Holiday Affair by Lisa Plumley

Puzzled by his sudden vehemence, Karina chose her next words carefully. “But you know as well as I do that the kids are supposed to be with me during the holidays anyway. And you and Chelsea are going to be out of the country with her parents, remember? So it’s not as though you—”
    “As though I have any choice in the matter?” Eric interrupted. “That’s right. I don’t.” His frown deepened. “The fact is, you’re depriving me of my right to see my children.”
    Since when was he so pedantic about his visitation rights? He certainly hadn’t been this nitpicky last month when he’d asked to skip a weekend visit. And that time his only excuse had been that he’d wanted to “catch some tasty waves” with Chelsea.
    Caught beneath her ex-husband’s baleful glare, Karina stiffened her spine. There was no way she was backing down on this. No. Way. This was her chance to give the kids the Christmas they’d always dreamed of—the Christmas they deserved.
    Nobody—not even Eric—was getting in the way of that.
    “Eric, be reasonable.” Even as the words left her mouth, Karina thought better of them. Eric plus reasonable did not compute. “Or at least listen: There’s a good reason for all this.” Aside from your children’s need for a happy Christmas this year. “The B&B we’re going to is an all-inclusive vacation spot specializing in Christmas getaways.” Is that the ultimate, or what? “Stephanie was supposed to evaluate the place as her next assignment for Edgware. But Blake is really, really sick right now.” My poor little nephew. “He has a flu bug or food poisoning or something. So Stephanie can’t do the evaluation, and it’s too late to line up someone else from Edgware at the last minute. Most of the other consultants are on personal leave for the holidays. Cancelling is out of the question, so Steph asked me to fill in. In secret. All I have to do is upload the evaluation forms every day—and not alert any of the other guests or the management to my real purpose at the B&B, of course.”
    “Ooh! Like a spy!” Chelsea cooed. “Or one of those secret shoppers! Except for a B&B, I mean. That’s so cool, K!”
    “Thanks, C.” Ugh. She hated herself for going along with that silly nickname stuff. But it just slipped out. And at least someone was happy for her, Karina thought rebelliously. “The bonus is, the kids and I get a free vacation out of the deal.”
    “Merry Christmas to you!” Chelsea chirped.
    “I know. It’s sort of perfect.” Since I could never afford it otherwise. Thanks a lot, divorce. “The kids were superexcited when I told them about it. It’ll be their first time on an airplane. Their first time traveling to another state.”
    “Their first time abandoning their dad on Christmas.”
    “Their first time seeing snow! And icicles!” Chelsea shot Eric a quelling look. “I’m so happy for you guys, K.”
    “That’s really nice of you, C.”
    Eric rolled his eyes. Karina ignored him. It was too bad if her ex couldn’t handle her and Chelsea getting along. And while she was genuinely concerned about her little sick nephew, she was also determined to help out her sister. If by doing so she could give Olivia, Michael, and Josh a picture-perfect holiday—the kind of holiday she could never pull off on her own—well, that was a slam dunk. Eric ought to be able to understand that.
    “Justin is already in Hong Kong on business,” Karina explained further, “so he can’t stay with Blake himself. And the job is supposed to start tomorrow, so Stephanie really needs my help. She’s totally at her wit’s end—”
    “She must be if she’s trusting you to handle things,” Eric said snidely. “Everyone knows you’re a soft touch when someone needs a favor, but you’re not exactly competent, K. ”
    Shocked by Eric’s bluntness, Karina gaped at him. Since their split, he’d been distant, dismissive, and occasionally delusional. But he’d never been