Time for Christmas Read online

  Time for Christmas

  By

  Kay Phoenix

  Copyright 2019 Kay Phoenix

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  A previous version of this story was previously published in 2017 in the “Love for the Holidays” anthology from Sin City Romance Authors.

  Dedication

  This story is dedicated to my tribe of romance authors. We work together, support each other, encourage each other, and celebrate each other’s accomplishments. “Time for Christmas” brings to light the concept of using your time wisely, and I encourage everyone, readers and authors alike, to look for ways to spread happiness and magic every day, in your corner of the world.

  - Kay Phoenix

  Time for Christmas

  Chapter One

  “Did you buy a dress for the Christmas party yet?” Melissa leaned over Regina’s desk, her voluminous, silk blouse dangling dangerously close to the bottom of her cleavage.

  Regina pursed her lips, pushing black-rimmed glasses up her nose. “I haven’t decided if I’m going to go or not.”

  “Seriously? You have to go. You-know-who is going to be there. Who knows, maybe you’ll finally get up the nerve to say hi.” Melissa sat on the corner of Regina’s desk, her rear end inches from Regina’s ceramic snowman candy jar which she had a sudden urge to fling at her, anything to get her annoying friend to leave her cubicle.

  “What would it matter? He’s leaving the company.” She paused. “How do you know he’s going to be there?”

  Melissa tilted her head to the side and squinted at her. “So, it is true? You’re in love with the boss.”

  “I am not. I just happen to think he’s a nice person, and I’m sorry to see him transfer so far away. We need to keep our better management out here, not all the way across the ocean.”

  “Maybe you’ll hook up with him at the party and have a reason to visit London. Wouldn’t that be romantic?” Melissa let her head fall back and made a cooing sound, shaking her long, straight, black hair around.

  “Wouldn’t what be romantic? Don’t you two have work to do?” Bianca, their supervisor, chided them as she passed by Regina’s cubicle, yet another thank-you gift of Christmas goodies from a client under her arm.

  Melissa hopped off her desk, reached out, patted Regina on the shoulder and whispered, “We’ll go dress shopping tonight and find something that will knock Andrew’s tighty whities off, okay? After a few margaritas, of course.”

  “Fine, fine. You win,” Regina threw her arms up in defeat. “But, drinks are on you.” She couldn’t help but snicker at her friend’s teasing attempt to cheer her up. Melissa could come off harsh sometimes thanks to her heavy Mexican accent and no-nonsense approach to advice, but Regina knew she meant well. Besides, she was the only person that knew her heart had stopped when she’d read the company wide email announcement that senior sales executive Andrew Wallace, their boss, was transferring to their London office. Melissa had scurried into Regina’s cubicle, offered a quick shoulder rub and pep talk, and then scurried back out before Bianca caught her.

  It was the story of Regina’s life – too late. Always too late. Even if by some miracle she got the nerve to talk to Andrew about her feelings at the Christmas Party, there wouldn’t be time to have anything meaningful happen. He’d be several thousand miles away in exactly two weeks and two days, not that she’d been counting.

  She gritted her teeth and opened a new spreadsheet on her computer.

  After ten minutes of skimming through the rows of values and labels on her computer screen, her eyes nearly crossed. She glanced at the clock and sure enough, it was nearly three pm, exactly the right time for her daily crash. She’d often mused that if she could move to Mexico, or any other country that took afternoon siestas, she would be a more productive employee. As it was, though, she was currently hog-tied to her desk eight hours a day within her gray, non-descript, freezing cold cubicle. But, at least the little, green tinsel tree and snowman figurines she’d put up looked cozy.

  She rounded the corner to the break room for some coffee when she found Andrew reading a Holiday card from a vendor.

  Crap, it’s him!

  She stopped in her tracks and took a step backward.

  “Regina,” he said warmly as he turned.

  Dang it! He must have seen her reflection in the glass covering the bulletin board.

  Act cool.

  Ha, tough when he’s wearing that impeccable gray suit.

  “Hi Andrew. How are you?” she managed to ask with only minor cracks in her voice. Her heart flipped and heat filled her cheeks. Why did being in the presence of another human being, one that certainly put his pants on one leg after the other like anyone else, could cause her to go into such a tizzy?

  “I was just about to get my afternoon caffeine fix.” He walked toward her. “If I could nap every day about this time, it would be great.”

  How’d he know?

  She stared at the empty coffee maker as he came closer.

  “No coffee. Someone needs to be fired for this atrocity,” he said with mock sternness.

  Regina glanced his way. Their gazes met and she felt an electrical pulse snap through her veins. Coffee didn’t sound so good anymore.

  She breathed in a deep, silent breath to calm her racing pulse only to inhale his scent, all woodsy and clean.

  An image flashed through her mind of making coffee in their shared kitchen after a wild night of uninhibited monkey sex, as Melissa liked to call it. He stepped away again and she snapped out of her stupor only to discover her hands drenched with water overflowing from the coffee pot.

