Do You Believe in Santa? by Sierra Donovan Page B

not for that.”
    Mandy tried to keep her thoughts clear. He’d been open and direct with her; he’d stuck his neck out. She could do the same. Instead of taking the safe route, she could repay honesty with honesty. She should do it. This was a perfect time.
    She tried to imagine telling him: Jake, I believe in Santa Claus.
    Instantly, she pictured the look on his face: disbelief, maybe followed by amusement. Or a hint of pity. She’d seen those expressions too many times growing up. She didn’t want to see any of them on Jake. Not now. Not unless there was no way around it.
    He saw her for what she was—most of it, anyway—without the preconceptions of everyone else in town. He liked what he saw. And she liked the way he looked at her.
    Let me have this. At least for a while.
    It was August. Things were quieter at the store. His hotel project might not even get off the ground, and he could be gone before the Christmas season even started. She didn’t like to think that way, but it was a possibility.
    Maybe he’d never know.
    And maybe the Brooklyn Bridge was still for sale.
    Jake pulled her out of her thoughts. “You’ve got another reason to worry about your reputation, you know.”
    She eyed him cautiously. “What do you mean?”
    â€œWell, here we are at the drive-in. I told you, everyone knows what goes on at these places.”
    His grin was teasing, and once again, Mandy felt light as a feather. A feeling that she was just where she belonged, because she knew exactly what to say.
    â€œI feel pretty safe,” she said. “After all, this truck doesn’t have a backseat.”
    His eyes glimmered as if she’d challenged him with a dare. Before she knew it, he’d pulled her into another delicious kiss. It was several minutes before either of them spoke again.
    When Jake lifted his lips from hers, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “So, can I take you out to dinner again tonight? In front of God and everybody?”
    Not trusting her voice, Mandy nodded.

Chapter 5
    Jake stepped out of Tall Pine’s only commercial real estate agency with five property listings and a promise from the real estate agent to track down the out-of-town owner of the old drive-in site.
    Inside, he’d gotten his first taste of what Mandy had warned him about. When he went in asking about property, the receptionist’s eyebrows had shot up. He felt like the guy in the movies who strolled into the saloon saying he was looking for the fastest gun in the West.
    He fired up the truck and went to check out the other properties. The agent had offered to take him out to look, but he hadn’t seemed too disappointed when Jake said he wanted to do the initial exploring on his own. No high pressure there, but then, the man might not have taken him seriously. Jake had probably looked like a kid with a checkbook, possibly an empty one at that. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been taken for a guy fresh out of college. Sometimes there were advantages to being underestimated.
    Once he brought up Regal Hotels, it would be a different ball game.
    He checked out the locations and made conscientious notes of the pros and cons. By lunchtime, he gave in to the magnetic pull of The North Pole. After all, he had to eat, and there was no reason he had to do it alone.
    But when he walked into the store, he didn’t see Mandy. Instead, a woman with glasses and meticulous dark gray hair stood behind the counter. Mrs. Swanson, at a guess.
    He considered feigning some browser-type behavior while he waited to see if Mandy emerged from the stock room, but decided to stick with the direct approach. As he walked up to the counter, Jake found himself standing a little straighter. For some reason he’d pictured Mrs. Swanson as a grandmotherly, Mrs. Santa Claus type. Based on her professional demeanor, that wasn’t the case. “Is Mandy