Snowflakes and Ice Skates: A Holiday Romance Anthology (Utah Fury Hockey)

by Brittney Mulliner

  “That sounds good. Have you seen Matt yet?”

  She shook her head. “Not since we left for lunch yesterday.”

  “I’ll save one of these for him.”

  She nodded and walked the short distance to her desk. Matt would be in meetings all afternoon, and we hadn’t yet had a chance to update him on everything that happened. He wouldn’t forgive us if we didn’t invite him to the party. He wouldn’t miss the chance to watch everything unfold after listening to us talk about Goldie—Lane. I needed to break the habit of referring to him by the nickname we made up. If I let it slip in front of him, I’d die of mortification.

  Since this was the last full day of work this week, I forced myself to focus on finishing everything I could.

  “There you are.” I glanced up and saw Matt coming towards me from the elevators.

  “What do you mean? Of course, I’m here.”

  He laughed. “Well, I know, but now I’m here too.”

  I shook my head. “Where have you been?”

  He groaned. “Endless meetings. Closing out the year and making sure all of the numbers match up. It’s been mind-numbing.”

  I cringed. “That sounds awful.”

  “The worst part has been waiting! I want to know what happened at lunch.”

  Cora appeared over his shoulder. “You’ll need a chair.”

  I laughed as they circled my desk, dragging chairs over until we were in a tight circle.

  “So you were right. They do eat on the second floor,” Cora started.

  Matt’s eyebrows jumped. “Did you see them?”

  She nodded while widening her eyes. “Oh, we did better than that.”

  Matt’s eyes darted to mine. “Tell me.”

  “Milly, one of the women in their department, remembered me from the elevator. She invited us to sit with them.”

  “Who was there?”

  “A guy named Hayden and Goldie.”

  Matt beamed. “No way!”

  I nodded, excited once again by everything that happened. I loved that my coworkers were as invested in the story as I was. “His name is Lane.”

  Matt nodded. “I like it.”

  “We talked about our plans for New Year’s Eve, and Cora ended up inviting them to the party at her house.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he looked a little hurt. “You’re having a party?”

  She chuckled. “As of that moment. I came up with it on the spot.”

  I reached over and pulled out an invitation for him. “Here you go.”

  His eyes scanned it, and his smile returned. “I’ll be there.”

  “Now Taylor just has to deliver the rest.”

  They were both watching me, waiting for a reaction, and I finally sighed. “Fine.” I stood and grabbed the stack of invitations. “I’ll be back.”

  I knew better than to try to fight both of them. It would be wasted energy. So I went to the elevators, smoothing my black-and-white tweed blazer as I walked. It was a good thing I looked cute today. This would be my first time venturing to the development floor. I entered the elevator and pressed the button for the seventh floor. When the doors opened again, I stepped out onto a floor that looked almost identical to marketing but was much quieter. I walked over to the receptionist, an older-looking blonde woman who glanced up when I approached.

  “Hi, can you point me in the direction of the product engineers?”

  Her eyes dipped to the company badge I wore clipped to my waistband. “Go left and head straight back.”

  “Thanks.” I followed her direction, feeling the stares of people I passed. Why did I feel like I was intruding? But when I glanced around, I realized that everyone was focused on the screens in front of them. Most even had headphones on.

  This was the opposite of my department. We were constantly talking to each other, bouncing ideas back and forth, and music played in the background over shared speakers. Not here. Each click of my heeled boots made me cringe more.

  I scanned the desks, looking for someone I recognized. My neck and cheeks were flushed. I hated this feeling. Being the center of attention was high on my list of worst nightmares, and I was quickly gaining more sets of eyes on me the longer I moved down the open walkway.

  Turning around was tempting. I’d chicken out and make Cora come back with me. Or we could look for them at lunch. Anything but this.

  “Taylor?”

  I turned at the sound of my voice. Lane was walking toward me from a meeting room. I tried to not appear too relieved to see him.

  “Hi.” He met me halfway, in front of a cluster of desks. I forced myself not to look around. I knew we had an audience, but I wanted to ignore them.

  “What’s up?” His casual question put me at ease. I wasn’t under attack; I needed to relax.

  I held up an invitation. “I wanted to come give you this.” I paused and realized I’d made it seem like I was here just for him...which I wasn’t. Not entirely. “And Hayden and Milly.”

