His Stand-In Holiday Girlfriend (Christmas in the City Book 1)

by Kasey Stockton

  Kayla let the conversation change without a fight. She’d been around during high school when Ellie’s mom first made an effort with her, and then when Ellie discovered that her mom was really only interested to hear about what was going on in her dad’s life—even though Ellie didn’t have a real connection with him, either. Kayla sighed dramatically. “Let me guess. You’re planning to blast some Mariah Carey and force me to hang twinkle lights?”

  “No,” Ellie said, chewing a large bite. She pointed her fork at her friend. “I’m going to blast WHAM! while you dig the ornaments out and I place them on the tree.”

  Kayla laughed, shaking her head. “It’s a good thing I love you so much or your OCD would drive me up the wall.”

  Ellie raised one eyebrow. It wasn’t OCD. Or, maybe it was, but she’d never been diagnosed. “It’s called attention to detail. And it’s what landed me this amazing opportunity with the design team at Harver Allen. Now, come on and eat. It’s December first and I get to decorate.”

  Chapter Five

  The morning was crisp and cool with a thick layer of fog hovering low on the earth. Ellie sped-walked down the sidewalk with a steaming cup of peppermint tea in her hands. Her skin felt damp from the moisture in the air and she was glad she’d thrown her hair into a ballerina bun or it would be frizzy and flat by now.

  Turning the corner to the front doors of her office building—it felt so cool to consider it her office building—Ellie nearly ran into a man standing still in the center of the sidewalk.

  She jumped to the side just in time to avoid a collision, but her drink flew from her hands. Arcing through the air, the cardboard to-go cup fell onto the concrete with a splat and Ellie’s shoulders sunk accordingly. It was so hot and fresh, she hadn’t even had one sip yet.

  She blew out a sigh as she bent to retrieve the cup and tossed it into the trash can, avoiding the tea pooling on the sidewalk.

  “I guess I owe you two drinks now.”

  Glancing over her shoulder, Ellie caught Brady’s eye. “You most certainly do owe me two drinks,” she said, turning to face him.

  He offered her a wan smile before glancing back at the building.

  She stepped closer. Why was he standing in the center of the sidewalk? “We’ve got a meeting in fifteen minutes, I believe,” she said diplomatically.

  “Yes, we do,” Brady agreed, his eyes never leaving the building.

  “And, it’s in the office up there,” she said, pointing up the side of the tall building.

  Brady nodded, swallowing visibly. “Yes, it is.”

  He looked nervous, his eyebrows pulled together in concern. He’d slung his hands casually in his pockets as though he hadn’t a care in the world, but the expression on his face plainly said otherwise. Perhaps he only needed a minute to gather himself together.

  “Well, I’ll see you up there, boss,” Ellie said, offering him a smile. She wanted to joke about her drink again with the hope that he’d use this contemplation time to go order her a new one from The Bean around the corner, but he looked so distracted. She opted to keep her mouth shut.

  “Wait,” he said, bringing his gaze down to rest on her. People passed them on the sidewalk, but Brady’s gaze was so intense, Ellie felt completely isolated within it. Now it was her turn to feel nervous under the weight of his attention.

  “Yeah?”

  “I wonder…” Brady regarded her closely, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took a miniscule step closer. “How old are you?”

  Ellie’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead. She hadn’t known what to expect, but that certainly wasn’t it. Did he worry about her capability of helping with the project? “I don’t know how young I look, Mr. Garrison, but I graduated from SFSU with a bachelor’s in design and I am perfectly capable of handling a meeting with Monica Perry. They’re my ideas, after all.” And she’d spent hours the evening before developing a presentation after all of the decorations were up in her apartment. She was ready.

  Brady cringed. “No, I didn’t mean…that is, I wanted to make sure—honestly, just forget it.” He shook his head, taking a step back, and Ellie found that she didn’t like his retreat very much.

  “I’m twenty-four. I took a few extra years in school to figure out what I wanted to do, so I didn’t graduate right away. And I am willing to do whatever I need to make this project go as smoothly as I can.”

  He stilled. “Anything?”

