Page 18 of Under The Christmas Lights 6

“Yes.” Lorrie laughed as she joined them, taking a seat in Pierce’s lap. “And you will forever be commemorated as the guy with the right phone number at the right time.”

“Well, I see where my heroism gets me,” Davis retorted, feigning offense. “Next time you’re dealing with a wild bear, you’ll all be on your own.”

“Now, now, honey, don’t be sour,” Heidi teased, patting his shoulder. “You were the one that got the fire out, and that was important, too.”

“Yes, we can’t forget about the fire,” Birgit agreed, joining the group with Chris by her side.

“Finally, the recognition I deserve,” Davis sighed dramatically.

“Oh, is that the paper?” Wendy asked, Erik and her joining them next. “Does it say anything about Frank?”

Frieda’s smile slipped a little as she shook her head.

“Not much in terms of sentencing, but I went to visit him yesterday,” she explained. “Looks like his mental health evaluation came back less than stellar. He has to stay at a psychiatric facility a little longer. His lawyers are optimistic, though. He said they hope to have him out and back at home by the end of the year.”

“What’s home going to even look like for him?” Cynthia wondered aloud, shaking her head. “Didn’t the feds seize all of the Holstead properties?”

Birgit nodded.

“They did indeed,” she answered. “It’s one of the reasons we’ve been drowning in reservations. We’re one of the very few hotels in the area that wasn’t owned by the Holstead Group. Everything else is shut down.”

“Well, that should at least help us corner the market for a while, maybe even make up for some of our losses,” Heidi acknowledged.

“It’s already happening,” Birgit reported happily. “In fact, starting tomorrow, we can start looking for two more employees.”

“That should be very easy to do now that the majority of the town’s hotel management staff is no longer employed,” Chris stated, giving Birgit a small smile as he looked down at her.

“I just love going through interviews,” Birgit squealed happily.

“What about you, Wendy?” Frieda asked, turning the conversation to the woman who had so selflessly helped them catch Anita and Jimmy.

“What is life like post spy game?”

Wendy smiled as she leaned in toward Erik, who immediately kissed the top of her head as she did so.

“Well, I can definitely say that I’m not going to spy school,” she joked, which everyone politely laughed at.

“But I did become interested in some of the stuff Anita and Jensen were talking to me about. Of course, I’m going to look for a different set of financial advisors, but I am interested in finding out what exactly I can do with my inheritance money. Maybe if I found some investors and pitched a good idea, I could get a free clinic opened around here.”

“I would be interested in something like that,” Erik spoke up, looking at Wendy with adoration.

“Me too,” Regan agreed. “Let’s set something up soon and talk.”

“You guys don’t have to do that,” Wendy assured them. “That’s not why I brought it up.”

“No, but it is a good idea, Wendy,” Erik replied, looking at her with a warm smile. Besides, this place has enough stores and hotels. This place needs something more meaningful than that.”

“Wait a minute,” Frieda interjected. “I thought all that stuff about you being rich was fake? I thought you were just playing a part to reel Jimmy into our trap.”

Regan looked at her with a cheeky grin.

“I am a man of mystery,” he replied with a shrug. Then his eyes darkened, and a different, more personal look took over his teasing expression.

“But if you would maybe agree to let me take you out to dinner, I could share some of my secrets with you.”

Frieda felt the stirring of butterflies as Regan’s voice dipped from sarcastic to sincere, and she couldn’t help the girlish smile that spread across her lips. Regan had no reason to help her or her family, and yet he’d gone so far as to get arrested for the sake of saving them from Anita and Jimmy. As Erik had promised, Regan had been released from police custody and absolved of any wrong-doing within twenty-four hours of the bust. He could have walked away then, gone back to the woods and the solitary life he’d become so comfortable with, and never come out again.

Instead, though, his visits to the hotel−and especially Frieda had been steady. He was never pushy or overwhelming like many of Frieda’s suitors had been in the past, but instead, he was calm and poised. He didn’t get offended by her jokes or her way of doing things either, but instead got on board and actually helped her when she needed it. It was new and strange. But it was also very, verygood.

“If you share some of yours, I’ll share some of mine,” she told him, wrapping her fingers around his hand as he slipped it into her open palm.

Regan smiled back at her, moving closer.

“Consider it done.”

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