Have Yourself a Naughty Little Santa by Karin Tabke

Fight for the deal. But she could not relate on a personal level; she had never fought for anyone, nor had her mother ever fought for her. She smiled up at Ricco, then to his sisters. “You’re fortunate to have a mama bear.”
    “What about your folks, Kimberly?” Ezzy asked.
    Kim shrugged. “They travel a lot.”
    “Are they meeting you here for Christmas?”
    Kim nearly choked on the rice she’d just swallowed. She grabbed her glass of tea and took a deep swig. She shook her head. “No.”
    “What are they doing for Christmas?” Ricco asked.
    Kim shrugged. “I have no idea, probably spending it in Europe, like they usually do.”
    “Are you mad at your mom?” little Mari, Jasmine’s oldest child, asked.
    Kim smiled, not sure how to answer the question. “Mari, that is none of your business,” her mother lightly chastised her.
    Kim took the out. As the conversation moved from topic to topic, several things became crystal clear to Kim. One: Evergreen was in trouble. Two: Leticia Maza was the key to unlocking the financials of the town, the way for Kim to get a detailed road map to a buyout. And three: The Maza family was tight, and if you messed with one, you messed with them all.
    “Tio?” Little Mari softly said, tugging on Ricco’s sleeve. Ricco set his fork down and smiled at the child. Her big brown eyes looked up to him with the innocent wonder only a child could have. “I’m Jesus’ mama this year. I want you to watch me.”
    Ricco smiled slowly, his entire face lighting up. Kim watched, transfixed. Pure love and joy marked every cell in him. Her insides did that weird jumpy thing again.
    He smoothed her hair back from her little angelic face and rubbed noses with her. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
    She pursed her little lips and pointed a finger at him. “Promise.”
    Ricco crossed his heart and made as if to poke his eye. “Cross my heart and hope to die. You know if I say I’m there, I am.”
    “My daddy says that, but he’s gone.”
    “Mari,” Jasmine shushed.
    “It’s okay, Jazz,” Ricco said, smiling down at his niece. “Daddy works a lot, Mari. But he’s going to try very hard to be home to see you.”
    The little girl smiled and reached up for a hug, and her uncle obliged. “I love you,” she whispered against his ear, squeezing her eyes shut. And Kim felt her heart constrict.
    As the dinner was winding down, there was a knock on the door. ’Tonio jumped up to answer it. No one seemed to mind or think there could be a complete stranger on the other side—or, worse, a criminal. “Grandma! There’s a man here.”
    Leti set her napkin on the table next to her plate and stood. As she walked toward the door, everyone at the table craned their necks to see who it was. You could have heard a pin drop when Leti’s stunned voice whispered as if she had seen a ghost, “Enrique.”
    Ricco was up so fast that his chair flew backward and crashed onto the floor. All three sisters gasped and came to their feet. Krista whimpered, Mari shushed her, and little Donny blinked his big brown eyes like an owl. His little chin quivered, and he looked as if he was ready to belt out a scream. Kim braced herself. But more formidable than the little boy’s imminent eruption was the Maza siblings. As a unit, the four of them marched toward the door.
    “What the hell are you doing here?” Ricco angrily demanded. Kim stood and shushed the children, who stared at the door wide-eyed and frightened.
    “Mijo—” an old man’s voice beseeched.
    “Don’t ‘ mijo ’ me! Get the hell out of here!”
    “Ricco!” Leti said, her voice high and strained. “Do not speak to your father like that.”
    Incredulous, Ricco looked at his mother. He pointed to the well-dressed man who leaned heavily on a wooden cane. “This man is no father of mine.”
    Leti put her hand on her son’s arm, her eyes beseeching him to comply. Ricco’s eyes hardened to stone. His jaw tightened, and whatever