One Night on the Naughty List: A Curvy Christmas Romance by Amy Pennza

Author:Amy Pennza [Pennza, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scribble Pretty Books
Published: 2020-11-28T18:30:00+00:00

Samantha

I’d spent three hours worrying about meeting Bain’s family. Over the next three hours, I realized all that worry was for nothing. The Thatchers were a large clan, but they were also a welcoming one—if a little noisy.

About a minute after walking in the door, one of Bain’s sisters-in-law pressed a peppermint margarita into my hand and gestured to a group of attractive women seated around a roaring fireplace in the great room. “Come sit with us. We want to hear Bain stories.”

One of the women hollered, “The more embarrassing, the better!”

Before I knew it, I was three margaritas deep, dishing gossip with new friends, and laughing as Bain and his brothers maneuvered a ladder into the house so they could put a star on top of the tree. So far, they had dented their mother’s drywall, knocked over a nutcracker, and took out a tray of sugar cookies.

As I sipped my drink, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and found Ella next to my chair, a solemn look on her small, round face.

“Ella?” I set my drink down. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“You’re not wearing red.”

I glanced down. Crap. With all the commotion—and a generous amount of tequila—I forgot about changing my clothes.

Her voice quivered. “How can you be Santa’s Helper if you’re not wearing red?”

Bain caught my gaze, clearly ready to intervene, but inspiration struck. I smiled at Ella. “Sometimes Santa’s Helpers have to travel in disguise. But I brought my red outfit with me.”

She seemed to think it over. “Why haven’t you changed?”

Damn. Kids were hard.

Bain crossed the room and knelt next to her. “Because she was waiting for Santa. But he’s supposed to be here in about…” He looked at me, a question in his eyes.

“Five minutes,” I said.

He smiled, then turned his attention back to Ella. “Can you do me a really big favor? A super important one?”

She gave a vigorous nod.

“Go gather all the other kids and tell them Santa will be here in five minutes.”

She was gone before he finished his sentence. A second later, her loud shrieks echoed through the house. As the adults chuckled, Bain helped me to my feet. “Follow me, Santa’s Helper.”

I could feel everyone’s eyes on us as we left the room. Or maybe the tingling on my scalp and the heat running like a warm current through my body was a direct result of being close to Bain as he led me through the house and up a grand staircase with a polished banister.

“The house is beautiful,” I said, running my hand up the smooth wood.

We gained the landing, and he put a palm in the small of my back, guiding me down a hallway lined with doors. “It’s too big for Mom, but she won’t hear about moving. Ah, here we go.” He ushered me into a bedroom with a twin bed and a bookcase groaning with trophies. My bag sat on the floor at the foot of the bed.

I did a quick spin. “Is this—”

“My old room, yeah.

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