by Krista Lakes
“Why are you delivering files?” he asked as she set down the folder on his desk. “The mail-room usually handles that.”
“I’m an intern,” she explained. “And since it’s Christmas Eve, there just isn’t a lot to do right now. My boss said to find something to do.”
“What’s your name?” he asked her. Now that she was here, he found he liked having some company and didn’t want her to leave just yet. The office was too quiet today.
“Fauna,” she replied. He thought he kept his face still, but she still chuckled at his expression. “I know it’s kind of a unique name.”
Now that he was looking at her, she looked vaguely familiar. There was something about her eyes, or maybe the color of her hair... “Have we met before?” he asked. “You look really familiar.”
She shook her head. “Nope. But maybe you’ve run across my sisters.”
“Maybe,” he agreed. Long shadows filled the room as the daylight faded. “Why don’t you head home? You can tell your boss I said you can go. It is Christmas Eve after all.”
“Thanks, but it’s okay. My flight home is late enough that I’m practically riding Santa’s sleigh tonight. I might as well be here,” Fauna said with a laugh. “Otherwise I’d just be at home watching old Christmas movies and eating popcorn. I don’t need the calories.”
“Thank you for the files,” he said.
“No problem,” Fauna replied. “Can I get you some coffee or anything? I can get hot or iced. I’m better at hot, though.”
“No, thank you.” Hot coffee made him think of colder climates. He thought of the coffee shop in the bookstore and wondered if Holly was there now.
She’d be getting things ready for the party. She’d been so excited about it. He hoped she was doing okay.
“Why the long face?” Fauna asked him.
He looked up in surprise. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “You just look sad. Maybe I can help.” She pulled up one of his guest chairs and sat down. “I’m a really good problem solver. It’s why I was hired.”
“Thanks, but I think it’s above your pay grade,” he told her.
“Is it about Elements Computer Technologies?” she asked.
“What makes you say that?” he asked, her narrowing his eyes.
“The higher-ups were talking about it in the hall. They didn’t know I was there,” she explained.
“What did you hear?” he asked. It would be nice to know what the other employees were saying. No one seemed to give him real answers since he was the big boss. They always told him what they thought he wanted to hear.
“Just that the staff of ECT isn’t excited about the move. There’s a lot of talk about a lot of the main staff quitting,” she replied. “And, some of the other department heads are wondering why Paradigm is adding another division here.”
Nathan nodded listening. He’d heard similar rumors, but his course was set. He couldn’t change things now even if he wanted to.
“And what do you think?” Nathan asked her, leaning back in his chair. He found that he liked her. It was nice to have someone to talk to today. The rest of the office was empty and he was tired of being alone. Talking with Fauna would be better than sitting and thinking of Holly and the things he couldn’t have.
“You want my opinion?” Fauna looked thoughtful. “If I were in charge, I’d sell Elements to someone else. Paradigm already has three other divisions that do that work. It’s overkill for the company and will just lead to resentment and redundancy. If you sold it to a smaller buyer, you wouldn’t have to worry about it as competition. You could probably even sell it at a profit right now.”
“I have to say I haven’t heard that advice yet,” Nathan told her.
She grinned. “I think outside of the box.”
“Who do you think Paradigm should sell to?” Nathan asked. “Since you seem to have thought this out.”
“You’re going to laugh at my idea,” she told him. “But, I’m going to tell you anyway.”
“Go for it. I’ll do my best not to laugh,” he promised.
She looked at him with pale green eyes full of old knowledge. “You. You should buy it.”
He couldn’t help it. He did laugh. “Me? But I’m the CEO of Paradigm.”
“You’re also the creator of the Quad-Ram. Elements is known for new and unique solutions. Can you imagine if you were the owner? You wouldn’t have to be the CEO and run things.” She grinned at him.. “You could work in the company as and create things like the Quad-Ram again. It would be a perfect match.”
Nathan shook his head. “And in your fantasy world, what happens to Paradigm?”
“They get a new CEO. There’s plenty of people gunning for your job,” she told him. “Some of the rumors, especially about RentTech, don’t sound so good for you.”
“Thanks for the warning,” he said dryly. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before. Everyone wanted to be the CEO. It was part of why he had to be ruthless.
She held up her hands. “Don’t shoot the messenger,” she said. “I’m just telling you what I’ve heard. Interns hear a lot of gossip since everyone seems to forget we’re there until it’s time for coffee.”
Nathan had to agree. It was easy to forget that the interns were there, quietly working in the background.
“You hear anything else interesting?” he asked her.
“The board is meeting in an hour,” she told him. “They say it’s just for an end of the year thing.”
Anxiety balled up in Nathan’s stomach. He knew he had no reason to be nervous, yet there it was anyway. He pushed it away. He was making Paradigm money again. He had no reason to be nervous.
“Well, I should be getting back to work,” Fauna said, rising gracefully to her feet. “Anyway, thanks for listening to my crazy idea. I’m actually a really big fan of the Quad-Ram. I’d love to see something like that again.”