  He took the card from me and looked it over. His smile spread to his eyes, the corners crinkling in a way that I loved. “Thanks. I’m excited about this. I told my roommate too if that’s okay?”

  I nodded. “Yes of course. I hope he can come too.”

  I froze when I realized his roommate could be a woman. Hopefully, not one he had a romantic connection with. Oh gosh. I couldn't even imagine what I’d do if he arrived with another woman on his arm. I didn’t think Cora’s apartment had a fire escape…

  “Yeah, I think he should be able to.”

  I let out a breath. Good. Crisis averted. “Do you know where Hayden and Milly sit?”’

  He nodded and led me through the maze of desks until Hayden appeared.

  “Hey, Taylor.” He smiled as he pulled his headphones off.

  “Hi, I just came by to give you this.” I held out a card for him, which he accepted and read over.

  “Sounds good. I can’t wait.”

  “Me too. If you have any friends you want to bring, please feel free.”

  I’d thought yesterday that there had been a connection between him and Cora, but her comments this morning about the printer made me question that again. Maybe she was just keeping her options open. My eyes flickered to Lane.

  He caught me looking and smiled. “Milly’s just right over here.” He led me to a different row where Milly was staring straight ahead, typing furiously.

  When he tapped her shoulder, she jumped in her seat, spinning around and glaring at him. Then she noticed me. “Oh, hi, Taylor.”

  “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to drop this off.” I handed her the card. I wanted to move on since we’d interrupted her, but she clapped.

  “Thanks! I’m so excited about this. I’m usually in bed by ten on New Year’s. I can’t remember the last time I stayed up for it, let alone went to a party.”

  I smiled as a few heads popped up.

  “There’s a party?” asked a guy with black-rimmed glasses and a New York Yankees’ hat. He sat across from Milly, so he was already facing us.

  I hesitated, not knowing if it would be okay to invite more people to Cora’s home, but I decided it would be rude to exclude him. Who knew, maybe we’d all end up being friends.

  “Yeah.” I reached forward, handing him an invitation. “I’m hosting it with my friend Cora from the marketing department.”

  He elbowed the guy next to him. “New Year’s party?”

  The other guy, who had thick red hair, glanced at me with a smile before nodding. “Sounds cool.”

  I smiled and tried to retreat before I ended up inviting the entire floor.

  “Yeah, I hope you guys can make it.” I glanced up at Lane, who smiled and nodded, his golden-brown eyes lighting up.

  I bit my lip. The death walk earlier was worth it to see him smile at me like this. I knew I was blushing and I tried to duck my head and pass him, but he caught my arm.

  “Are you going to be downstairs for lunch?”

  I h
adn’t planned on it, but if he was going to be, nothing that could prevent me from going down too.

  “Um, maybe?”

  “I hope so.”

  My heart nearly burst. I nodded. “I’ll see you later.”

  He smiled, and I memorized it before turning and hurrying back to the safety of the elevators. Once I was inside, I did a mini cheer and dance before composing myself again as the doors opened on my floor.

  Six

  “Did you invite your roommate?” Cora held up a ‘Cheers to New Years’ sign, and I put it into the cart. We were picking out decorations for the party at a store near the office. Since we had to set up the next day after work, we’d decided to do all the shopping tonight.

  “Yeah, she said she and her boyfriend will try to make it.”

  Cora laughed. “So that’s a no?”

  I sighed. “Most likely. I know that we’re just roommates, not friends, but it would be nice if we were.”

  “I’ve lived with people like her. She and her boyfriend are getting serious, and she’s probably hoping they move in together soon. It’s not that she doesn’t want to be friends, she’s just focusing on the next stage of her life.”

  “You’re right. I’m sure if I’d moved in before she met him we would have been friends.”

  Cora nodded and held up a gold paper pom-pom. “Too much?”

  I shook my head. “No, it will be cute to hang from the ceiling.”

  “Do you know what you’re planning on doing if she decides to move out?”

  I put a few more pom-poms into the cart. “Not really. The lease is under her name, so I’ll probably have to find somewhere else.”

  “Well, I have an extra bedroom…”

  She trailed off, and I turned to her. “What happened to crazy Irene?”

  Cora rolled her eyes. “She decided she wanted to go back home.”

