Page 93 of Babies for the Christmas Grump

Her outfit is dark and impeccably tailored, a black blazer hugging her frame in all the right places, paired with trousers that whisper sophistication.

She radiates control. Even in a room full of people, it feels like she’s the one calling the shots, and I’m suddenly very aware of how out of my depth I am.

Everyone stops what they’re doing. Even Elaine, who’s practically built her empire on chaos, falters as silence floods the room.

Ryder looks almost… relieved, as if he’s just found a life raft in the middle of a storm.

“Elaine,” Claire continues, “this is over. The crew needs to go. Now.”

“This has nothing to do with you, Claire.”

Claire rolls her eyes. “Don’t make me repeat myself. Come on, everyone, pack it up.”

She must be a miracle worker.

The camera crew begins to gather their equipment, production assistants scramble to shut things down, and the set that was once full of noise and stress suddenly falls into a strange, almost peaceful silence.

Ryder looks at Claire, a grateful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I owe you one.”

“I know you do,” Claire says dryly, her gaze flicking over to me. “And you’re going tohaveto find a way to keep Mom out of here.”

“Oh, Claire, this is Sunny.”

Suddenly, the spotlight is back on me, and I don’t quite know what to do with myself.

“Hi,” Claire says with a smile. “Good to meet you.”

“Hey,” I say. “That was… something. I’m, uh, the owner of this hotel… not that you’d know it today.”

She tosses her head back and laughs. “Yeah, Mom has that effect. Don’t worry, she’ll get bored with it all eventually.”

I roll my eyes. “Sooner rather than later, I hope. I already have a gala to throw. I don’t need a reality TV show, I didn’t even agree to on top of that.”

“Mom prefers to ask for forgiveness, rather than permission.”

The tight knot in my chest loosens a little. Claire has this way of making it feel a little less stressful. She’s nice, not as intimidating as she seems.

“Oh, this is my best friend, Marjorie.” I step aside so the two of them can get to know one another, too. Seems I might needas big an emotional circle as possible with Elaine in the midst. “Marjorie, this is Ryder’s sister, Claire.”

Marjorie beams. “Good to meet you.”

Ryder rolls his eyes. “I think weallneed a coffee after that disaster. Come on, let’s go to the canteen.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Ryder

December 19th

I’m exhausted.

Another day at The Garland Rose, and it’s been an uphill battle the entire time. Between dealing with Elaine’s reality show madness and the never-ending stream of hotel issues, I’m ready to crawl into my office chair and bury my head in paperwork for a solid hour.

If I even make it that far without something else going wrong.

But hey, at least she didn’t bring the crew back today. Small victories, I guess. Still, I’m not fool enough to believe this whole thing will go away.

“You done for the day?”