Wrapped Up for Christmas. Katlyn Duncan

He was all in, all the time, and held Nick to a higher standard.

      It was a good thing Nick liked to be prepared and had backup clothes at the office. All he had to do was make it there without his dad spotting him.

      ***

      Nick trudged through the office, holding his coat against his sopping wet shirt.

      ‘What happened to you?’ Maya asked, sipping from her snowman-shaped mug.

      Nick turned toward the head of Human Resources. Her cubicle was across the hall from his office. He didn’t have a lot of time to delay before the morning meeting with his father. ‘Someone rushed the door as I was leaving the café.’

      ‘People are insane around the holidays. Do you have an extra shirt?’ she asked.

      ‘In my office.’ He didn’t want to talk about the mishap anymore – though he had a few words for the woman who left him dripping wet. ‘How are the Christmas hires going?’

      Maya smoothed a chunk of black hair from her face. ‘Only a few more spots to fill.’ Maya had come in as an assistant right out of high school and made her way up the ladder quickly.

      Nick’s dad, Quinn Bower, popped his head out of his corner office and spotted him.

      Nick’s entire body tensed as Quinn’s eyes met his. ‘I should go. Have Carrie send me the numbers at the end of the day.’

      ‘I know how to handle my assistant, thank you,’ Maya said to his back.

      Nick smirked. Maya never let him get away with anything. After David left his position, Nick was there to swoop in. As the son his dad had never intended on working with, Nick’s first year was harder than all the rest. With David as a manager, Nick had passively sat by while his father and brother ran the corporation. Nick had proved himself over the years, but Maya never gave him any slack and kept him grounded when he needed it.

      Nick opened the thin closet at the back of his office and changed his shirt. As he walked toward his dad’s office, he plastered on a confident smile while his fingers gathered the top of the paper bag in his hands.

      ‘Nice of you to join us,’ Quinn said, gesturing at Nick to close the door behind him.

      Nick lifted the pastry from the bag in his hands. ‘It’s five of eight, and I picked this up for you.’

      Quinn’s eyes sparkled for a moment before darkening again. ‘I need to speak with you about something important.’

      ‘Okay,’ Nick said, handing over the bag.

      Quinn placed it on his desk before shoving his hands into his pockets. ‘You’re coming up in the business, which is great. But I want to discuss a move forward.’

      ‘What did you have in mind?’

      ‘You remember Jared Kent.’ Not a question.

      ‘Sure,’ Nick said, racking his brain to place the name. ‘He was into real estate. You went to business school together.’

      Quinn nodded. ‘We’ve stayed connected over the years and are going to dinner this week. We’re discussing a new project, and I would like for you to attend.’

      ‘Really?’ Other than holidays or business lunches, his dad rarely wanted to share a meal.

      ‘I’ll have Rachel put the details in your calendar.’ Also, not a question. His dad already knew Nick’s schedule, especially during this time of the year. Maybe the Christmas spirit had affected him as well? Whatever the reason, after the morning Nick had had, his mood improved slightly. The moment with the rude woman faded into the background as he considered what his father had in mind for him.

       Chapter 3

      Angie bolted across the street, holding the paper bag against her chest. She didn’t dare look behind her until she walked through the entrance of the mall. She couldn’t believe she had embarrassed herself like that. The first cute guy in a suit she saw brought her back to the foolish woman she had been with Brett. Then, her card was denied.

      The reminder that things like food and clothing cost money reeled in her head. She didn’t think she had spent that much in her move back home, but last-minute plane tickets after Thanksgiving were expensive, along with moving her furniture into storage until she had found a permanent place to live. The severance check should have been enough to cover all her budgeted expenses.

      Heat seared her cheeks as she glanced over her shoulder. From the furious expression on that guy’s face, she fully expected him to come after her. Thankfully, he was nowhere in sight. It wasn’t her fault those kids had knocked the door into him. She supposed he was upset she hadn’t thanked him for paying, but she was too embarrassed to stick around. Reese’s voice screamed in the back of her mind to run away. This was her chance to get a break from men like Brett, and she had failed her first test.

      While the guy was attractive, their short conversation reminded her so much of Brett – the suit, the slick-backed hair, and throwing money around like it wasn’t a big deal. While it was nice of him, the fact that she had no money to pay for bagels loomed over her like a thick cloud.

      Brett had said she would get a severance check. She hadn’t bothered to review her bank account; she had simply assumed the money would be there. He couldn’t have lied about that too. It was a silent deal they had made. She didn’t want to make a big deal of their breakup, and she got what she needed to get out of there.

      With two bagels in her hands and Reese waiting for her, Angie would have to wait to find out what was going on with her finances. She located Reese outside of Bloomfield’s department store. Somehow, her friend appeared even more tired than when she had seen her last. As she neared, the bags around Reese’s eyes darkened.

      ‘Finally,’ Reese said. ‘I’m starving.’

      ‘Sorry. Did you eat breakfast?’ Angie asked, sitting next to her on the bench.

      Reese cut a look at her. ‘If I say yes, don’t judge me.’

      ‘I won’t,’ Angie said, grinning.

      They were the type of friends who could pick up where they left off every time they met. Reese dug into the bag and pulled out a bagel.

      ‘I’ve been dreaming about this,’ Reese said, admiring the food from all angles.

      ‘Really?’

      ‘It’s my favorite place to eat down here. I needed some fuel this morning. I hate coming to the mall after Thanksgiving, though.’ Reese narrowed her eyes at the people walking past them. ‘Especially this year. I’ve realized how many shoppers don’t care about mowing down a pregnant woman as long as it means they get their cheap television.’

      ‘Turning a little green there,’ Angie said.

      Reese tilted her bagel toward Angie. ‘Don’t you dare call me the Grinch.’

      Angie laughed. ‘You said it!’

      ‘What’s on your list?’

      ‘I can’t get anything today,’ Angie said.

      ‘Why not? Don’t tell me you’re Scrooging it.’

      ‘I couldn’t even pay for the bagels this morning.’

      Reese stopped chewing and stared at her bagel. ‘You didn’t get these out of the trash, did you?’

      Angie groaned. ‘No, some guy paid for them.’ She drifted into her thoughts, thinking of him. She started to regret her reaction of fleeing the scene.

      ‘What happened?’

      Angie told her every agonizing detail of the story. Reese’s expression went from pity to confusion.

      ‘What?’