Santa Is A Sl*t (Holiday Hoemies #2)

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

EVE

Nico has us all in a really shitty situation.

First, he withheld the full truth of what he was here for. Second, he said he wanted a relationship but fucked it up before we even started.

When we sat down and talked the other day, he said he wanted this, wanted us. He was genuine and excited even though he was nervous about how Noel was going to feel about it.

He’s asked me three times a day if she’s called and each time I’ve told him to be patient. So he’d return to his office, obsessing over his notebook. I’ve heard that thing slam on the desk several times.

Of course, Noel shows up today and he blew it straight to the south pole. I’m guessing so anyway, I don’t think she would have reacted with so much anger and disappointment if she hadn’t been here to say yes.

But now we don’t know what she was thinking and we’re all in a mess.

Now, I’m going to fucking fix it.

I point my finger at him with a scowl on my face, “I’m mad at you. Really, really mad. But I am choosing to believe that you did mean it when you told me that you wanted this relationship to work with the four of us.”

Kane gives Nico a warning look, conveying just how much trouble he’s in, but it goes ignored.

“What do I do now?” Nico asks solemnly.

My hands find my way to their hips as I stare at him. “You should probably tell us everything. I can’t fix a problem if I don’t know just how bad it is.”

Nico moves over to his bottom drawer and pulls out a notebook. “The business isn’t able to continue if we continue to be a one holiday operation. We need to add another stream of revenue to keep a profit because SantaScape is barely paying for itself.”

Kane and I sit in the chairs across from Nico’s desk and listen intently.

“I have a few ideas but these aren’t going to be short term solutions. The ideas that I think are worth trying are long games.”

Nodding, I motion for him to continue.

“It doesn’t make sense that we have some of the most extravagant, yet beautiful, holiday decor in the world but we only display it.”

“You want us to sell it?” I ask, catching on to it.

Kane shakes his head. “Wouldn’t we need a manufacturer? And investors?”

Nico nods.

"I hate to be a negative nelly,” I say. “But isn’t the market a little oversaturated with Christmas decor?”

We might be belle of the Christmas ball but people aren’t always willing to pay for something when they can find a duplicate product for cheaper, even if it means sacrificing quality.

“That’s why we need an edge. We need to invest in more than Christmas decor and open it up to a diverse selection of celebrations, bringing qualified individuals who understand them along with artists who can find the right vision.”

Nico’s voice is filled with passion as he explains this. This must be what he’s been working on for the last two days.

“It’s not good enough though. We need to find something that sets us apart from your normal home decor corporations and pop-up shops.”

That’s when the light bulb comes on for me and I run out to my desk. I flip through my contacts until I find the right number and phone in a favor.

It only takes a few minutes, and a name drop that could get me in trouble, but this might be worth it.

“We have to go,” I tell the two men watching as I grab my coat. “We have a meeting in an hour and we cannot be late. Bring the notebook.”

They follow the order without question, though I’m sure they will have plenty on the car ride.

Let’s just hope we can pull off a Christmas miracle.

We’re sitting in a conference room at the Ground Up headquarters waiting for our meeting to begin when I start to question whether or not I should have called Noel for this.

I don’t have time to dwell before her best friend enters the room with two men.

“Eve!” She says as she comes over to where I’m sitting and I stand to meet her hug. “It’s been too long since our last girl’s night. We should put one on the calendar soon.”

I smile when both of the men groan at the idea. Maybe because they don’t want to spend a night away from her or maybe because our girl’s nights never stay as chill as we promise. I’ve only been around for two of them and I woke up the next morning smelling like a distillery.

We all take our seats, with the Ground Up team sitting across from us.

“This is Romeo and Beau,” she says as she gestures to each man.

I won’t lie, these men are attractive. But I think my guys might be a little hotter.

“Kane and Nicholas,” I introduce my own team.

Val giggles. “Oh, yes, I guess I’m not entitled to the privilege of calling you Nico.”

I swear I see a blush on his cheeks and I wonder exactly why she would have said that. And why he would have reacted.

It must be because of something that Noel told her.

“I really appreciate you taking the time to meet us at the last minute, Val.” I tell her genuinely.

She waves her hand. “Of course. I’m sorry Hart couldn’t make it, he had a prior appointment.”

I nod in understanding. “We wanted to talk over a business opportunity with you. And before we give you our pitch please know I would never have put you in this position if we weren’t desperate.”

Val nods, “it sounds serious. What’s going on?”

Nico pulls out his folder and begins talking through the same idea he pitched to us back at SantaScape.

“This sounds interesting but can I ask why you thought we were the people to bring this to?” Beau asks. He’s not rude, just confused.

Nico gestures for me to take over.

“We understand that right now, this sounds like a supermarket holiday aisle idea. We thought so too,” I say with a playful smile. “I thought we should bring it to your team because of your sustainability efforts.”

Val’s eyes light up before she shares a sly smile with her partners. “You want to make an eco-friendly line of diverse holiday decor.”

“Exactly,” I tell her. I’m impressed with how quickly she caught on.

Romeo’s face is full of curiosity. “And how fast are you hoping to move this process.”

Nico speaks up, “As fast as we can.”

I watch as Val looks at both of her partners, sharing looks that must be communicating without vocalizing any words.

Meeting my eyes, Val smiles. “We’re interested. It aligns with an initiative of mine and I think that if we were to work together, with the right team, this could be something incredible.”

“But,” Kane asks.

I tap his knee with my open hand, trying to scold him without them noticing.

“But we need to pitch it to Hart, too,” Val says kindly.

I see Romeo and Beau look over her head to share matching grins. Something tells me that Hart doesn’t often say no to Val.

Reaching across the table, I shake each of their hands before Kane does the same.

“One more thing, if you wouldn’t mind,” Nico says and we all take our seats again. “I have a really big favor to ask and it’s not an easy one.”

He explains his idea and I absolutely adore it.

So does Val.

I just hope it works.