Through the glass, Spencer holds a finger up. He’s still on the phone, but I don’t mind waiting. I arrived early this morning. The whole two birds, one stone thing—catch Chase before he gets settled in then brace myself for the hammer to come down on my career at Lovestruck. But, since there’s no sign of Chase and conference calls are starting earlier every day, I’m out in the open when people begin trickling in for the morning.
The hushed whispers and stares come first as people make their way to their desks. This is followed by heads slowly popping up over the cubicle walls like some life-sized whack-a-mole.
Finally, Nina shows up with her eyes wide to let me in on the details. “Jessica quit. My girl in HR said she sent her resignation letter Sunday morning.” She squeals, her eyes darting over her shoulder. “The suck-up is gone. Word on the street is, she’s going to iMatch with Eric Voorhees.”
“Sure, she would leave right when I’m about to get fired.”
Nina’s peers over my shoulder before backing away to her desk, holding her hands up, fingers crossed. “Good luck.”
I’m still smiling as I turn back to see Spencer replace his phone on the base.
He stands and gestures for me to enter.
Pushing the glass door, I duck inside, flashing him a shaky smile. “Good morning.”
An empty feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. My mouth is dry, I swear I’m having heart palpitations, and for some reason, my senses are overloaded. All at once, I’m zeroed in on every tick of his small desk clock. His usually subtle musk cologne hits me like a smack to the face. Worst of all, the neon yellow folder on his desk is a blinding beacon, hypnotizing me.
“Riley?”
Spencer’s voice snatches me out of my spiral. “Huh? What?”
“I asked if you’d like to have a seat?” He smiles that regal full smile and I settle into one of the sleek metal armchairs across from him. He sits, clasping his hands on the desk as he surveys me. “Riley, I’m still just another co-worker. No need to be nervous around me,” he says, and it’s like déjà vu—me in his office on the verge of doing something stupid, I’ll later regret.
Then I breathe and flash him a small smile like I did that day. I remember Chase walking by, smiling sweetly and taking careful steps trying not to spill the two coffees in his hands. I’d been so jealous when I’d spotted one of them on Evelyn’s desk…
“I’m glad you came this morning.” Spencer flips open the folder and even from upside down I can read the word “offer” in bold at the top of the page. “Despite the events of Saturday night at the holiday party, I still feel you’re the strongest candidate and the best choice for the senior marketing manager position.”
“You do?” I feel my eyes widen. I have to hook my ankles around the chair legs to keep from floating away. “But you heard everything Jessica said. Chase and I were never together.”
He leans back in his chair and again he searches my face. For what, I couldn’t say, but there’s a crease between his eyebrows and amusement sparkling in his eyes. And a… Is he smiling?
Spencer straightens and looks at me square in the eye. “Have I hired people in the past who’ve been in serious relationships with kids or dogs or mortgages? Yes. Did those people also have the best skills for the job? Also, yes. I’m not hiring you because you claimed to be in a relationship with Chase, Riley. You’re the best person for the job.”
It takes a full minute for me to let his words sink in. “So, you’re not firing me?”
Spencer erupts into a deep base-filled laugh, shaking his head. “Is it always going to be this hard to convince you of what I’m saying? No, I was trying to promote you, but now I’m thinking maybe I should reconsider…” He laughs again.
“No. I’m sorry. I want the job.”
I drop my head in my hands as it occurs to me, I’m getting everything I wanted. Almost everything.
“For the record, I’ve been in this industry a long time. It sorta goes with the territory to know the real thing when I see it. You and Chase may not have been together four years, but there was nothing fake about what I saw between you. There’s no set timetable for love.”
In the same way one person can say the same thing a hundred times without it resonating and another person says it once and makes all the sense in the world, something just clicks. What Chase and I had was never fake. Before the speed dates, I’d noticed him with the marketing girls and tried to ignore him. He even brought it up on our date. I’d never hated him…I just didn’t want to be another member of his fan club. I wanted more than superficial conversation to appreciate him for his looks. I wanted a personal connection with Chase.
I run my fingers through my locs. I have this optimistic and foolish idea that all we need is one solution. Just one, and Chase and I can somehow spin reality.
“Uh, I know you just offered me the job, and I accept, but...” My heart is racing a million miles a minute. My chest tightens and I’ve got this desperate, manic energy, like I have to go to Chase now. I’m wringing my hands as I stand and edge my body to the door. “I have to—”
“Go. Tell him,” Spencer says, but when I turn around, I realize I won’t have to go far.
