Mix-Up under the Mistletoe (Glenbriar #11)

Chapter One

Rafe

Early December

‘ D eck the halls with boughs of holly. Fa-la-la—’

Rafe Harrington closed his office door before any more of the song filtered in. Only a few weeks to get through before he wrapped up Christmas for another year and got back to business as usual. Sitting back at his desk, he pulled up the email he’d been reading before Marnie had decided to serenade the staff at Innova-Travel. Her repertoire of Christmas songs was impressive, if slightly annoying. But Rafe wasn’t a total Scrooge, or at least he worked hard not to be. He wouldn’t ban his staff from singing Christmas songs. That was way too extreme even if he did find it hard to concentrate when the rest of the office was overflowing with Marnie’s festive cheer. Just because he had no particular love for the season didn’t mean he had to bring a downer on everyone else.

My mother has probably said that exact phrase to me at some point.

He frowned at the screen and ran his hand around his lightly stubbled jaw before clicking on the top line of his google search. He screwed up his face as he typed the words 1-Quick Getaways and waited for the website to load on his screen. Giving that company even a few moments of airtime didn’t sit well with him, but he had to know the competition. The site screamed tacky from every angle, but with the numbers of people wanting low-priced holidays, it probably didn’t matter what it looked like. And Rafe had to admit keeping Innova-Travel as an upmarket brand was losing money when so many people were opting for the budget option.

We need something new. Rafe scrolled down the page. Something to keep Innova-Travel ahead of the game.

The business had expanded and still had the edge for top-end clients, but in such a competitive environment, it felt like they were missing a huge chunk of the market.

He grabbed a pen and jotted down some notes. Nothing would change overnight, but he laid out his thoughts on a couple of places he thought they could challenge 1-Quick and some of the other budget providers. After jotting down a few ideas, he clicked back to his emails, and stared at the screen. The one that had his attention needed a second opinion.

As soon as he opened the door to the main room, he located Marnie by following the sound of her voice.

‘ Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart beat light— ’

‘Marnie.’ Rafe raised his eyebrow.

Marnie grinned, wheeling around to look at him. Her long black hair was pinned back at the forehead with a flashing clip fashioned like a sprig of holly. ‘Sorry. Not loving my Christmas crooning? Shall I be quiet?’

‘Feel free to croon away… Just not in my office. Can you come in for a second?’

‘Sure, Ebenezer. But I’ve practically got a choir going. Sure you don’t fancy joining?’ She smirked as she nipped in.

‘I’ll give it a miss.’

‘What’s up?’ She took a seat, adjusting her white fluffy sweater. Sequins forming a large snowflake gleamed under the down lights.

Rafe closed the door. ‘We need to talk about 1-Quick Getaways.’

She pulled a face, and he mirrored it.

‘Do you want to brainstorm some ideas about how we can get ahead of them in the budget market?’ she said.

‘Not yet. We’ll need more time and a bigger meeting for that. Right now, I need to tell you about an email I had this morning.’ Marnie frowned as Rafe pulled up the email on his screen. ‘It’s from the manager of a travel company in Manchester.’

‘Oh?’

‘Yeah. Apparently, a few months ago, two reps from 1-Quick Getaways visited their office. They pitched some reciprocal deals, resort distribution, the usual stuff. But then they started casually mingling with the staff, asking seemingly harmless questions.’

Marnie’s keen blue eyes widened. ‘And someone slipped up?’

‘Exactly. A staff member accidentally handed over sensitive information. The email outlines how the 1-Quick reps were very subtle but persistent. They gathered enough intel to launch a targeted campaign that ended up costing the Manchester company thousands in lost orders.’

‘That’s so underhanded.’ Marnie shook her head. ‘Do you think they’re planning to do the same to us?’

‘I honestly don’t know. The manager’s email suggested they might have targeted other businesses in the same way. 1-Quick has a reputation for playing dirty, and this just confirms it.’

‘I know they have a pretty shady reputation, but I didn’t think they’d stoop this low.’

Rafe leaned back in his chair, sighing. ‘Their popularity comes from selling cheap, but their customer reviews are abysmal. They’re aggressive in their tactics and don’t seem to care about ethics.’

