The Holiday Switch(36)

“Couldn’t this have been scheduled at another time?” the shortest of the group, a fair-skinned blond woman, whines. “I still have family here for New Year’s Eve.”

The rest chime in with their opinions. One complains that she didn’t have enough time to make plans; another says that she refuses to get out of her pj’s until January second.

I can only stand there with a gritted smile. Because customers are always right, fangirls cannot be interrupted, and there’s no one else in the gift shop for me to tend to.

At the window, Teddy’s grinning, probably rolling in laughter in his head at my attempt to appease this tour group. He reaches up to hook the lights onto the Command strip I painstakingly hung last year. He’d taken off his green sweater, and is now in the Inn polo.

    And his arms…they’re on full display, and much closer than they were when he was climbing.

I mean, of course he’s got arms, but apparently, what was hidden in his sweater were corded forearms and biceps and triceps. And hello, deltoids, and abs that peek out when he reaches up high. Even Carm wouldn’t have failed this test.

Thank goodness for AP Bio.

“Do we need tickets?” The leader of the group waves the flyer. “Miss?”

“Um, what?” I say, tearing my eyes away.

“Tickets.”

“Oh, yes. But we don’t take payments here.” I point to the flyer. “You’ll have to go on the website or call this number.”

“Have you read the book?” another person in the group asks. “I’m the only one who hasn’t read the book or seen the movie. I’m just here for moral support.” A sheepish smile appears on her face.

“Yes, I have. Though it’s been years since I read the book. I actually saw the movie first.” I cut short on telling the truth, that the book was just all right in comparison to the movie—which almost never happens, but this one’s a rare exception. “In fact, we have copies around the corner. And the DVD and the CD soundtrack are over there.”

That seems to satisfy the group—half of them scuttle back to pick up DVDs and CDs. Soon, their voices trail along with their footsteps as they leave the gift shop.

Which leaves me back to the quiet.

Then I hear a curse.

    “Everything all right?” I no longer see Teddy. Glancing out the window, I see snowflakes flutter down like feathers after a pillow fight.

“I’m here, near the coffee cups.”

Teddy is on his knees. He lifts a tangled mess of wires. “The second set of lights are being a pain. Can’t seem to find where it goes haywire.”

“Here, why don’t I take one end and you take the other?” Dropping down on my knees, I plunge my fingers into the box and find the socket, then spread the lights between us.

We work on the strand of lights, him from his end and me from mine. It’s silent except for our occasional grunts of frustration, admittedly more from me than from him. In fact, he’s a little speed demon, his fingers working methodically through the strands.

My mind slides back to the training checklist. “Oh, I forgot to ask. Have you read the book?”

“Which one?”

“Holiday by the Lake.”

“Uh, no.” He unravels another large knot.

“You’ve watched the movie, though?”

“Nope.” He scoots on his knees closer to me so we’re now a foot away.

I give him a horrified look. “It’s part of the checklist! You need to know what this inn is about. Customers love to discuss the film.”

“I know what the film’s about, and what this business is about. It’s a tourist trap, no disrespect to Tita Lou—but it’s capitalizing on Hollywood and fame.”

“I mean, that’s true, but the way you say it sounds so harsh.” I bite the side of my cheek.

    “Why?”

“Because…besides this business being your aunt’s, it’s also the same business that hired me and that employs a good amount of the town. The people who come to visit the Inn also end up eating at Scrooge’s, grabbing dessert at Blitzen’s. They skate at the ice rink.”

“I didn’t think about it that way,” he says, now only a knot away. His fingers stop, and he looks up at me. We’re so close that when he speaks, it’s a breath above a whisper. “Look, there’s more to how I feel about this place. Tita Lou and my mom don’t get along, and it’s because of the Inn.”

“I can’t imagine anyone not getting along with Ms. Velasco.”

He takes a breath. “When my Lola died, Tita chose to stay here even when she could have moved to California with my family. I respect her as a businesswoman and what she’s done for this town, but from our point of view, she gave us up to be here. I’m here to work and climb for my competition, but that’s all. My mom’s not happy that I didn’t come home, and I’m…I’m just trying to keep the peace.”

“This explains—” I start.

“Explains what?”

“Your attitude. Of you acting like you both love and hate this place.” Something my dad said earlier this week claws through. “But sometimes you need to make your own decisions. After all, you made the decision to stay here for Christmas. You all but threw yourself at your aunt. You could simply decide to want to be here. Look around. You’re in the best place for Christmas.”