'Twas the Week Before Christmas. Olivia Miles

      The woman looked up and beamed, flattered to be asked for an opinion. “Certainly!” she exclaimed, opening her eyes wide.

      “Think I should lose the tie?” Max grinned.

      The woman’s lips pursed in pleasure. “Definitely.”

      * * *

      The mayor’s office was decoration-free, making it easy for Max to get down to business. He sat down in the seat offered to him and accepted a cup of coffee. Mayor Pearson was an amiable sort with a warm laugh and strong handshake, and Max was immediately put at ease. So long as he didn’t come across as some corporate bigwig in from the city looking to stir up trouble, he should be able to have a reasonable conversation with the mayor over what would best serve the town of Maple Woods.

      And he knew in his heart that an upscale shopping center on the outskirts of town—on the land that currently housed The White Barn Inn—would be a win-win for everyone.

      Everyone except for Holly, that is he thought with a frown.

      “It’s a stunning rendering,” Mayor Pearson said, leaning over the desk to take a closer look at the blueprints. “It doesn’t look like the shopping malls I’m used to frequenting.”

      “We try and design our centers with their location in mind,” Max explained. “It’s important that the mall have the architectural integrity of the town so that it just sort of...melts in with its surroundings.”

      The mayor gave the drawing silent consideration before releasing a long, heavy sigh. Relaxing into a high-backed swivel chair behind his desk, he said, “I’ll admit that I’m intrigued. That being said, I can’t be sure what the planning board will say, and they would ultimately make the decision.”

      Max nodded. “I understand there are lots of moving parts here, Mayor.”

      “Of course, there’s George Miller to consider. His family has owned that land for longer than I can remember. If he’s not willing to sell, my opinion doesn’t even matter.”

      Oh, he’ll sell, Max thought. To the mayor he said, “I plan to speak with him as soon as possible. I wanted to give you the courtesy first.”

      “I appreciate that,” the older man said. “And I’d also appreciate if you kept your business here quiet unless things move forward. Maple Woods is a small town, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, and people around here don’t like change very much.”

      “I’ll be discreet,” Max promised.

      Mayor Pearson tented his fingers. “The financials you have here are very solid and I’m sure you’re aware that we lack proper funding needed to re-open the town library, which unfortunately had to be closed until we can repair the structural damage that occurred in a recent fire. The library means a lot to this town—it isn’t just a library. It also serves as our community center.”

      “I heard something about it, yes.” The article mentioned that an entire wing had been nearly destroyed—Max understood firsthand the resources an undertaking like that would involve.

      “People don’t understand why we can’t start rebuilding the portion of the building that was damaged and reopen the place. Or why we haven’t already done so. It’s just not as simple as that.” The mayor paused. “As you can imagine, this doesn’t bode well for me. Or a re-election.”

      Max tipped his head with renewed interest. “That’s a tough position.”

      “Very tough. The thing I’ve learned about being in office is that you can’t please everybody. And believe me, if we bring in engineers and construction crews to rebuild that library, someone would be in an uproar that we didn’t use the money to build a new wing onto the school.”

      Max chuckled. “I can assure you that the taxes you would garner from the center would change things for this town.”

      “Oh, I know it would change things, and that’s why I agreed to meet with you. If I might have a day or two to look over these papers, it would help me in making an argument to the planning committee. But I don’t plan on saying a word to them unless George Miller agrees to this. I’m already on the hot seat over this library fiasco.”

      “I’m not sure you’re aware of the urgency of the matter. It appears that George Miller plans to transfer the deed of the land to The White Barn Inn as of Christmas day,” Max said.

      Mayor Pearson widened his eyes. “Ah.”

      “I could be wrong but I have to assume that the owner of the inn—Holly Tate—might be less than inclined to sell. So you see, I would prefer to get this wrapped up before Christmas. If possible.”

      “You do realize that Christmas is five days away?”

      Max grimaced. “I’m fully aware. I hadn’t realized I would be faced with this situation. I would have acted sooner if I had known.”

      The mayor lowered his brows. “Do you always do business the Friday before Christmas?”

      Max decided not to give the answer to that question. He skirted it by saying, “It’s not Christmas yet. It seemed as good a time as any.”

      “Guess that’s why you make the big bucks.” Mayor Pearson peered at Max, and for a split second, Max swallowed hard, nervously hooking one leg over the other. His mind drifted to Holly, to the image of her cheerfully bustling about the dining room in that soft creamy sweater and slim charcoal skirt that hugged her curves in all the right places. His stomach rolled a bit with unease.

      Finally, the mayor spoke. “A retail establishment of this size will bring revenue to the town. However, it will also change the dynamic. My parting words to you are these. Tread lightly.”

      Max gritted his teeth and nodded in understanding. Following the mayor’s lead, he stood and accepted his firm grip. The meeting was over.

      “Let me know when you’ve talked to George Miller,” the mayor said. “Then we’ll have a better chat. Right now, my hands are tied. I’m of no use to you yet.”

      Max nodded once more and turned to the door with the sinking sensation that very little had transpired in the meeting at all. He had the mayor’s approval, but it wasn’t his decision to make. Max would have to convince George Miller first. And then the planning committee. And if George didn’t agree...he’d have to sway Holly.

      He couldn’t even think about that right now.

      “Oh, and one last thing,” the mayor said as Max turned the door handle.

      Max turned and his pulse skipped. “Yes?”

      Mayor Pearson smiled. “Merry Christmas!”

      * * *

      The shops along Main Street had already opened by the time Max marched out of the mayor’s building. Pairs of locals scurried along the shoveled sidewalks, ducking in and out of stores, stocking up on supplies before the storm and scrambling with last-minute Christmas shopping.

      Max stopped and glanced at a few window displays, all of which were targeted for the holiday, of course. Santa’s village in the stationery store. Elves in the children’s boutique. If plans for the mall went through, independent shops along this stretch would probably struggle to survive. None of these stores would be able to compete with national retailers, or their competitive prices.

      Max sighed, releasing a long ribbon of steam, and paused in front of a store window, noticing that even the bookstore boasted jolly, fuzzy snowmen in its display case.

      There was no escaping it. Maple Woods was a town consumed with Christmas.

      At least in New York, he could hunker down at the office or his apartment and forget about the festive activities going on around him.

      Max felt his mouth slide into a smile in spite of himself. He’d dated many women in New York over the years, but he’d never encountered a girl like Holly before,