Blitzen The CEO (Holliday Islands Resort Book 8)
Holliday Islands Resort
Blitzen the CEO
Lisa M. Prysock
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Also by Lisa M. Prysock
Series Introduction (by Jo Grafford)
Book Cover
Introduction for Blitzen the CEO
Acknowledgments
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Author Note
The Next Book in This Series
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About the Author
Read More Lisa
Copyright Page
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author.
Blitzen the CEO
Copyright © 2019 by Lisa M. Prysock
All rights reserved.
Cover Design formatting by Lisa M. Prysock; front cover image contributed by cover artist Erin Dameron-Hill. Clip art and illustrations used are public domain and illustrations by the author noted by initials LP or by Lisa Prysock, if any. Any internet links, addresses, or contact information in this book are not guaranteed for the life of the book.
Interior text edited by Rachel Skatvold.
Proofed by Tina Caudill Conder.
Author Photo by Alaina Broyles.
Cover Artist, Erin Dameron-Hill.
Continuity Editor, Jo Grafford.
For information or to contact the publisher or author: Lisa Prysock, 7318 Autumn Bent Way, Crestwood, Kentucky, 40014, USA.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
This work is cataloged in the Library of Congress.
Unless paraphrased, otherwise noted or indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Blitzen the CEO
Copyright © 2019 by Lisa M. Prysock
All rights reserved.
ISBN:
ISBN-13: 9781693618741
Imprint: Independently published
Also by Lisa M. Prysock
To Find a Duchess, Inspirational Regency Romance
The Christian Victorian Heritage Series
Hannah’s Garden: a Turn of the Century Love Story
Abigail’s Melody
The Lydia Collection
The Redemption of Lady Georgiana
Protecting Miss Jenna
Persecution & Providence
Arise Princess Warrior, a 30 Day Devotional Challenge
The Shoemaker, an Old-fashioned Christmas Regency Story
‘Whispers in Wyoming,’ Contemporary Western Romance
Dreams of Sweetwater River
Marry Me Katie
No Place Like Home
All That Glitters
The Legend of Lollipop
Holly for Christmas
Brides of Grace Hill Series
Geneva, Garden of Joy, Volume 1
Annabelle, Finding Hope, Volume 2
Victoria, Faith in the Valley, Volume 3
Tracy Jo, Coming Soon
Becoming Princess Olivia, a Contemporary Royal Romance
Brides of Pelican Rapids
Lottie’s True Love
The Belles of Wyoming
The Prairie Princess
Series Introduction (by Jo Grafford)
HOLLIDAY ISLANDS RESORT SERIES
After growing his Alaskan resort empire into the “honeymooner’s paradise of the world,” Gordon Holliday is ready to retire. But there’s no way he can cruise the globe in his luxury yacht until his sons are groomed and polished into proper executives to take his place. There’s just one catch: He’s convinced their biggest current job requirement is marriage!
To help find the perfect matches for his nine billionaire playboy sons, he secretly enlists the help of a high-end matchmaker, Evelyn Reese of True Love Connection, Inc. (TLC.net). She visits the islands under the auspices of becoming a future investor and begins to work her magic. What ensues is a delightful romp of sizzling new business “partnerships” and dates, laugh-out-loud mayhem, and sweet holiday attractions. You won’t want to miss a single one!
Join us at the Chat, Sip, and Read group on Facebook for parties, live chats, giveaways, and other festivities surrounding the launch of this sweet holiday romantic comedy series: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChatSipandRead
Book 1: The Dashing Groom — Jo Grafford
Book 2: Dancing to the Altar — Christi Bortner
Book 3: Love Came Prancing — Danni Roan
Book 4: Her Christmas Vixen — Ginny Sterling
Book 5: Comet’s Blazing Love — Jenna Brandt
Book 6: Cupid Takes a Wife — Marie Higgins
Book 7: Donner Let Her Go — Amelia Adams
Book 8: Blitzen the CEO — Lisa Prysock
Book 9: Rudolph’s Runaway Bride — George McVey
Book 10: Mommy’s Kissing Santa — Kit Morgan
Book Cover
Introduction for Blitzen the CEO
Nicholas Blitzen Holliday’s jet-setting lifestyle is disrupted when his billionaire father cuts off his trust fund and calls him home—along with his brothers—to beautiful Prince William Sound in the Gulf Coast of Alaska. Once home, he and his eight brothers are expected to help run the family resort business on a set of gorgeous islands located in magnificent glacier country, find wives, and settle down so their father can retire after spending a lifetime building the resort empire.
Beautiful Magdalena Johnson is recruited away from her small, but successful event planning business in Lexington, Kentucky to help Nick manage the Department of Marketing and Event Planning from Blitzen Island. She has no idea she’ll be reporting directly to Nicholas, the love of her life she adamantly left behind after a brief, whirlwind Paris romance from her final days as an exchange student for Queen’s University. She didn’t even know his last name or that they nicknamed him Blitzen, and certainly didn’t appreciate his “trust-fund baby” set of friends.
Can these two find their way through their differences in order to arrive at their happily ever after? Don’t miss this fun novella about the eighth brother of Holliday Islands Resort, a romantic comedy filled with plenty of chuckles, romance, faith, and the wonder of Christmas miracles. Get your copy today!
Acknowledgments
First, I’d like to thank the Lord for helping me write this book. I always pray my way through the writing of every book, and He is always there, strengthening me.
Secondly, a huge thank you to my continuity editor, Jo Grafford, for helping me make this book the very best it can be. My amazing editor, Rachel Skatvold, worked more miracles on it, followed by an intense edit from my wonderful proofer, Tina Caudill Conder.
Then the book went out to my amazing beta-reading team. You all rock! I couldn’t do it without your help.
Another thank you goes out to all of the incredible readers who support me with shares, comments, and showers of love.
br /> Another huge thank you to my husband and family for putting up with me when I’m in writing mode, working hard to meet my deadlines.
Thank you to Jo and George for thinking of me and inviting me to write in this series. I love writing comical situations, sweet romance, and inserting little bits and pieces of my faith in the Messiah and my Redeemer into it all. I’ve made some amazing new writing friends on this stretch and as always, am truly enjoying the journey with them. The teleconferences with ya’ll are hilarious, and I’m guessing the fun we’re having will definitely find its way into our books. It is so awesome to work with a team of writers where we can bounce ideas and questions off of each other.
Most of all, thank you to the readers who purchase our books and leave us kind reviews.
May the Lord bless each of you this Christmas in a special and unique way.
Prologue
“Salted caramel mocha latte?” Gordon Holliday smiled as his secretary offered Evelyn Reese of True Love Connection a cup of delicious goodness. Then his secretary placed another latte on the massive desk in the private office of his spacious yacht.
“Exactly what I need. Thank you.” Nodding, Evelyn, the creator of TLC.net, accepted the offering. She smelled the heavenly aroma with her eyes closed, sinking into her leather chair another inch or two. When she opened her slightly fluttering eyelids, a pair of sparkling blue eyes and a warm smile greeted Gordon.
He thanked his personal secretary who then disappeared to her desk in another office around the corner, leaving them in peace to discuss the business at hand. Turning to Ms. Reese, he focused on trying to set her at ease. “Thanks for meeting me here this morning, Evelyn. I’ve been enjoying the solace here, plus this is a great place to hide from Mara.”
“I don’t blame you. This vessel is a beauty and offers the ultimate in privacy from ex-spouses.” Evelyn chuckled lightly and tucked a lock of her platinum blond hair in place; although not one square inch of her curls looked out of place to him.
Gordon drank some of his coffee and set the cup aside. He was hungry. Besides, neither of them had time for small talk. He may as well discuss the reason for their meeting. “I know you have an equally busy schedule, so I’ll get right down to business. Then we can enjoy breakfast in the dining room before you return to the islands.”
“Perfect.” Evelyn smiled, scooting forward a bit in her leather chair across from his desk and crossing her long legs at the ankles, placing them to one side.
He tried not to notice her mile-long legs beneath her brightly colored skirt and averted his eyes, clearing his throat. Was it a sky-blue skirt? The shade drew his eye, looked great with her blond hair, and reminded him of the wide open sky on a summer day. Her angora scarf in the same shade of sky-blue, paired with a winter white sweater, completed her sassy, confident look, bringing out the blue in her eyes.
No wonder she’d once been a model. For a brief moment he could imagine her walking down a runway, pausing, turning, her pretty blue skirt flaring out. Thankfully, her voice snapped him back into the business at hand, namely finding wives for his nine sons. He didn’t have time to ponder her former career at present. Besides, he had enough trouble preventing Mara from finding more reasons to ask him to extract extra shopping and travel funds from the billions in his bank accounts. Taking Gordon’s signal, Evelyn dove into the reason for their meeting. It was one of the things he liked about her. She never wasted his time.
“We’ve found potential brides for your first seven sons. Two to go.” She grinned like a Cheshire cat at the success they’d had so far on the project before them.
“It’s gone well, better than I expected, so far.” Gordon nodded, reaching for his coffee. He took a sip and felt immediately better. The Good Lord knew he was paying her enough to find brides for his sons; it was an enormous task, after all. Hard enough to find a bride for one son, but nine? She had every reason to grin at what she’d accomplished.
The blond reached for a manila file folder from the matching leather chair where she’d also tossed her designer purse. Opening the file, she flipped to the page she wanted. She skimmed some of her notes and began summarizing. “Ah, yes, here we are. Nicholas Blitzen Holliday. Your eighth son, age twenty-four, dark brown hair, dark blue eyes, six feet and two inches tall, and the most adorable baby face I’ve seen in years. I like his photo.”
“Yep, that’s my boy, Blitz.” Gordon smiled proudly. He was proud of all of his sons, and Nicholas Blitzen was no different. “He’s an artist, you know, very creative and gets along well with people.”
“Which is part of why my notes mention we decided he’d be best in marketing, social media, and event planning, not to mention the Fine Arts degree he holds from Queens. His college education in media, philanthropy, cultural arts, theater, art history, film making, photography...it’s all going to be a perfect fit.”
Gordon nodded. “I agree.”
Evelyn drank some of her coffee and then asked, “Were you able to hire the ex-girlfriend, the one I accidentally overheard his older brother Vic mentioned to Comet? He said Blitzen never really got over her. This is the girl he’s truly in love with. Vic and Comet are actually a little concerned about Nick not being able to move on to anyone else because of her. He must really be in love still, or hurting. But only time will tell.”
“Yes, the interviewing went great and she arrives soon to start the job. I had one of my HR employees, Careen, act as a recruiter. Careen likely gave his ex-girlfriend the standard recruiting story, something like she’d been highly recommended by a private source. Of course, Magdalena knows I had a few other candidates to choose from so I don’t think she suspected a connection to our Blitzen. Remind me again how you found out about her.” Gordon was beginning to lose track of the details about each potential bride for his sons, but at least he’d managed to hire this one.
“Vixen told Comet that Nick—I mean Blitzen—has never recovered from losing her, but unfortunately, she’s refused all attempts he made to contact her after their brief whirlwind romance in Paris right before he graduated from Queens. She was there on scholarship.” She sipped more coffee. “Does she know she’ll be reporting directly to Nick?”
He raised an eyebrow, concerned. He was well aware of the risk and had instructed his HR person to avoid overwhelming the recruit with too many details. “Not yet. On the interviews, we said his name was Nick and she didn’t seem to make a connection.”
Evelyn drummed her fingers softly on the arm of the leather chair, looking cool as a cucumber even though he could almost see her ticking off a list in her mind of anything that might hinder the match. “What’s to prevent her from leaving after she arrives and realizes she’s reporting to him?”
Gordon wondered how Evelyn could be so calm and sure about her matchmaking efforts with so many fragile connections for his sons. What did she understand about love that he didn’t? He guessed it didn’t matter. Ms. Reese had an outstanding track record in matchmaking. He’d hired her without blinking an eye about her enormous fees and the costs associated with finding brides for all nine of his sons.
He proceeded to answer her question. “I don’t think she’ll leave. We’ve offered her a completely free luxury resort chalet with first class amenities, free meals in any of the resort restaurants, doubled her income, and she’ll still be functioning in a career doing what she loves—wedding and event planning and marketing. Oh, and she told us on one of the teleconference interviews, it’s on her bucket list to explore Alaska.”
Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle even brighter as she smiled and tilted her chin, nodding approvingly. “Excellent. Good work, Gordon.”
He drank more of his coffee, agreeing with her estimation of the situation about to unfold. Then he set the cup aside again. “To clarify one last thing, Vic and Comet don’t know you overheard them talking about Nick’s former love, correct? I know my sons look out for each other, and if they suspect you brought Magdalena Johnson to my attention, they’ll w
arn Blitz and the whole thing could backfire.”
“Right. It was providential, if you ask me. They didn’t know I was reading a book near them in the lodge on Blitzen Island. They’d have said hello if they’d spotted me. I think most of your sons understand you’ve brought me in as an investor who can offer your clients matchmaking services, but they want nothing to do with my services. Nonetheless, your sons always say hello when we run into each other.”
“Good. Sounds like all I need to do is give Nick a call later today.” Looking up from behind his desk, he noticed his secretary enter his office again. “Here’s my secretary to let us know our breakfast is ready.”
Rising from their seats, Gordon stepped around the desk and guided Evelyn toward the yacht’s dining room. As they stepped out into the corridor, he decided he’d never have guessed Ms. Reese to be forty-nine. She looked gorgeous walking down the corridor as if she was still a model on the runway. Truth be told, if he hadn’t sworn off marriage after his divorce was final from Mara, he might—naw! It was too complicated a thought and he was too old to think about dating again. He had to keep his focus on doing what was best for his sons and their future.
One
Nicholas Blitzen Holliday looked out over the immense span of ocean from the cabana of his private villa. More green he decided, turning back to the easel. Then he proceeded to use his brush to mix shades of teal and aqua oil paints on his palette until he achieved a color he liked. He hoped to display both the calm and vivid blue-green waters of the Indian Ocean. The white sandy beach stretched for miles, glistening beneath the sun.
Landscape portraits were his strength, and he was in his element at his favorite vacation spot—nearly a tropical twin to the Alaskan islands he was proud to call home. He’d told his friends to go snorkeling without him. Carlton, George, Blake, Stephanie, Patricia, and Sheila would be having a blast about now, but they respected the artist in him and his need for time to do what he loved most. Nick had asked them to join him later for dinner on his villa’s sprawling pool deck, determined to capture the peaceful, inviting scene onto the canvas.