The Billionaire Scrooge Next Door

by Olivia Hayle

“You’re playing with fire,” he says through clenched teeth. I grip him tighter. “Burn me.”

“Christmas is a promise, you know? A promise that you’ll have time to meet your friends again, to spend time with your family in a place where your flaws don’t matter. All the decorations and gifts are window-dressing. They help enhance that promise, but they don’t make it. Does that make sense? Gingerbread is tasty, but it’s not Christmas. I love Christmas trees and eggnog and turkey, but that’s not the spirit of Christmas either. It’s tradition and comfort and relaxation.”

They say you can’t make homes out of human beings, but God help me, she’s mine.