‘Do you think they’ll try something here?’

‘It's possible. They’re based in London, but expanding their influence might be on their agenda. We need to be prepared.’

‘So, what’s the plan?’ Marnie leaned forward.

‘Well, the good thing is the 1-Quick bosses don’t know we’re onto them, so we should make an action plan in case we get a similar visit in the new year. If they see us as a ticket to the top-end market, they may well try to worm their way in. We need to make our team aware of this potential threat. No one should share any sensitive information without proper clearance. We’ll also need to review our security protocols and run some internal training sessions on information security.’

‘Ok, I can set that up.’

‘And, according to this email, the 1-Quick people didn’t make any secret of who they worked for. So, if they do turn up, they’ll probably say where they’re from and we’ll be ready.’

‘I like it. Maybe we should use it as a chance to flip the tables on them and see if we can work on a budget range.’

‘Good thinking.’ Rafe nodded. ‘But let’s sort the plan first. I need to write a script, so if anyone from 1-Quick calls, we’re all singing from the same song sheet… No, not a Christmas one,’ he added at the grin on Marnie’s face.

‘Ok, boss, but I could wow them with a few carols.’

‘That might have the desired effect and send them running in the opposite direction.’

‘You’re such a meany.’

Rafe smirked and changed screens again, back to where he’d clicked down a rabbit hole onto a page about 1-Quick Getaways staff. ‘Right bunch of grumps this lot,’ he said, and Marnie laughed. ‘I’m not kidding.’ He scrolled further, looking at photos from a party that seemed to be there for the sole purpose of letting potential employees see what a wonderful company they were to work for, but they couldn’t have chosen a group of more sullen looking people. Most of them looked like they were there under duress, not at a social event. ‘Oh, look.’ Rafe stopped at a picture near the bottom with a group of people at a table. He read the caption underneath it. ‘There’s Tilly Thorpe, admin worker. She’s the only person on the whole page who doesn’t look depressed or thoroughly pissed off. She’s got a lovely smile. Poor girl, stuck with that bunch of misery guts. Well, if they come knocking, we’ll recognise them from their dour faces.’

Marnie sniggered. ‘Should I try and memorise them?’

‘I wouldn’t. If you look at this page too long, you’ll definitely not be merry this Christmas.’ He flicked onto another screen and began typing the action plan and script.

Marnie chipped in with a few ideas. She only worked part-time now as she had a young child to look after, but when she was there, she made sure everyone in the office was cheery. Every office needed a Marnie, if only for moral support. 1-Quick Getaways could definitely use one.

‘Right.’ Marnie got to her feet. ‘I’ll get on with the Easter packages.’

‘Ok,’ Rafe said. ‘Just don’t get confused by all the Christmas carolling.’

Marnie had barely shut the door when Rafe’s intercom buzzed. Leaning forward, he hit the accept button, gazing out of the window over the murky Glasgow skyline as he did.

‘Hi, you’ve got a visitor,’ admin worker Katrina said.

‘Who is it?’ For a second, Rafe wondered if it was spies from 1-Quick Getaways already in his backyard. He hadn’t had time to disseminate the script or let Katrina know that if anyone from the company turned up unsolicited, they were not to be allowed into his office and should be told he was unavailable. No way would he let anyone get away with that. They could make an appointment and behave like civilised businesspeople.

‘Your sister, Genevieve.’

‘Oh shoot. Is that the time?’ he said. ‘Give me two minutes and I’ll be down.’

He was supposed to be meeting her for a coffee while she was in Glasgow. The 1-Quick Getaways screen was still open from before and he went to close it and shut down the page of grumpy-faced gits. His eyes fell on the one smiley face among them. Tilly Thorpe. He couldn’t help smiling back. Something about her face was magnetic and very sweet. On second view, her smile looked a little forced, like she was trying hard to enjoy herself. The picture was dated from a couple of years ago. Maybe she’d left since then. He doubted anyone with sense would stick around an unethical company that stooped to corporate espionage for long.

He logged off and shut down the computer, then grabbed his smart wool coat from behind the door. He swung it on and headed downstairs.

