The cozy agreement, p.1
The Cozy Agreement, page 1
The Cozy Agreement
TROPING THROUGH THE SNOW SERIES
ALEXA RILEY
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Read Me Romance
Stalk the Author
Copyright © 2022 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to riley_alexa@aol.com
http://alexariley.com/
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Edited by Aquila Editing
The Cozy Agreement
BY ALEXA RILEY
Joy moved across the country to take a job as the secretary to the mayor of Troping. The only problem is, the more time she spends with Mayor North, the more time she doesn't want to spend away from him. Things between them could never work and she needs to concentrate on saving money. But one night when the power goes out, a plan is hatched and she agrees to so much more.
When North proposes a marriage of convenience, Joy thinks he's lost his mind. Maybe he has, but how else is he supposed to convince the woman he loves to marry him? She thinks he wants the single women in town to stop chasing after him, but in reality he only wants one woman's attention.
Warning: Marriage of convenience with a side of office romance is the perfect combination for a winter read. Come with us to Troping where you'll find all the best stories!
To all of us that live for the holiday tropes…
* * *
Chapter One
JOY
I watch the snow fall on the town from my office in City Hall. My desk gives me the perfect view of the main strip of Troping. When I first moved here, I wasn’t sure how I’d take to things. I grew up in a small town in Alabama, so I knew moving to another small town wouldn’t be much of an issue. More so since I didn’t grow up in it. That's what I wanted: to escape and start anew.
Some people might love growing up and living in the same town their whole life, but when you’re the nerdy girl that got picked on through high school, not so much. Still, I loved the idea of a small town, so when I saw Troping, Colorado had a job opening for a personal assistant, I jumped at the opportunity.
Never in a million years did I think I’d get the job. It kind of just fell in my lap one day. Or more specifically fell in my email inbox. I think it might have to do with that LinkedIn page I made randomly one day. I didn’t put much effort into it and actually forgot about it. There wasn’t a lot to add since I only have an associate’s degree of general studies, which I got online.
During the Skype interview, I almost fell out of my seat when I saw Mayor North for the first time. They clearly make men a whole lot sexier in Colorado. We chatted about everything and nothing, but he didn’t really ask me much about my skill set. By the time the interview was done, he hired me on the spot. I was shocked.
Then the panic set in. I couldn’t just move from Alabama to Colorado—or so I thought. I was still living with my parents, and I had no idea where to live once I got to Troping. I was clueless on how to get there, but somehow North sensed my panic when he told me I’d gotten the job. Right away, he started checking off all the boxes that I had going in my head. He reassured me I’d have a place to live when I got here and that everything would be taken care of. North has always been true to his word. That’s one of the first things I learned about him.
Since I lived with my parents, I didn’t have much stuff. I worked as a receptionist for a dentist in my old town and saved up enough to buy a car the year before so I packed it with all my things and made the drive.
That was six months ago.
I’d gone from a small town that lived and breathed football to a small town that lives and breathes Christmas. This place is lit up like a Christmas tree year-round, and I kind of love it. Plus, the snow. I’d never seen it until I moved here, and even now, it can still distract me. Right now, I should be going over emails and some rezoning thing, but I’m looking through the window and watching the thick snowflakes fall.
The front door swings open, pulling my attention away from the snow to greet whoever has entered City Hall. Which is rather small. At the moment, the only people in the building are Mayor North and me. It’s typically that way.
“Good afternoon.” I give Donna a smile before pushing my glasses up my nose.
She grew up in Troping but only came back to town recently after passing the bar and becoming a lawyer. So I only met her a month ago even though she knows everyone. We don’t really need a lawyer around here, but maybe one wouldn’t be the worst idea. I just think she might get bored. Unless she gets her hooks into Mayor North, which I think has been her plan since she got back to town. She’ll have to get in line since most of the single women in town want North. The way he shows zero interest makes me think he might be asexual.
“Joy.” She barely pays me any attention even as she says my name. Most everyone here in Troping is friendly, but Donna doesn't care for me because I’m not a local. Or maybe it’s because her normal demeanor is rude. Either way, I keep a smile on my face. “I’d like to see North.”
“Do you have an appointment to see the mayor?” I already know the answer to my own question, but she just rolls her eyes at me.
“Just tell him it’s me, and I’m sure he’ll make the time.” Now she gives me a sugary sweet smile that is as fake as her personality. With the way she’s dressed up today, I’m impressed she’s wearing those heels in this weather.
