wasn’t ready for this thing to be over. She could say it was nothing but that was a load of shit. I had felt the way she responded to me. That wasn’t nothing and it was sure as hell a lot more than just sex.
I dropped the letter, ready to rush out and find her. She couldn’t have gotten far, assuming she didn’t leave last night. Truthfully, I didn’t remember when I saw her last. I moved to the door only to have my exit blocked by Jake.
I moved left to go around him, but he didn’t budge. “What’s the rush?” he asked.
“I need to find Harper.”
“Why?”
I glared at him. “Do you know where she is?”
He laughed, nodding. “I do. It’s why I came to talk to you.”
“Oh no,” I groaned. She was gone.
“I thought maybe you put her up to it.”
“I did no such thing! I don’t blame her for what happened.”
“You might not blame her, but she’s blaming them. From what I hear, it’s a hell of a show.”
I was confused. “Wait, what are you talking about?”
“Harper is giving them hell.”
“Who?”
“The Santas. Parker texted me to tell me I had to get my ass to the ballroom. She said it is a thing of beauty. I figured you would want to see it as well.”
I shook my head. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Then I guess we should get our asses over there and see for ourselves.”
He finally moved out of the way. I followed him back to the main building and down the hall that led to the ballroom that was being reserved for scheduled events. We slipped in the side door, standing just behind her.
I was assuming it was her. I didn’t recognize her in the getup she was wearing. I took a few steps to the side to get a better view of her.
“This is not cute,” I heard her say, holding up a tablet and showing the crowd of men who all looked just a little terrified.
“What is it?” Jake asked.
“It looks like a picture,” I whispered.
“You are here to work! You are not here to take selfies by the pool. No one is going to believe you are here on vacation, so stop trying to fool Instagram. And this one! Seriously? You’re Santa. You are paid to take pictures with kids. A picture of the three of you getting sloshed at the bar is not okay!”
I flinched when her voice raised.
“Damn,” Jake hissed.
We watched as she walked down the row of chairs dividing the Santas. She stopped and pointed at a man’s beard. “Unacceptable. Trims daily. No exception.”
She moved down the row, her eyes scanning them. “Sloppy uniforms, disgusting habits, and rudeness will not be tolerated. This is a job. You are here to make the dreams of kids come true. You are not here to drink. You are not here to soak in the hot tub. You are not here to bitch and moan about the job.”
“I’m a little afraid for them,” Jake whispered.
I shushed him. I wanted to hear what she had to say. “Mixed-up room-service orders are unacceptable. It doesn’t take a genius to look at the number on a door and match it to the ticket. If you are confused, double-check. If you are still confused, ask someone that knows! I will not tolerate you guys delivering wrong orders.”
She walked back to the front of the room, not even looking our way. “Let me make myself very, very clear. This is a job. If I fire you—and some of you are in danger of being axed—you don’t get to crawl back to your union and beg for another cushy job. You’re done. Finished. Understand?”
“You can’t do that,” someone mumbled.
Her head whipped around so fast she looked like something out of a horror flick. “I can do that and you bet your ass I will do that. I will make sure you never work as a Santa in this state again. If you don’t believe me, try me. Who wants to volunteer?”
I almost laughed when no hands went up. I never knew she could be so forceful. I was a little afraid of her, and I wasn’t the one she was mad at.
This time.
It would make me think twice before I pissed her off again in the future.
“You are ruining a dream of one very special little boy,” she said, lowering her voice. The tactic worked. The men were all leaning forward in order to hear her.