as he turned Sadie away from him and pressed her chest down onto the island.

“I…um…work,” I stuttered.

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