Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
I loved working with Emmett. I loved the game of marketing, even though it was wily and a lot of work. In our new firm, I got to devote most of my time now to finding small startup companies and helping their brands grow with proper guidance and connections. Right now, I was working with the CEO of a startup aiming to make solar energy more accessible to everyone in California.
My task was to somehow make solar power seem sexy. And I liked the challenge.
Now that we had enough money to work with, Emmett and I got to choose projects we truly cared about, and it meant the world to us.
A few hours of work suddenly became many hours, though. I was editing a brand deal proposal in one of the fireside leather chairs in the lounge when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“Chase,” I said when I saw him behind me. I looked outside and noticed that the sunlight had gotten dimmer. “Oh, God. What time is it?”
“Time to head to the winter festival.”
“Festival? Shit, I really should check my personal email more.”
“Everyone who’s here for the wedding is coming,” Chase told me. “Go put on some warm clothes and meet us down at the front of the hotel.”
I headed over to the elevator bay and the gold-colored doors of one of them whooshed open. I got in, and as the doors were sliding closed, a hand jutted out and stopped them from the outside.
“Hold the elevator!”
In walked a very cute, very appealing human marshmallow.
Jamie stepped into the elevator in his puffy white coat, holding some sort of big folder in his hands.
“Oh! Sorry,” he said, looking up. His expression changed as he realized it was me, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“Sorry? For what?” I asked as he positioned himself in the opposite corner of the elevator and the doors finally slid shut.
One glance at his plush, ruddy lips and the memory of last night came barreling back to me like a full-speed train. With him came the scent of whatever laundry soap he used, bringing me back to what it felt like holding him in my arms.
His presence was so comforting. I still barely knew him, but the moment he was around, everything inside me relaxed a little.
“I guess I have nothing to be sorry for,” Jamie said, his blue eyes glancing up at me from under thick lashes. “So… I’m sorry for saying I’m sorry, I guess.”
I held back a laugh, gesturing at the folder he was holding. “What is that?”
“Scherenschnitte.”
I stared blankly at him “Shmear of shit?”
Jamie’s lips quirked into a smile. “Scherenschnitte, I learned today, is a type of Swiss and German paper cutting,” he said, opening the folder to reveal multiple delicate, beautiful pieces of paper with intricate patterned cuts in it. “They do it in the Swiss Alps, and in a proper ski lodge tradition, the Snowcock owners fell in love with it and brought it here to Colorado. They had a free beginner’s class on it today, so I tried my hand at it with my mom.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “You made these?” I asked, leaning in to see the precise pattern. The papers were thin, some of them red, some blue, and some black and white.
“Yeah,” he said. “It was finicky at first, but then I kind of got into it. It was nice spending some time with Mom, too. It was actually kind of relaxing.”
“Has your mom been enjoying her vacation?”
He nodded. “Surprisingly, yes. Moving around isn’t always easy for her, but this resort is laid out well. We grabbed some food, saw Chase for a bit, and now she’s back in her room resting.”
“You sound like a good son.”
“I do my best,” he said. “And it’s easy. My mom’s good to hang out with. And good to take random papercutting classes with, too.”
“These are beautiful, Jamie,” I said, looking through them again. “You could frame them.”
“It was a good way to get my mind off of things.”
I nodded. I certainly had needed to get my mind off of things too, today. I looked from the papers up to him again, momentarily lost in his eyes.
“Is… is this elevator even moving?” Jamie asked, a little shy.
“Oh,” I said, snapping out of my trance and turning back toward the panel of glossy buttons. “No. It isn’t. Because we didn’t actually press any buttons. I apologize. I’ve been a bit spacey today.”
Jamie still looked amused as he reached out and pressed the number for his floor. I pressed the button for the top floor, where my suite was, and the elevator finally lurched into motion.
“Are you headed to the festival?” I asked him.
“After I put my Scherenschnitte back in my hotel room,” he said, nodding up at me. “I have no idea what the festival is, really, but I’m going.”