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  So why hadn’t he walked away?

  How could he? She’d dazzled him with her Cheshire cat smile, and then she’d opened those midnight-blue eyes, held out her arms and bedazzled him completely. At that moment, he’d have given up HollyGrams to have her, which was very bad.

  After he tasted her completely, he’d taken her with a caveman intensity, some primeval urge spurring him to possess her and make her his. He hadn’t lasted long. What man could while holding the sexiest woman alive? Thankfully, he’d redeemed himself the next time, his sex coming back to life after a series of kisses and the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingers. He’d pulled her astride him on the chair and made love to her, slow at first. A beautiful ride that cemented his fate. Then—fireworks.

  Hell.

  So what happened now? He opened his mouth and closed it again. Not knowing what to say, he pulled her head into his shoulder and just held on. Surprisingly, she didn’t push him away.

  A phone rang. Whose?

  Katarina jerked her back erect, staring at the office machine that wouldn’t stop buzzing. “Crap!”

  Momentarily distracted by a bouncing boob, Hunter didn’t understand at first. Then he saw the caller ID and swore at the phone. “Damn.”

  She tried to extract her legs, but they were tangled in the arms of the chair. “Help me. It’s Tripp. I was supposed to meet him an hour ago.”

  Hell. Talk about your mood killers.

  “I can’t believe…” Katarina stopped talking. She fairly stood on the edge of the chair to extract her limb, giving him a glory shot in the process. While she fumed, his mouth watered.

  “Katty…”

  She held up her hand. “Do not talk to me. I know it was just sex. Let’s call this my screwup and never speak of it again.”

  Well, hell. That was harsh. “If that’s what you want.”

  “It is.”

  The words hurt, even as his head knew it was for the best. “Katty, come on. Don’t let this spoil our friendship.”

  “Didn’t you get the never speak of it again part? And since when are we friends? I just lost my head.”

  He supposed not-speaking-of-it was a good idea, but he didn’t like it. Not one bit. Maybe she’d lost her head.

  But he’d lost his heart.

  He watched, dumbfounded, as she hopped to get in her pants. She slipped. A crashing noise echoed.

  “Son of…” She stopped struggling and sat on the floor.

  Then the worst possible thing happened. She burst into tears. The world couldn’t be right if Katarina cried. Without a second thought, he rushed to her.

  She pushed her hand up, holding him back. “Don’t.” She pointed to the box on the floor. Two of the spheres on a HollyGrams strand were crushed.

  He did a quick assessment. “Quit being a drama queen. It’s not that bad.”

  She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide, her expression radiating with heartache and anger. “It’s ruined. I can’t do the tree with only three strands. Go home and leave me alone.”

  ****

  The alarm system time flashed 12:01 as Hunter pressed the buttons to lock up the florist. He’d finally gotten the blasted HollyGrams working again. It hadn’t been easy to convince Katarina he could fix the damn thing and he’d totally underestimated the work involved.

  Hell, all he had to do was remove the two spheres and cap off the tiny wires. Yeah, right. Easier said…

  She’d finally huffed and said “Fine.” Then she’d left him. Probably to meet Tripp. For the first time, he really didn’t like the actor.

  At least he’d fixed the HollyGram, which meant he’d fixed something. Everything else seemed like a day-before-Christmas traffic jam.

  Free of his obligations and out of the shop, he stopped to stare at the moon. The snow fell softly. There was something magical about Merryvale at night, even without the flakes adding to the mystic. And even with after the disastrous ending of his naughty time with Katarina.

  Merryvale’s red- and green-shuttered stores and white lights covering every tree made the town looked like a nostalgic Christmas card. Only better.

  Hunter felt lonely. He supposed he’d always felt that way, only the ache seemed more obvious now. When had Merryvale grown on him? He might not like the place enough to move. He was a New Yorker at heart and would always be. Still, if the town came with a snide, pain-in-the-carcass…

  No, he had to stop thinking that way. So what if the tall Botticelli-ish creature had gotten under his skin? She’d practically run back to Tripp.

