THE GREAT SURPRISE

MAIN LEADERS: READER & ALEX LANDI, SEBASTIAN STAN ETC.

CHAPTER ONE

Anxiously, she stood in front of NCS Magazine’s executive editor, Chloe Harmsworth’s desk and waited impatiently for their conversation to commence. The African-American beauty with Caribbean roots in Saint Lucia was twenty-eight years old, fashion journalist, Suzy McFallon. She gulped in thought, ‘Is she going to extend my workload? I need these two weeks’ vacation. I’m tired and weary, heartbroken after Ethan calls off the engagement because he got cold feet. What a man he was?’

All of a sudden, she watched Chloe placed the phone on the receiver and faced her sternly. ‘This isn’t going to be good, is it?’ She thought biting her lower lip with wary eyes. ‘Please don’t cancel my vacation…I need this Christmas to drown my sorrows away,’ she whined thoughtfully. Suzy braced herself even though she wasn’t quite ready for anything with the exception of hot cocoa and a great romance novel.

Chloe rose to her feet and spoke, ‘Suzy, I know this is short notice but I’ll be sending you to spend your Christmas vacation at Tyler’s Bed & Breakfast in Canada at Carnie Cave Valley. NCS Magazine’s Christmas Edition requires something fresh for our readers. I would like to do a cover story on my good friends; Skylar and Matt’s wedding and their relationship. Since I can’t make it to their wedding I wanted to surprise them and our fan base with this gift. I hope they’ll understand how much I appreciate them. We’ve been friends for decades. ’

‘How thoughtful of you, Ms. Harmsworth, I believe they’ll love it,’ Suzy replied as her panic gaze softened into a pleasant smile.

Chloe nodded grinning, even though, this woman was thirty-five years old in the prime of her career she was stunning as a model.

She handed over the plane tickets and confirmed, ’Your flight is scheduled for this evening. I hope you enjoy your stay at Tyler’s Bed & Breakfast for this Christmas. And, Suzy, remember you can’t let Skylar and Matt know you’re working for me. This is supposed to be a surprise. So get the story any way you can even if you have to disguise yourself as an employee at Tyler’s Bed & Breakfast. Just get the damn story. I plan to release it on Christmas Eve. We need this article to boost the Magazine’s reputation in the fashion and commercial industries. Don’t disappoint me, Suzy; your life may depend on it.’

Suzy’s lips went dried and nodded, ‘Yes, Ms. Harmsworth’ as she thought, ‘Shit! Two weeks to get a freaking story? What the heck?’ and asked, ‘Is that all you wanted me to do?’

‘Precisely, anyway I have an important call to make, you may leave,’ Chloe answered.

Before she could leave, Chloe reached out with her voice and said, ‘Suzy?’

‘Yes?’ Suzy questioned looking back at her still pulling the door’s handle opening her office door. She saw a warm smile appeared on the woman’s face. ‘Hope she doesn’t have any other odd requests to make,’ she thought smiling.

Chloe thanked her, ‘Thank you for doing this’ and smiled.

‘Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Ms. Harmsworth,’ Suzy responded watching the red-haired woman nodded smiling before she left.

Suzy couldn’t believe it and smiled, ‘Christmas vacation at Tyler’s Bed & Breakfast in Canda, Carnie Cave Valley secretly interviewing the bride and groom to get a front-page story of their romance and wedding is going to be amazing.’

Walking over to her cubicle separated by walls. Cassandra and Emily stopped talking when they saw her sit down beside her desk on her spinning chair.

‘So what happened, Suzy?’ Cassandra questioned curiously.

Emily asked, ‘Was she upset? Are you getting fired?’

Suzy furrowed her eyebrows, ‘No and no, I’m being sent to Canada to do a cover story on her friends’ wedding at Tyler’s Bed & Breakfast in Carnie Cave Valley.’

‘Oh my goodness, Ms. Harmsworth is finally recognising your talent as a fashion journalist,’ Cassandra said.

Suzy laughed, ‘I know I’ve been working here for five years and now, this opportunity comes; she says my life depends on it’ and she sighed. ‘Honestly, this is a loaded gun, girls, if I don’t deliver I’m out of a job by Christmas Eve.’

Emily added, ‘Don’t be a party pooper, this is just the beginning of the journey, Suzy. I can’t believe you’re going to be spending your Christmas vacation at Tyler’s Bed & Breakfast. The owner, Tyler Nakamura is a damn right gorgeous; it’s unbelievable you’ll be surrounded by hot grizzly guys. I wish I could trade places with you, girl?’

Suzy frowned, ‘Hot guys? It’s the first time I’ve heard of there’ and she watched the girls’ faces fell in shock.

‘Don’t you do social media? Or check out E-news or Extra?’ Cassandra asked.

Suzy knew what she meant, ‘Of course but I haven’t really been interested in celebrities’ lives. I’m too busy reading on kindle to worry about people’s shit.’

‘Watch this,’ Emily said scooting beside her typing information on Tyler. Then the computer screen seems to explode with various topics on Tyler Nakamura. Suzy read from Tyler’s Bed & Breakfast website and realised most of his staff are six-foot-tall, all-male employees.

‘His company has been established in the 1850s by his Native-American ancestors and passed down in his family. He’s half-Japanese. He can stew up a splendid cuisine for his guests since he is the head chef,’ she quoted from the screen.

Cassandra bit her lower lip, ‘What a hunk of a guy, ladies? He must be great in bed too’ and she giggled.

Impressed with one glimpse of a photo; tan-complexion, rustic muscles covered in black white chef-coat with sleeves rolled up. His brown eyes shone with a platinum colour like it was reflecting a waterfall or the moonlight’s passion. Her heart rate had spike up as her jaw dropped surprisingly with interest.

‘I didn’t expect this,’ Suzy blurted out and her friends laughed.

Emily added, 'Neither does any woman, most of their guests are sexually active women looking for a goodnight sleep. Most families love it because of the serenity feel of the snowy forest and animals. Photographers from National Geographic spotted raw sightings of bears and deers dunking it out for some reason.

Suzy shifted her attention to Emily and, ‘Why are they fighting? Aren’t the bears and deers supposed to be friendly?’

‘In Carnie Crayon Valley?’ Cassandra shrugged questionably. ‘Maybe not.’

Emily warned, ‘Since you’ll be living there for the two weeks stay away from the forest, Suzy. The bears or deers won’t hesitate to mark you as their prey.’

‘Thanks for the tip, Emily. I’ll remember that,’ Suzy answered seriously.