  “Of course,” she said, sympathetically. She realized this was probably really difficult for him, working with an ex-girlfriend. Ellie didn’t mind taking on extra work if she needed to in order to ease his burdens.

  He sucked in a breath and asked, “How do you feel about being my girlfriend?”

  Shock rippled through her. Had she heard him correctly? She wanted to ask him to repeat himself, but she couldn’t speak. Did her face reflect how freaked out she felt?

  He stepped closer, lifting one hand. “I better rephrase. I don’t mean for real. I mean pretend. How would you feel about pretending to be my girlfriend?”

  He could not be serious. Of course, the guy was hot. But Ellie wasn’t that desperate for a relationship. “I really don’t think Harver Allen would look kindly on such a personal relationship between employees.”

  “Of course not—no, I’m not hitting on you,” he said, stepping closer. “I really mean fake girlfriend. I have to meet with my ex-girlfriend up there and she just—” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “No, you’re right. It wouldn’t work. The company would fry us. And I’m sure you’ve got a boyfriend already. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “That’s all right,” Ellie said, a little worried about the mental state of her boss. A fake relationship just to avoid an ex? Now that was desperate. “I better get up there though. I can get the meeting started. Take your time.”

  She scurried into the building, eager to get into the office. Chills ran down her arms as she recalled the desperation on Brady’s face. She felt for him. It couldn’t be easy working that closely with an ex. But, really. A fake girlfriend? That was too much.

  The elevator ride felt quick and the metal doors slid open facing Cassie’s desk. The perky blonde glanced up and grinned at once, her eyes widening.

  “She’s here already,” Cassie whisper-yelled as Ellie approached. “I put her in Conference Room B and told her you’d be in shortly. You better hurry.”

  “Who?” Ellie asked. “Monica Perry?”

  “Yes,” Cassie said gravely. “And she looks good.”

  What was that supposed to mean? Why did that even matter? “Thanks, Cassie,” Ellie said, tapping the counter with her hand before turning away. She paused, turning back. “Does the office put any decorations up for the holidays?”

  Cassie shrugged. “Not that I know of.”

  “Bummer. It could really cheer up the entrance here.” Ellie turned away. The office was so sterile already with glass walls and modern desks. Everything was so bright and clean, but not in a good way. The elevator music playing in the lobby could easily be changed to something more festive, which would alter the feeling in the entrance drastically.

  There were only twenty-three days left until Christmas, after all.

  Dropping her bag in the large drawer of her desk, Ellie retrieved her company tablet and sketch book and tucked them between her folded arms and her chest.

  She’d been reasonable that morning when she’d gotten dressed and wore a solid pair of wedged booties with her pixie-cut pants. She felt secure today, and much more comfortable in her ankle-high reindeer socks that no one else could see than she had in her heels the day before.

  “Excuse me,” Ellie said, leaning toward a busy looking man at a nearby desk. He glanced up and she realized it was the man who’d snapped his fingers at her during the meeting. “Where can I find Conference Room B?”

  “Just on the other side of the break room,” he said quickly, eyeing her with irritation.

  Nice. So there was a br
eak room. Why had no one given her a solid tour of the facilities the day before? “And where’s the break room?”

  The man quit typing and looked at Ellie. “Down that hall,” he said, pointing to a hallway behind the large, glass-enclosed conference room where she’d spat her drink the day before.

  “Thanks.”

  Checking her phone for the time, Ellie slid it into her pocket and hurried down the hall, past a room with a few tables and a refrigerator, and directly into a smaller conference room than the one they’d met in the day before.

  “Hello,” she said, coming into the room quickly and holding her head up as though she had every right to be there.

  Which, she did.

  Monica Perry sat on a swiveling, plastic chair, her crossed legs visible under the clear glass table. Her pinched mouth and perfectly drawn-on eyebrows indicated extreme irritation, enough to rival even Cassie; two festive to-go cups sat on the table near her.

  “You aren’t Brady.” She sounded as annoyed as she looked, and immediately picked up her phone, swiping it on and tapping furiously into it as though Ellie was not there.

