Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
But that doesn’t stop me from admiring how sexy he is as he’s gives orders to the crew, while Ainsley talks us through the rules of the first challenge. His bossy confidence is magnetic, not intimidating, and his good heart shines through with every encouraging back pat he offers to the sound team and camera crew.
He’s a good man who deserved so much better than what Vivian did to him. My cousin clearly broke his heart—I can see the pain and confusion in his eyes every time he mentions her name—and the “fixer” in me would love nothing more than to be the one to mend it.
But that isn’t in the cards for us. Leo needs someone with no Cane DNA, and I need a man who’s open to embracing small town life. As much as I love the city, my family, my work, my friends…they’re all in Reindeer Corners.
Though, I can’t deny helping tackle last-minute production problems was a rush unlike anything I’ve felt working at the inn in a long time. I love the energy on set and thinking fast on my feet. And I really love the moment the lights all flare at once, transforming the rink into a winter wonderland, surrounded by Christmas trees, fiberglass presents nearly as tall as I am, and…a terrifying creature that towers over the far side of the rink that I somehow didn’t notice in all the excitement.
Maybe because it’s all black and dark brown, colors that faded into the shadows until the filming lights were turned on. But now, it draws everyone’s attention as Eduardo bleats, “That thing’s fangs are longer than my arm.”
“Glad you mentioned that, Eduardo,” Ainsley says, a wicked glint in her eye. “You know that saying ‘all bark and no bite?’ Well, old Krampus here is all bite, and he’s going to take a big one out of one of you.” She points toward the ten-foot statue as its eyes begin to glow a disturbing red. “You’ll notice five bags by Krampus’s feet, each one with letters on the front. You’re in charge of filling the bag with your initials. The last one to fill their bag will be leaving us at the end of the challenge tonight.”
“Fill it with what?” Dirk emits an aggressive, staccato laugh. “Each other? That’s the only thing I’m seeing around here big enough to fill one of those bags.”
Ainsley lifts an arm, making a circle motion. “No, you’ll be filling them with coal for Krampus to put in the stockings of naughty children across the world.” Crew members appear around the edges of the rink, rolling large green garbage cans. They empty the bins, sending what looks like large chunks of papier-mâché “coal” rolling across the pavement. “And you’ll be doing it while delivering hot chocolate to the guests who are wearing a sash that matches your skates.”
Eyes wide, I watch as a dozen or more extras materialize from behind the band shell and roll onto the rink. It looks like four of them have red scarves to match my red skates.
“But don’t worry,” Ainsley adds. “The hot chocolate will only be lukewarm. So, if you drop it on yourself or a guest, you won’t be harmed, just one mess closer to being disqualified.”
“Evil little woman,” Dirk mutters.
“For real,” Millie agrees, but she sounds excited, and Jenna actually laughs as she says, “Sweet. What’s the prize for first place?”
“First place gets gourmet high tea at The Ritz tomorrow afternoon, plus immunity from the losers’ challenge tomorrow morning,” Leo says, grinning as he backs away from the rink’s edge. “Believe me, you’re going to want that immunity, friends. It’s a gross one. You’ll never look at clowns the same way again.”
I exhale, my pulse racing as Ainsley puts her whistle to her lips and the rest of us queue up on the red line.
Okay, then first place it is. Clowns and I don’t get along under normal circumstances, let alone “gross” ones. I can’t imagine what they’ve cooked up that combines the creepiness of clowns and something “gross,” and I don’t want to find out.
I curl my fingers into fists and scan the skaters, deciding fetching hot chocolate will be my first mission. That’s going to require more control and care. Afterwards, I can crawl around on the floor gathering “coal” if I have to.
I’m so busy memorizing the location of the people with red scarves that I’m not paying attention to the other contestants. That proves to be a potentially fatal mistake when Ainsley blows the whistle, and I’m suddenly falling flat on my face.
I land with an oof and a hiss of pain as my bare hands scrape against the pavement and look up in time to see Jenna laughing over her shoulder at me as she skates away. By the time I’m back on my feet, everyone else has hot chocolate or coal in hand. So, I do what any good innkeeper would do—I think fast and outside the box.