“Thanks for the files, and the crazy idea,” Nathan told her, picking up the folder.
“Any time,” Fauna replied. “Merry Christmas, Mr. Reed. I hope you get what you want.”
“Thank you. You too.”
She gave him one last smile before exiting his office.
He played with the folder in his hands, thinking over the conversation. His thoughts drifted to the laptop back at the Elements’ R&D department. He still had ideas he wanted to try. Things that would change laptops forever.
What if...
He closed his eyes and let himself imagine what it might look like if he followed Fauna’s idea. He could afford to purchase Elements easily. He even knew a couple of people who’d would make an excellent CEO. He imagined being able to go to the R&D department and simply work on new technologies without the stress and worry of running a company.
Granted, his bank account would suffer, but he was a billionaire. He had more money than he could really spend at this point, even with the purchase of Elements.
But, the part that stuck out to him most was that he could come home to Holly every night. He could have dinner with her whenever he wanted. They could talk about books and lay in bed all morning on Saturdays. He could help out at school functions and see the kids.
He thought about Molly, Jake, and Natasha. He wondered if Santa would be coming to their houses tonight. He thought about the parade and the town.
And he found that he ached for all of it.
He wanted it.
“But that’s not what I chose,” Nathan said aloud to no one in particular. Irritated, he pulled out his phone and opened the app for his bank accounts. He needed to be reminded what he was working for.
His fingers paused on the log-in screen. He found that he didn’t actually care. That it didn’t matter compared to Holly’s smile. Instead of the bank account app, he opened his camera and scrolled through his pictures.
Holly’s smile gave him the rush he was looking for. Her soft green eyes and laughing mouth gave him more happiness than seeing one-hundred mi
llion extra dollars in his bank account.
The money didn’t matter.
Money wasn’t everything.
Holly was.
Nathan’s eyes snapped open. He knew what he needed to do.
He checked his watch. If what Fauna said was correct, he had ten minutes to get up to the board room and make his case. It was crazy, but he found himself excited for it.
For the first time all day, he had the energy and drive to do what needed to be done.
Now that the idea was in his mind, he wasn’t going to be able to stop. He certainly couldn’t stop the smile on his face or the laugh that started deep in his stomach and worked its way out into the world.
He was going to be happy.
He was going to make this a Christmas to remember.
Chapter 41
Holly
Holly sat before a roaring fire, watching the flames jump and dance around a yule log. She wondered if it would be appropriate to put another shot of rum in her hot cocoa or if three was already too many.
She wanted to feel happy. It was Christmas Eve. She was warm and full of good food. Her father had made his famous pot roast and she’d eaten enough mashed potatoes that she was probably at least fifty percent potato herself. There would soon be presents and cookies.
There was every reason to be happy and content. But, all she could think about was Nathan.
So, she sat on the floor in front of the fire and drank rum.
It was her annual place to sit on Christmas Eve. Holly and Mark had already watched the old Claymation version of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Now they would exchange books as was their tradition.
When Holly was a little girl, they used to do this every year. Her mother would pick out an educational book with beautiful pictures for her. One year, she got an encyclopedia of dragons. Another, it was a compendium of North American flowers. Once, she’d gotten the most amazing picture book full of deep sea fish. That was the last one her mother had given her.
Mark always picked a fiction book for Holly. One year it was Lord of the Rings. The years where new GRR Martin books came out, she knew exactly what book he would give her.
As a girl, she would crawl into bed after setting out cookies and milk and stare at the pictures before reading the book from her father. She’d read until her eyes gave out, and then she’d dream of dragons and flowers until it was time for Christmas presents.
This year, she sat ready with a book for her father. It was wrapped neatly in wrapping that matched the one still tucked under her tree at home. The fact that she’d left it there made her sad all over again.
“You doing okay?” Mark asked, joining her on the floor. He groaned slightly as he settled his old bones in front of the fire. “You need some more rum?”
She shook her head yes, feeling her brain slosh a little. She was tipsy, but she still needed to drive home. She could sleep here in her childhood bed, but she didn’t want to cry into her childhood pillow. She was a grownup now.
“Here,” her father said, handing her a brown paper package. “I think you’ll like this one.”
She set her mug to the side and carefully pulled open the paper. A beautiful leather bound book came out. The Silmarillion was emblazoned in gold leaf in beautiful flowing script.
“It’s an older book, but I thought you might like it,” Mark told her. “I know how much you enjoyed The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.”
She ran her fingers over the beautiful book. “Thank you, Dad.”
She handed him her wrapped package. “Merry Christmas.”
He tore at the paper, ripping the neatly pressed edges and making Holly smile.
“The Best of Calvin and Hobbes,” he read, smiling at the title. “Thank you, Holly.”
They hugged and Holly tried not to think of how much she wished she could give Nathan his book now as well.
“Dad, there’s something I need to tell you,” she said after a moment. She chewed on her bottom lip and finally just took a sip of her rum for courage.
“You can tell me anything,” Mark said. He held the book close to his chest, proud of his newest acquisition.
