Substitute Santa
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Dominic Russo is tired of waiting for Passionate Incorporated to find him a mate. As head detective for the Paranormal Law Enforcement agency, his newest undercover assignment includes spending time at a Passionate Inc. resort, filling in for an errant Santa while also searching for a murderous rogue. Dom initially resisted the assignment, because he’s a vampire who hasn’t allowed himself to associate with humans to avoid being involved in another… incident. Will Dom survive two weeks of being near human children, while risking another blackout that sent him into a spiral of self-hate so long ago?
“What’s
this?” Kat glanced down at the pamphlet and flipped through the three narrow
pages of literature and photos.
The images caught Kat by surprise. There were
tropical islands, mountain retreats and even a Santa’s Village where she could spend a few days with her daughter.
It might go a long way to helping her get a bit of holiday cheer. Getting into
the Christmas spirit wasn’t going to be easy this year.
Kat had always loved Christmas and to her,
the holidays always started the day after Halloween when everyone took down
their ghoulish decorations and prepared for the end of the year celebrations.
Shifting her attention to the glossy pages,
she read the marketing ploy on the front page.
Let the
experienced crew of Passionate Incorporated help connect you with your true passions. Choose from dozens
of magical all-inclusive resorts, cruise ships and outdoor vacations. With a
choice for everyone, you can plan the get-away or fantasy of your dreams. No
fantasy is impossible with our state-of-the-art services.
From
beach vacations and paranormal experiences, or even a visit to another world,
we at Passionate Inc., strive to make your dreams come true. The Magic is real,
and your fantasy can be, too! Call or visit our website at PassionateInc.com
today!
Note: One
lucky customer per month will win a two-week vacation package of a lifetime.
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“Fantasy
vacation, huh?” After boxing up her lunch, Kat stuffed her check into the
pamphlet and headed for the register. At this point, she didn’t care if she won
a free trip. Her priority was to make sure Bella experienced the magic of
Christmas, no matter what her mother’s hardships might be. Everything else
paled in comparison.
“So,
are you going to apply for a spot before they fill up for the holidays? I would
if I were you. That Santa’s Village thing is right up your alley.” Brenda
guzzled her wine and set her glass on the counter before reaching for the
bottle. “Listen to your best friend and go.”
“Do
you really think I should?” Kat chopped up two more carrots and threw them into
a bowl on top of some lettuce and celery. Picking up the small onion she’d
peeled, she sliced it into thin strips and tossed that into the bowl.
“Do
you really want to know what I think?” Brenda raised a brow and poured a
generous amount of red wine into her glass before holding it up in a mock
toast. “Bon voyage.”
“Thanks
for the encouragement, but I’d rather talk to sober Brenda right now, thankyouverymuch.”
“I’m
sober. At least for the time being.” Brenda set down her glass, rested her
hands flat on the counter and leveled her gaze. “Go. You deserve a break and
some time away before you start a new job. You work harder than anyone else I know.
Besides, when was the last time you had a vacation, anyway?”
“It’s
been a while,” Kat said with a sigh. She didn’t mind working hard. Not if it
meant providing for her daughter and making her happy.
Still, it had been too long since Kat had
gone anywhere. The last time she had taken more than a day or two off work had
been when Bella was born, and then again, when she’d discovered her daughter had a rare blood disorder.
Bella’s
condition was so rare, her daughter was the only known case.
“At
least I can keep my company insurance for another six months. I don’t know what
I’d do without it.” That was the thing that had frightened her the most.
“Stop
thinking about the money.” Brenda rolled her eyes. “Think with your heart for
once, instead of your head.”
“Don’t
you think I want to take Bella to the village? I just don’t know if I can
justify the expense. I should probably be careful what I spend my money on from
here on out.”
Kat
had called Brenda and headed home after picking up her daughter from her kindergarten
class, intending to make the reservations before she’d changed her mind.
As luck would have it, she hadn’t made it halfway home before the doubts started settling
in. She’d changed her mind when she’d thought about how much the trip would cost,
along with the gifts she planned to purchase her daughter for Christmas. Her
mind had changed yet again, the moment Bella had wrapped her arms around her
neck and said, “I love you, Mommy,” for no apparent reason.
“I
love you, Mommy.” Bella skipped into the kitchen. Her daughter had practically
chanted those words since she’d gotten in the car after school.
“Alright,
what do you want?” Kat grinned as she scooped the rest of the veggies up off
the counter and tossed them into the bowl. Those words always preceded a
request for something expensive or nearly impossible to attain.
“I
just love you.” Bella shrugged, took the stool next to Brenda and watched Kat
from the corner of her big, dark-violet eyes. “Mom?”
“Yes?”
Kat glanced up, giving her daughter her undivided attention, her wine glass
stalled at her lips.
They studied each other for a moment before
Bella said, “Can I have a daddy?”
“A
what?” Kat almost spit red wine all over her mother’s snow-white, hand
crocheted tablecloth she’d draped over the chair at the end of the table before
she’d started chopping vegetables.
“I
want a daddy.” Bella slouched in her seat, crossed her arms and stuck out her
bottom lip in an adorable pout.
“You’re
going to sprain that lip if you stick it out any farther, squirt.” Brenda
reached over and patted Bella’s head. “Keep it up. You might wear her down one
day.”
“She
will not
wear me down. Ever.” Kat glared at Brenda. “You’re
supposed to be on my side. I thought we both agreed we need men in our lives
about as much as the stupid televised sports that usually comes with them.”
“Maybe
I changed my mind.” Brenda swayed on her stool for a moment. “Hey, when’s
dinner going to be ready? I think I need to eat something.”
“I
told you not to drink so much.” Kat grabbed the bottle of wine just as Brenda
reached for it again. “You have had enough.” She pointed at Brenda
before turning her attention back to her daughter. “I can’t promise you a
daddy, sweetie, but how would you like to take a trip to Santa’s Village?”
A loud crack sounded just as she made her
offer to Bella. “What was that?” Kat rushed to the
window, searching the power lines, and wondering if they would lose their
electricity. That was all she needed. “It sounded like a transformer had
exploded.”
“No, Mommy.” Bella bounced up and down in her seat. “That’s the magic sound I that heared before. That means Santa is going to bring me a daddy."
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