Jingle Spells. Rhonda Nelson

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СКАЧАТЬ her to correct a flaw in our system. I’m sure she’s worked with other corporations that maintain a high level of secrecy about their products.”

      “Yes, if you’re talking about military applications and technical innovation.” Noelle frowned. “But why be secretive about Christmas ornaments? It makes no sense.”

      “Doesn’t matter.” Ethan glanced up at Cole. “I see where you’re going with this. The fact is we do make Christmas ornaments that are prized the world over. If Taryn suspects that’s a cover for something else, so what? It’s not her job to speculate. If she made a habit of prying into things that don’t concern her, she’d be out of business in no time.”

      Belle swiveled her chair back and forth. “Even so, I don’t like it. I can keep the elves off the IT floor while she’s here, but what if she runs into Santa? He could show up anywhere, including the lobby, and he’s something of a loose cannon these days.”

      Noelle groaned. “Tell me about it. Did you know he’s started jogging?”

      “Jogging? Well, sugarplums!” Belle let her head fall back against the chair. “No, I didn’t know that.” Raising her head, she looked at Noelle. “Merry told me he’s acting weird and is on some crazy diet, but I hadn’t heard about the jogging. I don’t know how that’s supposed to help matters.”

      “What in St. Nicholas’s name are you talking about?” Cole stared at them. “And why don’t I know about it?”

      “I hated to bother you unless it was urgent,” Belle said. “We all hoped it would blow over.”

      “It still could.” Ethan sounded determinedly cheerful. “Okay, so Kris forgot their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and Merry’s pissed, but I’m sure after all these years together she’ll come around.”

      “Don’t count on it,” Dash said. “Women are complicated creatures.”

      “We have to be,” Noelle said, “in order to compensate for men being so—”

      “That’s enough of that.” Cole scrubbed a hand over his face. “We need to focus. So Kris and Merry are having marital problems. What’s that got to do with the diet and jogging?”

      “My best guess?” Noelle glanced up from her tablet. “He’s intimidated because Merry’s signed up for skiing lessons with Guido, who is, admittedly, a fine specimen of Italian manhood. I think Kris is trying to recapture his inner stud so he can compete with Guido.”

      “His inner stud.” Cole sighed. “But he’s still on track to drive the sleigh, right?”

      “As far as I know,” Belle said. “If he trims down, the suit will automatically adjust, but I doubt he’ll lose much weight in three weeks.”

      “Thanks for that hopeful thought, Belle. I want you to send a memo to Kris and Merry about Taryn’s visit, though. They should avoid her if possible, but if she happens to meet Kris and notices his resemblance to Santa Claus, he can say he was hired as a mascot.”

      “A mascot?” Dash laughed. “Oh, he’ll just love that description. Not.”

      “Then he needs to stay out of sight.” Lack of sleep was sapping Cole’s patience. “I’m leaving in a couple of hours for Seattle. I’m taking the corporate jet. I’ll be back tonight with Taryn.”

      “Too bad you can’t apparate and bring her back the magickal way,” Dash said. “Speaking as your transportation coordinator, it would be faster and cheaper.”

      “I realize that, but I’m hoping to engineer this operation without the use of anything magickal, cocoa included. But Noelle, please get that more complex batch up and running, in case I need it for Taryn.”

      “I’ll make it a top priority. But when you say you’re bringing her back, I hope you don’t intend to take her to the lodge. There’s no way I can keep security tight if you do that.”

      “No, not the lodge. Too much magick going on there, too many witches and wizards randomly casting spells. Even meals are...well, anyway. The lodge is out. I’ll get her a reservation at the Nutcracker Inn. Dash, I’ll need a car and driver for her. The less she wanders around on her own, the better.”

      “I suggest you be that driver,” Noelle said.

      “I’d rather not.”

      “Then who?” Noelle met his gaze. “This is our busiest time of year. Everyone’s schedule is packed.”

      “That’s for sure,” Ethan said. “I’m booking talk show appearances as fast as I can to counteract the effect of Lark DeWynter’s new bestseller. The Christmas Lie was just reviewed in the New York Times and it’s playing havoc with Christmas cheer. I can fix that. I always do. But I have no spare time.”

      “Elf personnel issues tend to peak about now,” Belle said. “It’s the stress of the season, and with Kris potentially going off the rails, I—”

      “I know.” Cole hadn’t considered how this part of his plan would work, but he could see the trap closing on him.

      “I have to agree with Noelle,” Dash said. “The driver should be someone with maximum clearance, which means it has to be one of us in this room, and we’re all working on last-minute Christmas preparations. You, not so much. You’re the logical candidate, big brother.”

      “Okay.” Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll take the driving duties.”

      “In fact, you probably should shadow her while she’s here,” Dash continued. “You know, keep close track of her and make sure she sticks to the program, literally.”

      Cole met his brother’s gaze. Mischief danced in those green eyes. “She’s a professional, Dash.”

      “If she’s so professional, why did she hack into your database?”

      That was an excellent question, one he’d been struggling with. “Maybe for old times’ sake, to prove she could. I don’t know, but I’ll find that out, too. I can assure you, excessive monitoring of her activities won’t be necessary.”

      “Maybe not.” Dash winked at him. “But I’ll bet it would be fun.”

      Cole glanced away before Dash could read his reaction. Oh, yeah. Monitoring Taryn would be more fun than he’d had in ten years. But indulging in that kind of fun would land both of them in an untenable position. He wouldn’t do that to himself, and he certainly wouldn’t do that to her.

       Chapter 2

      Taryn Harper powered down her computer, picked up her glass of red wine, and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows to admire the view. Her high-rise luxury apartment faced the Seattle harbor, and this time of year it sparkled with festive lights. Christmas was a big deal for a girl born on December 25, and she always made sure to party hearty.

      This year she had more elaborate plans than usual, because she was about to hit the big three-oh. She was the highest wage earner among her family and friends, СКАЧАТЬ