Santa Maybe (The Duchess Hotel #1)

Chapter 20

Twenty

11 Days Until Christmas

Rosie was running on fumes. Instead of indulging in happy hour at Pepe’s, she and the Damsels were preparing the breakfast room for their first “Festive Friday” event. They’d set up a hot cocoa bar with plenty of toppings: whipped cream, sprinkles, caramel sauce, crushed Oreos, marshmallows, and candy canes. The buffet was loaded with trays of cookies, gingerbread people, and butter tarts.

Kate arrived just before seven to help with the sing-along, carrying a guitar and a bulging tote bag. She was a wisp of a thing, barely five feet tall, but she radiated vibrant energy. Her outfit included a bright red dress embellished with sparkling white snowflakes and a necklace of flashing holiday lights. Atop her russet-brown curls was a makeshift crown made of holly.

Upon spotting Rosie, she drew her into a hug. “Rosie! I feel like I know you already. Drew’s talked about you so much.”

“Thanks. It’s great to meet you. I can’t tell you what a lifesaver you’ve been, providing all those craft items for our Saturday events.”

“I was glad to do it. I have so many supplies that Drew calls me a crafting hoarder. Speaking of my brother, is he coming tonight?”

Rosie couldn’t help but smile. “He’ll be here soon. He’s been a huge help.”

“I’m not surprised. That’s the kind of guy he is.” Kate gave her a conspiratorial grin. “To be honest, you’ve made him so happy that he enjoys doing it.”

A little thrill shot through Rosie, but then she wondered how much Kate knew. Had Drew told her they were pretending, or did she think it was real? Before Rosie could ask her, Charlie rushed over and gave Kate a hug.

“You’re here!” she said. “Thanks for coming to serenade us.”

“My singing voice isn’t the best, but my guitar skills are decent.” Kate pulled a thick packet of papers from her tote bag. “I printed out a bunch of song sheets for our guests, in case they don’t know the words.”

“Awesome, thank you!” Charlie flipped through them. “I’m so excited! I set up my keyboard over there in the corner. I can’t wait for us to jam together!”

When Rosie unlocked the doors at seven, about a dozen people streamed in. A few wore ugly Christmas sweaters, while others were casually dressed. Not as many guests as she’d hoped for, but the event had just started. She was about to check the lobby to see if anyone else was lingering out there when the sight of two familiar faces stopped her cold. Was that her mother? And her father? Though tonight’s event was open to the public, she hadn’t thought to mention it to her parents.

She stared in surprise as they walked into the breakfast room, followed by Jaime and Camila and then Isabella and her husband, who was carrying their daughter, Graciela, on his hip. Beside him was Drew, looking festive in a dark green sweater with a red-nosed reindeer on the front.

Mamá came over and embraced her. “Surprise, mija. We’re here to crash your party!”

Rosie hugged her back, inhaling the scents of vanilla and cinnamon, which meant Mamá had started her holiday baking in earnest. “Thanks for coming. I didn’t think you knew about this.”

“A little birdie told us.” Mamá looked back at Drew with a wink before returning her attention to Rosie. “You’re looking peaked. I hope you’re not working too hard.”

“I’m trying not to.” But all the concealer in the world couldn’t hide the bags under her eyes. “Once the holidays are over, I can relax.”

Or so she hoped. If she lost her job, she’d be more wound up than ever. But she wasn’t going to tell her mom that.

Isabella grinned at her. “Hey, Rosie. We’re here because of this guy.” She pointed at Drew. “He called yesterday and gave me the lowdown. Said it might be fun if we showed up.”

Drew gave Rosie a sheepish smile. “I hope that’s okay. I figured you might need a few extra guests to fill up the room.”

It wasn’t just okay. It was incredibly thoughtful, a gesture that allowed her to include her family in her work world. “It’s great. Thank you so much. I love your Rudolph sweater.”

“Thanks. Gotta represent that famous reindeer, even if he’s a total attention hog.”

As her family headed toward the buffet table, Drew leaned over and kissed her cheek. “By the way, you look positively delectable in that dress.”

On Charlie’s advice, she’d swapped out her usual business attire for a crimson sweater dress and dark red pumps. The appreciative look in Drew’s eyes confirmed she’d made the right decision. “Thanks. Do you want to come over tonight—after we’re done here?”

“I’d love to.” He lowered his voice, his breath warm in her ear. “I’ve been dreaming about you all day.”

Even if they weren’t actually dating, there was nothing fake about the passion they shared in the bedroom. The last time he’d come over after work, they’d both been so eager that they hadn’t made it into bed. He’d taken her up against the wall, which was something she thought only happened in romance novels.

As her cheeks heated up, she pulled away and gave him a gentle nudge. “Behave yourself. My whole family is here, as well as your sister.”

He scanned the room and smiled at the sight of her. “I’m going to say hi.”

“Hang on. I have something for you.” She fished a key out of her pocket, attached to a key chain with the hotel’s logo.

“Sweet. Are we sneaking up to one of the rooms tonight?”

“No way. I’d get fired so fast. It’s one of our old key chains. We replaced them all with key cards a few years ago. This is a key to my apartment. In case I end up working late, you can go there and relax if you want.”

Normally, she’d never give a guy her spare key this early in a relationship because it might send out signals that she was getting too serious, too fast. But she didn’t have to worry about that with Drew.

He tucked it in his pants pocket. “Thanks. If you need help cleaning up, I’m happy to stay.”

“Sure. Let’s see how it goes. Now, go say hi to your sister.”