“Dad...” She closed her eyes. Better just to get this over with. “Nathan isn’t keeping ECT here. He’s back to moving it again.”
“Oh.”
The one sound held soft surprise, heartbreak, and acceptance all at once. Holly searched her father’s face, worried about what she would see there. Defeat filled his features and he seemed to age ten years in the space of seconds.
“I’m so sorry, Dad,” she told him. “I shouldn’t have told you in the first place and gotten your hopes up.”
“No, no I’m glad you did,” Mark countered. “I got to spend the last day happy. I didn’t worry about the party tomorrow as much because I thought we would have more.” Mark shrugged. “Now, I don’t have to worry.”
Holly wished she could sink into the floor. Mark was taking this too well. The fact that tomorrow’s party would be the last of the bookstore’s Christmases made her want to cry. It was a staple for the town.
It was the end of an era that she’d never thought would happen.
Not to mention all her students. She thought of Jenifer, Molly and Jake. This would be their last Christmas in Colorado. The last one in their current home. She hoped for their sake that it was a good one.
“Where’s that rum?” Mark asked, looking around. Holly handed him the small bottle on the floor next to her. Mark took a swig straight from the bottle. “Is that why Nathan isn’t here tonight?”
Holly nodded. “We decided things weren’t going to work out. And he had to work.”
It sounded lame, but it was true.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Mark reached out and squeezed her hand. “I thought he was the one, but...”
“Yeah, me too.” Holly held out her hand for the rum and her dad handed it to her. She took a swig and then handed it back.
“Well, it could be worse,” Mark said after a moment.
Holly lifted her brows. “How?”
He reached for the rum. “We could be out of rum. And at least there’s chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen.”
Holly chuckled, even though she felt like sobbing. She’d already cried today. She didn’t want to cry. It was Christmas Eve, for heaven’s sake. People were supposed to be happy, not heartbroken.
“You going to be okay?” Mark asked her, watching her with the concerned eyes of a parent.
“We both will,” she told him. She hoped it wasn’t a lie.
He patted her arm and they both turned and stared into the fire.
Worst Christmas Eve ever, Holly decided.
And she took another sip of rum.
Chapter 42
Holly
Holly didn’t want to open her eyes. She had the covers pulled up around her chin and her body was comfortably warm, but her face was cold. If she opened her eyes, that meant it was morning.
And for the first time in her life, she didn’t want it to be Christmas morning.
Her phone began to buzz, telling her that it was almost time to leave. She had to be at the store an hour before the party to get everything set up.
With a groan, she sat up, swung her feet out of bed, and immediately regretted the decision. Her apartment was freezing. Even with socks on, her feet were cold on the floor. She hurried to the bathroom, changing her clothes as quickly as possible before the cold could set in.
Luckily, she’d had enough water that she wasn’t too hung over. Just a mild headache and she didn’t want any breakfast.
She grabbed her things and paused at the small Christmas tree in her living room. Three presents sat under it. There was the big, bulky Christmas present for her father, a handmade fleece blanket she’d put together for him, and the two presents for Nathan. Seeing them made her heart ache.
“Someone else might as well enjoy them,” she said to herself, picking up all three and bringing them into the car with her. S
he was going to a Christmas party where gifts would be given to anyone and everyone. Surely, there was someone in town that would like a copy of The Christmas Carol and a large Devonsville T-shirt.
The ride to her father’s bookstore was cold. She tried to enjoy the fresh snow on the trees, the white and blue of the mountains, and the twinkle of lights in every pine tree, but she felt hollow inside.
She missed Nathan. She wondered what he was doing this Christmas morning. Probably working, she decided. She told herself not to cry, but she couldn’t help it.
She had to pull over to the side of the road and let the tears come. She cried until she couldn’t breathe. Luckily, there was almost no traffic since it was Christmas morning, so no one saw her. When she finally felt in control again, she wiped her face, checked her mascara in the rear-view mirror, and continued on to the bookstore.
She went in through the back, following the sound of Christmas music to the front room. Mark was already setting up. He wore jeans and a red sweater with a Christmas tree proudly sewn into the front.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he greeted Holly as soon as he saw her. He came over, wrapping her up in a hug and a kiss on the head.
“Hi, Dad,” she said, snuggling her face into the safety of his embrace. For a moment, she let herself be a child again. “Merry Christmas.”
He held onto her until she let go. He knew she was struggling with Nathan’s leaving.
“Thanks,” she said, wiping her cheeks and pulling away from her father. “We should get things set up.”
Mark nodded. “I’ll set up the tables for food. You finish the wrapping on the gifts. I don’t think there’s much left.”
Holly left her father pulling on tables and straightening tablecloths to go up to his office. He had most of the gifts in a big red velvet bag. This year, there was only the one bag. She could remember earlier years where there had been up to five red velvet bags, all stuffed to the brim with stuffed animals, books, and toys.
This year, there were just some books. They were thin and cheap. The toys were plastic things from China that they’d ordered in bulk. It was a meager offering for the store, but it was all they had to offer. With Elements leaving, the store didn’t have enough customers to afford more.