Let’s Talk Love: The Love Vixen Series Read online

  She already knew a GIF was hitting social media even before they fished her out of the water. She didn’t need any pictures of her private parts joining her embarrassing shots.

  Climbing up the ladder, she took the towel the stage hand gave her and wrapped it around her ruined designer dress. Luckily her hair had stayed in place. She would never again complain about the amount of pins Dee used.

  Chapter 3

  Dear Love Vixen,

  It’s quite obvious from your man-hating responses that you have never had a successful and committed relationship. Hon, may I suggest you stop giving out sanctimonious advice and work on your own issues?

  Bustin’ it in Boston

  Dear Bustin’ it,

  Bless your heart. You must have had a bad day to lash out at someone who is only trying to make the world a better place.

  You take care, hon.

  The <3 Vixen

  * * *

  As soon as Mina walked in the office that morning and saw Jodi wasn’t at her desk, she knew something was up. Something she probably didn’t want to know about.

  When she sat down at her desk, the piping hot cup of coffee already there for her proved it. Taking a sip, she pushed the power button to turn her computer on and waited. It didn’t take long. In less than five minutes, Jodi walked in without her usual bounding energy.

  “Morning,” she said as she scurried behind her desk, keeping her head down.

  Mina leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms, and asked, “Okay, Jo, what’s happened?”

  Jodi straightened her desk and finally looked up. “Boston Butt is trending.”

  The hairs on the back of Mina’s neck prickled. “How?”

  “He’s calling you out for the way you answered Risky Business.”

  Mina’s brows pulled together as she tried to remember. “Is that the person that wrote in with a crush on an Olympic athlete?”

  Nodding, Jodi replied, “That would be the one.”

  Mina couldn’t remember exactly what she’d said. Clicking on her file of correspondence, she searched for the post and re-read.

  Dear Love Vixen,

  I’m frustrated, both mentally and physically. I’ve been crushing on this guy since I was a teenager, but we had a major roadblock, namely my father, who was also his coach. How Jack filled out that Speedo distracted me, but back then dating was a no-no because his focus needed to be on winning the gold. But the Olympics are over and guess who shows up back in town looking for a job?

  Of course I hire him. What was I thinking? I’m not a sadist, but this is pure torture. To make it even worse, Jack knows damn well the effect he has on me. Again, the rules are clear, no fraternization between employees. I followed them once, and I lost him. If I break them now, I could lose my job. Of course, spending hours daydreaming about running my hands over every inch of his gorgeous Olympic Gold body isn’t doing much for the quality of my work either.

  Do I fire him or act on every one of the fantasies I’ve ever had about him? I’ve got to know—is this lust or love?

  Risky Business

  Dear Risky,

  Oh, sweetie, you had me at Speedo.

  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but workplace romances rarely work. Those rules are there for a reason. Maybe you need to tighten up that resume. It sounds to me like you’ve been training for this chance for years. I’d say go for the gold.

  Good luck, hon!

  The <3 Vixen

  Mina sat back in her chair trying to find some flaw with her response. She could find nothing. “What’s his problem? Nothing I said is controversial.”

  Jodi gave a frustrated huff. “He’s saying it’s sexist.”

  Mina’s eyes rounded and her shoulders shot back. “Sexist!” she cried. That was a load of bull. “Send me the link.”

  Drumming her fingers on her desk, she steamed while she waited for the ding announcing an email. She clicked on the link the instant it hit her inbox.

  Talk about double standards. The Love Vixen has gone above and beyond her usual inept advice when she told Risky Business to have sex with a co-worker.

  Mina’s head shot up and she gasped. “I never told Risky to have sex with a co-worker,” she growled.

  Jodi shrugged and grimaced. “Well, you kinda did.”

  Mina’s eyes went back to the post. “No, I didn’t. I would never say that. I told her workplace romance never worked.”

  “Right. And then you said to go for the gold. BB is taking that to mean it’s a go for sex.”

  Throwing her hands in the air, Mina growled. “Oh, please! I told Risky to get her resume in place because if she wanted to date him, she needed to find another job.”

  “That may be what you thought you implied, but BB isn’t interpreting it that way.”

  “He’s a jackass!” she shrilled. Her eyes scanned some of the comments to Boston Butt’s reply and her eye started twitching. One after another, she read comments supporting and commending the ass.

  “Maybe you should write a rebuttal. Just to clarify your reply,” Jodi offered.

  “No. Never. That’s what he’s hoping and I refuse to get into a war of words with that man or give him airtime. We are going to ignore him. In my world, he doesn’t exist.” Mina sat back down at her desk and pinched the bridge of her nose. What had she ever done to deserve a fan like him?

  “On a more positive note, we heard back from the conference center. The only opening they have is in December. This December. Either the week before Christmas or the week after.”

  Mina laughed. Six months to plan a conference? Jodi was punkin’ her.

  “Now wait. I know you’re going to say that’s not enough time to plan and it’s a horrible time for a conference, but think about it. What better time? The holidays are stressful for so many people and, by all I’ve read, the nearby town is decked out like Christmas central.”