Chase Campbell is dressed head to toe in red trimmed with white fur and a matching curly gray wig and beard set. My mouth falls open as every person in the office forms a half-circle around a single table with two chairs and Chase at the center.
Slowly, I open the door of Spencer’s office, flashing him a quick smile because he must’ve seen all this happening behind me while I was crumpled in a hot, desperate mess. I’m still not sure what the table and chairs are about, but I inch toward Chase anyway.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Chase announces.
A collective laugh rumbles over the crowd, and I shake my head. “What is all of this, Santa?”
“Please be seated.” He digs in his pocket, coming up with a stopwatch as Nina weaves to the front of the group beaming. As I sit, I know without a doubt she and Keira have something to do with this.
Nina winks at me, confirming my suspicion.
“Eight minutes on the clock please, my little helper,” Santa says to Nina as he takes a seat across from me and starts shooting rapid-fire questions. “What’s the only Christmas cookie that matters?”
“Red and green M&M,” I blurt out, laughing because this feels more like a quiz I’m being graded on than a weird speed date with a suspiciously sexy Santa Claus.
From a green velvet sack, he whips out a batch and slides it onto the table. “Name the best American comedy horror Christmas movie ever.”
I scrub my hands over my face knowing the reaction I’m going to get from the crowd. “Gremlins.”
“Seriously?” I hear someone groan followed by another person whose voice has an uncanny resemblance to douchey Craig say, “I told you she was weird.”
The man clearly knows nothing of the merits of watching Gizmo take down Stripe and the evil Mogwai.
Santa fishes the movie from his sack and slides it over, too. Four minutes and eight more kookie holiday trivia questions later, ten of my favorite Christmas things are stacked in front of me on the table. I feel like I’m on Oprah, except no one else gets anything.
“Two minutes, big guy,” Nina announces.
He gives her a mock salute then pins me with his stare. “I have one request and one more question. You choose.”
I nip at the tip of my finger, looking to the crowd for direction, to which half of them shout for the question and the other half for the request. I’m back at square one, so I take a deep breath, squinting my eyes. “The request.”
Surprisingly, not from his magic sack this time, but from his inside suit pocket, he pulls out a pale blue envelope with the same bold red and white script I’ve seen flashing across the television. An ear-piercing shriek seeps out of me.
“Oh my gosh, Chase.” I squeeze my eyes closed because if they’re not tickets to the Snowball Jam, I’m going to be so let down. And if they are…
“Will you be my date to the Snowball Jam?” Santa Chase asks, and I’m so over this speed date and the dramatics.
I’m up off my chair, rounding the table to sit in Santa’s lap. Before he can say a word, I yank down his curly white beard, letting my lips crash down on his to the tune of hoots and hollers.
“Didn’t even take the full eight minutes,” someone says.
“What is a Snow Jam?” another person asks.
But I’m so lost in the warm, welcome home of Chase’s arms banded around me, I don’t want to think about anything or anyone else.
“Don’t you know, when the clock is ticking, you can’t get to know a person by asking their favorite Christmas cookies and what movies get them in the spirit?” I ask.
He laughs a warm, throaty laugh that goes through me and pulls my insides taut. A ripple of pleasure sears through me.
We’re staring at each other longingly because it’d be really weird and kind of awkward to go at it the way we want to in front of everyone. My heart gives a small lurch.
Nina clears her throat loudly. “There is one more important question,” she says, widening her eyes at Chase.
“Right. Okay.” He breaks our trance, but we don’t move. A whisper of longing sweeps between us. “But first, to clarify, does this mean you’ll be my date to the Snowball Jam?” He asks, running the pad of his thumb over my lip.
“Yes.”
Chase takes a deep breath, swallowing then dips his forehead to mine and whispers, “Riley Mills, I love you with every fiber of my being. I would do anything for you to make you happy.” His gaze falls to our fingers twined together. “You don’t have to say it now, but do you love me, or think maybe you could grow to love me, too?”
He’s so adorable with his big, stormy blue eyes as he waits for me to validate his feelings. There isn’t a doubt in my mind how I feel about Chase Campbell. How could I not love him? How could I have thought I’d ever be whole without experiencing this all-consuming love? I fell for him the first four minutes we spent alone at the Mix’n’Mingle, and I’ve been falling ever since.
“Chase Campbell, you don’t have to convince me. We may have started out in a fake relationship, but nothing has ever felt more real. I’m so in love with you.”
I guess I’m officially the president of the Chase Campbell Fan Club.