Sweet Cinderella (A Christmas Novella) (The Klaus Brothers Book 4) by Penny Watson Page B

to notice she was an elf.
    She did get quite a few compliments on her vintage hipster outfit. She’d paired low-rider jeans with an Eagles T-shirt and jingle bell jewelry. She looked hot. And if it hadn’t been for the whole “I’m-an-elf” thing, she would have gotten lucky last night. Oh, well.
    She stopped and stared at Gregor, who was looking . . . rumpled.
Gregor Klaus was rumpled.
Huh. That was new and different. He had on unbuttoned jeans and a T-shirt, a day’s worth of stubble marring his perfect goatee, and his hair was messy.
    Gregor Klaus’s hair was
messy
.
    “Is the apocalypse coming, or did you run out of hair gel?”
    He frowned and offered her a cup of steaming coffee. “You look like you need this. Rough night?”
    “
I
need it? You’re the one who doesn’t look too put-together, Mr. Perfect.” She snagged the mug and took a big gulp of the rich brew.
    “For God’s sake, make it last. That’s Molokai coffee from Hawaii. Savor it.”
    Shirley rolled her eyes. “You are such a coffee snob, Klaus. For your information, I had a great night, thank you very much. I won thirty-three dollars playing mahjong at Mrs. Chen’s party.”
    Gregor scowled at her.
    “Why so glum? Didn’t the seduction plan work out as intended?”
    “We made love, if that’s what you’re asking. But . . . she’s still on the fence about us.”
    “Ewwwwww. I do
not
want to hear the sexy-time deets. Did she freak out about Santa? Did she admit she’s falling for you? Did you give her a candy cane?”
    Gregor leaned against the sofa and took a sip of coffee. “She did not freak about Santa. She was thrilled to learn her elf visitation when she was five years old was real.” He shot her a pointed look.
    Shirley ignored him. “Yeah, how about the rest of it?”
    “She did admit she’s falling for me. But she’s still afraid. I have to work on convincing her that we belong together. She’s not quite there yet.” Gregor rubbed his forehead. “I’m frustrated as hell. I need to seal this deal. And she’s fighting me.”
    “How are you going to do that, Klaus? I thought the seduction plan was your ace-in-the-hole.”
    “Believe it or not, I’ve come to a realization. You original advice to me was sound.
Your
plan was the best.”
    “Me? My plan? Do tell.” She beamed with pride.
She’d had a good plan! Woo hoo!
    “You were right about family and Christmas being important to her. I’ll never win her over until she believes that our two lives—and our two families—are compatible. I’m not giving up until she caves.”
    Shirley put her empty coffee cup on the table. “Wow. Did you just pay me a compliment? I think I might faint.” She raised a hand to her forehead in a swoon.
    “Don’t get cocky, kid.”
    “Look, Klaus. I get into a lot of trouble. It’s not very often that someone pays me a compliment. I’m enjoying this moment. Maybe you can put in a good word with Pops. Let him know how awesome I am.”
    Gregor nodded. “You can tell him yourself. We need to go back to Glasdorf. Family meeting.”
    Her face fell. “We have to go back to Glasdorf. Damn it!”
    “What’s wrong? I thought you loved Glasdorf.”
    “I do. But Mrs. Chen is having another mahjong party tonight, and I really wanted to go. I’m getting good at that game.” Her eyes lit up.
    Gregor shook his head. “No more gambling, Elf Girl. Time to get back to the North Pole.”

    Gregor sat brooding in the solitude of his Glasdorf home. He stared into the flames in the fireplace and contemplated the meeting he’d just had with his brothers. Sven had fallen hard for Andi De Luca, Hannah’s sister. Gregor was shocked to find his normally laid-back brother gunning for a chance with the woman he loved. The hippy brother had chucked his mellow vibe for a take-no-prisoners approach. That was typically Gregor’s show. And now Hannah was somewhere in the Sudenwelt, and he was here surrounded by icy winds and snow mounds