Chapter 2 - Eve's Christmas Wedding

Eve took a sip from her double shot macchiato and glanced at the door of the coffee house for the twentieth time in less than ten minutes. She strove to keep her face from belying her nervous state, all the while ignoring her trembling knees. Thankfully, they were under the table, out of sight, and unlikely to betray her, unlike the man she waited for. Hunter Nielson would betray his own grandmother if it meant he could chase a news story half way around the globe.

Eve cursed her impulsive phone call. What on earth had possessed her to reach out to her ex-boyfriend for help? She and Hunter hadn't seen each other in over three years. Three years, five months, four days, and twenty-two long hours, if anyone was counting. She closed her eyes against the tsunami of memories that assailed her now that she'd allowed herself to remember their time together.

"Hello, gorgeous."

Eve's eyes flew open. She'd know that gravelly voice anywhere. Listening to it was essentially the audio version of sex. Hunter stood beside her table wearing his trademark outfit of faded jeans and black leather jacket over a black t-shirt. He wore his chestnut brown hair just a tad longer than was fashionable. Some things never changed. She'd do well to remember that. "Hello, Hunter." She met his gaze. Good grief, had his eyes always been that green? "Please have a seat."

But he didn't sit. Instead he leaned toward her and brushed a light kiss across her cheek. "You look beautiful, Eve."

"Thank you." Somehow she managed to make the words sound far more nonchalant than she actually felt. She watched him set his coffee on the table, shrug out of his jacket, and settle into the seat across from her. Hunter was just another man, she reminded herself. The planet was littered with them. Which had to be the single biggest lie she'd ever told, because a man like Hunter Nielson was many things, but commonplace wasn't one of them.

"I was surprised to hear from you," Hunter said. "It's been quite awhile, hasn't it?"

"Thanks for coming," she replied, sidestepping his question. They weren't here to discuss the past. "I need you to help me research something. Someone, actually."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you want me to dig up dirt on a new love interest?" He pointedly gazed at her left hand. "You obviously didn't marry what's his name, the attorney?"

Eve folded her hands into her lap. "His name was Phillip. And no, I didn't marry him."

He nodded his approval. "Smart move. The guy was boring."

Phillip had indeed been boring, there was no disputing that. But after her breakup with Hunter, Eve had craved boring. But she didn't want to think about it now, let alone talk about it with her ex. She cleared her throat. "I'd rather not discuss my love life. Or anything else personal for that matter."

Hunter sat back and draped an arm across the chair next to him, looking for all the world as if he were kicking back with the boys instead of sitting across from the woman whose heart he'd broken to bit and pieces. "What can I do for you, Eve?"

She ignored the wayward answers to his question that popped into her mind. What was wrong with her? Apparently Staci wasn't the only one with raging hormones. "I need you to help me get to the bottom of something."

"I'm listening."

And he was. His attention was focused solely on her, his gaze intent. Hunter had always had the ability to make her feel like she was the only woman in the world when they'd been together. When. It was the 'when' that had always been the problem. "My partner signed a contract that we need to get out of, but, well, it's tricky. This client is what you might call a public figure. Or at least that's how he passes himself off."

Hunter nodded. "Interesting." He took a sip of his coffee, a thoughtful look on his face. "Is he a politician? An actor? Or a corporate tycoon? Let me guess, his press office is giving you the run around?"

"I don't know if he has a press office. For all I know, he may not actually exist." Eve felt suddenly very foolish but it was too late to backpedal out of this conversation now. "Let's just say that he lives in a world of his own."

Hunter leaned forward, his voice a stage whisper. "Mafia?"

Eve laughed, she couldn't help it. "I wouldn't go that far." She looked around the coffee shop, taking in the carefree holiday shoppers who were enjoying a cup of coffee. This whole situation was insane. Staci had dragged her into this, and now she was doing the same to Hunter. She turned her attention back to him. "Basically I want this whole situation to disappear so I can head out of town for the holidays. I need your help."

Hunter watched her for a long moment before he finally spoke. "Then I'm your man."

To her absolute mortification, Eve blushed. She lifted her coffee cup and took several long sips as she struggled to regain her composure. "So you'll help me research this person and figure out what's going on?"

Hunter smiled, clearly amused. "Absolutely. There's no one else I'd rather play cloak and dagger with than you, Eve."