  “I think that’s enough,” he said with a chuckle. Oh crikey!

  She dumped the excess water into the sink with trembling hands then emptied the rest of the pot’s contents into the coffee maker.

  His staring gray eyes had her weak in the knees. “What should we try? How about cinnamon?”

  There on the counter was a holiday basket brimming with enough coffee to last the office until May. So many choices. Her throat constricted and all she could manage was a nod. What was it about this man that had her struggling to find the right words to a simple question of which flavored coffee she preferred?

  He tore open the cinnamon-flavored package. “Do you like it strong?” he asked, turning to her.

  Damn, those gray eyes again.

  “Yes,” she squeaked out, although she was wide awake thanks to the spike in adrenaline only he could elicit.

  “I thought so,” he answered, and added the rest of the packet before flipping the switch.

  “No sense in going back to our desks for five minutes while it brews.” Pulling a chair out from one of the tables, he indicated for her to sit.

  “True enough,” she answered and sat. He took the chair across from her.

  “Cookie?” He gestured to the various confections co-workers had brought in that were sprawled across the tables.

  “No thank you.” She shook her head.

  The machine, like Regina’s brain, burped and gurgled as she tried to think of something to say.

  “So…” “Hey…” They said in unison.

  “You go first,” he encouraged with a grin.

  “Oh,” she thought furiously for something to say. “Um, I was just going to ask if you’d been to London before.”

  He leaned back in the chair, the machine’s sputtering much louder than before. “Yes, for the interview.”

  “I meant before.”

  “No. That was the first time. But, I figure, you have to take a chance once in a while, right? They offered me the position and I thought, why not? I co
uld become a tea drinker.”

  His smile was killing her.

  “Although, there will be several things I will miss about America and the office here.” His expression turned serious.

  “Like…?” Sheesh, was she actually engaging in conversation with him? Melissa would be so proud.

  “A good cheeseburger. Although, I do hear bangers and mash are pretty good.” His voice lowered. “But, there are other things I’ll miss too.”

  Regina shifted in her seat. “Like what?” The question tumbled from her mouth before her internal editor could stop them.

  He took a breath. “I was going to ask if you ever went back to that taco bowl place?”

  Oh crap! And no she hadn’t. Not when they’d met each other for the first time there, exchanged numbers after he’d asked her to dinner, and then never called. Granted, it was later that same afternoon he was introduced as her new boss, but, honestly, couldn’t he have at least called to officially give her the conflict-of-interest-company-fraternization policy speech and all?

  She glanced at him, meeting that stop-you-in-your-tracks gaze. “No, I’ve never gone back there.”

  “I thought you’d told me it was your favorite lunch place,” he inquired, brow wrinkling.

  “It used to be. But, I’ve heard they changed the menu,” she lied.

  “I haven’t noticed. I usually go every Friday. I’ve always looked for you.”

  The coffee pot dinged, indicating it was finished brewing. Saved by the bell.

  They poured their cups in silence. “See you around,” she said as she exited.

  “Only for a couple more weeks,” he answered, making her stomach drop.

  Chapter Two

  Andrew strode back to his second floor, corner office, lost in thought. What could he do? He’d realized the awkwardness after their brief first encounter was something neither of them could have predicted.

  At first, he’d considered pursuing her regardless of the fact that he was her boss. To hell with company policy. Unfortunately, the good man his mother had raised took over, and he’d restrained himself.

  He’d gone on a couple blind dates the past few months, but they hadn’t gone past the first date, and he knew why. Regina.

  The chemistry they’d experienced that first impromptu lunch was undeniable, and he’d felt it every day since…at least the days he was near her. They were two magnets, destined to connect, yet hadn’t. The pull was palpable. It was something he’d heard about but hadn’t experienced until then. It was damn torture was what it was.

  He’d found reasons to work with her as often as possible, yet he couldn’t tell if the attraction he still felt was mirrored in her cool exterior or not. If she was still interested in him, frankly, it would be surprising as hell. He would often try to hold her gaze in conversation, yet she’d always look away, fold her arms, cross her legs, or display some other type of body language that told him she was shielding herself from him. Why? Should he just leave her alone?

  The transfer job offer came through and he’d debated it. He’d only been in the firm for a few months, and their London office needed a vacancy filled ASAP, by someone with his exact prior experience. He’d spoken to his boss about it, unsure if it would be a good move since he was so new in the company.

  Assured that the position was up for anyone, and his background and performance should help him, he went ahead and said yes to their offer, which was pretty attractive. The fact that he was currently living as a bachelor made him an easier hire than a family man as he could start right away and have what few personal items he owned shipped.

  He still wasn’t sure he’d made the best decision but there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. The transfer was a done deal and he was moving to London in two weeks.

  Anyone else would have been thrilled with the pay raise, and the opportunity to experience a different country.

