Read Chapter 1 of Santa’s Favorite Elf
Chapter 1
Reed
It had been a long day, and while I wasn���t used to working a full shift anymore, I had decided my Charleston location needed a little tender loving care if I wanted it to stay above water. Myrtle Court Mall was one of the oldest in the city, and while it had been recently updated when I procured it five years earlier from my father���s estate, it wasn���t doing as well as some of the other malls I owned across the country.
���We���ve had another store announce it will be dropping its lease after the first of the year,��� said Bree Moore, a stunning redhead with the face of a fox, the body of a number two pencil, and all the personality of an empty, cardboard box.
She was my secretary, and while not the worst thing to look at, her eagerness to please me had me cringing every time she walked into my office, and I���d only been in my office for two days.
���I���ve spoken with their managers, and there just isn���t enough traffic coming in.���
���Well, I still think it���s up to the stores to do what they can to assure their customers want to come back.���
���I think it���s time you and I go for a walk around this place and see what we can do.��� I got up from my desk, and when I walked around, she already had the door open for me and was waiting for me to go ahead of her. ���After you,��� I said, stopping to let her through. I closed my office, and we walked past hers, through the little lobby that connected them, and made our way out into the indoor promenade that joined the stores. There were a few Christmas decorations, but it was much less than what was done for previous years, and there seemed to be something missing in the central area. With the mall closed, being an hour before opening, the place looked stark and empty. But it wasn���t just the lack of people.
It dawned on me what it was. ���Where is Santa���s workshop?���
She waved her hand, dismissively. ���Oh, I didn���t think the extra expense was necessary this year.���
���We already have last year���s props, don���t we?��� It had been something the mall had always done, and I didn���t see how continuing the tradition could cost so much when most of the things we used to pull it off were stored year to year.
���Yes, but hardly the money to pay employees to work it. I just thought it would offset some of the money we���re not getting from the leases that have said they���ll be dropping.���
���But people come in expecting to see Santa. It���s a tradition, and one I���m not willing to throw out to save a few bucks. It���s what we need to make sure people come in. And not only that, but what kind of a message do you think it sends the other companies if they see us not even trying? They want to see that we���re doing all we can to bring in their customers.���
���With all due respect, I think it���s a mistake. When you told me to fill in the position for our event coordinator, you specifically asked me to take out attractions that were not necessary, and not doing Santa���s workshop has already saved us a fortune by not having to hire a company to come in and build it. If this place shuts down, then there will be no mall for them to lease.���
���We had a standing contract for the workshop construction, and when I asked you to fill in, I didn���t mean to sabotage Christmas spirit like some kind of Scrooge.��� It was all I could do to keep my voice level. ���And the next time you want to make a decision like this, I suggest you get on the phone and call me.���
���Yes, sir.��� She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. ���So, what do you want me to do? Christmas is less than a month away. We���re already two weeks late.���
���I want you to get on the phone and make Santa���s workshop happen. Also, I���d like for you to get on the phone and have maintenance dig out the previous years��� decorations and put them up. I want it to look like Christmas around here, for fuck���s sake, and don���t tell me it���s going to cost money.���
She gave a nod. ���Yes, sir. I���m so sorry, Reed. I didn���t mean to mess things up.��� I could tell she was really sorry, but standing around feeling sorry about things wasn���t going to make them happen.
���Well, just get to it.��� I turned around to walk back to the office, and she followed, hot on my heels with her phone in her hand to take notes.
When we reached the office lobby, she cleared her throat. ���So, where do I start? I���ve never coordinated Santa���s workshop before. I���ve only had last year���s expense report to go off of.���
I turned around to see the helpless look in her eyes. ���There should be something in the notes and files the last coordinator left, and if not, I���m sure you can figure it out.���
She nodded. ���I won���t let you down. I���ll hire Santa and an elf to do the photography. I���ll have maintenance on the work in the morning.���
���You���ll have them on it today. I want Santa up and operating by the end of the week.���
���But that���s only three days? I have too much to do and no time.���
���Then, you should get right on it.��� I didn���t want her excuses. She���d asked for the coordinator���s job, and she received a healthy bump in pay to perform both jobs. ���If this is too much, then perhaps I should consider hiring someone else for the job.���
���No, it���s perfect. Thanks. I���m sorry to have upset you, Reed. It���s just, I thought I was doing a good thing.���
���It���s okay. I���m sure you���ll pull it off.��� I turned to go into my office, and she followed me to the door.
���I also wanted to talk to you about this weekend. I have an extra ticket to the Christmas production that the Theater Arts league is putting on, and then there is the holiday exhibit at the local art museum. I really think you���d like it, and since you���re new in town, I was wondering if you���d want to go with me?��� She gave me a big smile and then looked me up and down as if the play and exhibit weren���t the only things she wanted me to check out.
It was obvious she had a crush on me, and it wasn���t the first time she���d asked me to go somewhere with her. ���I���m sorry, Bree, it���s just that I don���t mix business with pleasure. I���m sure you understand that our situation here makes it unprofessional to see each other outside of work.���
Her face fell. ���Oh, I understand. Of course.��� She turned around and went to her office, and I almost felt bad for turning her down. Especially with such a lame excuse.
The truth was, I didn���t mind mixing business with pleasure at all, and while it wasn���t the healthiest practice, I���d done it before. It was just that Bree wasn���t my type, and frankly, if it weren���t for that, on looks alone, I���d have bent her over her desk and fucked her silly a long time ago.
As it were, the only thing I needed her to do was to hire a Santa and make the mall look like it was Christmas. Then maybe I could save this sinking ship.