  “I am not Brady,” Ellie agreed, coming into the room. She lifted her chin. She was on the project, designated for the position by the CEO of Harver Allen himself. She had every right to be in that meeting, and she was not going to back down to this cow. “I’m Ellie Shaw and I’m looking forward to working with you on this project, Ms. Perry.”

  Ellie stuck out her hand and gazed down at Monica with all of the confidence in the world.

  Monica stared at her hand before reaching forward and giving her a quick, impatient shake.

  “Good morning, ladies,” Brady said, sweeping into the room with a dazzling smile. He carried his own tablet and skirted the room, pulling out a chair opposite Monica at the table. He’d lost the nervous, vacant look he’d worn outside just minutes before, but Ellie wondered if he was overcompensating with enthusiasm.

  “Good morning, Brady. I could really go for one of those raspberry pastries,” Monica said, lowering her voice as though she was sharing a secret with him. “We could send your assistant down for one. I really miss this building sometimes.”

  Brady’s smile grew tight. “Sure thing, Monica.” He glanced up and caught Ellie’s eye. His own were hard and unrelenting. No way. Ellie was an intern, yes, but she was not put on this project to fetch pastries. She stood beside Monica, clutching her tablet with white knuckles and breath abated. The way Brady treated her now would set the tone for her role in the company for the next three weeks.

  Perhaps she should have agreed to his ludicrous idea. As his girlfriend she would certainly not be fetching pastries.

  “Ellie, could you send a message to Cassie and request those pastries? My assistant is out for the day but I’m sure Cassie can coordinate the request.”

  Ellie’s shoulders relaxed and she nodded, pulling out a chair beside Monica and lowering herself into the seat. He hadn’t asked her to go.

  Turning on her tablet, she pulled up the chat window and already had a conversation bar flashing with Cassie’s name across the top.

  CassieJones: Warning! Brady is on his way! I repeat: Brady has just passed my desk and he’s headed for you now.

  CassieJones: Hello? Did you get my warning??

  CassieJones: Ack! He must be there by now! How’s it going? Has Monica jumped on him yet?

  Ellie did her best to swallow her smile.

  EllieShaw: We haven’t even started yet. Brady wants you to get some raspberry pastries for the meeting. From downstairs, I’m guessing?

  CassieJones: I WILL BE THERE IN FIVE MINUTES.

  Closing out the chat window, Ellie pulled up the files she’d been working on the night before. After the holiday music and Christmas tree decorating had been completed, Kayla had gone out for her night job waitressing at Pepper, and Ellie had crashed on the couch with The Grinch playing in the background. She’d compiled a better group of photos and organized them into a presentation.

  “Shall we begin?” Brady asked.

  Ellie started to angle her tablet so both Brady and Monica could see the screen. “I was hoping to show you—”

  “I want to go over my notes from the meeting,” Monica said, looking at Brady with immense focus and a smile too playful to be considered business appropriate.

  Brady glanced to Ellie and she could see the strain in his eyes. His lips formed a tight smile and he said, “Very well. We can begin there. I want to nail down our exact designs so the invitations can go out by the end of the week.”

  Monica nodded. “We’ve got to finalize the guest list, too. Since the museum is putting their name on this, I’ve brought a list of heavy hitters who can’t be forgotten.”

  Heavy hitters? “What charity is benefitting from the gala?” Ellie asked, opening a new document on her tablet to take notes.

  “I don’t know,” Monica said, brushing her off with a flick of her Tiffany bracelet-endowed wrist. “We’ll figure that out later.” She turned toward Brady. “I was thinking further on the dog situation, and I can’t help but feel that live dogs in the museum might be a handful.

  Brady nodded. “My team has already addressed the issue. In fact, we’ve found something better.” He lifted his eyebrows, giving Ellie a loaded look.

  She tried to return his widened eyes with her own, but he didn’t seem to be reading her message. She understood that he was trying to hand the conversation off to her, but what was the point of speaking when every time she opened her mouth, Monica cut her off?