“I’m sorry, what is your name again?” Her lips pull tight into a firm line. She can be outwardly rude, but I’m Southern. I’ll be rude while politely putting her in her place.
“Donna Hale, lawyer.”
“Right, sorry about that.” I pick up the phone on my desk and ring North’s office, which is right behind me. The line barely rings and North is picking up. A lot of the time he leaves his office doors open, and I can pretty much turn around and talk to him, but for some reason he has them closed today. He might have been on a call or something.
“Joy.” My stomach warms like when you take that first sip of hot chocolate. It always does when North says my name. North can be stiff and by the book, and I shouldn't think of him as warm at all, but for some reason my lady business does.
“Donna Hale is here to see you.” The line goes quiet for a long moment. “Sir?”
“Joy, I told you not to call me sir.” His tone turns thick, and I press my thighs together. How does he do this to my freaking body?!
“Mayor North.”
“You know I don’t care for that either,” he scolds. I don’t know why it bothers him when I call him Mayor, but for some reason he keeps telling me to stop. I know why sir gets to me. It’s because I read a few too many BDSM books when they were all the rage. “Send her in.” He lets out a sigh as he says it.
“Right away, sir.” Shit, I hang up the phone before I can get in trouble for once again for calling him sir. “He’ll see you now.”
“Of course he will.” She smirks at me. “Also, I need a coffee with two sugars,” she orders as I pull one of the doors open for her.
That smirk drops from her face when she spots North behind his desk. Her face lights up like it’s Christmas morning. The two of them really would make a good pair aesthetically.
The mayor of Troping with the only lawyer in town. That sounds right. I swear if they end up together, I’ll quit.
There’s no way I can deal with that woman every day. I forward the calls to the messaging system before I grab my bag. If I’m going to get this woman a coffee, I might as well get myself one as well. A cupcake too while I’m at it. The bakery is only two blocks down, and I debate if I should order her coffee wrong the whole way there.
I decide not to because I don’t have it in me to be spiteful. One of these days, I’ll grow a backbone, but then again, Frostie, the owner of the bakery, always said her favorite thing about me is how sweet I am to everyone.
Honestly, I don’t know if that’s always a good thing.
Chapter Two
NORTH
The moment I see Donna Hale walk in my office, my day goes to shit. Well, it wasn’t exactly doing so great to begin with, but my plan has been derailed by this woman one too many times lately.
“Hey, Northy, how’s it going?” Her smile is nice enough, but I can’t help but notice the glint in her eyes that makes my hackles rise. There’s something about her I don’t trust, but I can’t put my finger on it.
Maybe it’s the fact that she finds an excuse every other day to come in here and disrupt my afternoon. There’s never a real reason she’s
“You’ll have to excuse me, Mrs. Hale. I've got a conference call with the Colorado News that I need to take.”
“This won’t take long.” She practically ignores my statement and comes around my desk to get closer to me.
Like a snake coming closer, I back away on the pretense that I need to look at the plant sitting on the other side of the room.
“Miss,” she corrects and winks. “I was wondering if you’re free tonight to go over those documents I sent you. You know it’s never too soon to start your estate planning.”
“I’ll have to ask my sister if she’d be able to do that,” I say, knowing full well Tinsel won’t tolerate seven seconds of Donna’s bullshit.
“Oh.” Her smile falters for only a second before she recovers. “Well, I’m sure we can do it another night you’re free.” She clears her throat as she comes closer. “What about the Winter Wonderland Dance this weekend? You can pick me up at six. We’ll do dinner before and then—”
“I’m already taking someone,” I say, cutting to the chase. I don’t have time to do this back and forth with her today, nor do I want to. I don’t know how many more polite ways I can turn her down before I tell her straight out to fuck off.
Out of all the single women in this town, Donna is the most aggressive. Granted, there are women who try to corner me or send goodies to my office. I’ve even found a few waiting for me outside Frostie’s bakery after I grab my morning cup of coffee, but none have been as persistent as Donna Hale.
I’m sick and tired of having to fend people off, and I want to put this to a stop. My thoughts stray to Joy like they always do, and then I have to remind myself to focus.
Since we did our video interview, I’ve been utterly besotted with her. My sister pokes fun at me for being straight-laced and by the book, but nothing about hiring Joy was above board. I took one look at her and had to have her. So I did what I had to do to get her. Even if it meant paying out of my own pocket for her moving expenses and rent until she got here. The city didn’t budget for that kind of thing, but I wasn’t going to let something like money stand in the way of her coming to be with me. I mean, work for me.