  He sat in his chair, spun around once, then cracked his knuckles and turned on the screen of his laptop. The Tower of London photo he’d taken two weeks before when he’d gone to visit the plant there had popped up on the screen and he gazed at it. It was certainly an energizing leap of faith, moving to a country where he knew no one. At least they spoke the same language, though deciphering the varying accents and phrases might be a bit challenging here and there. His parents were excited to visit him and were already planning a trip, as were a few of his college buddies.

  He tapped his fingers on his desk. Yes, there would be one thing he would miss about the job in Vegas, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it, if anything.

  Regina.

  He was glad his plan had worked. Their conversation lasted more than a few seconds. Didn’t take a world class genius to know what time she usually went to the break room. Over a pot of coffee, he’d planned to size up the situation, and, for the most part, the plan had worked. –Except, he wasn’t any closer to an answer. Did she think he was a total ass?

  His college nickname had been Sherlock, mostly because he’d been able to figure out any puzzle. So far, Regina was the hardest puzzle he’d ever encountered and it was frustrating. He was sure they’d connected that day at lunch, and he had been a dumbass to not discuss the situation with her soon after it became clear that he was her boss. Company policy mandated that a manager could not date someone they supervised, which was a stupid rule, as far as he was concerned. His parents had met at work. Hell, he knew of plenty of couples who had met at work.

  Yet, he’d used the policy as his excuse for not following through. It had taken him a lot of nerve to talk to her in the break room, and he was glad he had. If he’d had to guess, it seemed she’d been nervous as well, which could be a good or bad sign.

  Oh, man! Maybe London wasn’t such a good idea after all. There was a tap at his door and his secretary, Pam, poked her head in. “Andrew, they’re asking everyone to come to the break room.”

  “Why?”

  She shrugged her shoulders and murmured “I don’t know.”

  He pushed away from his monitor then followed Pam down to the break room where everyone in the office building had gathered. Employees spilled into the halls from either entrance as there wasn’t enough room.

  “Everyone, everyone.” He heard Betty, the receptionist, call out in her southern voice. People shushed and hushed.

  “Thanks for coming down everyone. The Christmas Party Committee wanted to remind everyone about our annual white elephant gift exchange. For anyone who is new here,” Betty directed her attention briefly to Andrew’s direction, gingerbread man earrings swinging next to her earlobes, “a white elephant gift is a gift that you can’t use. It’s supposed to be something funny. Now we don’t want you to be spending a whole tub load of moolah on these presents. The limit is ten dollars.”

  Andrew scanned the crowd for Regina, and couldn’t find her. He did see one of the people she sat near, and they were close to the opening of the opposite door. He figured she must be out of his sight in the hallway.

  Betty droned on to explain that everyone’s names were already in the bucket and everyone was supposed to pick a name. “No trading,” she admonished. “You get who you get. Remember, ten dollar limit.”

  She started passing the bucket to her left, and Andrew was one of the first employees to draw. He unfolded the slip of paper.

  Regina.

  His heart pounded a rapid beat in his chest. What were the chances?

  He closed his eyes for a second, sucked in a deep breath and shoved the fated slip of paper in his pocket.

  Ten dollar limit be damned.

  Back at his desk, he asked Pam to call Regina into his office.

  Chapter Three

  “Andrew asked me to come to his office,” Regina whispered in a panic as she crouched over Melissa’s desk.

  Melissa smiled and her eyes got big. “Well, get up there then. What are you waiting for?”

  “Fine.” She stood up and smoothed her bright blue colored shirt down, th
en ran her fingers through her hair. “How do I look?”

  “Enchanting. Go now. Tell me later.” Melissa urged her with a whisk of her hand.

  Regina inhaled in a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. What did he want to see her about? Hadn’t he just seen her? Good grief on Earth this was nerve racking and right before five o’clock.

  Each step up seemed to take a week. Finally she rounded the corner to his secretary’s desk. Pam glanced up at her over dark-rimmed glasses. She motioned over her shoulder. “He said for you to go on in.”

  “Thanks.”

  He was in his chair with his back to her, looking out the window. “Shut the door,” he said, and turned to face her, “and have a seat.”

  Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been in his office before. She had, but never alone. Always for a team project. She glanced at the clock on the wall above his desk. Only ten minutes until quitting time. Did she do something wrong? Or, was this about starting a new, tedious project.

  “So, Regina, I went over everything you did on the Clough account. Good job. But, I have a couple questions for you about the ATI account.”

  She nodded. “Okay, what are they?”

  “Great. Come over here. I want to show you what I’m looking at.” He motioned with his hand for her to stand beside him as if he wanted to show her something on his screen.

  She joined him behind the desk, and was immediately aware of his close proximity. His fresh, woodsy scent was intoxicating. On his computer screen was a photo of the Tower of London.

  “I took this picture two weeks ago, can you believe that?” He pushed the sleeves of his white dress shirt over his forearms.

  He opened the ATI spreadsheet and scrolled to the bottom lines.

  “See, I was looking at these figures you came up with, and I don’t see how they match up with the ledgers.” He pointed with the computer mouse. She couldn’t quite see what he was talking about so she leaned closer, causing a strand of her long hair to fall off her shoulder almost into his face.