  He didn’t get the message. “Ellie here actually found some great ideas and created a vision board which I think you’ll like. If you’d like to pull it up, Ellie” —Brady gestured toward her tablet with seemingly flailing patience— “I’m sure Monica would be thrilled to see it.”

  How could she argue with that? “Of course. It’s right—”

  “Knock, knock!” Cassie said loudly, barging into the room and dropping a paper bag with oil seeping through the bottom edges on the table near Ellie’s elbow. “I’ve brought pastries. They didn’t have the raspberry so I picked up a selection instead. And there are a few muffins in there, too, if you’d prefer those.”

  “Thanks, Cassie,” Ellie said, eyeing the bag. The woman stood beside her chair, grinning as she glanced between Monica and Brady.

  “It was my pleasure. Anything else I can get you? Oh!” she exclaimed, glancing over Ellie’s shoulder. “Are those the ideas for the gala? That’s gorgeous.”

  Ellie cleared her throat. “These are just a few vague ideas. We’ve still got to nail down the logistics.” If we get the chance. She glanced up and caught Brady’s amused eye. Her tablet buzzed and she clicked on the blinking chat bar headed with BradyGarrison.

  BradyGarrison: I don’t think this meeting is going to be productive at all.

  Cassie had turned her attention on Monica, asking what exactly she did for the museum and how she played a role within the planning of the gala. Ellie turned her tablet slightly so she could type without them seeing her message.

  EllieShaw: It definitely won’t be productive if I can’t get a full sentence out. Maybe the meeting should be in chat form so no one will interrupt me.

  BradyGarrison: Salty much?

  Ellie glanced up and swallowed a smile when her gaze rested on Brady’s amused expression. A smile played on his lips in a most attractive way. Too bad the offer he’d made her that morning wasn’t to be his real girlfriend. Really, the guy was hot.

  But then again, that would be weird. And as her boss, also inappropriate in the workplace.

  “Hey Cassie,” Brady said, leaning back in his chair. “Who’s answering the phones right now?”

  She shot him a saucy smile. “The machine.”

  His eyebrows rose and she rolled her eyes. But she got the hint. “It was nice to meet you, Monica. I hope I see you around.”

  Monica looked at Brady. “I think you’ll be seeing quite a bit of me in
the future.”

  Well, if that wasn’t a direct insinuation, then Ellie was Mrs. Claus.

  And Cassie’s pleased smile indicated her understanding. She was like a moth to a flame when it came to this drama.

  Ellie pulled up her presentation again and set it between her and Monica. “We are thinking of a totally wooden theme, with green and brass thrown in for a chic take on classic Christmas—”

  “Do you want to run down and grab me a coffee to go with these pastries?” Monica asked, finally looking Ellie in the eye. The woman had a gaze which seared like a hot iron when she leveled it on Ellie.

  But Ellie was not about to leave the meeting. Not for such a paltry excuse. She couldn’t help but look to the two to-go cups which sat near Monica’s elbow and had remained untouched for the duration of the meeting.

  Monica followed her gaze. “Those are cold now. I could use a hot drink.”

  “Monica, Ellie is part of the team,” Brady said. “You can’t send her to run your errands.”

  “But we are such a fantastic team,” she replied, her voice going low and silky. “We don’t need anyone else.” The suggestion in her voice was mirrored in her expression and Ellie wanted to leave the room. This woman was so blatant it was nauseating.

  If this was how she acted with another person in the room, how badly would she come on to Brady if they were left alone? Well, it wasn’t really Ellie’s problem. And she couldn’t help but think that if she just gave them a moment together, Monica could get it out of her system—whatever it was—and then they would be able to get to work.

  Pushing back her chair, Ellie rose. Monica looked pleased for the first time that morning and Ellie shot her a tight smile. “What can I get you?”

  “Just a coffee. Black.”

  “Great. And you?” she turned to Brady and paused. He looked worried. His eyes were wide and panicked as he swallowed audibly.

  “Peppermint Mocha?” she asked.

  He widened his gaze further. “You can send Cassie,” he offered. “This isn’t part of your job.”

  Ellie lifted an eyebrow. “It isn’t really Cassie’s, either.”