The more time we spend together, the more I don’t like being apart. Not too long ago, she was having a girls’ night out, and I just so happened to stumble in Jingle Bar and demand she go home because there was important work that needed to be done the next day and I couldn’t have my one and only employee hungover.
Okay, so I made up the part about important work, but it got her out of the bar with all those men looking at her bare finger. She isn’t married, and in this town that makes you fair game. Just like it makes me.
That’s the problem and the solution all in one.
Every time I’m close to her, the scent of her drives me crazy. I can’t stand it because all I want to do is bury my face in her neck and find out where it’s coming from. The way she looks longingly at the snow like she can’t believe it’s real makes me ache to wrap her in a blanket and carry her outside in it. I watch every day as she takes her first sip of coffee and closes her eyes to savor it. That’s when I think about kissing her and seeing her do the same.
I’m obsessed beyond reason with one of the only people in town who doesn’t look at me in that way. If anything, she thinks I’m boring like my sister keeps saying I am. What I need is a way to get her to see me, the real me, and to convince her that I’m the man for her.
“Who are you going to the Winter Wonderland Dance with?” Donna asks, reminding me that she’s still here and that I’m not alone with my thoughts.
Just then there’s as soft knock on my door before it opens up and Joy pops her head in. “There’s a phone call for you,” she says sweetly. She’s also lying because I didn’t hear the phone ring.
“Joy,” I say, and Donna scowls at me.
“Yes?” Joy says in confusion as she looks between Donna and me.
“Donna asked me who I’m going to the Winter Wonderland Dance with, and I told her we already had plans to go.”
“Oh.” Joy’s eyes widen and then she begins to nod. “That’s right, we're going together to represent the city.” Joy shrugs and smiles brightly at Donna. “Will we see you there?”
I don’t like how Joy threw in that we were going as city representatives. I didn’t want this to be a work function, but I guess this is another reminder that she doesn’t see me in that way.
“Of course.” Donna raises her chin, unwilling to be outmatched. She walks right by me on her way out, and she’s so close I can feel her brush against my shirt. “Save me a dance.”
The wink she gives me is salacious, and it makes my skin crawl. Joy and I are silent as Donna walks out of the office, grabbing a coffee off Joy’s desk on her way out into the snow while wearing stilettos.
“Those are the wrong shoes for this kind of weather,” I say, and I hear Joy snort. When I look over, she slaps a hand over her mouth.
“Sorry,” she mumbles.
“It’s okay.” There’s a beat of silence that passes between us, and I want to tell her all the things that I’m thinking. Instead, I put my foot directly into my mouth. “It’s not like you’d wear anything like that.”
The sparkle in Joy’s eyes dims just a fraction as she glances down at her sensible shoes. They’re actually perfect for the snow and are so cute on her feet. But instead of saying that, it sounds like I’ve somehow insulted her.
“Wait, I said that wrong.”
“It’s all right,” she rushes to say as she tries to leave my office. “The phone call was just an excuse, but you do have that conference call in a few moments. Let me go check and make sure I have the time right.”
She babbles on so fast I don’t have a chance to apologize or make it right. How do I keep screwing things up with Joy? Probably because I’m awkward as fuck around her. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and instead of playing it cool and showing her how much I like her, I keep somehow insulting her and pushing a wedge between us.
Just great.
Chapter Three
JOY
I love these shoes. I had to save up for them because I knew, moving to Troping, I would need winter boots. I also knew that I’d need some that would go with professional office wear. They came from a bargain website, and there’s a small mark on the heel, but they’re thick, and the bottoms are made for the snow. As I look at them now, I wonder if they’re ugly. I loved them the second I saw them and was sure they were perfect. I should ask Tinsel what she thinks of them, but she’s kind of a tomboy. I’ll have to ask Frostie or Carol instead.
“Who cares?” I mutter under my breath.
The reason it bothers me so much is because it brings back memories from my hometown and high school. I always got picked on for something, and when I came to Troping, I wanted to break away from that whole frumpy image everyone stamped on me. There were even a few that called me the forever virgin.
After a moment of debate I decide not to wear the boots to the Winter Wonderland Dance. I hadn’t even planned to go, but now I’ll have to find a dress or something. I bet North will think it’s ugly too, and Donna will stand out like a star on top of a Christmas tree. Why doesn’t he go with her? I guess no one's shoes are good enough for him. North’s are always shiny and perfect, which should be impossible because he walks outside in the snow. But that’s North; his suits are always impeccable along with the rest of him. It’s annoying and lovely to stare at. My fingers often itch to mess with his hair so it’s not so perfectly in place.
