Chapter One

Loren

"How much more stuff do you have?" Cicily Barton leaned her head around the corner to double-check that no one else was around.

"I'm pretty sure I can get the rest of it with one more load." Loren Johnson adjusted the plastic bags she was carrying. The handles were stretched, spread so thin from the weight of what was inside, she hoped she could get them all into the storage closet before one decided to tear. The walk from the parking garage, the ride up the elevators, then down the long corridor had left her winded.

Thank goodness she hadn't had to use the main entrance of the hospital. The recent addition to Eastport General sure saved a lot of steps, but the fact she was trying to hurry and get everything inside before Dr. Sewell got there almost left her wondering if maybe she'd brought too much stuff.

Nah, she didn't think so—you could never have too many decorations for Christmas—but she'd decide once they were finished decorating if she needed to pick up anything else. Some of this had come from her personal stash, stuff she no longer needed, but she'd found quite a bit from the craft store she frequented often. The best part…she hadn't paid full price for any of it. She loved a good sale and the deals were too good to pass up.

Her plan was to work on it a little bit each morning before they opened and hopefully by Friday it'd all come together. Their office would be a gorgeous winter wonderland. She'd gotten so many compliments last Christmas, it was going to be hard to beat. If Dr. Sewell had a problem with it, he could take it up with her later. This place needed to be cheery and bright, not dull and miserable.

She couldn't wait to set up the hot cocoa bar in the breakroom, a clever idea she'd come across online. And since hot chocolate could get a little pricey, she'd found a yummy recipe for making a homemade, super-sized batch they could keep underneath the cabinet. The best part was finding mugs to suit everyone's personalities. Dr. Sewell might not appreciate his, but she couldn't resist getting him the one with The Grinch on the front.

The poor guy wasn't fond of any holiday, but Christmas just seemed to grate on his nerves more than any of the others.

Cicily reached out to grab one of the bags just before it hit the floor. "Caught it. Damn, girl, what do you have in there?"

Loren didn't have time to give specifics, but Cicily could look for herself while she ran back out to grab the last haul. "Just stuff it in the closet. I'll work on getting some sturdier bags later for when we take it all down the first of the year."

"Oh, I love that garland. Where on Earth did you find it?" Cicily pulled a piece out and ran her fingers across the foiled candy canes woven into the greenery. "It's so cute!"

"I'll tell you when I get back."

When Loren reached her car, she slid her hand inside the front pocket on her scrub top to retrieve her key fob. Except it wasn't there. She then patted the pockets on her sweater, which only caused her heart to drop. Her keys…where were they?

She walked around the outside of her car to see if they'd somehow slipped from her hand with the haul she'd taken in earlier, but she couldn't see anything. She even peered inside the car, but she wouldn't have been able to lock it if that had been the case. Oh, dear. She prayed she hadn't dropped them inside the elevator.

"Good morning, Ms. Johnson. Is everything okay?"

Loren jumped hearing his voice. It was just as she'd feared. Of all days for him to arrive early. She didn't want to admit she'd gotten there early so she could begin decorating—November 1 st wasn't too soon, was it? So, she decided to mention that her keys were unaccounted for instead. "I can't seem to find my keys. I thought I might have left them in the car."

"Oh," he exclaimed, walking up beside her. "That's not good."

Loren caught a whiff of his aftershave or whatever it is that men wear these days and stumbled. Whoa, he smelled good enough to lick. Woodsy with a hint of vanilla and mint . She reached for the side of her car to regain her footing before he had a chance to notice. Lord knows, she didn't need him thinking she was tipsy.

"I…" she paused to consider her wording. "I had my hands full, so they could be anywhere really."

"That's not good. Have you retraced your steps? Perhaps someone turned them in?"

"Good idea. I'll check at the front desk and see if someone found them." Loren walked around her car once more, just to be on the safe side. As soon as he disappeared around the corner, she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Loren?"

"Jackson's on his way up. Quick! Make sure everything is put away. I don't want him throwing a fit." Loren blurted without taking a breath. "I'll get the rest of this stuff later."

"Everything's safely inside the closet. Stop worrying."

"One more thing. Have you seen my keys?"

"Keys? As in the keys to your car?"

What other kind of keys would she be talking about?

"Yes, my car keys. I got all the way down here and realized I didn't have them on me." Which was probably a good thing now that she thought about it. She would've hated explaining why she was unloading bags of Christmas decorations from her car.

"I wondered what was taking you so long to get back. Let me see if they're next to your purse."

"Thanks. He seems to be in a good mood for a change. Thank goodness. I've had enough of his grumpiness lately. I like working for him, but some days—"

"Ms. Johnson? So you think I'm grumpy, eh?"

Loren turned around, the coloring immediately draining from her face. "Dr. Sewell. You startled me."

"I can see that. Your face says as much."

"I wasn't talking about you. I was referring to my…uh, my neighbor." Loren was close to tears.

"I didn't realize you had a second job." Dr. Sewell wasn't one for biting his tongue.

Second job? Loren wrinkled her brow. Oh, God, so he had overheard her. "I can explain."

"There's no need to explain yourself. I'm just going to grab my badge out of my car. Since I forgot it earlier. And I'll do us both a favor and work on that grumpiness." Jack winked then continued on to his vehicle.

Loren didn't know if she should laugh or cry. Of all the things for her to say, why did she have to say that he was grumpy? If she were able to get into her car, she'd probably drive back home. If this were any indication of how the rest of her day was going to be, then she was in trouble.