More Than Candy Corn: The Maple Leaf Series

By Christine DePetrillo

A Halloween Maple Leaf Series Novella

 

Sienna Faye makes her living designing toys for her father's Boston company, Faye Toys. Working for her father brings many pressures, some in the form of a video gaming heir he wants her to marry because it would be "good for business." Attending Super Con in St. Martin right before Halloween is just the escape she needs to hide and avoid telling her father she won't use marriage as a merger. The conference also gives her an excuse to have some fun in a fairy costume. 

 

Max Devon writes and illustrates graphic novels for his rabid teen readers. He loves his work, but every woman he's been with so far has trashed his career, telling him he'll never grow up if he always surrounds himself with superhero figurines and other nonsense. They just don't understand where inspiration comes from. Super Con is his chance to take a break from women or, if he takes his brother's advice, it could be a place to "just get laid," no strings attached. 

 

When Sienna stops at Max's booth at Super Con, the connection is instant. But if Sienna brings Max home, her father will flip. If Max lets Sienna into his heart, she could stomp all over it. Is a magical time in St. Martin enough to change everything for them both?

 

 

The Maple Leaf Series, contemporary romance
"Fears, pride, love, passion ~ beautifully woven together with substance and depth."

More Than Pancakes

More Than Cookies

More Than Rum

More Than Pizza

More Than Cocoa

More Than Peaches

Other Series by Christine DePetrillo
The One Kind Deed Series, contemporary romance
"The town, the people, the love story... a perfect romance."

The Warrior Wolves Series, paranormal romance
"Full of memorable characters with a solid plot and plenty of passion."

The Shielded Series, sci-fi romance
"Great world-building, excellent emotional depth, and a great ending..."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christine DePetrillo
• Release date: Oct 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516340330

Book preview

MORE THAN CANDY CORN

A Halloween Maple Leaf Series Novella

by Christine DePetrillo

Copyright 2015 Christine DePetrillo

All Rights Reserved

Cover design by Dar Albert of

Wicked Smart Designs

www.wickedsmartdesigns.com

Edited by Janet Hitchcock

www.theproofisinthereading.wordpress.com

––––––––

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the copyright owners except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.

Author Contact:

Website: www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/christinedepetrilloauthor

Find our cozy Reader Group, SMALL TOWN HEARTS, on Facebook and join!

Dedication

For those of us who still love costumes

and Halloween treats...

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Check out the rest of the Maple Leaf Series!

Check out the One Kind Deed Series!

Check out the Warrior Wolves Series!

About the Author

Chapter One

A toy is never just a toy.

Sienna Faye held up one of her latest designs—a fairy doll in a cool leaf pod—so the assembled conference attendees could see it. This was her fifth year presenting at Super Con, held every October at Le Soliel Resort on the island of Saint Martin, and like many of the vendors, she’d brought along her most creative new project to conclude her talk and to entice customers.

A toy represents imagination, amusement, and an escape from reality. Whether you are six years old or eighty-six, everyone enjoys those three things.

She passed a few different models of the fairy doll to conference volunteers who wandered around the audience, showcasing the toys to eager onlookers. Many of the attendees were hardcore collectors who lived for these first glances at new toys that hadn’t hit the market yet. Collectors who wouldn’t take the toy out of the box for fear of reducing its value. Sienna always loved their energy and their devotion to spreading the good word. Faye Toys had built an empire through people like the ones in the auditorium with her now.

Ms. Faye! called a voice from the crowd. When will these be available?

Sienna smiled. She had them hooked already. The fairy dolls had the right blend of whimsy, magic, and dark beauty to make them irresistible to children and adults.

They won’t be sold in stores or online until the end of October, right around Halloween, but... She paused dramatically, and the audience collectively leaned toward the stage. You wonderful folks have the chance to win the very first ones. Visit the Faye Toys booth on Level 3 of the conference to enter.

With that announcement, a buzz of activity started in the aisles as people collected their things and made their way toward the exits of the auditorium. The Faye Toys booth would no doubt be swarmed in seconds.

Sienna unplugged her laptop and packed up her props. Her booth would need her presence very soon. She made a quick stop at the restroom where she finger-combed her long, straight, black hair and applied more lip gloss. Her hazel eyes always appeared bloodshot in public bathroom mirrors, her dark skin a little less than radiant, but that was what happened on these trips. Little sleep plus fluorescent lighting always won the assault on her system, but it was worth it. The business increase she would see from attending this conference would help Faye Toys make—and probably exceed—its annual income goals.

Besides, she’d needed to get away from home. Away from Boston. Away from her father and his constant pressure to marry Skip Malino, heir to Malino Gaming.

Marrying Skip would join Faye Toys to the biggest video game manufacturer on the East Coast, her father, Daniel Faye, had said. This is good business, Sienna.