‘Well, hello.’ He spotted Genevieve in the foyer and strode over to give her a hug. ‘Long time no see.’

‘That’s because you’re always working.’ She returned his hug with a laugh.

‘True.’ He turned to Katrina at the desk. ‘I’ll be about an hour if anyone’s looking for me. Unless anyone from 1-Quick Getaways calls, in which case they’re not to be allowed in without an appointment.’

‘Is that likely?’ Katrina said.

‘No, but best be prepared. I’ll be sending you all a protocol email later in the day, but it’s not quite finished yet. If they do come calling, ring me, or call Marnie.’

‘Ok. Have a nice time.’

‘Thank you.’ He opened the door for Genevieve and they stepped into the cool air. The upmarket office blocks and vibrant shop buildings on Ingram Street were a sharp contrast to the grey wintery light from the overcast sky. Rafe and Genevieve walked through the bustling street, passing the Christmas shoppers, and headed towards George Square.

‘I assume you have somewhere in mind?’ Rafe kept pace with his sister, who, despite her heeled boots, was walking at some speed.

‘Let’s get a hot chocolate at the Christmas market. And there’s food there too. It’s where I’m meeting Elise later, so I can wait for her there.’

‘Oh joy,’ he said. ‘My favourite place.’

‘Stop it, Scrooge.’

He laughed and put his arm around her. ‘Only a semi-Scrooge. I like a hot chocolate as much as anyone. How is Elise these days?’

‘She’s ok, I think. She never really says. Since I married Finlay, I think she finds it a bit awkward.’

‘Unsurprising.’ Elise had been engaged to Finlay before Genevieve and the whole thing was complicated. Genevieve and Elise had been childhood friends and were also friends with Finlay’s sister. Confusing, to say the least, but it had all worked out for Genevieve and Finlay… If not Elise. ‘How’s married life going anyway?’ he asked.

‘Very well.’ She tossed her long caramel hair over her shoulder. ‘I think I’ve officially been married longer than you now.’

‘Funny.’ His marriage had been one of the shortest non-events in history. It still created a sore spot for his mother, who viewed his divorce as a blight on her perfect family. But he’d been young and stupid back then. Now he’d done it, he could say been there, done that, not doing it again . It was easier for a workaholic to be single, and weekends were never lonely because he spent them doing what he loved most – travelling. He had a Ford Ranger Raptor all kitted out for the solo traveller. Even in midwinter, he liked a weekend by a deserted loch with hiking opportunities nearby. If he sometimes craved a travel companion – well, who needed to know that?

‘You know Elise is currently single.’ Genevieve stopped at the kerb. ‘And with her living here these days… well.’

He cocked his head. ‘Seriously? You’re trying to set me up with one of your friends? Isn’t she some kind of man-eater?’

Genevieve looked away, smirking. ‘She’s just had a bad run of things.’

He frowned. ‘Wasn’t she engaged to Finlay because she wanted to make someone else jealous?’

‘Something like that.’

‘Well, I don’t need you to set me up with anyone. I’m perfectly happy dating… Well, the person I’m dating.’ He ignored the look on Genevieve’s face. This was his go-to story, and he fobbed his family off with it all the time – especially his mum. Lovely as she was, she was determined to marry off all her children like some kind of regency mother in a period drama. Technically, she’d succeeded as both Rafe’s sisters were now married, and he had been too. But it wasn’t enough for Hilary Harrington. She seemed to think his happiness depended on finding the right person, but he was in no hurry to go down that road again.

‘Oh, come on, Rafe.’ Genevieve was still looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

The lights changed to the green walk sign and Rafe used the moment to stride ahead. As he reached the other side and rounded the corner, a brass band struck up ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman’. He shook his head. How did he manage to attract so much festive cheer without even trying?

‘Who exactly are you dating then?’ Genevieve caught him up.

‘Isn’t that music lovely?’ He rubbed his gloved hands together. ‘So Christmassy.’

‘Stop changing the subject.’ She prodded him on the upper arm. ‘I know you don’t even like Christmas music.’

‘Sure I do. I’ve got Marnie the in-office entertainment singing carols all day.’

