Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 58211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“That douche who was hitting on you a few months ago?”
“I haven’t mentioned it to you, but he hasn’t stopped,” I mutter.
“He’s still been hitting on you?”
I nod, wiping my cheeks. “Making comments, trying to touch me.”
“What the fuck, Holly? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Everybody already thinks I’ve had special treatment to get this—”
“You submitted an anonymous video,” Dan snaps. “You deserve this job but don’t deserve to deal with this jerk. It was bad luck that you got him as your Secret Santa, but you don’t owe him anything because you flirted. You need to take this to HR. He has no right to harass you—none. I don’t foster this kind of working environment. If you don’t go, I will.”
“I’ll go,” I say.
“Promise?”
“I promise, Dan. He’s gone too far this time.”
Is it just his fault? Texting is a two-way street, and I was too eager to walk down that road with him. I’ve been messing with my own head, inventing reasons to believe it’s Asher, wishing it was my brother’s best friend.
“In the meantime, sign up for one of those dating apps,” he says.
I laugh. “What good will that do?”
“If you’re going to fall in love over text, at least you’ll have a photo of them.”
“We weren’t falling in love.”
I put the derision into my voice. Before I discovered that my Secret Santa was Derek, though, I might’ve believed we were falling in love, Asher and me, the lights of our phone screens lighting up our hearts.
I was such an idiot.
CHAPTER 20
ASHER
“No Derek today?” I say, standing at my office door.
“I haven’t seen him,” Mia replies, giving me that bothersome look again.
Between her and the double date, I’ve got plenty of reminders of why Holly is the only woman for me. Yesterday, in the car, I didn’t plan on touching her during a serious discussion.
It was disrespectful, not that she complained. If we had a simple relationship, I’d text her and tell her to wear the elf costume later so we could get properly steamy. I’d tear off the stockings with my teeth, kiss up her tempting legs, and …
My resolve falters. I go back into the office and open the drawer.
Where’s my Secret Santa phone?
I open all the drawers, then comb through my office. It should be in the top drawer where I left it. I don’t lock my office, but I can’t imagine anybody would sneak in here and steal the phone unless—
A particular Christmas elf has a penchant for playing pranks on me.
I smile as I leave the office, heading to the marketing department.
“Come in,” Holly calls when I knock on the door. She looks almost panicked to see me. Maybe because she’s hiding something?
As usual, she looks gorgeous in her work clothes.
“Has a Christmas elf been sneaking around my office?” I say.
“Huh?”
I shrug. “I’m missing something. I know how much you like to play pranks on me, Snowflake.”
If she stole the phone, surely she would have read the texts and realized that I’m her Secret Santa, but she’s giving me no indication of that.
“I haven’t been in your office. What have you lost?”
“It … doesn’t matter.”
“If it doesn’t matter, why are you here?”
“To see you.” I walk around her desk and lean down with a smirk. “What better reason could there be?” It’s when I get closer that I see her eyes are red. “Holly, have you been crying?”
She turns away. “No.”
I touch her face and turn her toward me. “You have. What’s wrong? Has something happened?”
She takes my hand. I think, just like last night, it’s to move me away. Then she tightens her grip around me. “It’s nothing.”
“Tell me, Snowflake,” I demand. “If something’s upset you this much, then it’s the most important thing in this office, this city, hell—the world.”
She rolls her eyes. “The world?”
“To me, it is, yeah.”
“It’s Derek.”
“Derek?” I snap. “What’s that asshole done now?”
“It’s my fault.”
“No, it’s not.”
“You don’t even know what happened.”
“If it involves him, it’s not your fault.”
“He was my Secret Santa,” she murmurs. “We were … friendly, just over text.” She quickly adds the last part. “We met up.”
My head spins. I quickly grab a chair and sit down.
“I still can’t believe it was him. When I told him I still wasn’t interested, he got mean. I just came back from HR. I’ve let this go on long enough.”
“He isn’t in the office today,” I mutter.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“Snowflake …” I take a breath. Here goes nothing. “I was your Secret Santa.”
Her eyes pop open wide. She’s gorgeously, cutely astonished. “You were?”
“I knew it was you when you told me the story about your dad being the salesman. My phone is missing. Derek must’ve taken it from my office and pretended to be me.”
She’s quiet for a minute, then says, “That explains why his texts have been so weird.”