After he left, Rosie joined her parents, who were standing beside the heavily laden buffet table. “Help yourself. Most of the treats were made by the staff. The head of housekeeping baked those butter tarts, and I can testify they’re delicious.”

“Butter tarts?” her dad said. “Do you know how long it’s been since I had one?”

Mamá clicked her tongue. “Easy on the sweets, mi corazón. Just take one.”

Rosie showed them the carafes lined up on the table. “If you want something to drink, these three have hot chocolate, and this one has hot water for tea. Once everyone’s settled, we’re going to sing carols.”

Mamá cast a glance around the room. “This is the same breakfast room we visited last year, no? I don’t remember it looking this nice.”

“Thanks. We’ve had fun decking it out for Christmas.” Over the past few weeks, the staff had adorned it with holiday lights, potted paperwhites, and poinsettias. One of the front desk clerks had brought in her grandma’s light-up holiday village and set it along one of the window ledges. Another ledge displayed a series of gingerbread houses created by the kitchen staff. The bland room looked so cheerful that Rosie dreaded the thought of returning it to its normal state.

“You’ve done an awesome job,” Isabella said. “Sofia told me she had a blast here.”

“Thanks again for sending her,” Rosie said. “She was fabulous. After she posted her videos, I got a bunch of emails inquiring about the hotel. And our last family Saturday was packed.”

“That’s because of your ‘hot Santa.’ You really lucked out with him.” Isabella waggled her finger at Rosie. “I know how obsessed you are with your job, but don’t let Drew get away. Make sure you hold on to him.”

“Um…yeah. I wouldn’t want to lose him.” Rather than submit to another minute of her sister’s scrutiny, Rosie scrambled for an excuse to break away. “I’d…um…better go do a quick circuit of the room. Enjoy the treats.”

She left her family and strolled around the perimeter of the breakfast room, counting all the attendees. With fewer hotel guests than she’d expected, the addition of her family helped fill out the space. She went over to Charlie, who was organizing the song sheets. “How long do you think we should give people before we start caroling? I was hoping for a few more bodies.”

“Twenty minutes? Give them time to mingle first. If we need more people, I could check the Gilded Lily to see if anyone’s interested.” Charlie gestured to Rosie’s family. “It’s so nice your parents came. I didn’t think to invite mine.”

“I didn’t invite them. Drew did. Which is…um…really nice.”

“He’s so thoughtful. Look at him with Isabella’s daughter. I’ll bet he’d be a great dad.”

Rosie almost didn’t want to look, but when she did, her heart melted into a puddle. While Isabella and her husband loaded up on cookies, Drew was helping them out by holding Graciela. And he looked comfortable doing it.

“Shit,” she muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked.

She couldn’t spill her guts here—not with her family so close at hand. But if she didn’t confide in someone, she might explode. “Can you come with me for a sec? It’s nothing serious, but I need to talk to you alone.”

When Charlie agreed, Rosie led her out of the room, hoping no one would notice if they disappeared for a few minutes. She motioned for Charlie to come into her office. Once they were inside, she shut the door behind them and leaned against it, feeling shaky on her feet.

“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked. “You look flushed. Was it too hot in there? Or did you eat something nasty? The other day, I had sushi at the place down the street and—”

“It’s not sushi. It’s Drew.” Rosie’s pulse was racing, her throat closing up. “I should have known this would happen, but I convinced myself I could handle it. I mean, ‘friends with benefits’ is a thing, right? People do it all the time.”

“Wait. Back up. Friends with benefits ? What kind of benefits are we talking about?” Charlie stared her down. “What am I missing?”

Rosie squirmed under her friend’s gaze. So far, she hadn’t told any of the Damsels that she’d had sex with Drew. Not because she was ashamed but because she was still trying to sort everything out. But if she wanted Charlie’s help, she couldn’t keep this hidden.

“So…um…last Sunday when I helped Drew at the women’s shelter? After we came back to my place, things just sort of happened, and we ended up in bed.”

“Yes.” Charlie squealed. “Was it amazing? Please say it was so I can live through you vicariously.”

“I don’t want to overshare, but…it was glorious. He even spent the night.”

If Charlie was an emoji, she would be the heart-eyes one. “I love it. So, what’s the problem? If you can handle friends with benefits, then you should go for it.”

“I don’t think I can because now I want more than that. I want everything .”

“In other words, a real relationship?”

Rosie couldn’t miss the sarcasm in her friend’s voice. “Yep. You were right. Go ahead and say ‘I told you so’ because I can’t pretend anymore. I’m falling in love with him.” She couldn’t believe she was admitting it, but it felt good to get the words out.

“Why is that a bad thing?” Charlie asked.

“Because it’s not what we agreed on. I’m breaking all the rules.”

“I think you blew past the rules when you had sex. Which is totally okay. Who says things have to stay as they are?” Charlie placed her hand on Rosie’s shoulder. “It’s only December fourteenth. Why not enjoy your time with Drew and see how the rest of the month plays out? Isn’t this agreement supposed to last until Epiphany? By then, he might feel the same way you do.”

“I wish, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

He’d never acted like he wanted more. But if he did, she’d be willing to work for it. Even if she’d gone into this ruse insisting she was too busy for romance, this past week had proved otherwise. With Drew, she could carve out time for her job and her love life.

“You don’t know yet,” Charlie said. “But right now, you’ve got more than enough to deal with. Why not take things one day at a time?”

Rosie nodded. What other choice did she have?

She couldn’t push Drew. But she could at least admit the truth to herself. She was in love with him. And if she could have one wish this Christmas, it would be for him to reciprocate her feelings before their time together was over.

That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?