been in Boulder. I wanted to know exactly what she did at the store. The young woman that had been on the other side of the leaning tower of candy acted like Harper was her boss.
I pulled up the search engine on my phone and typed in the name of the store. I found the about pages and pulled up the information for the staff. I wasn’t expecting to actually see her name. There was no way they would give every one of their employees a bio page.
When I saw her picture, I immediately clicked on it. I read through her bio. She was the head of merchandising. That explained her involvement in the tree. I looked at her picture, zooming up on the image. Those haunting green eyes stared back at me.
“Head of merchandising,” I whispered.
A slow smile spread over my face. An idea came to mind. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. I didn’t come back to Boulder with the intention of rekindling an old flame, but if the opportunity presented itself, I’d be a fool not to jump at the chance.
Chapter 5
Harper
My legs trembled as I made my way to the employee hallway. My entire body was shaking. I was trying to wrap my head around the idea I had just fallen into Chase’s arms. Never in a million years would I have expected him to save me from cracking my head open. I truly believed I would never see him again.
Part of me was still wondering if it was really him. It seemed too farfetched that he would choose that exact moment to walk back into my life. It was just like him to show up when I was at my worst. I couldn’t run into him at a bar when my hair and makeup were perfect and I was wearing something cute. Oh no, I ran into him when I’d been up for days running myself ragged all while falling off a stupid stepladder.
“How embarrassing,” I groaned as I stepped into the elevator.
I went directly to my office and walked into my private bathroom to survey the damage. I had not stopped to look at myself in a mirror for hours. I wanted to see what he saw. I cringed when I saw the dark circles under my eyes. Most of my makeup had worn off. I was definitely not at my best. It figured that would be the moment he showed up.
My first and only love, Chase Adams, was back. I was seriously considering moving. I didn’t think the state of Colorado would be big enough for the two of us. I washed my hands, smoothed down my hair, and stepped out of the bathroom to find Bob standing in my office.
“Bob,” I said, startled to see him.
“Are you going to find a Santa? I just talked to a few of the other business owners, and they can’t find a Santa. That means we absolutely have to have the big red guy. We’ll be the only place in town with a Santa. It will drive up sales!”
I stared at him for a few seconds, trying to remember how long it had been since our last conversation. It was maybe an hour. He was the owner. I needed to remember that. “Actually, my team and I did some brainstorming and we have a new plan, one that does not require Santa. It will be unique and fresh, and I think it will appeal to the masses.”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “We have to have Santa. Just go find one or two of those scabs. We can do limited hours. That will really drive up demand.”
“I’m not going to hire a scab.”
“Do your job and remember who you work for,” he shot back.
“I am doing my job. I’m not the one who won’t pay the guys a decent wage. I’ve created a new marketing plan that will get us through this holiday season.”
His eyes flashed, and I realized I might have pushed him too far. “Hire a Santa. This isn’t me asking. This is me ordering you to do your job.”
I was exhausted, and my patience was fried. Men were not at the top of my favorite-humans list. “You know, Bob, if you think it is so easy to hire a Santa, feel free to do it yourself. You’ll be the one liable for any misconduct.”