Yeah, because marriage should be about good business.

She’d pushed both her father and Skip off for a while now, but they were turning up the heat on a daily basis. Things were going to get ugly. Soon. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried to see her father’s side of the issue. She’d gone out with Skip a few times, but at the end of the night, she couldn’t dispute the fact that the guy just wasn’t a good match for her. Though he was thirty-four, only a year older than Sienna, he was old-school. He wanted her to look pretty on his arm when they went out together. He didn’t think she should work. He thought she should pump out a series of babies—sons, if she could manage it—and stay home to raise the brood.

Totally not on Sienna’s life agenda. That life was for other people. Not her. A big world existed out there, and she wanted to see all of it while designing every toy she could dream up.

Plus, Skip was no good with numbers. Sure, the guy had impeccable taste in food, theater, and knew what made an awesome video game, but he mixed up numbers all the time. Phone numbers, dates, times, invoices. He was constantly putting numbers in the wrong order. It was a disability, and Sienna had some compassion for that, but still, it bugged her. She needed a numerically reliable man. Her life was dictated by numbers. How many new toys needed to be developed in a year to keep Faye Toys on top? What did polls show about how many boys and girls liked a particular toy and what age groups were they in? What was a good price for a toy? How many toys had to be shipped to a retailer? The list of necessary numbers was endless! She didn’t see how Skip could function with his number confusion.  

Setting thoughts of her father and Skip aside, she navigated her way through throngs of costumed conference attendees. People were dressed up as every toy, comic book superhero, and science fiction or fantasy character one could imagine. She’d seen five Ninja Warrior Wolves based on the Faye Toys action figure and related animated television series. It always cracked her up to see living, breathing representations of toys she’d cultivated.

Finally, she arrived at her booth where Christie Simms, her assistant and best friend, fired out contest entry forms to the grabby hands of fans interested in winning a first edition fairy doll.

Thank the Goddess you’re here! Christie yelled over the din of crazed collectors. It’s been nonstop for the last ten minutes. She puffed out a breath to blow away an errant curl of golden hair.

My lecture just got out. Sienna slid behind the table at her booth and handed out Faye Toys pens so people could fill in their entry forms.

So I can see your talk went horribly. Christie elbowed Sienna before reaching below the table for more forms.

They absolutely hated me.

Christie laughed as she plunged a hand into the large, clear plastic tub they used for the entries. She pushed the forms down to make room for more which flurried down the moment she extracted her hand.

For the next twenty minutes, the two women handed out forms, collected them, and sold products. When it finally died down, Christie offered Sienna a bottle of water then grabbed her own. They each gulped half the contents then touched the bottles in a toast of sorts.

To dorks who love toys, Christie whispered.

To nerds who haven’t grown up, Sienna added.

I know I complain every year about coming to this because Boston in October is so beautiful, Christie began, but there is an energy here you can’t deny.

Speaking of which, Sienna said, do you mind if I go scout around for a few? I want to see if there are any booths that inspire toy ideas.

Scout away. I can hold down this ten by ten fort. Christie gestured to the small booth. Bring back anyone you find that is cute or tall, preferably both.

Got it.

Or you could give Skip to me. Christie winked.

I’ve told you several times you can have him.

Yeah, and then your father can kill me. Christie pushed Sienna out from behind the booth. Go.

Sienna gave her a wave and slipped into the current of people wandering from booth to booth. She visited several friends first, fellow entrepreneurs she’d been seeing at Super Con for the past five years. People who were promoting their goods as she was. There were other toy shops, but none as big as Faye Toys. Sienna prayed it would always stay that way.

Costumers specializing in gothic apparel for the Gothic Gala being held that night as part of the conference sold every costume you could imagine in their booths. Science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal authors along with graphic novel distributors and other related vendors filled most of the other booths; some even hosted TV and movie celebrities. Sienna recalled the year she’d had her picture taken with James Earl Jones and a full-sized Darth Vader cardboard cutout. She’d framed it and hung it in her office. It was one of her prized possessions.  

Super Con was undoubtedly a haven for pasty nerds of all ages, diehard fans who spent way too much time in the video game world and not enough time in reality. But she made big bucks off such people, so she wasn’t about to suggest a life change to them. No way. Just because she preferred the sunshine, hikes outdoors in the woods, and long swims in the ocean before she settled indoors to watch Star Wars didn’t mean these people had to love that too. There was enough room on this blue marble called Earth for all kinds.

A booth up ahead caught her attention. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the booth so much as the giant of a man standing inside the booth. He had chin-length blond hair, a scant beard framing a solid jaw line, an impressive set of full lips, and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. They were glacial yet something warm and inviting swam inside