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ON MY BREAK, I CALLED up Rose.
“Tom’s not giving me that little something extra,” I said.
I remembered his flashing smiles here and there when nobody was looking and our flirty conversations. Yeah, we would flirt around constantly and play little games like giving each other notes or grabbing each other’s butts when we passed by, and a soul wasn’t around. We’d share drinks after a hard day of work, chatting about work and life. I missed all of those perks.
“You’re broken up,” Rose said. “So yeah, you’re lonely.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then please enlighten me, Jenna.”
“I always got that little extra. Like an email with hearts and smiley faces or that wink in the hall when we passed each other. He always used to order my favorite Starbucks drink. Now... No work emails. No winks. No coffee. No special lunches. No kisses in the copy room.”
“No special attention. This is good. This is what you wanted.”
“No, it’s not what I wanted at all. He dumped me, and I was trying to get him out of my system. Because I was forced to. But darn it! I miss those winks and emails. And especially that coffee!”
“With the swirling designs?”
“Yeah, with a big heart.”
“Awww. Anyway. Get over it. You can live without them.”
“Did you ever see the way he winked at me? It was so sexy. Made me melt.”
“We talked about distance.”
“I know. I even changed my route to the bathroom and my break time. But going cold turkey is hard. Do you know a week ago he was passionately kissing me in the stairwell?”
“Okay, stop reliving those moments.”
“I knew dating the boss was a recipe for disaster. You better watch out, sister.”
“I am. I’m taking it slow.”
I chuckled. “Could’ve fooled me. I hope you know you could lose your job. Is he worth the risk?”
“Was Tom worth the risk?”
“Definitely.”
“Then, there goes your answer.”
My supervisor walked in, and I hung up with Rose.
“Hi, Patti,” I said with a cheerful smile.
“You and Tom were so cheerful and happy when you put up the office Christmas tree. I thought you two would enjoy taking it down. Plus, nobody else wants to do it.”
“I would love too. And there’s no need to get Tom. He’s busy on the Johnson account. I’ll be happy to take care of it all by myself.”
“Funny,” she said. “Tom said the same thing about you. That he would take it down all by himself.”
“But I don’t think he can get to it until tomorrow. And I really wanted it down.”
“Then I’ll go get some boxes and pack up all the decorations, then take down the tree.”
“That would be great.”
When I went downstairs to where the tree was, I saw Tom taking down ornaments. He was wrapping them individually in tissue paper and returning them to their boxes or containers. He hadn’t noticed me yet, and I stared at him for a moment. It wasn’t just his good looks. It was natural for me to be so attracted to someone so experienced, powerful, and well-respected. I admired his skills, experience, talent, drive, and enthusiasm. The man inspired me. He was so smart and too charming for his own good. I thought he was smooth like Michael, but not quite so flamboyant.
I remembered how we first kissed. It was one of those movie moments. He put his hands around my waist; I put mine on his shoulder. Our lips crashed together in a combustion of heat and flames.
All right. I had to stop that! Thinking about past memories weren’t doing me any favors.
I thought a secret relationship seemed safe and innocent. After all, it’s a secret. The idea was exciting, and no one in the world knew anything about our secret office affair. I thought no harm could be done. Until my heart was stomped on. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to know. I didn’t want to be labeled the office tramp. I knew if I told one single person, everyone would know in less than twenty-four hours.
“Oh, hi,” I said. “Um, I was just coming to do that.”
He looked over at me, letting his gaze linger longer than necessary.
“Don’t worry. I got it.”
“Needles are falling everywhere,” I said.
“All the water dried up,” he explained.
“I loved having a real tree.”
“Me too. You can go back to the Smith project. We need to begin planning stages as soon as possible.”
“It’s a big project. I’m surprised you gave it to me.”
“I needed the best to make this merger a success.”
I smiled. “Thanks. That means a lot.” I walked over. “But the least I can do is help you,” I said, pulling off the tree skirt. “We’ve got to learn to be around one another. Especially if we have to work on projects together. Besides, we’ll be done in no time. And I’m a team player.”
Tom smiled. “I know. I even told Michael to put that in your review.”
“Thanks.” I smiled back, and then started collecting ornaments and placing them into the box. Taking down the tree felt like symbolism. Tom and I were ending. The beautiful tree was being taken down and put away, just the same way our beautiful relationship was ending.
Tom shot me a side glance. “Did you ever get that maintenance man to fix that garbage disposal?’
“Yeah. Finally. After four phone calls. Then me and Rose went and confronted him. He crumbled underneath the weight of our stares.”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to mess with you two.”
“Definitely not. He came right over and fixed it.”
“Good.”
“That new restaurant opened across the street from me. It has the best pizza. I’ve been ordering a lot with all the hours my new boss has been making me work.”
“I’m sorry about that. But when Jonas Katers quit, it screwed us all. We almost lost the account. But thankfully, with everyone’s hard work, we were able to save it.”
“I’m glad it all worked out.”
“I might need you to work on it with Michael and Tina on Saturday.”
“Not a problem.”
“But no going to his house. All work can be done here at the office.”
“Try telling him that.”
“I will.”
“You won’t be joining us?”
“I’m flying to Cleveland for an important meeting on Friday. I won’t make it back until Saturday at four p.m. for the black-tie charity party I have to attend.”
“Sounds fancy.”
“I’m taking a client,” he said. “And I’m hoping to win her over. Mrs. Ford is a tough cookie, and I have to break her with my wit and charm.”
I pasted on a big smile. “Well, if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
I’d seen Mrs. Ford come into the office. She was a blonde bombshell with killer curves and bright blue eyes. I was instantly jealous, but I tried to act casual about it. A dark cloud hung over my head. I wasn’t prepared to handle that kind of storm. Heck, I had to admit I wasn’t prepared for the hurricane of emotions and jealousy that blew over me.
I grabbed the last few ornaments. I couldn’t help but think about his hot date.
“This was a nice tree,” I said.
“I guess I really did get you to like Christmas,” he said.
“You did. But now it brings me even more bad memories.”
He started unwrapping the popcorn string that he and I had strung together especially for this tree. I tried to get the stupid memory out of my head.
“I thought we shared some wonderful Christmas memories,” he said.
More Christmas memories flooded through my mind: From his gleaming smile and Santa hat, to cutting down the tree at the cabin, to riding the horse sleigh.
I stared into those sparkling eyes of his. “We did. It’s just the breakup part.”
“I didn’t mean to scar Christmas for you.”
“You didn’t. We did have some good times. I’ll focus on those.”
I pictured his mouth devouring mine.
I started unstringing the lights, working my way backward. He started unwrapping the second set. When our hands touched, it felt like electricity. I stared into his eyes. Our gazes locked. I wanted nothing more than to crash my lips against his.
Patti walked in the room, and Tom took a step back.
“It’s a shame to see such a pretty tree being thrown away,” she said.
I looked into Tom’s eyes. “Yes, it is. It just breaks my heart.”
“I’d love to keep the festivities going all year round. But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.”
Still gazing at Tom, I answered, “Yes, Patti, they must. It’s such a shame.”
Things might not have worked out, but I was just glad I had my job. I knew my place on the company totem pole. Tom was above me. He was my boss, and I needed to respect that.
“Looks like we’re done here,” I said.
He instantly understood my hidden meaning. When he offered to finish the rest, I took him up on his offer and left.