Love Under the Mistletoe: A Small Town Christmas Love Story

Lucy raised her eyebrows and reached for another chip. “I think you need to reevaluate that statement.”

“There is a woman that I find attractive in this town. Does that mean that I would risk an entire business on my lust? No. I think ECT should stay in Devonsville because it’s the best place for ECT.”

Lucy sighed and pushed away her own plate. “I was afraid of this,” she said, shaking her head. “You aren’t thinking this through. Yes, this place is great. There are some perks here. But they aren’t good enough to stop the move.”

Nathan crossed his arms and looked at Lucy. “Why?”

“The tax break. Moving a small business gets us a lot of great tax opportunities. We’re talking millions. And, it’s good for our image,” Lucy explained. “I can give you the exact numbers if you want, but the money making move is to go to California.”

Nathan shook his head. “Short term, maybe,” he conceded. “But, long term, staying here is the better option. Yes, we won’t make as much money this year, but the potential for more profit is here.”

“Nathan, I’m not going to argue this with you.” Lucy carefully stacked up her empty plates. “I’m telling you that you’re blinded by this girl and the novelty of this town. I’m not trying to be mean.”

“I know, Lucy.” Nathan sighed. He still felt in his bones that his was the right decision. He knew it just like he knew how to reprogram a buggy device. It felt right. It made sense to him.

“Look, I know you. You’re going to think about it for the rest of the day. You’re going to research it and you’ll realize what I’m telling you is right,” Lucy told him. “Please don’t repeat RentTech.”

Nathan looked up at her. He had followed his gut on RentTech. He had done what he thought was best. And it had blown up in his face. RentTech was operating at a loss this year. He’d overpaid for the company and now it was likely it would never pan out.

Was he really doing the same thing with Elements Computer Technologies?

Lucy sighed and dug around in her bag. “Here. I already printed it all out for you. Here’s the numbers. The money never lies.”

She handed him a thick file of papers. They weighed heavier in his hands than just paper. It was the entire company in his hands.

“Thank you, Lucy.”

“I know you, Boss,” she replied, standing from the table. She fixed her gaze on him. “I’ve worked hard on this. Please do the right thing here. Don’t stop the move.”

She picked up her things and returned her tray to its station. She didn’t wait for Nathan to follow her before heading out of the cafeteria area and heading toward the next meeting. That was Lucy. Always ready for the next meeting.

Nathan set the file on the table with a thud. He thought about hiding in the R&D department again, but there were still more meetings he was expected to run. Everything felt overwhelming and he wished he could have a different life. He sighed with dread.

So he did the one thing he knew would make him feel better. He pulled out his phone and checked his bank accounts.

They were coming back up. It was no longer thirty million down. He was now at a mere ten million dollar loss. That was something he could handle. It made him feel a little bit better.

Money always did that. It didn’t care if he was stressed or sad. Money didn’t care if he was angry or happy. It just was. Money was his constant. He knew where he stood with money. Money never let him down.

Nathan slid his phone back into his pocket and stood. He tucked the file under his arm. It was time to go back to work. It was only a few more hours until he got to see Holly again.

And somehow, that thought comforted him more than his bank account did.

Chapter 33

Holly

“Ms. Jones! Ms. Jones!” Preston ran yelling from the back of the room. Holly immediately made a mental note of where the first aid kit was and which route was the fastest to the office. Preston sounded legitimately concerned.

“What is it, Preston?” Holly asked, going down to one knee.

“Laurie is violating my religious rights,” he told her. He wiped at his cheek.

“Your religious rights?” Holly asked, no longer worrying about the first aid kit.

“Yeah. She says Santa isn’t real.”

Oh boy. Holly thought to herself. She still had to stifle a laugh, though.