  “Jodi…” Mina tried to interrupt, but her friend was on a roll.

  “This will be your first conference, maybe you should go small. Not too small, but not the thousands of people we were planning for. Even if you cut attendance to five hundred, you’d make a profit. But I know the reason you’re having the conference isn’t about the money.”

  “Jodi…”

  “They have a tree lighting ceremony and a winter carnival. They have a cookie and gingerbread house contests. There’s a hotel connected to the conference center that has a fireplace in the lobby that I could stand in. Not that I would. And every evening they offer hot cocoa and s’mores outside by a fire pit.”

  “Jodi…” Again Mina tried to get a word in.

  “And sleigh rides every evening around the lake. Oh, and the lake is frozen and they’ll have ice skating! I’ve never been ice skating on an actual lake. That will be awesome. On Saturday, they hold an annual Christmas Eve ball in the town founder’s mansion.”

  “Jodi…” Mina said and stopped, thinking Jodi was going to continue her spiel. “Are you through now?”

  Jodi bit her lip and looked like she was holding her breath. Mina laughed and shook her head. “I guess. But I just think it’s not such a terrible time. Did I mention the conference center is giving us a really great rate? I mean super great.”

  Mina crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “I do have some concerns. This will be our first conference. There are so many things we need to take into consideration. Like, presenters? With such short notice, can we find anyone willing to come? They may want to be home for the holidays. And we need a certain number of attendees to at least break even.”

  Jodi’s face fell as Mina explained. She heaved a great sigh and her shoulders drooped. “I know. I know. It’s a horrible idea. But you’ve made impossible things happen before, just look at your career.”

  Mina would have to give her that one. She had made lemontinis out of the sour-fest that used to be her life. “But…”

  Jodi’s head jerked upward.

  “But let’s contact the
presenters that have already committed with the date and see how many can come. Then if we have enough to make a quality conference, we’ll put it up on social media and see if fans are interested. That’s the best I can do.”

  “Yes!” Jodi squealed and jumped up and then ran to give Mina a hug.

  “Don’t get your hopes up. It may not work out, but what you described sounds incredible. Keeping it small does sound good. Hey, since it will be the holidays, let’s open it up to families. We’re talking about at least a thousand people in total.”

  “I know. I was with you when we ran the numbers.”

  Later, as Mina got back to work answering emails, the idea of the conference kept rolling around in her mind. Devin would have time off. Would it be possible to have a winter wedding? Her heart started racing. She’d never thought about a winter wedding, but the more she thought about it, the more appealing it became. Instead of working, she pulled the website up. The town was in the mountains of North Carolina and the views were spectacular.

  Jodi was spot on. The town looked right out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. Her eyes widened; there was even an outdoor wedding chapel with the snow-covered mountains as the backdrop. She closed her eyes and could see it. Her dress would be winter white and she’d wear an imitation white fur cape to keep her warm. The trees would sparkle with twinkle lights that reflected off the snowy ground and just as she started to walk down the aisle, snow would start gently falling. Mina sighed. Perfection. She had to make that happen.

  Jodi was also correct in saying she had a history of pulling off the impossible. Could she pull a wedding off in so little time? They didn’t want a big wedding and had planned to keep it to just immediate family and a few friends.

  “Hey, Jo, what do you think of a winter wedding?

  “What!” Jodi’s head bobbed up from behind her computer.

  That didn’t sound like an excited what. “I’m just thinking.”

  “That would be a lot of work, Mina. I mean most wedding venues schedule at least a year ahead. And what about families coming in from out of town and dealing with all the snow? What if the airport closes because of snow?”

  Mina was stunned. She never imagined Jo would try to talk her out of it. The first sign that something most definitely was going on was the fact that Jodi refused to meet her gaze. She kept her head tucked as she pretended to search her desk. Mina frowned. The two people she loved most in the world couldn’t get along. “What’s going on?”

  Jodi shrugged and picked up a file from her desk. “What do you mean? I just thought that, you know, that’s only a few months away. Devin doesn’t even get home from filming that RomCom movie in Canada until the middle of December. Isn’t he going skiing with his family over the holidays?”

  “Skiing? He hasn’t mentioned it to me.” Devin didn’t even like to ski.

  “Oh, well, you may want to talk it over with him. Or maybe I got it wrong.”

  “Of course,” Mina replied as Jodi went back to typing. Strange. Her eyes moved back to the picturesque scene on her computer. It wouldn’t hurt to email them to see if the venue was available. Even if the conference didn’t happen, the wedding still could.

  Chapter 4

  Dear Love Vixen,

  Thank you for helping me see the light. I’ve waited for my boyfriend to move our relationship into something more and I’ve come to the realization that’s just never going to happen. It’s not his fault. He’s always been open about never wanting to get married. He was burned once before and I know he has commitment issues, but I thought with love, understanding, and patience, he’d see that I’m nothing like his ex.

  After six years, I decided I’m through with waiting. I do love him. I probably always will but just like you said, waiting for something that may never happen wasn’t being kind to myself. I deserve a healthy and happy relationship with someone that wants the same things I do.

