Jingle All the Way

Chapter One

Everly Lancaster was ready to explode. Her assistant, Annette, the very one Jack Campbell, her business partner and CEO, had highly recommended she hire, who also happened to be his niece, had made yet another crucial mistake. One in a long list of costly errors. This time, however, this Gen Z, spoiled, irresponsible, entitled young woman had gone too far.

Annette Howington had mortified Everly in front of five hundred real estate brokers.

It s really not that big a deal, Annette insisted, smiling as if to suggest this had all been a small misunderstanding. You did fine without your speech.

The award banquet held in the posh Ritz-Carlton Hotel, half a block off Chicago s Magnificent Mile, honored the top brokers for the online real estate company Easy Home. As Everly stepped onto the podium to deliver her carefully crafted speech, she discovered that her empty-headed assistant had downloaded the wrong talk and graphics. As a result, Everly had been forced to stumble through what she remembered of it. To her acute embarrassment, she d sounded ill prepared, fumbling over words and names.

Everly was always at the top of her game. She did not stand up before a crowded banquet room and make a fool of herself.

Not that big a deal? Everly repeated, after the banquet. Annette had tried to escape without Everly noticing. No such luck. Everly had the assistant in her sights, and no way was she letting Annette sneak out.

This is the last straw, Everly said, managing to keep her anger under control. I ve given you every opportunity. I m afraid I m going to have to let you go.

You re firing me? Annette asked in utter disbelief. But I m doing the best I can. For emphasis, she added a loud sniffle. You ve never liked me. From the day I started you ve been demanding and critical. Her eyes filled with tears as if that would be enough to convince Everly to change her mind. She sniffled again for extra measure, her shoulders making

Debbie Macomber, the author of It's Better This Way, A Walk Along the Beach, Window on the Bay, Cottage by the Sea, Any Dream Will Do, If Not for You, and the Rose Harbor Inn series, is a leading voice in women's fiction. Thirteen of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber’s Cedar Cove books. She is, as well, the author of the cookbook Debbie Macomber’s Table. There are more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide.