His father’s estate sat on over five hundred acres; the sprawling ranch house screamed Texas in every way. He loved being there. Yet something about being a grown man living with his father never settled comfortably inside of Jack.

One day, Jack wanted to set down roots of his own. Roots he would plant firmly on the ground floor. He loved the open plains of Texas and hoped whomever he chose to be by his side would love the land as much as he did. Then he could find his own oasis to return to instead of the never-ending hotel suites.

“I’ve sent out the invitations as you requested,” Sam told him.

“Did you open up access for the employees to rent appropriate attire?”

“Yes.” Sam nodded. “The local tux rental and women’s boutique in the shop downstairs was told to allow any employee with a badge to rent an outfit for free over this weekend.”

Good. “Actually, Sam, let’s keep that invitation open throughout the holidays.” Jack thought of Jessie. “I’d like the employees to use the service, and if they can’t make it to the benefit party this Saturday, they might be able to make it to another over the next month.”

Sam’s face clouded over. “Are you sure, sir? I mean, what if the clothes are ruined? It could cost the hotel quite a bit of money.”

Jack huffed. “Have some faith. Most people care for other people’s property better than their own. We’ll deal with individual issues as they come up.”

“If you say so, sir.”

“Please, call me Jack. That reminds me. On Saturday, I’ll be taking part in the employee/employer swap as well. I’ll need a uniform.”

Sam’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, Mr. Morrison, I mean Jack, are you sure?”

“It’s good for morale. Every staff person who usually wears a suit and tie is going to be wearing waiters’ uniforms, and the cleaning staff will be in evening gowns. The only paid guests are those we’ve invited, all of whom know the staff and management have swapped roles for the night. My name tag will say Jack, so please don’t call me Mr. Morrison. It will be fun, you’ll see. You might even learn a thing or two about your employees and yourself before the night is over. When was the last time you served food from the kitchen?”

“I’ve never had the pleasure.” From the twisted expression on the man’s face, it wasn’t a pleasant thought.

“Well then, you’ll be shocked at the pressure your waiters are under.” Jack ignored Sam’s scowl. Jack had held a similar party the previous year in the hotel he lived in full time. The next day, the staff returned to their normal jobs appreciating their colleagues’ titles a little more.

It was the perfect setup to bring Jessie to. She would think he was a cocktail waiter, a transient one at that, and he could wait on her for a change. He thought of the single men on the guest list, the ones he planned to point out to her. Admittedly, Jack didn’t think any of them were her type, but maybe after seeing her options, she’d consider dating him.

Of course, someone could blow the whole thing by calling him out, but Jack hoped he could keep his identity a secret long enough to get to know the real Jessie. She might be hard on the outside, but he was betting on her insides being all soft and comfortable. All he had to do was needle under her skin until she couldn’t stand it anymore.

Jack stood and offered his hand to Sam.

Sam shook it. “We’ll be decorating the hotel on Friday. Would you like us to supply a tree for your suite?”

“That would be nice. Nothing too fancy. Traditional red and green would be great.”

“I’ll see to it, sir.”

Jack detoured past the bank of elevators to the women’s boutique. Time to shop for Jessie. Only he wasn’t sure what to pick out.

Behind the counter was an older woman, about sixty, he guessed, with graying hair and glasses perched on her nose. She saw him walking in and offered a kind smile. “Can I help you?”

Jack shrugged out of his suit jacket and laid it over a chair in the middle of the showroom. “I’ll bet you can,” he told her. “I’m looking for an evening gown.”

She lifted the glasses off her nose and placed them behind the counter. “We have plenty of those. Anything in particular?”

“Something classy, nothing too fussy.”

“Will this be to rent, or will you be buying this for your lady friend?”

Jack glanced over to a rack of long dresses. “Buying.”

“OK, then. My name’s Sharon, by the way.”

“Jack,” he told her, leaving his last name out on purpose.

“What size is the woman we are dressing?”

“She’s a size eight. She’s comes up to about yea high.” He lifted his hand to his nose. “Light brown hair and hazel eyes. Shoe size is seven.”

“OK, since she’s not here, might I give a suggestion?”

“Of course, Sharon, that’s why I asked you.”

She smiled. “Floor-length formals really do have to fall all the way to the floor, with the lady’s shoes on. Since she isn’t here for a fitting, I’d suggest something just as elegant, only at a three-quarter length.”

“You mean so the dress will show off her legs?” Jessie had amazing legs—what he could see of them from under the hideous Denny’s uniform.

“Right.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Why don’t you have a seat, Jack, and I’ll pull a few things from the rack. Is there a budget we’re trying to stay within?”