  If only he hadn’t seen that strapless dress hanging behind the door of her office. Now he couldn’t stop picturing her wearing the thing. And dancing with Tripp.

  So why had she made love to him?

  The story of Katarina and him had ended with an “if.” As an engineer, he had to close the loop. He held on to a tiny hope—Katarina wouldn’t have sex with him if she didn’t care at all. He also recognized the odds of her choosing him over Tripp were in the single digits. No matter that he and she were better suited.

  Making peace with Katarina might be his only recourse. For now. He’d apologize, do whatever it took to ensure she stayed with HollyGrams. Suzette had been correct when she said Katarina was amazing. Their social media pages were already getting orders and the product hadn’t been officially launched.

  More important, if she stayed with the company, they’d stay in touch. Anything could happen. She and Tripp might not last. Scrooge knew the man couldn’t keep up with Katarina.

  He instantly regretted his naughty thoughts. Katarina wanted Tripp. As much as he didn’t like that, he wanted her to be happy. He’d tell her that, too, when he apologized; for once, he’d open up like a Christmas present, let her know exactly how he felt.

  He looked up, surprised he’d reached the plastic soldiers at the Merryvale town line. He needed to clear his head, but he hadn’t meant to walk so far—a mistake on many levels. The memory of his snowball fight with Katarina assaulted him like the ghost of Christmas Past. Hell, but that had been fun.

  If only he could erase the image of Tripp looking at her cleavage in that strapless number.

  In the midnight clear, he had a revelation.

  He loved the minx. Damn. He’d been a fool. Too bad this was one equation he couldn’t fix.

  No engineer on earth could make one-plus-one-plus-one-more equal two. Not a two that included him, anyway.

  Chapter Sixteen

  O’ Disqualified Christmas Tree

  “Disqualified?” Katarina sat down, taking slow, deliberate breaths. Wouldn’t do to pass out at the Christmas Tree Contest two years in a row.

  She’d been so sure of a win—more sure than any of the ten times she’d actually won. And great Marley’s ghost, she’d have to shell out five hundred dollars to Kaley, money she couldn’t afford.

  She couldn’t help believing the judges’ ruling was some type of karma, a payback of sorts for cheating on Tripp. Maybe for being with Tripp in the first place. As horrible as her night had ended, she’d learned one true thing. She and Tripp were not meant to be.

  Still, what had she been thinking, doing the dirty with Hunter? Clearly, no thinking had been involved. She certainly couldn’t think about how good the sex had been. Hunter obviously had lots of practice, probably with lots of women. Her oh-holy-night experience had been just another romp in the snow for him.

  “I’m so sorry,” Suzette said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

  Katarina blinked, trying to wipe Hunter from her mind. If only her problem with him could be fixed with a hug.

  Besides, she’d let Suzette down. She should be hugging her. She’d let Hunter down, too. Being a finalist in the competition would have given his fabulous creation exposure, would have been the perfect launch for the product. Now, most people wouldn’t see his infamous red balls, a.k.a., ornaments of wonder. Hunter taking advantage of her didn’t change that. Well, maybe she’d taken advantage of him, too, but
still… She’d find another way to get HollyGrams noticed. If nothing else, she needed the money.

  “This is my fault, Katarina,” Suzette said, finally removing her arm to rub her hands together. “I’m the one who wanted you to use the HollyGrams. I didn’t know—”

  “I did know.” Katarina sucked in another breath. “I just forgot. This is my fault. I know every rule of this freakin’ contest. I should, I’ve been wasting my time playing with Christmas trees long enough.” Why hadn’t she remembered the no-motion rule?

  “Hold on a second.” She whirled to stare at Suzette. “Why did they disqualify us? Exactly.”

  Suzette reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper. “Rule Forty-Two. Use of motion.”

  “Uh-uh, no way. Rule Forty-Two says no moving parts. We don’t have any movement of parts.”

  Suzette blinked. “So we can appeal?”

  “Darn right we can appeal. Let’s go.” She grabbed Suzette by the arm and headed directly for the judges’ office.

