Free A Score to Settle by Kara Lennox

in delight as they discovered the presents Santa had brought, the smell of hot cocoa…
    She shook her head, alarmed by the fanciful turn of her imagination. The only things she knew of squealing children on Christmas morning were what she’d seen on TV. Her mother had always worked on Christmas because she could get double time, and presents had been a foreign concept.
    One time, Toys for Tots had stopped by, wanting to give Jamie a shiny wrapped package. Her mother had tartly told them she didn’t accept charity.
    “Jamie?”
    She snapped back to reality. “Sorry. I’m curious—how do you celebrate? Do you hand out BMWs and diamond necklaces? Buy the biggest goose in town and stuff it with caviar?”
    “You’re doing it again.”
    “I am. Sorry.”
    “My Christmas is always low-key. I give my employees bonuses, usually a few days before the holidays so they can do something nice for themselves. Then I let them celebrate with their families.”
    “So you hang out here by yourself? I know your parents have passed away, but don’t you have any family?”
    “I like the solitude. And no, no family. Oh, some cousins in Philadelphia. I invite them to visit every year, but they haven’t come since… Well, it was awkward. Small children involved, and all that.”
    His relatives were afraid to expose their children to him? Because they thought he was a murderer?
    That thought made Jamie unbearably sad. Though she’d believed he was a killer at one time, possibly even a serial offender, she had a hard time reconciling that possibility with the man she was coming to know.
    “Christmas is hardly a blip on my radar screen,” she said. “No family here, either. Christmas is so overdone, anyway.”
    “So that’s one thing we have in common,” Daniel observed. “We don’t get all caught up in the holiday baloney. Probably suits you just fine, am I right?”
    “Absolutely. People go crazy. They spend money they can’t afford. They buy toys their kids will get tired of in a week.”
    “They gain weight and spend all of January feeling guilty for their excesses.”
    “They cut down trees that’ll just end up in the landfill.” She glanced at the behemoth of a cedar.
    “I turn mine into mulch and use it for the gardens.”
    “Well, all right, then. You’re excused for the ginormous tree.”
    Daniel smiled at her, and something inside her that was hard and tight loosened just a bit. Maybe she did have a chip on her shoulder where money and privilege were concerned. She’d hated those snotty rich kids she’d gone to law school with who’d looked down on her because she didn’t drive the right car and wear the right labels.
    Daniel did some good things with his money. Logan Oil was one of the most ecologically conscious fuel companies on the planet. The company donated massive amounts of money to clean up oceans, and Daniel personally gave away lots of money to worthy causes, not to mention all he did with Project Justice.
    Maybe she would never relate to his lifestyle, but that didn’t mean she had to condemn him for it.
    Condemn. Funny she should use that word.
    “Maybe we should get down to business,” she said, hoping to reel her mind in from its errant path.
    “Good idea. We can work over here.” He led her to a large walnut gaming table where they had plenty of room to spread out. The moment they got settled, a servant entered with a platter of hors d’oeuvres, small plates, napkins and wineglasses.
    Daniel held up a hand when the servant would have poured them wine. “Not tonight, Manuel. We’re working.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Jamie’s stomach was rumbling, so she availed herself of the nibbles—water chestnuts wrapped in crispy bacon, mushrooms stuffed with a wild-rice concoction, Brie and some of the tastiest crackers she’d ever sampled.
    “So, Jamie, can I ask why you’re here?” Daniel asked, also diving into the food. “And with a large, fully stuffed briefcase?”
    Right. She’d