by Lara Norman
First published by LPN Publishing in 2018 Copyright © Lara Norman
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means; electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission by the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication:
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Epilogue
Dedication:
This book is dedicated to Kim, Denise, and Melissa for giving me unparalleled friendship and assistance.
Thanks to my beta team: Judi, Deb, Jenny, Laura, Amy, Bertha, Gale, Stephanie, and Consuela.
To my FF readers for remaining my number one fans.
A special thank you to Murray and Frances, who taught me everything I know about Judaism.
One
Cora hated everything about Christmas. The repetitiveness of the cheesy songs, the tacky decorations, and the snow. What was there to be happy about when dirty, slushy snow covered your walkway every morning? It didn't bode well for a good day when you had to shovel your car’s windshield before you could leave for work. Cora had the dubious honor of being known as Scrooge around her office, and she didn't mind entirely. It was partly true, at least. She wasn't miserly and would often go out of her way to buy the one thing someone had been dreaming of, so Scrooge wasn’t exactly accurate. She simply wasn't interested in participating in caroling or hot chocolate in a crock pot in the break room, thank you very much, Susan in accounting. Was that so bad?
Every year Cora spent Christmas Eve at work; she and her colleague, Julia, who was Jewish. There were even a few years when one of the days of Hanukkah coincided with Christmas and Cora found herself completely alone. She was good with alone. It was generally her preferred state, at work or at home. She’d spent her childhood holidays being shuffled between her divorced parents and realized early on that they both tried their best to buy her love and compete with each other. They didn't necessarily care about Cora herself as much as they cared about one-upping their ex. It made for unhappy times, and Christmas was the worst of them all. She loved being alone and not having anyone begging her for time and attention. She also worked way too much, meaning her time at home was for her to decompress and not have to worry about impressing anyone.
“Andrea, will you have that prospectus ready by end of day, or do you need a deadline extension?”
Andy looked up from her desk as her boss stopped with a hip on the edge. “I’ll have it in the next thirty, Cora.”
“Sounds great. Thanks.”
Cora straightened and prepared to move on to her next employee, but Andy stopped her. “Hey, you coming to the party this evening?”
Cora blinked. “What party?”
Andrea blushed. It hadn't occurred to her that maybe Cora wasn't invited since the whole office had received an open invitation. “Sorry, ignore me. It’s a Christmas party, of course you won't want to come.”
Cora smiled tightly. “It looks like I’ll be here late finalizing the Graham account anyway.”
“Okay. Have fun,” she said under her breath as her boss moved on to her next victim. Andrea felt that Cora was friendly and a pretty good boss, but she worked too much and was notorious for how much she despised the holidays.
“I have a delivery for LeGrand?”
Andrea stood as a man in matching gray pants, shirt, and jacket stepped into the cubicle area and looked around. He was clearly new, judging by the lost look on his face and the fact that the company’s usual driver knew who Cora LeGrand was.
“Her office is here,” Andy answered him and pointed. Cora was already out of the room so Andy went ahead and let him into the unlocked office. “Does it need a signature?”
He looked down and Andy noted that the fluorescents shined on his blond hair with an unusual glow. When he looked back up, he smiled at her. His teeth were almost blindingly white.
“Yep. Here you go.”
Andrea signed her name on the electronic pad and handed it back over. She was studying him in interest; her boss needed a good distraction, and perhaps a hot delivery guy was the answer. She couldn't objectively decide how attractive he was, but he wasn't ugly, she knew that much.
“Uh, so you’re new?” She looked at the name tag stuck onto his shirt. “Warren.”
“Yeah, hi. This was a last minute decision to make extra money for the holidays. They put Spencer on a busy neighborhood route and sent me to the corporate parks where it was unlikely I could screw anything up.”
“I see. Tell Spence we said hi next time you run into him.” Andy tried out a friendly smile, but the look on his face told her she’d fallen short of her goal.
“I’ll do that.” He raised the tablet in his hand like a wave and half turned toward the exit. If she was flirting, he was out of practice and on the clock.
Andy wondered what she could do to stall him until Cora came back, but short of pulling the fire alarm, she didn't think there was anything she could do. Poor guy had to get back to work. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yep. See you.”
She gave a little wave as he walked off and thought to herself that she had probably given off the completely wrong vibes. If he was smart, he’d never come back, and save her the embarrassment of seeing him again.
“Who was that?”
Andy jumped and turned to see Julia standing next to her. “New delivery guy for the season.”
“Mylanta, he’s hot.” Julia fanned her face as she watched Warren retreat out the glass front doors.
“Back off, Rothstein, I was thinking of pushing Cora at him.” Andy knew Julia wasn’t interested in anything more than looking, based on her past, but the warning came out of her mouth despite that.
