The Beauty Charmed Santa

By Shirley Jump

Santa's the one on the naughty list this year!

When Cole Benson agrees to play Old Saint Nick at a Boston-area mall, the former actor is desperate to regain his career. What he doesn't count on is his seeing his ex, Stephanie Taylor, working as one of the elves. The fire that once simmered between them is lit all over again, and Cole begins to wonder if maybe he can bring about a second chance this Christmas.

He doesn't realize that Stephanie is hiding a big secret, one that will put this Santa in a compromising position, and make him wonder whether he did the right thing leaving town all those years ago. Stephanie takes a chance on falling for the playboy again, even if it means waking up alone on Christmas morning. Is Santa here to stay this time? Will he become the family man Stephanie needs? Or will he hop in his sleigh as soon as the holiday is over?

*Special bonus material: Recipes written by the characters inside!*

• Language: English
• Publisher: TKA Distribution
• Release date: Dec 9, 2012
• ISBN: 9781937776466

Shirley Jump

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shirley Jump spends her days writing romance to feed her shoe addiction and avoid cleaning the toilets. She cleverly finds writing time by feeding her kids junk food, allowing them to dress in the clothes they find on the floor and encouraging the dogs to double as vacuum cleaners. Chat with her via Facebook: www.facebook.com/shirleyjump.author or her website: www.shirleyjump.com.

Book preview

Other Books by Shirley Jump

The Sweet and Savory Novel Series:

The Groom Wanted Seconds: A Novella (prequel)

The Bride Wore Chocolate (Book One)

The Devil Served Desire (Book Two)

The Angel Tasted Temptation (Book Three)

The Playboy Savored Seduction (Book Four)

The Boss Courted Trouble (Book Five)

The Beauty Charmed Santa: A Christmas Novella

The Millionaire Tempted Fate: A Novella

More From Shirley:

The Sweetheart Bargain

The Sweetheart Rules

Really Something

Around the Bend

Return of the Last McKenna

Simply the Best

Visit Shirley Online:

www.ShirleyJump.com

www.Twitter.com/ShirleyJump

www.Facebook.com/ShirleyJump.Author

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Table of Contents

THE BEAUTY CHARMED SANTA

Other Books by Shirley Jump

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

More from Shirley Jump!

Excerpt from The Bride Wore Chocolate

Excerpt from The Devil Served Desire

Excerpt from The Angel Tasted Temptation

Copyright Information

Author Bio

Chapter One

This was what his life had come down to. This was how far an Emmy-winning actor could fall. And for Cole Benson, this was what failure looked like.

Exactly like…Santa Claus.

Cole stood in front of a full-length mirror in a smelly locker room in the back of the Orchard Mall, dressed in a faux white beard, a red cap topped with a poufy pompom and a thick, heavy pillow stuffed under a velvet red suit that itched around the collar and weighed more than a small Labrador. Cole had been transformed into the big guy himself, ready to sit in this stuffy suit for hours on end while little kids peed on his thigh and whispered their dreams of a pony for Christmas.

Ho-ho-ho, he said to his reflection, with all the enthusiasm of a teenager going to a movie with Grandma. The image on the other side of the mirror didn’t look merry or bright or anything other than miserable. Probably because that damned pillow on his gut weighed about ten thousand pounds and looked like the back side of a slab of beef. Realism, the mall manager had called it. Torture, Cole replied.

He cleared his throat. Practiced his voice exercises like he was on a set and about to deliver a powerful scene. He tried again. Ho-ho-ho.

Yeah, not much better. God, his life sucked. He’d pictured a triumphant return to Boston, one that involved screaming fans, girls begging for autographs and a mob scene everywhere he went. He was going to get his mob scene in a few minutes—but only because the kids were sucking up to Santa to secure an xBox under the tree.

Cole’s cell phone rang, and he fished it out of the deep pockets in the oversized pants. Remind me again why I am not going to kill you.

On the other end, Jerry Rodale, Cole’s agent and the man who had booked this gig, just laughed. Because you're getting paid and because you’re grateful to have a job at this, the merriest time of year.

Cole looked down at the vinyl boots, the faux fur trim, the plastic belt with a fake metal clasp. Yes, he had a job, and given the bills he had waiting for him, he needed to remember that. Still, the whole thing sucked. At least the beard would keep him from getting recognized. That was the last thing he needed in the tabloids: Emmy Winner Drops to New Low: Mall Santa. He sighed. He should be grateful. This was a job and a means of atonement. You’re right.

I’m always right. Jerry chuckled. Listen, get through this, and by the time you get back to L.A., I’m going to have some fabulous opportunities for you. This Santa gig will get you mega brownie points with the exec at Holiday Pictures. Dexter knows he’s going to owe you big time, which means you’re on the way back, Cole.

Cole was a last-minute fill-in for the regular Santa, who had come down with the flu yesterday. Todd Dexter, the exec at Holiday, owned a controlling interest in the mall, and had asked Jerry to find him a stand-in who wouldn’t suck, needed the money, and didn’t have a rap sheet that contained the words kiddie porn.

Jerry, I’m a mall Santa, Cole said. "I don’t have kids, I don’t know what to do with kids, and I don’t think I even like kids. It doesn’t get any worse than this. He glanced at his reflection again. Good Lord, he looked like Wilford Brimley after a week-long bender. I have an Emmy, for God’s sake."

Yeah it does get worse, Jerry said. Just ask Sam Jones.

Who?

Exactly. If you don’t want to be a one-hit wonder, suck it up, buttercup, and get your jolly on. Jerry laughed his fool head off, then hung up the phone.

There was a knock on the locker room door, and a girl wearing an elf costume poked her head in the room. She looked young enough to still be dreaming of yearbooks and prom dates. Ready, Santa?

As ready as I’ll ever be. Cole adjusted his belly, then headed for the door. Suck it up, buttercup.

Well, he would if doing so wouldn’t give him a hernia.

He emerged into the faux daylight mall, and in ten seconds was swarmed like a piece of sugar at an ant party. Kids came from all over, screaming Santa! Santa! and launching themselves at him, pleading their case for good behavior, and asking for bikes and ponies in the next breath. The elf—Tiffany, Terrie, he couldn’t remember what she’d said—paced beside Cole like a miniature bodyguard, waving off the kids and telling them to get in line so they could get an overpriced 5x8 commemorative photo.

A gingerbread house had been erected in the center of the mall, between a Bath & Body Works and a Gymboree. Macy’s held the anchor position behind him, decorated with holiday swag like the rest of the mall. From the inside, the Orchard Mall looked like any other mall in America. Outside, the city of Boston sat a few miles away, a mecca to thousands of aspiring college students, always ready partiers, and harried office workers. For Cole, the city and the suburbs around it represented prison of high expectations and crushing disappointments. This place held a lot of dark memories—and one bright spot.

One bright person, rather. The only person he had missed when he left the East Coast. And the one person he had hoped to see again someday—only he’d imagined a reunion where he was wearing more impressive clothes than this ho-ho-horrible costume.

Cole paused, waiting while Tiffany/Terrie opened the gate of the foot-high white picket fence that surrounded Santa’s house and kept the building cordoned off from the rest of the mall. A red carpet led from the gated entrance of Santa’s Village to the big guy’s high-backed brown leather chair.

Cole stepped onto the carpet. Pretty damned ironic that the first time he would walk a