life.
Her old green robe hung on the bathroom hook, but Shayna felt the need for more protection. She pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a golden sweater then tackled drying her hair. It would need to be set on rollers before she could twist it into Ms. Noel’s fancy updo.
A steamy cup of coffee magically appeared just as she turned off the hair dryer. She took a grateful sip before scanning the small space and finding Kyle, once again perched on the tub. He wore a pair of jeans and a snug white T-shirt under an open flannel shirt whose blue and black pattern really set off his stunning eyes. His feet were bare, which she found uncommonly sexy.
This was getting dangerously close to her idea of domestic bliss.
“I received the letter from Chester’s office yesterday,” he said.
Fabulous. He couldn’t have picked a less sexy topic. “I tried to call you and tell you about it, but I kept catching your voice mail. I didn’t want to tell you such great news in a message.”
“Great news? Baby, this isn’t great. It’s a disaster, and it certainly isn’t in your best interest. I can’t allow you to submit that letter to Walker. He’s not going to respond well.”
“I don’t care how he responds, although it seems to me the bigger fuss he tries to make for me, the more attention he’s going to attract to his mistakes. Once he thinks it over, I’m sure he’ll realize it’s not a very good idea.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised by what that man would consider a good idea.”
“Listen, I discussed the whole thing with Chester, and he agrees with me that-”
“Chester isn’t as competent as you might think. No lawyer in his right mind advises a client to turn down such a huge settlement offer.”
Shayna quickly started twirling her hair around the heated rollers. “A lawyer who understands his client’s wishes does. I’ve never wanted his money for myself, and as for the good that money could do for others, I decided I couldn’t sacrifice my own soul, my own principles, not even for that.”
She clipped a pin against the final roller and pulled out the bag that held her meager makeup supplies.
He reached the end of the room and spun, stalking back to her. His eyes softened as he ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “Shayna, he will destroy your happiness if you don’t give him what he wants. He’s already taken the first step by arranging-”
“Wait!” she interrupted, her hands flying out between them. His words sparked a light bulb in her brain. “You shouldn’t be telling me all this. Scumbag or not, he’s your
“This is just between us, Shayna. No one will know.”
“We’ll know, and you’ll hate yourself. The one thing you aren’t, Kyle, is dishonest. If you violate your client’s trust-no matter how much the man doesn’t deserve it-it’ll haunt you forever.”
She pushed to her feet and stepped around Kyle, who hadn’t moved a muscle. “Don’t say anything else.” She double-checked the contents of her makeup bag, added her toothbrush and toothpaste, a handful of hair pins and a can of hairspray. “I’m leaving. Right now. You have to finish this discussion with my attorney, who I promise you is a very sharp and loyal man.”
She rushed into the bedroom and grabbed the hanging bag that held her costume and her boots. Remembering her blasted pantyhose, she quickly snatched them from her drawer and wedged the hose and the makeup bag in a side pocket.
A quick mental run-through assured her she had all she needed for her transformation into Ms. Noel. With the rollers still twisted into her hair and her costume draped over her arm, she headed downstairs to find her purse and her keys. Kyle followed her down the stairs, trying to resume their conversation.
“It’s not a technical violation of attorney-client privilege.”
“Technicalities don’t change the truth. I can’t let you do this.”
Her purse sat on the kitchen table, a few feet from where Brinks waited patiently for his breakfast and his morning walk.
“Walker is no longer my primary concern. You-”
Man, she wanted to hear the end of that sentence, but she couldn’t let himself dig this hole any deeper. Purse on her shoulder, she leaned in and interrupted him with a kiss.
The heavy costume on her arm and the warm rollers on her head affected her balance and technique, but she still managed to stop his flow of self-incriminating words.
When she pulled back, they were both a bit dazed.
“Oh, and one other thing I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
“I don’t know if I can take any more revelations this morning, Shayna.”
“This one’s easy. The other night, I forgot to tell Santa what I wanted for Christmas, and I was wondering if you could give him a message from me.”
The dazed shake of his head was part agitation, part admiration. “What do you want Santa to bring you this year, little girl?”
“You.” She laid another hot, quick kiss on him. “All I want is you.”
Standing in the People’s Bank parking lot decked out in full Ms. Noel regalia, Shayna was still high from the stunned look on Kyle’s face. Her wish had definitely taken him by surprise, but judging by the way his lips had clung to hers, she was pretty sure it was a good surprise.
Happy enough to power every Christmas light in town, she surveyed the chaotic scene around her. The parade gods were certainly smiling down on them today. The morning’s crisp air had everyone in a Christmas mood. The sun dangled in a cloudless, endless blue sky, adding just enough warmth that the Fighting Lion cheerleaders didn’t have to wear sweatpants under their short skirts. Concession stands scented the air with funnel cakes, apple cider and sausage on a stick.
Perfect day for a parade.
A series of horn blasts announced the arrival of the youth center van as it entered the parking lot. The van’s door slid open, coughing out a dozen excited, costumed children. Their giggles and shouts carried across the crowd of parade riders and volunteers. Nothing summed up the joy of Christmas like a bunch of happy, hopeful kids.
She spied Danny making his way across the lot, flanked by his two precious daughters, Shelley and Tina, the reigning Junior Miss Noel. Tina would ride next to Shayna on the princess float. Danny, filling in as Santa since Elmer’s back was still out, was the parade’s grand finale, and as such, would be on the final float. Shelley would watch from the sidelines with Lindy and Travis.
After Shayna, Shelley and Tina had finished complimenting each other’s dresses, Danny, wearing the new, longer Santa pants she’d made for him, cleared his throat and nodded to his left. “Did you call out one of the major networks?”
“No. As far as I know, channel five is the only station planning on covering the parade. Why?” She looked over her shoulder, where a three-person television crew stood off to the side, panning shots of the pandemonium. None of them wore channel five’s signature bright blue jackets. “Oh. Well, extra publicity can’t hurt, right?”
“No, but I’m not real jazzed about the whole state seeing me in this getup.”
“Don’t worry. Once you get the padding and beard on, no one will recognize you.”
“I sure as hell hope so.”
“Daddy.” Shelley and Tina scolded together.
“Sorry, girls.” Danny gave a chagrined smile. “Let’s go find Lindy. It’s time for all of us to take our places.”
The next several minutes were a whirlwind of confusion. Nerves needed to be calmed, dresses needed to be fluffed, float decorations needed to be repaired, and for some reason, all these calamities ended up in her lap.
Once she had the barrage of last-minute details ironed out, she looked again for the production crew. Their presence had niggled around her thoughts, and she’d begun to question their purpose. Their lack of obvious station affiliation bothered her.
Hitching herself up on the princess trailer, she surveyed the crowd. A reporter she recognized interviewed the high school band’s tuba section. The crew surrounding her wore distinctive blue jackets.
A gaggle of goose bumps sprang up on her arms as she searched for the second, obviously well-funded crew. Her bad feeling quickly grew to a pit-of-the-stomach dread.