Julia eyed her coworker dubiously. “Yeah, okay, she could use some loosening up, but what makes you think the delivery man is the answer?”
“We already know he’s good with his hands.” Even to her own ears, it sounded lame.
“That’s a stretch, Andy, but okay.” Julia shook her head, but she had to admit the idea had merit if there was something they could do to give Cora a nudge in Warren’s direction.
“I don't know, this isn't my area of expertise.” Andy tried to think of the last time she was interested in a guy, but she couldn't come up with anything. Middle school, maybe?
“You’ve got a point. Well, for starters, he looks like he could light a fire just standing next to kindling. He had strong arms under that shirt, I think. I haven't a clue what Cora’s type is since she never dates.” Julia eyed Andrea.
“As far as I know, Cora hasn’t changed her preferences. It’s not like we keep a running tally of the resident lesbians.”
“I’m sure she’s not a lesbian because she said someth
ing about her last boyfriend almost being the one until she found out he was cheating. Unless she’s changed her mind in the last few months, she’s straight, though I couldn't even blame her if she swore off men. They're hard to figure out sometimes.”
There were a few beats of silence as the two stood there thinking about what they'd said. “I’ll take your word for it,” Andy finally said.
With that, they went back to their desks, and Andrea spotted Cora returning fifteen minutes later. She was interested in seeing what would happen the next day.
Two
Cora wasn't at her desk the next day when the deliveries came in, either. She made her rounds through the office at the same time Warren was arriving. There was always something being delivered; typically expedited paperwork that needed a real signature and not something that the home office could do over computers. Once a week or so there was a large delivery of office supplies, and that was finally when the two of them met.
“Excuse me, who are you?”
Andrea stood at the same time that Warren straightened up over the box he’d been scanning. “Warren Kline, On-Time Delivery. I have your shipment from Ultra Office Company, if you could just sign here.”
Not at all the introduction Andy was hoping for; neither seemed to even acknowledge the other. She rushed over, improvising the whole way. “Warren! It’s so good to see you.” She smoothed her blouse and tried to tuck her flyaway hair behind her ear.
Warren frowned at her. He was right all along, the curly-haired girl that sat in the cubicle closest to the office was flirting with him. “Uh, hi.”
“Cora, have you met Warren? He’s filling in for Spencer through the holidays.” Andy tried to talk like Warren was the shit, but she was pretty sure it was going unnoticed by Cora.
“Great.” Cora didn't look up from her perusal of the invoice.
Son of a bitch, woman, give me something to work with, Andy thought. “He’s been really nice. Even Julia thinks so.”
Finally, Cora looked up at Andrea’s weird attitude. “Fantastic. Don’t you have work?”
“Ouch. Sorry.” Normally Cora was even-tempered, so Andy knew she’d over- stepped in her enthusiasm. She backed up until she hit her desk chair and sat. She watched as Cora signed for the delivery and Warren left, and then bit back the huge groan she wanted to let loose at her boss’s obtuseness.
“What the hell was that?”
“Huh?” Andy blinked her dark brown eyes as she looked up at Cora. She’d been so busy berating herself she didn't even notice her boss had come over. “Oh, nothing. He started on Monday, but you haven't been down here when he comes in. I just wanted you to know that I had it under control.”
“If that’s what you want to call that. The poor guy probably thinks you were hitting on him, or at least warming up to it.” It was very unlike Andrea to act overly warm and friendly with outside vendors.
“I have no interest in him. I wanted to make him feel welcome on his new route, that’s all.” Andy sounded defensive, but really, there was nothing wrong with being friendly toward the new guy.
Cora narrowed her eyes; she was pretty sure there was something else going on with Andy. “Maybe tomorrow you can be less enthusiastic with him. I think you scared him.”
“Maybe you can be more enthusiastic,” she muttered as Cora walked off.
“What was that?” Cora said as she stopped and turned, her eyes narrowed as she was positive she heard Andy mutter something.
Andy hunched her shoulders and tried not to look suspicious. She had to remember to watch her mouth. “Maybe I should be less enthusiastic. I was agreeing with you. I don't want to come off as a creep.”
Cora ignored Andrea’s oddness but grew more suspicious when Julia mentioned the delivery man later on when they were in the break room together at lunchtime.
“I’m just saying, he’s pretty dreamy. Fire-breathing dreamy.”
Cora stared at her until she squirmed. “Did you know that Andy was super chipper with him this morning? Like mental-patient-excited to see the delivery man?”
“Maybe she thinks he’s hot, too,” Julia tried, knowing how implausible she sounded. Andrea was not interested in Warren because she had a wife.
“Unless something has changed that I’m not aware of, I don't think Andy is interested in the On-Time man.”
