Fairytale Christmas with the Millionaire

He checked his phone, finding whoever had rung had left him a voice mail. He listened to it and found it was from the tenant in apartment 104—Alina’s stepmother. If he didn’t take care of it now, he knew she’d come knocking on his door. It was best to just get it over with.

He finished an email to his assistant, closed his laptop and then grabbed his toolbox—er, Alina’s toolbox—and headed out the door. The one thing he’d learned since taking on this arrangement was that he wasn’t so bad at multitasking. He used to like to work on one project until it was completed, but he was finding periodic breaks gave his subconscious a chance to work out problems. When he returned to his project, he had a fresh perspective.

He stepped into the deserted hallway. It was the middle of the afternoon and most people were still at work. He made his way to 104. The door was still plain, whereas most of the doors in the building had holiday wreaths or bows affixed to them. Maybe Alina’s stepmother hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

He raised his hand and rapped his knuckles on the door. “Maintenance.”

The door immediately swung open. A tall woman with short platinum blond hair frowned at him as though she’d been standing there waiting on his arrival. It

must be something serious. He inwardly groaned because he had notes about an important contract to finish typing.

“It’s about time,” she snapped.

Wait. What? He’d just gotten the message a few minutes ago. “I got here as fast as I could. What’s the problem?”

The woman glanced past him, into the hallway. “Where’s Al... Alina?”

If she thought she was going to rattle him, she had another thought coming. “She’s not available. But if you’ll just show me the problem—”

“It’s Alina’s job!” The woman’s eyes darkened with anger. “I told you this the last time you came. It’s what she gets paid for. I’m not going to have one of her boyfriends—”

“I’m not her boyfriend.”

The woman’s eyes widened. Either the news that he wasn’t Alina’s boyfriend was a surprise or the woman wasn’t used to anyone interrupting her when she was yelling. Either way, he didn’t like the woman at all.

Suddenly her demeanor changed. A smile plumped up her drawn cheeks. “My daughters aren’t here at the moment, but I know they’d love to meet you.”

He didn’t know where this conversation was headed, but he had an uncomfortable feeling.

“Come inside.” She stepped back. “I just put on some coffee.”

So much for there being an emergency. It was time to make a quick exit.

He held up a finger for the woman to wait and then he pressed on his earpiece, pretending he had an important phone call.

“Yes, Mary.” He paused for a moment. “Yes, I have those numbers on my laptop. I’ll get them for you. Hang on.” He turned back to the woman. “Sorry, its important business.”

The woman’s mouth gaped as her brows gathered and her eyes revealed her utter disapproval at being dismissed.

He immediately turned and strode away. His dislike for Alina’s stepmother was intense. Behind him a door slammed shut.

The funny thing was that most of the people in the building were super friendly. Others weren’t as talkative, preferring to keep to themselves. But that woman was the meanest person in the building. He felt sorry for Alina—not only because she had to deal with that woman on a regular basis, but also because it was the closest Alina had to family.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

FOUR DAYS HAD PASSED...and neither of them had said a word about the kiss.

Alina was proud of the way she’d avoided Graham. It hadn’t been easy, not with him living in the same building as her. When she’d made the deal for him to live here and work here, it’d seemed like such a good idea. Now, she utterly and totally regretted it.

Because the memory of his kiss was never far from Alina’s mind. She thought about it in the shower, when she was supposed to be working and when she went to bed at night. How could she let herself be drawn to the enemy?

She felt as though she’d betrayed her friends and neighbors, who were counting on her to save their homes. And she’d betrayed herself by letting her guard down with him. In the end, he’d end up disappointing her like others had done.

Even so, it didn’t stop her from keeping her word about organizing the Christmas party. She spent every free moment that week working on Graham’s upcoming party. The Snow Ball was taking shape.

With the aid of some of the Stirling’s residents as well as a handful of Graham’s employees, they’d worked tirelessly to bring Alina’s brainchild to life.

The conference room was a mix of fake snow, snowballs, lighted snowmen and a tall elegant tree with homemade ornaments from a local second grade class. One of the Stirling residents was a teacher and had offered to have her class help. Considering the ball was meant to feature up-and-coming artists, Alina couldn’t think of anything better.