‘You’re still dodging. Who is this person you’re happy dating? Or is it just someone you made up? Again? Like you did at my wedding. You said you were bringing a girlfriend, then funnily enough, she didn’t show up. You never give us names or anything. What’s really going on? If you’re happy being single, then fine. But why make something up?’

Why indeed? Perhaps for the exact same reason Genevieve had faked her engagement to Finlay at first. Because having his family trying to set him up was annoying. He wanted to choose for himself, but he’d lost all confidence in dating. Maybe in himself.

After rushing into his marriage, he wanted to take the time to properly get to know the right person, but that presented a conundrum. He didn’t want to devote too much time to dating because it often led nowhere. The process of meeting people was so all-consuming and frequently disappointing that it was easier to get in his van and head for the hills at weekends than to face going on a date. He’d let all his dating apps lapse and never logged into any of them.

Where did that leave him? Stuck in a rut. Alone. And there was the other issue. He didn’t like being alone. He enjoyed company.

‘Well?’ Genevieve was still throwing him looks like she expected an answer. ‘Why not just tell me who you’re dating? It’s a shame whoever she is missed the wedding. I assume she’ll be coming to Mum and Dad’s for Christmas.’

‘I don’t think she’ll be able to do that.’ He thrust his hands into his pockets, smirking. It was amusing that Genevieve even partially believed he was seeing someone. He’d always enjoyed a bit of harmless ribbing with her; one of the perks of being the roguish big brother. As children, he’d had her believe all sorts of things, including bears living up trees near their house, a witch owning a tumbledown cottage on the road to school, and the existence of unicorns during the full moon.

‘What are you grinning at?’ She half raised an eyebrow.

‘Nothing.’ Though he half-wondered if she was still scared to walk past the tumbledown cottage.

‘Why is it funny that your “girlfriend”,’ she air-quoted, ‘won’t be coming to Mum and Dad’s? Could it be she doesn’t actually exist?’

Ah… So, she maybe couldn’t be so easily fooled these days.

‘Hark who’s lecturing me! You’re the one who got drunkenly engaged and kept that going, even though it wasn’t real.’

‘It was real. We just didn’t realise. You were the one who said even fake things were real. They were just copies of the originals.’

‘Did I?’

‘You sure did.’

‘Well…’

‘Well, what? Who is this girlfriend?’

Rafe smirked and, in his mind, quite randomly, the picture of Tilly Thorpe from 1-Quick Getaways emerged. Her smile had been the sweetest thing he’d seen all day. An opportunity for a bit of fun popped up before him. ‘Her name’s Tilly. Tilly Thorpe. She lives in London, so it’s difficult for us to see each other. She probably won’t be able to come here for Christmas. The company she works for is notorious.’

Genevieve stopped, and he collided with her.

‘What the—’

‘Oh my god.’ She gaped at him. ‘You’re actually… Wow. Ok. That’s…’

‘Made you speechless?’ Ha! Walked into it once again. What a cute little sister she was. He winked at her.

‘So, where does Tilly work?’

‘At 1-Quick Getaways. It’s a rival company, so that makes things even tougher, you know? And her bosses are all really grumpy.’ Rafe smiled, holding eye contact with Genevieve as if they were twelve and seven again and engaging in a staring contest. He almost burst out laughing and completely gave the game away, but somehow he kept it together. The look on her face was worth the effort.

Then she narrowed her eyes. ‘Tilly Thorpe indeed. Hmm.’ She took off again, heading round the corner to George Square. Christmas lights twinkled all over it and little wooden cabins with fake snow were dotted around the big wheel in the middle.

‘Lovely Tilly,’ he said as they joined the queue for hot chocolate. ‘She has a truly beautiful smile.’

Genevieve frowned and her eyes were still narrowed like she wasn’t sure if she trusted him. No doubt with good reason. She possibly still sat up late into the night on a full moon waiting for the unicorns to appear.

‘I hope I get to meet her someday soon,’ Genevieve said.

‘Oh, me too.’ He smiled, but he sincerely hoped she didn’t, especially as he’d never even met her himself.