Page 13 of Just A Dash of Holiday Magic
ROYALLY SCROOGED
Chapter 1
KARA
I wasn’t supposed to work Christmas Eve this year, but when you are the only employee with no spouse or children, it's hard to rob a family of their loved one on the greatest night of the year.
“You are my favorite person, Kara,” Anna says as she wraps her scarf around her neck. "I know it’s not fair to have asked you to switch shifts with me.”
“Don’t even worry about it,” I wave off her comment. “You need to be with your baby tonight. It’s her first year to enjoy the feast. She can’t miss it.”
I hope the smile on my face is convincing. But there is a familiar ache in my chest from that feeling that I’m missing something, but I push it down. I love to celebrate Christmas, but there are tiny moments when it forces you to take a look at your life and make you wonder what if—
“If you get hungry, I left you some of my mom’s homemade frosted sugar cookies for you in the office. Her way of saying thank you!” Anna calls over her shoulder as she heads out the front door to the hotel.
Despite our small Colorado town being a premier winter destination for skiing and snowboarding, it practically becomes a ghost town during the holidays. Only the townies are left to celebrate the holiday season, and we always do it up right. We have ice skating, sledding, and other events to get everyone into the holiday spirit in the days leading up. But on Christmas Eve, we have an Around the World Feast, in honor of Santa Claus’s journey, in the town square around a Christmas tree that we all like to think rivals the one in Rockefeller Center in New York City—but we may just be biased.
But I will be missing all of that tonight with my parents. All because of one guest in the entire hotel who decided he wanted to spend the holidays here—Sebastian Castile.
I wonder if I could sneak out for a bit without anyone noticing. Since his arrival a few days ago, he’s done everything he can to be left alone. Hardly anyone has seen him leave his room. It’s like he’s in hiding or something.
“Kara, sweetheart," Tobey, the maintenance worker for the hotel, calls out to me. “Did you leave me these?”
I turn and see the older man that looks a lot like Santa in a hotel maintenance uniform. He’s holding the tin of cookies Anna left for me and has already bitten the head off one of the snowmen. I know my hips would thank me later if I pass on eating any of those, but since I will be missing the feast later, a cookie or two won’t hurt me.
"Anna left those for us," I tell him as I pick up a candy cane shaped cookie and take a bite.
“That makes more sense,” he says around a mouthful. “We all remember the kitchen fire last year when you tried to make a gingerbread house with actual gingerbread.”
"Hey," I say, grabbing the tin of cookies from him. “I’ll have you know that despite the minimal fire damage, we all enjoyed the scent of gingerbread long after Christmas was over.”
“Yeah, burnt gingerbread," he says, grabbing another cookie out of the tin before I can stop him.
“Have you fixed the elevator yet? Anna said that it stalled on her for a moment when she took up Mr. Castile’s breakfast.”
“I’m heading out right now to get the part from the hardware store.”
I look down at my watch and then back up at him skeptically. “It’s six o’clock. There is no way they are still open.”
Tobey pulls on his jacket. "Vince said that he'd stay open for me special to let me get the part if I take a look at his truck. I shouldn't be gone for more than a couple of hours."
“Take a few to Vince.” I hold out the cookie tin to him.
“Maybe our guest would enjoy some cookies too. It might help him find the holiday spirit.”
I roll my eyes. “The only holiday spirit that man will find are the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future visiting him tonight.”
Tobey throws his head back in laughter. Despite mainly keeping to himself, our guest has made it very clear in his interactions with all of us that he is not a fan of anything to do with Christmas.
"If anyone can help cheer him up, it's your smiling face," he says and then points to the tin in my hand. "And some of those."
I sigh dramatically, but I know he is right. It’s the least I can do since he is all alone. No one should have to be by themselves on this night of all nights.
Tobey heads out with a promise to be back soon, and I walk back to the kitchen. I pour a glass of ice-cold milk and pick out a cookie in each shape before heading up the elevator with the tray of goodies in my hand.
His door is at the end of the hallway. It’s eerily quiet with no one else here, but I’m sure that’s just the way he likes it.
I knock twice on the door and wait.
“Just a moment,” he calls out.
I do my best to put on the friendliest smile just as the door swings open. I’m met with the sight of the bare and wet chest of Mr. Castile.
“What is it?” he asks.
Any words that I had planned to say are lost as my gaze drifts down the muscled contours of his pecs and abs to the panty-melting V in his hips. He's only wearing jeans, and suddenly I wish that they are Santa’s gift for me to open.