  As much as it hurts, I’m moving out of state, back to my hometown. I don’t know what my future holds, but I know what it doesn’t.

  Rolling into Richmond

  Dear Rolling,

  The end of any relationship, good or bad, is a sad thing. Six years is a long time to wait for someone who’s already admitted he’s not into marriage and happily ever afters. Leave knowing that you did everything you could to change the ending. Look forward to the next chapter in your life. You never know who may be cast as your leading man.

  Good luck, hon.

  XOXO

  The <3 Vixen

  * * *

  Mina nodded to Justin in the control booth to queue up the next caller.

  “Good afternoon, welcome to Let’s Talk Love. Please tell us your name and what would you like to talk about today?”

  “Hi, Ms. Vixen.”

  At the sound of the sweet young voice, Mina’s head raised and her confused eyes met Justin’s. The caller was a child. Justin shrugged and made a rolling motion with his finger telling her to keep going.

  She frowned. A child should not be calling The Love Vixen. Why did Justin put her through? She put on a smile and said, “Welcome. What’s your name, sweetie?”

  “Angela,” the small voice replied.

  Mina rubbed her forehead, but continued, “How old are you, Angela?”

  “I’m old. I’m ten and a half.”

  That made Mina grin. She could remember how much older that half used to make her feel when she was young. “And do your parents know you’re calling in?”

  “I don’t have a mom and Dad is working in his study.”

  Mina’s heart softened. She’d grown up without a mother too. “What can I help you with today, Angela?”

  “I listen to your show all the time. Well, my nanny listens. A lot of things I don’t understand and she won’t explain them. She just says I’ll understand when I’m older. You help so many people that I called you to see if you could help me. My dad’s advice isn’t working.”

  The conversation seemed to be going in a direction she wasn’t comfortable with. Especially with a ten-year-old. She felt as if she was treading on icy ground. “Sweetie, I’m sure your dad knows what’s best.”

  “Not this time. He’s never been a ten-year-old girl with issues.”

  Mina bit her lip to keep from chuckling. “What type of issues do you have, Angela?”

  “Janey. She’s in my class and she’s not nice. She makes fun of me and gets everyone to laugh. My dad said to ignore her, but that doesn’t work.”

  Mina glanced up at Justin. What was she supposed to say? She frowned when Justin didn’t offer any help. “That doesn’t sound very nice. How does it make you feel when she acts this way?”

  “Like I want to punch her in the face.”

  Mina grinned and flashed back to the fourth grade to her class nemesis—Jennifer Blake. Jennifer did everything she could to make Mina’s life miserable. She’d wake up every morning and beg to stay home… until her mom gave her the key to changing her relationship with Jennifer. “Have you told Janey how you feel?”

  “I don’t think she cares.”

  That brought another smile to Mina’s face. “I’m going to tell you a secret, Angela. Sometimes when someone wants to be friends, they don’t know how.”

  There was a pause before Angela asked, “You think Janey wants to be my friend? She’s doing it all wrong then.”

  Angela was simply adorable. “Does Janey have any friends?”

  The line went silent. Mina looked to Justin to see if they’d lost connection, but then Angela said, “No. Not really. Nobody wants to be her friend because she’s so mean.”

  If Mina had to guess, she’d say that Miss Angela didn’t have problems making friends. “I think Janey is sad because nobody likes her. Why don’t you ask her to play with you at recess and see how it goes? Then ask her to sit with you at lunch.”

  “Okay, but I don’t see this going very good.”

  Mina grinned at Angela’s awed disbelief. Justin gave her the signal
to wrap.

  “You might be surprised and everyone needs more friends. Thanks for calling in, Angela. Good luck, hon.”

  Mina ended the podcast and climbed the flight of stairs back to her office. Even after a few hours answering post comments, she still had Angela on her mind. She wished there was something she could do to help. Not only Angela, but the youth of the world.

  It took until the next morning for her to work through the problem. “Hey, Jodi. What do you think about doing some Love Vixen segments about younger kids and teen issues?”

  Jodi looked up from the product samples she was unboxing. “Is this about that call you had yesterday with Angela? I’m not sure how The Love Vixen coaching young adults would be received by the public.”

  Mina joined her at the counter and picked up one of the new Love Vixen t-shirts. She rubbed it against her face because everything had to meet her approval and if a shirt wasn’t soft, then it didn’t go in her store. “Yeah. Maybe it could be as simple as a blog by…I don’t know, maybe ‘Ask Vixy’ a spinoff of The Love Vixen.”

  “That could work. And maybe you could even do motivational talks at schools.”

  She was already overbooked and didn’t see how she could add to her workload. “I don’t know about that. I wouldn’t feel right doing that without a degree in dealing with those types of issues. What I do now is just a little bit of common sense and experience. But I could always bring in professionals. Let’s put a pin in the idea and revisit it after we decide about the conference.”

  Jodi perked up. “We heard back from half of the presenters about the proposed date.”

  That was unexpected. “And were any in favor of the week before Christmas?”