  Brittany Halston sat by the door. Katarina thought things might finally be going her way. Brittany was not only a friend, but she’d been on Katarina’s tree decorating team last year.

  Or maybe things weren’t going her way after all. After her incident, she really hadn’t tried to keep in touch with the woman she called “friend.”

  “Katarina? Hi,” Brittany said, her voice sounding friendly. “How are you feeling?”

  Katarina’s first instinct was to shush her friend, insist no one could know about her “little incident.” But that was the old Kat. Her new-and-improved self could deal with people knowing she wasn’t perfect. Sure, she’d like to be a little less imperfect and not have had to deal with bulimia, but she didn’t have to pretend anymore.

  “I’m much better, Brittany. Thanks for asking.” Katarina flashed her friend a smile, feeling better than she had in days. “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch more.”

  Brittany laughed. “You mean not at all.”

  Ouch. Katarina supposed she deserved that. “I know. Had a lot to figure out, know what I mean? I’ll do better—I promise. Only right now, I need to appeal my disqualification.”

  Brittany’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God. That was your tree?”

  “I was the only one disqualified?”

  Brittany nodded. “I couldn’t believe it. That tree was the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. But Kat, didn’t you know about the motion?”

  Katarina tried to smile, only her mouth had gone dry. “The rules states moving parts aren’t allowed—or electrically moving parts. That rule was created when we were kids and that man put a toy train on his tree. Remember?”

  Brittany nodded.

  “The rules say nothing about visual displays. None of my parts moved.”

  Her friend tapped her pen against the table. “Good point. Only I don’t know how you file an appeal. We’ve never had one before.”

  Katarina snorted. “To my knowledge, we’ve never had a disqualification before, either.”

  Brittany smiled. “Hold on and I’ll go ask.”

  Suzette whispered, “Seriously? There’s never been a disqualification?”

  Katarina shook her head. “Not to my knowledge, and the good news—if I remember the rules correctly—is that only one judge is required to overturn a disqualification.”

  “And Tripp’s a judge,” Suzette said, still whispering.

  She nodded. “Right. He wouldn’t have known which tree was mine while he was judging, but he’ll know who’s filing the appeal.”

  Tripp would help her, which would make things worse when she broke up with him. She hated to disappoint him, but staying with him would be disastrous in the long run.

  “I don’t know,” Suzette said, finally talking in a normal tone. “Tripp’s always been a stickler for the rules.”

  Katarina sucked in a breath. “Good. Because according to the rules, there are no grounds for what they’ve done to us.”

  At least she hoped so. And surely Tripp would rule in her favor.

  Brittany returned. “The judges will reconvene and hear your appeal at three o’clock.”

  “We’ll be here,” Katarina replied.

  Brittany shook her head. “Not you, Kat. Only the sponsor can speak at the appeal.”

  “Oh, no,” Suzette said, shaking her head.

  Oh no, indeed.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Why Can’t Every Day Be Like Christmas—With a Side of Snark

  One look at Suzette’s face and Katarina knew. The judges had denied their appeal. No contest final, and thus, no exposure for HollyGrams. They were screwed with a capital Scrooged.

  “I’m so sorry,” Suzette said, looking like she might cry.

  She really wished Suzette wouldn’t try to comfort her. The old Katarina would have held up a hand and then booked to the nearest exit. If she intended to be the new self she wanted to be, Katarina had to deal with her emotions, think of someone besides herself. Suzette had to be upset, too. Her friend had shelled out five hundred dollars from the florist stocking for the contest entry fee, only to have her money go straight up the chimney. Poof, gone.

  “No problem,” Katrina replied, hoping that was the right thing to say. “We will get them next year.” Suddenly it occurred to her Suzette might not want her to decorate again. She was a two-time loser. “That is, if you still want me to represent Forrester Florals.”

  “Of course I want you. Why would you even say that?” Suzette actually looked hurt.

  Katarina released the breath she’d been holding. Suzette’s response had been far more important than she expected. Maybe too important, even for the new, improved Katarina.

