Page 1 of The Santa Swap

CHAPTER1

Olivia set a box of kitchen accessories on the counter, cringing when the hail began to pound against her window pane. The sharp tapping sent a shiver down her spine as she headed towards the front door, slipping her arms into her brand-new winter coat. So much for the weather staying reasonable while she unloaded the car. She could hear her mother’s voice echoing in her head.Don’t leave California, Livvy. It’s ten degrees in Utah and you’ll freeze if you walk outside.

The warning was slightly dramatic and the temperature was definitely higher than ten degrees, but looking out the window, Olivia had to wonder if her mom was right. Hail was turning to snow before her eyes. Knowing her luck, she’d be facing a full-blown blizzard if she waited much longer. Was it really worth yet another trip down the stairs for just one box?

There were already stacks of boxes running along the wall, each labeled with different rooms of the house. Unpacking those boxes would take days, but the most important box was sitting on the passenger seat of her car. She could leave the block sets there, but then she’d get even further behind assembling the presents for her nephews.

A bright blue scarf hung from a hook by her front door. She wrapped it around her neck, pulling it up so her chin was covered before taking a pair of new gloves out of her coat pocket. When she was finally bundled up properly, she opened the door and glanced out towards the stairwell where snowflakes were beginning to stick.

It was now or never. Olivia took a deep breath and left the warmth of her apartment. She was halfway down the staircase when a gust of cold wind whooshed past her feet. She glanced down at the house slippers she wore, stifling a groan. For a California girl who loved running barefoot through the house, remembering proper footwear was going to take some practice. “Why did I bother to take off my boots?” she asked. The only answer was another gust of wind accompanied by a handful of snowflakes swirling through the open stairwell.

Olivia glanced up towards her apartment, debating the wisdom of heading back to put proper shoes on her feet, but that would involve walking up the same flight of stairs she had already climbed dozens of times that day. No thank you. She was already more than halfway down the staircase at this point. Why make the trip any longer?

Stepping out onto the pavement was like stepping into a new world. In a matter of minutes, the street had become covered with a fine layer of white. Snowflakes floated through the air, giving the feeling of being in a snow globe. Olivia gingerly set a slipper onto the sidewalk, feeling for traction. It was only a half a block to her car. If she walked slowly, she would be fine.

By the time she pulled the box from her car, snow was piling up on the ground. The powdered white blanket was beautiful but way too cold for slippered feet. Olivia locked her door and then turned to admire the view. The sun was setting, with hues of orange and pink streaking across the deepening blue. Street lights flickered on, bathing the street in a soft glow. She stepped carefully, trying to retrace her steps back to the apartment.

Olivia was sliding onto her next footprint when someone ran past, crashing into her with enough force to send her falling to her bottom in an ungraceful heap. The box flew through the air in one direction, landing upside down before falling to the side with a crash. One of her slippers flew off and thudded to the ground a few feet away in the opposite direction.

“Hey,” she yelled after the retreating figure. “Watch where you’re going!”

The figure raced off without a backward glance. Olivia pushed herself off the ground, brushing the snow off of her clothes while she awkwardly tried to balance on one foot. Her hip was already beginning to throb and her wrist was a little tender from where she tried to brace herself from the impact, but nothing appeared to be broken. She was hopping forward to grab her slipper when a voice cleared behind her.

“Allow me.” The man stepped past her and bent down to retrieve her slipper from the snow. He shook the slipper off and turned to hand it to her. “Interesting choice of footwear. Are you okay?”

Olivia’s eyes snapped up to meet the earnest gaze of a man who was wrapped head to toe in winter gear, with only his eyes peering out at her from behind a blue and green checkered scarf. His face was covered, but his eyes were striking enough to send Olivia’s heart skipping out of rhythm. The eyes were a Monet painting, with shades of blue overlapping each other to form a kaleidoscope of color. Olivia slowly blinked. She reached for her slipper and slid it on her foot. “Thanks.”

“It’s no problem.” He turned towards the upended box of building blocks, letting out a small sigh. “This, on the other hand, looks a little more problematic.”

Colorful bricks were strewn across the sidewalk, with half assembled reindeer antlers and red pieces of Santa hats quickly getting buried by the falling snow. Olivia’s heart sank. The hours she had spent sorting small bricks into large paper bowls for each present had been destroyed by a careless human who didn’t have the decency to check if she was alright.

Olivia sank to her knees and pulled off a glove, gritting her teeth against the sharp bite of the cold as she scooped the bricks into a pile. The man followed her, crouching down by her side in his shiny leather shoes and perfectly pressed suit pants. He was either on his way home from work or on his way to an important meeting. Either way, that kind of business wear didn’t belong in the snow.

“I’ve got this,” she said. “You already helped me out with my slipper. I don’t want you to ruin your suit.”

“Okay.” He nodded and straightened up, giving the mess of bricks a final glance before he brushed off his pants and walked across the street to the coffee shop.

Olivia watched him leave, trying not to roll her eyes. She didn’t think he’d really stay, but she would have appreciated the help. Her knight in snow-covered armor moment was over. She reached for the box but when she picked it up, the wet side of the box tore open, sending the remainder of the bricks clattering to the ground as they spilled out of their individual paper bowls. As an added insult, the snow intensified, biting against her cheeks while she tried to blink away angry tears.

There weren’t a lot of choices left. Olivia unwound the scarf from her neck with a grimace, trying to ignore the snowflakes that smacked against her skin. She set the scarf on the ground and began to scoop bricks onto the fabric. It would work as a makeshift bag to carry them home.

Her hands were shaking while she picked the individual pieces up. The temptation to leave the bricks was strong, but she had already cleared out three stores looking for the right colors. By this point, it wasn’t worth the time or expense to replace everything. She reached for a white brick, realizing that they would be difficult to find in the snow. As she grabbed another piece, a pair of familiar black shoes came back to stand near her side.

“Here,” he said. Olivia glanced up towards the voice. The man was holding a fresh cardboard box out to her. He waited until she grabbed the box before he began to unwrap his scarf. It took all of Olivia’s will power to keep her mouth closed when the rest of his face appeared. There was more to this man than just the Monet eyes. A strong nose led way to the perfect amount of stubble which framed his lips. Lips that looked incredibly, invitingly kissable. Olivia shook the thought from her mind. She had moved to Utah to get away from her last bad relationship. She wasn’t going to fall for the first handsome guy to catch her eye. Even if his lips were incredibly inviting.

“I thought you left.” The words were meant to be a dismissal, but he ignored them and knelt on the ground beside her, reaching for a brick which he threw into the pile.

“I did. I figured you’d need another box.”

It was a kind gesture, and a way better solution than the scarf Olivia was using. Olivia gently poured her pile of bricks into the box. “You were right. Thanks.”

She was reaching for a reindeer antler when the man draped his scarf across her neck. Rocking back on her heels, Olivia looked up at the man. “What are you doing?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you might be cold?” He reached for the end of the scarf and wrapped it gently around her neck. “Your scarf is a little out of commission.”

Olivia opened her mouth to protest, but the man was right. She was freezing. “Thank you,” she said.

Her hands were numb by the time the last of the bricks had been picked up. Olivia stood up and closed the lid to the box. Hopefully there would be no more accidents between the sidewalk and her front door. She turned to face the man, who was standing near her elbow.

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