Jingle Bell Romance. Mia Ross

matter-of-factly. “You’re s-o-o serious about everything, I don’t know how you stand it.”

      He couldn’t, Nick nearly blurted but managed to stop himself. After their earlier tiff about Ian, he didn’t want to bring up the past again. Lainie was three years younger than him but had grown up considerably since becoming a mom. At her prodding, Nick had endured some long, painful talks this week, and they’d begun rebuilding the once-close relationship he’d destroyed when he all but disappeared from her life. He figured the best way to keep that going was to leave the past buried and move on.

      Lainie picked up a needle and started threading it through fresh popcorn. It smelled too good to resist, and Nick snuck a few pieces when she wasn’t looking. Her nonstop chattering about people around town alerted Nick that something was on her mind, and he grinned. Some things never changed. “What is it, Lain?”

      Keeping her eyes on what she was doing, she said, “We’ll be going to a special service tonight. You’re welcome to come with us if you want.”

      Nick hadn’t voluntarily attended church since he was eight. With the exception of Lainie and Todd’s wedding, he hadn’t seen the inside of one in more than ten years. And even if he was suffering from an attack of remorse and mistakenly entered a sanctuary, it certainly wouldn’t be his father’s.

      He gave his sister a chiding look which she didn’t notice because she refused to meet his gaze. To avoid upsetting Hannah, he softly said, “You know me better than that.”

      Her careless shrug did nothing to hide her disappointment. “I thought it was worth a try. People change.”

      “Not me,” he assured her as gently as he could. “I made that decision a long time ago for lots of reasons. It’s the way I’ve chosen to live my life, and I’m good with it.”

      Letting the popcorn strand fall into the bowl, she looked at him with pleading eyes. “I don’t understand why you insist on doing everything the hardest way possible. Todd and I get so much from our faith and that really helps when things get tough. Like when he lost his teaching job here, and Hannah was so sick. It was the worst time to have another baby, and when we found out about Noah, it felt like a disaster. God led us through all that. Todd found an even better position in Oakbridge, and we’ve never been happier.”

      When she finally paused for a breath, Nick couldn’t help smiling up at her. She was so sweet, crediting God for something she and Todd had accomplished through determination and hard work. Taking her hand, he said, “I’m glad to hear that, but it doesn’t work that way for everyone. Some of us are outside the circle, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

      “That’s not true,” she whispered intently, squeezing his hand between both of hers. “I know it’s not. God hasn’t forgotten about you, Nick. You just have to open up and let Him back into your life.”

      She couldn’t be more wrong, but he didn’t want to debate religion with her while her husband and daughter were arranging figurines of Jesus and the wise men in the manger on a nearby table.

      So, out of respect for his sister and her happy family, Nick swallowed his pride and kept his mouth shut.

      * * *

      Early Monday morning, Nick found himself back at Toyland, drinking the best coffee he’d had in days while Julia laid out the unexpected offer she’d hinted at on the phone last night. He couldn’t believe his ears.

      “An exclusive?” he echoed, getting a nod in reply. Sitting by the lobby fireplace in a burgundy velvet wing chair, he was surrounded by more Christmas trappings than he’d ever seen in his life. It was enough to make him wonder if he was losing his grip on reality. “I thought you wanted to keep your new life here a secret.”

      “Oh, that couldn’t last.” Flicking her hand in a queenly gesture, she set off a string of silver jingle bells divided by what he assumed were tiny sapphires. Lots of them. “Some reporter or another will track me down eventually. This way, I control the situation.”

      “And the message,” he added, to show he understood. “In case you haven’t figured it out already, I’m not used to taking orders. What makes you think I’ll play along?”

      Leaning forward, she pinned him with a knowing look. “Yesterday, you told me you miss getting the scoop and writing your own stories. I’m giving you one, right here, right now. Take it or leave it.”

      Ordinarily he wasn’t a fan of ultimatums, but he was tempted beyond belief. Nick didn’t doubt for a second that if he didn’t grab this opportunity, another journalist would. Julia’s story had flash and grit, two things people loved to read about. The businessman in him immediately went into promotional gear, considering the impact something like this might have. New Kaleidoscope readers could sample this rich-and-famous storyline, then purchase a limited subscription to read the ending. If things worked out, they’d like what they saw and buy a full subscription. Since he’d be doing the work, there’d be no freelance writer to pay so everything that came in would be pure profit. Unlike most business arrangements he made, there was no downside for him.

      Of course, agreeing to her terms meant he’d be stuck in Holiday Harbor longer than he’d planned. But because everything was handled online, he could run the magazine from anywhere. It was something he’d never taken advantage of before, aside from using his condo’s spare room as an office. But for a story like this, it might make sense to change things up, even if it meant staying in the last place he wanted to be. In the overall scheme of things, the impact such a high-profile article would have on his business was worth a little discomfort. Beyond that, he’d be writing again. Researching Julia would be interesting enough. Getting to know the reclusive ambassador’s daughter through personal interviews would be downright fascinating. “One thing.”

      “Yes?”

      “You’ve had an amazing life, along with your parents. I don’t think one article will do it justice.”

      For a split second, he thought he saw a smile quivering at the corner of her mouth. Then it was gone, and she asked, “What do you have in mind?”

      “A serialized biography, book-length, but posted online in pieces.” Inspiration struck, and he added, “We’ll call the new section ‘Person of Interest.’ Readers will get hooked and come back every week for the latest segment on the extraordinary Julia Stanton.”

      “So this will help your business?”

      “Definitely. Yours, too. Once folks know you’re here, your online orders should go through the roof.”

      “I hadn’t thought of that. It would be nice to do my books with black ink instead of red.”

      The way she said it convinced him she was being totally honest with him—she really hadn’t considered the financial benefit that would come from the articles. Nick couldn’t imagine why else she’d propose an invasion of her self-imposed exile, but maybe by the time they were done, it would make sense to him.

      For now, he scoffed, “Like that’s a problem for you.”

      That got him a steely glare. “Rule number one—assume nothing. Things in my life aren’t always what they seem to be.”

      Picking up on her somber tone, he nodded. “Got it. Does that mean I’m in?”

      When she offered him a slender hand to seal their deal, it occurred to him this was the first time he’d allowed a woman to call the shots with him. Why Julia was so different, he couldn’t say, but it added another angle to their—friendship? No, that wasn’t right. He’d just met her, and they’d spent most of their time dancing around the ring, trying to get a read on each other.

      He couldn’t say where all that posturing might lead, but he sure was looking forward to finding out.