Read Red Hot Christmas for Free Online Page A

he wanted to be, the last thing he would have said was a graphic designer and programmer. Not only did the job not exist fifteen years ago, but there was no way he would have said he could sit still long enough to create anything.
     
    ADHD had been a huge hindrance in his school work, not to mention the dyslexia that ran in his family. His grandfather and father had struggled with it their whole lives. Sometimes he had to step away from the computer screen and run around the block, just to stay focused.
     
    The weekly basketball games with Iian, Aaron, and a few other guys helped center his mind. Lately, they had added a few new members, since some of the old school buddies had moved away. Since the Coast Guard had set up shop in Pride a few years ago, they’d had their pick of new comers who wanted to take part in a high-impact game of basketball, where you would usually walk away with a bloody nose or fat lip.
     
    He smiled remembering the last game and how he'd taken Allen, one of Pride’s newest residents and one of the toughest coast guard pilots and ex-Navy SEALS Luke had ever met, to his knees. Yeah, the games were a great way to blow off some steam.
     
    But this week he'd have to work extra hard if he was going to make the standard Wednesday game at the Boys and Girls Club. He had his room all setup for the long haul and got to work. He surfaced a few times when his gran called him downstairs to eat, and he showered to refresh himself once. But for the most part, he spent two straight days working his butt off. When the project was done, he slept for twenty-four hours and woke a few hours before his game with the guys.
     
    Knowing he had a whole month off before his next project was due made him smile. Yeah, this was the reason he worked for himself. That and the money that sat in the bank, untouched for the most part since his return home. When he’d moved back home, he'd started paying his gran's bills, but she’d gotten wind of it and he hadn't heard the end of it for weeks. He knew she was financially stable, even after his grandfather's passing, but that didn't stop him from trying to help her out. Instead, he did little things around the house that needed to be taken care of. He even took on the bigger jobs like the roof and staining the back deck. She was always there watching over him with a plate of cookies or—god willing—brownies.
     
    He looked down as his stomach growled. “No brownies for you. How about we stop by the Golden Oar for a sandwich before the game?” He rubbed his stomach as he walked out the door and thought about seeing Amber again.
     
     

Chapter Five

    A mber was covered in garbage. Well, not covered, but she certainly had bits of trash in her hair and on her clothes. She'd never been more embarrassed in her life as when she’d walked back into the back door of the restaurant and everyone in the kitchen had started laughing at her. When she saw Iian's face, she knew she had just been accepted into the family at the Golden Oar.
     
    She couldn't help it, she smiled and took her bow.
     
    “I'm sorry, we couldn't resist.” Iian smiled and handed her a clean uniform top. “You can go clean up in my office. There's a sink and towels in there.” He chuckled.
     
    She squinted her eyes at him, realizing she would have to pay more attention to him and making a mental note to be leery of any “extra” tasks he asked of her in the future.
     
    Walking past him, she grabbed her bag and went into his office to start changing, mentally checking off the task of taking the trash out on a very windy day, especially on a dock right on the ocean.
     
    It had been a little over a week since she'd first moved to Pride and she’d known that the initiation was coming, just as with any restaurant. She'd enjoyed the job and the people so far and knew that most of them were kind and fun to be around. At least this time she hadn't gotten locked in the freezer for ten minutes like she had at