  Suzette rushed at her, wrapping Katarina in a bone-crushing hug before she could react. For the first time, Katarina didn’t resist. She even hugged her friend back.

  And it felt good.

  “I’m the one who’s sorry,” Katarina whispered, swiping at some bothersome tears. “I’ve ruined the launch of HollyGrams.”

  “Nonsense,” Suzette said, swiping at her own tears. “People are already raving about it. Tonight, people will line up to see our tree. You’ll see.”

  Katarina shook her head. “Not enough people. The only people who’ll get to see our tree are the folks here now. During the awards ceremony—when the crowds are here—our tree will be gone.”

  “What do you mean, gone?” Suzette asked, morphing from sad puppy to analytical elf in the blink of an eye.

  “I mean they’ll remove our tree from the exhibit hall. Those are the rules. Disqualified means we take our tree and go home.”

  Suzette shook her head. “Maybe not. Those judges didn’t seem to understand the rules when I was pleading our case. I bet they don’t even know that.”

  Katarina, worked hard to keep her mouth from dropping open. She loved Suzette’s optimism, she just didn’t understand how the woman could be so consistently holly-jolly. That eternal positive thinking had to be debilitating. It exhausted Katarina just witnessing it.

  “Will you be okay?” Suzette asked. “I have to go and get ready for the ceremony.” As winner of last year’s contest, Suzette would announce the winners of this year’s Christmas Tree Contest. She’d also get to be Mistress of Ceremonies for Merryvale’s very first Christmas Ball.

  “I’m fine.” Oddly, she was. Hadn’t she just completed the marketing plan for HollyGrams? The Christmas Tree Contest was only one element of a well-rounded plan for exposure. Besides, once the word reached the streets, HollyGrams would be in demand. Who needed the Christmas Tree Contest?

  So why did she still feel like passing out?

  ****

  Katarina should have been happy. The judges had indeed overlooked the rule about removing the disqualified tree from the exhibit hall. She’d spent half the night accepting praise for her handiwork. The new and improved Katarina had done the right thing and given all the credit to Hunter’s HollyGrams. Which was only right. If o
nly Hunter had come to the dance. Why in the figgie pudding had she told him to get out of Merryvale? She missed him.

  Guilt washed over her, both for her hateful words and her disloyalty to Tripp. She watched the handsome actor on the dance floor, looking downright edible in his tuxedo.

  “Katarina, we need to talk.”

  She blinked at the unexpected words. Kaley?

  Katarina took a breath, no longer uncomfortable about losing to the Brew Mistress, but still intimidated by the shorter woman. “Congratulations on your repeat win, Kaley. I’ll bring your money to the Brew Mistress tomorrow.” There, no one could say she didn’t honor her kinder, softer mantra. Or her debts.

  Kaley shook her head, her normally rosy cheeks a startling color of chalk. “No, I don’t want the money. I mean, I’ve already donated five hundred dollars in both our names to the Merryvale Charities.”

  Say what? Katarina scratched the side of her eyebrow, wondering if she’d landed in some type of It’s a Wonderful Life experience. In what world did Kaley not want to take her money?

  “No,” she said. “A bet’s a bet. I’ll pay.”

  Kaley bit at her lip. “But I didn’t win. Not fairly, anyway.”

  Okey dokey. Definitely a Wonderful Life experience. “I didn’t win the Christmas Tree Contest, so you won the bet, Kaley.” She smiled, finding it surprisingly easy to be a good loser.

  “But you might have won. I mean, if you hadn’t been…” Kaley paused, puffing her cheeks out as she exhaled.

  Wow, Katarina had never seen Kaley at a loss for words. “I think I might have won if I hadn’t been disqualified, but I was disqualified,” she said, still not understanding why Kaley didn’t gloat. Maybe the Brew Mistress had decided to be kinder and gentler, too. Christmas in Merryvale could do that to a person.

  If possible, the woman’s face turned the color of snow. “I got you disqualified, Katarina. I’m sorry.”