“Yeah, no, you’re probably right.” Julia mentally cursed herself for having said something so stupid in the first place.
Cora grew more concerned when Julia wouldn't meet her gaze, but she chose to drop it.
Cora was in her office the next day when he came in. She’d intentionally waited in order to fix the mess her staff might have created.
“Hello, Mr. Kline.” She gave him a polite smile.
“It’s just Warren.”
“Okay, Warren.” He smiled at her and she paused. He did have a nice smile. “I want to apologize if any of my employees have been anything less than professional. I suppose they’ve become used to old Spence.”
“Oh.” He thought of the women that had basically ogled him every time he came in the doors or seemed to have business on the ground floor even though they didn't appear to have a desk down there. “There have been a few awkward encounters, I admit.” He flicked a look over his shoulder at Andrea's desk. She glanced up at him and squirmed in her seat.
“I apologize.” Cora stood ramrod straight beside her desk, holding her hand out for the signature pad. Warren studied her somewhat exotic features and black hair twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were elongated with thick lashes, the irises so dark as to appear black. Her skin was a few shades darker than his own and she was dressed in a charcoal skirt and black blouse that flattered her figure. Only when she spoke again did he realize he’d been stuck staring at her.
“She’s harmless, I assure you. She has a spouse at home, and she merely got a little excited to make you feel welcome. I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable doing your job because you might have felt harassed.”
“I did wonder if she was flirting, but I assure you, I didn't feel harassed.”
Cora handed back the tablet. “All right. We’ll see you tomorrow.” She hoped he made note of her use of the royal we.
He left without saying anything else, and Cora put him out of her mind. She had work to do, and she wasn't surprised to be the last to leave. The janitor always locked her in for safety, so she stood at the glass doors and watched the snow swirling around the parking lot and the bushes surrounding it. The accounting office across the street had a lit-up tree in their foyer, and the lights were blurred through the glass and snow. With a heavy sigh, Cora turned the key to let herself out and pulled open the door, shivering as the frigid air slapped her in the face. She turned back to lock up behind herself and wound up with snowflakes clinging to the back of her coat and her hair. As she made the walk to her car, she had to be particularly careful not to slip on patches of ice. She lost her footing once, but thankfully she was close enough to her car to grab on and not bust her ass.
Driving home through the snow always put her in a bad mood, so by the time she made it to her house she was good and irritated. All her neighbors had lawn decorations that were currently piled with snow, and lights lining their eaves. Hers was the one dark house on the street, but she refused to feel bad about it. Let her neighbors pay a higher bill every year; she wasn't interested. Letting herself into a dark house was lonely, but Cora was used to it. She didn't want to dwell on it, so she went to the kitchen to heat up a can of soup and flipped on the television for background noise. She had no tree, no presents, and no plans to change either of those things in the next few weeks. It was December first, and Cora was as unprepared for Christmas as she ever was.
Three
Every day Warren continued making the deliveries, and every day Cora LeGrand received them just as formally as she had the day he met her. She was brusque and efficient, and he didn't think she’d ever crack. He wasn't entirely
sure why, but making Cora like him had become a goal of his. He was charming, he was witty, and he pulled out all the stops. He used her name every time they spoke, he smiled brightly, and he often put her boxes of supplies in the closet when it wasn't required of him. She was warm with her employees, which showed him that he was the exception. He understood it was because they were strangers, but he wanted to change that.
“Hello, Cora, how are you today?” he asked on the seventh.
“I’m great, Warren, thanks.”
She’d signed and gone about her business, leaving him to either stand around awkwardly or leave.
“Don't give up,” the curly-haired woman said as he walked into the main room of the offices. She was turning half circles in her chair, back and forth, as she watched him.
“Oh, hey, um, I should go.” His hand went to the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. He didn't know what to do with this woman that constantly wanted to talk to him.
She stopped her movement and leaned forward. “Look, I’m not into you, okay?” She glanced over her shoulder at her boss and back at Warren. “Name’s Andy. I’m married. To a woman.”
His eyebrows went up. “You don't have to—”
“It’s okay, it’s common knowledge around here. I’m only telling you because my interest is in seeing my boss happy. She comes off as a stick in the mud, but she really is a good person.”
Warren looked in the same direction Andy had. Cora was sitting with her head bent to the paperwork on her desk. “Based on the way she interacts with you and the others, I agree that she’s a good person. Problem is, she won't give me the time of day.” He gave a short, humorless laugh. “Well, maybe she would if I asked, but it would be followed up with a formal dismissal.”
“Yeah, I get you.” Andy frowned as she thought about what could be done.
“Is there anything she likes? Something I can ply her with?” Warren was almost feeling desperate. Cora wasn't even his type, but he wanted her to like him.