NICK
The feasting hall looked just like it always had and different at the same time.
It was good that I'd made bonds with some of the gods and immortals over the past century or so because now I could invite old friends and not just be saddened by the people who were no longer here to come to my Christmas feast.
It wasn't exactly the way it used to be.
The feasts had merely been presided over by someone whose job it was to run the Christmas festivities for a specific castle, palace, or inn, whereas now it was more of a one-off event, but I liked hosting them, it made me feel as if I was connected to that part of my past. I might have been a toymaker for a long time, but this was also part of me.
A heavy red cloak sat around my shoulders and a crown of evergreen leaves sat on my head.
It was a little less impressive when it was over a modern-day suit compared to the velvet brocade of courts centuries ago, but times changed, and if I didn't change with them then I'd be left behind, and that was something I'd never wanted.
I did one last check over the hall itself and went over to the entrance so I was ready to greet my guests. Pieter appeared beside me, his sleek suit making him look like a bit less of a spectacle than me, but over the years, he'd become as much of a host as I was of the event
The doors opened, letting in a cold burst of air, which would only make the feast inside more inviting for those who were coming in, and that was all part of what the event was about. Tonight was about a celebration of the season and everything that came with it.
The guests started making their way inside, and I greeted them all with smiles and welcomes, trying not to be too intimidated by gods who had been old before I'd even been born.
It was strange to think that even though I was considered old at my age, some of the Egyptian gods were ten times my age, and they weren't the only ones.
The line didn't stop moving and chatter filled the hall behind me, but the whole time I was looking for one person, wondering if Ivy was going to accept my invitation or if she was going to let it pass her by. I didn't think I'd blame her for doing that, even if I personally wanted to see her.
My heart squeezed in response to spotting her a few people back.
She'd already handed her coat in the cloakroom, revealing a low-cut deep red dress that somehow perfectly matched her lipstick.
I was barely going to be able to focus on not looking at her lips when she was talking to me, even though I knew I shouldn't be thinking like that at all until our contract with Miracle Marketing Solutions was over.
She leaned in to talk to a woman with long dark hair next to her.
It took me a moment to place her, but she appeared to be the same friend who threw a drink over Zeus.
At least he wasn't here this evening to make things extra messy, though he'd probably already forgotten about the altercation and moved on to his next attempted conquest.
I hurried through the next few greetings, getting a confused look from Pieter in response. I ignored him. He was here to assist me, and in this case, it meant getting to talk to Ivy faster.
She smiled widely as she appeared in front of me, and I could feel my own stretching over my face in response.
"Hey," she said.
"Hi," I responded. "You came."
"I did." She frowned as she looked at me. "Your cloak is crooked." She reached out and adjusted it, each touch feeling like it was sending torturous pains through my heart.
"Thank you," I murmured.
"So this is what you look like when you're Captain Christmas," she joked, only just removing her hand from my chest. I missed her touch immediately.
"Something like that."
"It suits you," she said. "All I need you to do now is say ho ho ho , and it'll really complete the picture."
"Oh, I'm not going to do that, I don't think I've ever said ho ho ho ."
"Disappointing, but I'll live even if you don't." She was still standing closer to me than she should, and I thought back to all of the times in the past week when we'd been in the same room. There was a gravity around her that pulled me closer and didn't want to let me go.
"I'm glad to hear it," I said, remembering that I should talk rather than allow myself to get completely lost in my thoughts.
Her friend cleared her throat behind her. "Are you going to introduce me?" she asked.
"Right, sorry," Ivy said, turning to her friend. "This is Nick, he's one of the CEOs of Cringle, where I'm working at the moment. And this is Pieter, the co-CEO."
From the surprised expression on Pieter's face, he hadn't expected to have been introduced.
"This is Laila, she's my flatmate," Ivy said.
"It's good to meet you," I said.
"Likewise." Laila gave me an intrigued look and from her expression, I could only guess what she'd heard about me, which only made me wonder exactly what Ivy had been saying about me.
Pieter cleared his throat. "We need to keep the line moving."
"Right, sorry, we shouldn't hold you up," Ivy said. "Thank you for inviting us." The way she smiled at me made everything inside me squeeze tighter.
She walked away, and I watched her go, only to get a further thrill when she looked over her shoulder and smiled at me.
Pieter let out a dramatic sigh. "You really had to invite her?" He didn't need to clarify what he was really asking, his tone said the rest.
"Of course I invited her," I said. "She's working with us."
Pieter snorted. "Yes, you invited her because of that reason and not because you're lusting after her."
"I'm not lusting after her," I protested.
"Say what you want," he retorted. "I don't believe you."
I didn't respond, though I could have pointed out that he'd invited the guy he was interested in, so it wasn't like I was doing anything different.
Other than the fact that Ivy's contract with her marketing company forbade her from dating clients and I wasn't about to cross any lines that she wasn't willing to herself.
A pale woman with dark hair entered alongside a man with bronze skin. They looked vaguely familiar, but I wasn't sure who they were.
Pieter cleared his throat. "That's Aine, CEO of Jinx, Celtic goddess of love, summer, beauty, and something else I forget," he murmured.
"Thanks. Who is she with?" I asked, hoping that he knew.
"Min, Egyptian fertility god."
"How do you know all of this?" I asked.
"Because I made sure to study the guest list before people started arriving," he pointed out.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, Pieter."
"We both know you'd have fallen apart long ago," he responded.
I flashed my friend a smile before turning to the newcomers. "Welcome," I said.
"Nick," Aine said. "Thank you for inviting us."
"The pleasure is mine," I assured her. Though in all honesty, I wasn't aware that I had invited either of them. But she was an important person in the realm of gods at the moment which meant that it was wise to invite her to something like this.
"It's good to see so many friendly faces here," she said. "Your guest list is quite something."
"I've been blessed with many good friends over the years, and it makes me happy to host them for festive revelry each year," I said.
She smiled again and headed into the room, going straight over to talk to someone she must have recognised.
"Is that everyone?" I asked.
Pieter nodded. "I believe so. There are three no-shows, but one of them is Loki and you know what he's like."
"Mmm. He'll either not show up at all, or he'll arrive just as we're about to serve dessert and ask why no one waited for him."
"I'll make sure to be ready for damage control," Pieter said.
"There's really no need," I said. "You're supposed to be here to enjoy yourself too, it isn't your job to make sure everyone behaves."
He snorted. "Except for you this year. I don't think I've seen you like this about someone since Annabelle's mother."
I stiffened, partly because I'd talked about her recently and the pain over the whole situation still lingered within me. "Nothing happened between us."
"I know. You held back because you didn't want to take advantage of her, especially after she was sad about Annabelle passing away."
"There could never have been anything between us anyway," I said.
"Perhaps not. But that doesn't change the fact that you're acting the same way about Ivy. What is it about her?"
I looked into the room and spotted where she'd found a spot at the feasting table with her friend. "I don't know," I responded.
"You should figure that out. And once you do, don't let another woman slip through your grasp," Pieter said.
That was easier said than done, especially with wanting to make sure she wasn't in breach of her contract. Which made me wonder what could happen between us if that wasn't an obstacle.