All I Want For Christmas: A Sweet Serenade Christmas Novella by Janalyn Voigt Page B

concept even a rooky insurance agent could recite? Hailey drew a steadying breath. “As an attractive nuisance, a pond draws children like a magnet. It doesn’t matter that the couple is childless. Their neighbors or visitors to their home probably won’t be, so a liability risk exists.”
    Taylor’s forehead puckered. “So, do they need to fence their pond?”
    “Ye-es.”
    “How long should I give them to comply?”
    Hailey’s pen clicked a couple more times. “Thirty days.”
    “Thanks!” Taylor rushed back to her desk by the window.
    Izzy, the other assistant underwriter in the high-risk homeowner department, appeared at Hailey’s elbow. “ Why do you help her?” The scowl on her Hispanic face contrasted with her jolly Christmas sweatshirt and candy cane earrings. Izzy believed in taking full advantage of Friday’s casual dress policy. “She’s sitting at the desk that should have gone to you.”
    That was sadly true, thanks to a reorganization of the company. “I’m…not sure.”
    “You’d be better off letting her fall flat on her face.”
    “It’s hard to watch a train wreck, I guess.”
    “You are too soft-hearted, chica .”
    Izzy had a point. To get ahead, Hailey needed to be more ruthless. If only she knew how. Working in big business sometimes made her feel as bewildered as Dorothy in Oz.
    Izzy’s eyes widened. “Heads up!” She retreated into her cubicle.
    Hailey bent over the Lloyds of London policy attentively while the new supervisor marched past with a scowl on his face. Had something put him out or was that the way his face looked in repose?
    Once Doug Kelsey was out of sight down the hall, Izzy reappeared at her side. “Come on. It’s break time.”
    “All right.” Hailey locked her computer and stretched.
    They had the break room to themselves. Izzy snagged an apple fritter from the last of the doughnuts that always showed up on Friday, a gift from the owners of the company, while Hailey pulled a container of lemon yogurt from her stash in the refrigerator. They sat across from one another at a table near a long window overlooking Seattle. Skyscrapers cut the sky, and only a few blocks away, the space needle pointed heavenward. Izzy took a bite of fritter and sip of coffee then fixed her brown eyes on Hailey. “Why were you looking so unhappy this morning?”
    “Was I?”
    “Come on. You can tell Aunt Isadora. Is everything all right between you and Matt?”
    “It wasn’t about Matt, actually.” She lowered her voice. “I ran into Corey.”
    “And?”
    “And nothing. What chance do I have with someone like him?” Hailey stabbed her spoon into her yogurt and left it there. “I might as well accept that I’m not on his level.”
    “That’s ridiculous.”
    “Come on, Izzy. I could never compete with Evangeline.”
    “Not that I think you should have to, but just why do you think that?”
    “You have to ask? You’ve seen her.”
    Izzy’s coffee cup thumped against the table. “Don’t sell yourself short. Evangeline may have an angel face and the curves men like, but you’re beautiful in a wholesome way. Besides, looks don’t matter as much as what’s inside a person.”
    Hailey propped her chin on her hand and watched a seagull flying past the window. “Corey barely knows I’m alive.” That hadn’t always been true. When they’d first met, he’d started showing up at her desk for obviously fabricated reasons. But then, after the company hired Evangeline, he’d stopped coming around.
    “Too bad for him.” Izzy waved her coffee cup in the air for emphasis. She usually talked with her hands or, if they were full, with the objects they held. “Plenty of other fish in the sea. I still think Matt is the one for you.”
    “He’s only a friend.”
    “That’s up to you, I think.”
    “He’s been acting a little funny lately, though.”
    “Oh?”
    “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was trying to date me. You can take that smirk off your