The Christmas Grinch - Rebel Hart Page 0,6

in retirement.”

I couldn’t tell if he saw it as a good or bad thing as he shook his head and walked off. Maybe it was bitter sweet. Either way, he left me alone to dread the upcoming interview. That kind of thing used to be essential to our job, and I used to love watching my granddad or dad give interviews. I loved the way their eyes lit up as they talked about the stores.

But all of that meant nothing if we couldn’t stay open, which was now entirely up to me to make happen. It was hard to want to cater to a public that seemed to be betraying us with how they were choosing to spend their money now. There was no loyalty, no sense of devotion to the family owned business that had been serving them for generations. Now it was all about finding the cheapest thing with the click of a mouse from the comfort of their homes.

If I was going to save our family’s business, I’d have to put my resentments aside and start making the hard choices. If they wanted a better website and cheaper merchandise, I’d have to focus on giving that to them. Which only made the stupid interview with the blog seem like an even bigger, pointless waste of my time.

3

Hazel

It was surreal to walk up to the boarded windows of Palmers, knowing that I had special access to step behind that barrier and see the secret world behind it. I stopped to relish in the moment. To think of all the years when I would stand in that very spot as a little girl, wondering what kind of magic was being pieced together on the other side.

I sucked in a deep breath and reached my red gloved hand out for the handle...only to find it was locked. Oh, okay. No big deal. I just need to call…

I pulled out my cell phone and started scrolling aimlessly through my contacts, suddenly remembering I never got a number for anyone to contact when I arrived. Shoot.

My worries were momentarily wiped away when the big doors swung open and a slew of burly workers came flooding out.

“Um...excuse me...Excuse me! Sir!” I called out to each one, but they were in too much of a rushed huff to hear me.

Finally, the last guy out of the building stopped long enough to lock the door behind him. I managed to corner him, sparking a slightly alarmed look on his face.

“Excuse me. Sir. My name is Hazel Malone, and I’m here to meet with Jack Palmer for an interview. I’m with NonPareil. He should be expecting me.”

“I don’t know nothin’ about that, lady. But I can tell you Jack ain’t here.”

“Oh,” I frowned. “But...what do you mean he’s not here? I can call my assistant, but I’m certain I was told…”

The door swung open again, this time nearly knocking both me and the sequestered worker over. A thin older woman in thick framed black glasses came buzzing out, nearly breezing right past us.

“Eileen! Will you deal with this?” the worker barked, pointing his thumb at me.

“Who are you?” she asked, eyeing me up and down with a disapproving glare.

“Hazel Malone, from NonPareil,” I tried again. “I’m here to meet with Jack Palmer.”

“Jack’s not here,” she shot back.

“I know. That’s what I’ve been told,” I sighed. “The thing is...I was supposed to interview him. Do you know when he might be back? Did my assistant not confirm…”

“Follow me,” she huffed, cutting me off as she quickly waved me through the doors.

The moment I walked in behind her, I was sucked into the display tucked away on the other side. I couldn’t help but stop and spin in circles at the sight of the elaborate window dressings, but also the slew of giant stuffed animals and sculptures that had been suspended from the massive vaulted ceiling that spiraled all the way up to the top of the building.

“Wow,” I murmured breathlessly.

I came to my senses just long enough to realize the snippy woman with big glasses had taken off towards a side staircase. My heels clacked and echoed through the whole building as I went running after her. She met me with stone cold silence as we went up a small flight of stairs, through several locked “Employees Only” doors, then finally to an elevator that went shooting straight up and up.

My head was spinning even more by the time she showed me into the old fashioned looking