Yes, well, wait until he found out who the client was. She could just imagine his mirth then. The smart thing to do was just get this over with. She reached into her briefcase and pulled out the file that Staci had given her. "We'll see if you're still saying that once you read this." She slid the file across the table.

Hunter took it but didn't immediately open it. "Why call me for help? I'm sure you could have found any number of people to help you sort this out."

Eve shrugged in what she hoped was a casual manner. "Take a look at the file. I think you'll see why the situation isn't as cut and dry as you might think."

She watched as Hunter opened the file and read through it. His facial expression didn't change as he perused Staci's notes. She took the opportunity to study his face while he read. He hadn't changed at all. The way he carried himself was pure bad boy, as if being a sexy rogue was his true identity. But when he spoke, his words were those of a man with a quiet and impressive intelligence. When at last Hunter closed the file and looked at her, she noticed his eyes were filled with humor.

"So this is someone's idea of a joke," he said. "What's got you so concerned?"

"A couple of things, chiefly Staci. She's expecting, and her baby is due on the twenty-third. Obviously, she won't be in any shape to oversee a wedding on the twenty-fourth. But she's beyond adamant that I cover for her."

Hunter studied her. "Why don't you then? Isn't that what partners do?"

"I'm heading out to Hawaii the week before so, no, I can't cover it. I refuse to change my plans. Staci knows that I go to Hawaii this time every year."

"Since when?"

Since she'd been stood up at the altar and gone on a solo honeymoon, but that wasn't Hunter's business. "It's not just that, look at the details. The bride's name is Kris Kringle, for goodness sake. The maid of honor is Carol Claus, and two of the bridesmaids are named Holly and Jolly." She flipped open the file and pointed to the cashier's check clipped to the inside. "This is issued from The North Pole Savings and Loan on behalf of Santa Claus."

Hunter grinned. "I forgot how cute you looked when you were all fired up."

Eve ignored his comment. "Focus, Hunter. We've got a problem here."

Hunter took a long, slow sip of his coffee before he spoke. "Actually, I don't think you do. It's just a harmless holiday prank. Why are you taking it so seriously?"

"I'm not. But Staci is, and the fact she's getting so worked up about the whole thing has me worried. It's not good for her, or for the baby. And not only is she my business partner, she's also my best friend."

"I remember."

"Trust me, I've tried to talk her off the ledge but she insists that she spoke to Santa Claus himself." Eve knew how silly this all sounded and she appreciated that Hunter was hearing her out instead of laughing at her. But he'd always been a good listener. That had been one of his many charms. "She says he told her things about her childhood Christmas's that only the real Santa could possibly know."

Hunter leaned over and touched her lightly on the arm. "You do realize that Santa Claus doesn't really exist, don't you, Eve?"

She pulled back. "Of course I do. But I need proof of that. For Staci's sake. She starts unraveling every time I tell her that we need to just run this file through the shredder and forget the whole thing."

"I guess it wouldn't be smart to get on Santa's bad side."

"Very funny. So will you help me? Please?"

To her immense relief, her ex didn't hesitate. "Absolutely." He reached for the file folder. "Can I take this with me?"

"By all means, please do." Eve reached into her briefcase and pulled out a business card. "Here, take this so you can get in touch with me."

His eyes locked on to hers. "No need. I've got your number memorized."

Her eyebrows rose. "Still?"

"There are some things a man never forgets."

Eve had no idea what to do with that, but a small, traitorous part of her heart delighted in his words. "Wait, are you able to get off of work?" She'd been so wrapped up in this North Pole nonsense that she hadn't given any thought to whether or not he was in the middle of a story.

"I'm between assignments." He grinned. "Besides, scoping out this Santa Claus story is a nice change of pace. Now, can you meet me back here first thing tomorrow morning? And bring an overnight bag with a change of clothes." Hunter stood and slipped his jacket on.

Startled, Eve stared up at him. "Why?"

A slow smile stretched across his far too handsome face. "Because I'm going to set up a meeting with this Santa Claus character. My guess would be that it's more than a day trip. With any luck we'll end up at the North Pole."

Eve watched as Hunter threaded his way through the tables and left the coffee shop. For several long minutes she sat and stared at the door. A trip to the North Pole? What had she just signed up for?