Endless Love (Santa’s Secret Helpers #5) - Leeanna Morgan Page 0,19
Steven muttered.
John glanced at Caleb. It looked as though he was ready for a cup of coffee, too. “You might as well try one on,” he said to Steven. “You never know, it might be more comfortable than the other jackets.”
Malcolm handed Steven a dark gray jacket. “Leave on the trousers you’re wearing. If you like the jacket, we can color match everything else.”
After giving the jacket the windmill test, Steven seemed impressed. “It fits a lot better than the other one. I don’t even mind how it dips down at the back. But I’m not sure about the waistcoat and cravat. I wanted to wear something less formal.”
“Think of it as dressing to impress your fiancée,” Caleb suggested. “If Shelley likes Mr. Darcy, there’s a high chance Bailey does, too.”
John took off the hat he was wearing and placed it on Steven’s head. “And you look okay in a top hat, too. If I was Bailey, I’d fall in love with you all over again.”
“You’re only saying that because you want us to wear the same thing.”
“If you don’t want to wear this style of suit, it doesn’t matter. You have to be happy.”
Steven looked in the full-length mirror and frowned. “Okay. We’ll wear these suits. But I’m taking off the jacket and cravat as soon as the official photos have been taken.”
Caleb gave a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness for that. I thought we’d be here for the rest of the day.”
John checked his watch and quickly unbuttoned his jacket. “I need to put more money in the parking meter.”
“No, you don’t,” Malcolm said. “One of my staff has already done it for you. I thought you’d be here for longer than you thought.”
Steven handed Malcolm the top hat. “It looks as though I owe everyone a coffee.”
“After we’ve found the right hat for you,” Malcolm replied. “You need the next size down.”
Caleb crossed his arms in front of his chest. “And this time it’s a simple yes or no when you try it on.”
Steven grinned. “What if there’s more than one style and color?”
“Then you have thirty seconds to make up your mind.”
After spending two hours getting this far, John didn’t think that would happen.
Shelley sat in her truck on John’s driveway and took a deep breath. The last few days had been unbelievably busy. If it weren’t for Andrea helping to organize her appointments and research some of the topics they could cover in the budgeting workshops, she didn’t know how she would have made it through each day.
Andrea was thrilled when Shelley offered her the job as her assistant. With Andrea’s work experience and willingness to help, it was a match made in heaven. Hopefully, over the next twelve months, Shelley would be able to make the position full-time. But, at the moment, the best she could do was fifteen hours per week. Regardless of the number of hours, Andrea was happy to work with her. Especially when she was based at The Welcome Center.
A light tap on the window made Shelley jump.
John stood on the driveway with an amused gleam in his eyes. “Are you coming inside?”
She nodded and picked up her bag. Between John’s crazy schedule and everything she was doing, this was the first night they’d managed to have dinner together in four days. “I thought you’d be inside beside the fire.”
“I was, but one of my neighbors blew a fuse in their power box.”
“Were you able to fix it?”
John kissed her. “Of course. Now everyone will be able to enjoy a hot dinner. Did Kylie need your help with the flower fundraiser?”
Shelley held his arm as they walked toward the front door. “Only a little. We scheduled another set of Facebook posts and spoke to a reporter from a local newspaper. So far, everything’s going like clockwork. It won’t get busy until Saturday. That’s when Kylie picks up the first batch of flowers.”
“Will she need a hand to gift-wrap them?”
“She thinks she’ll be okay. Jackie and Paris, her part-time assistants, are helping her. I’ve cleared most of my schedule on Monday just in case Blooming Lovely is busier than we think it will be.”
“That’s a good idea.” John opened the front door and sent her a warm smile. “I hope you’re hungry. I put a chicken casserole in the slow cooker at lunchtime.”
Shelley sniffed the delicious scent of garlic and mixed herbs. “It smells wonderful. And yes, I’m starving. I only had time for a quick ten-minute break today.”
John hung her