  I laughed. “You’re kidding me? She actually moved out?”

  “She hasn’t taken everything yet, and she paid through January, but after that, I’m free of her forever.”

  That was an intriguing option. Part of me wondered if Holly stayed because of me. We might not be close friends, but I don’t think she’d want to sublet the apartment if I wasn't comfortable with it. Which I wasn’t. I couldn’t afford the place on my own, but if I had another option, she’d be able to move in with her boyfriend without worrying about me.

  Plus, Cora’s apartment was so much closer to the office. It wasn’t a bad idea. We were both lonely and both tired of living with people we didn’t know well.

  “I’ll talk to her about it.”

  She smiled and nodded, moving down the aisle. “We need some noisemakers, and then I think we’re done.”

  There was a display at the front of the store with a selection of New Year’s specific party supplies, so we picked out some clappers and paper whistles before calling it good.

  We checked out, and I helped Cora carry the bags to her building.

  Her doorman greeted us. “Good evening, ladies.” He reached for the bags I was holding and opened the door for Cora.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks for your help.” She disappeared, and I turned to head back to my place. Cora’s building was much nicer than where I lived, and the added security of a doorman increased the appeal. My only concern was that we’d get sick of each other. Living together plus working together would mean a lot of time around each other. We’d have to be cautious of that and make sure to give each other space. She had her yoga classes, and I liked to visit the different city parks to read, so as long as we had our alone time, we could probably make it work.

  Since I was close, I decided to check out the bookstore on thirty-second that Milly had mentioned. Stepping inside, I drew a deep breath and smiled as the smell of books and coffee pulled me deeper into the store. It was a narrow shop, but deeper than I expected. I started on the first aisle and slowly perused the packed shelves. When I turned the corner at the end of the row, I spotted a small sitting area. There was only one person taking up a chair. He held up his book, blocking his face, but something about him seemed familiar. I paused until he lowered the book to reach for his coffee.

  “Lane?” I almost laughed at the coincidence.

  His eyes met mine, and his smile appeared. “Hi, Taylor.”

  I took the chair across from him and sat down. “You probably think I’m following you.”

  He chuckled. “Definitely not.”

  I smiled and looked around the nook. It was cozy, with various classic book covers covering the walls.

  “Do you come here often?” I froze when I realized I just said those cheesy words aloud. “I mean…”

  His laugh cut me off. “This is the first time I’ve been here.”

  I shook my head, laughing with him. “Mine too. I was on my way home and decided to stop by.”

  “Me too. I have a soft spot for bookstores.”

  I smiled and leaned forward on my elbows. “Me too. I usually like to read in a park, but during the winter, there’s nothing better than finding a quiet corner and curling up for a while.”

  “Exactly.” He nodded. “You haven’t found anything yet?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve only been down one aisle. What are you reading?”

  He held up the book so I could see the cover. It was by a well-known mystery author. “I haven’t read that one yet.”

  “It’s pretty good so far. It’s the first in his new series that takes place in a small town. I always wonder how authors can limit themselves in that way. How many people can go missing in a small town without someone seeing something?”

  I nodded. “That’s true. It must make it harder to write than a series in the city where people can disappear into the crowd.”

  “Exactly.”

  I smile, more pleased about us agreeing than I should be.

  “What else do you like besides reading?” he asked as he set his book down next to him. I was honored he was willing to talk to me after I’d interrupted him. There was nothing worse than sinking into a great story and having to stop when someone speaks to you.

  “You’re going to think I’m lame.”

  “I doubt that.” His unwavering gaze warmed my soul.

  “My favorite part of living here is the people watching. I love finding a place to sit and just watch the world go on around me. When I go running in the park, I’m constantly taking in what’s going on around me.”

  His eyes brightened. “You’re not lame at all. People-watching is one of my favorite pastimes and we live in the very best place for it.”

  “So what else do you do?”

  He chuckled. “You’re going to think I’m lame.”

  I shook my head. That would never happen. “Try me.”

  “I like to write code. I help people write apps or computer programs.”

  I sat back. He was even more impressive than I thought. “In addition to everything you do at work?”

  He smiled. “Don’t worry. It doesn't go against the non-compete clause I signed.”

  I waved him off. “That’s not what I meant. I just can’t imagine doing what you do at work every day and then going home and doing more of it.”

  He shrugged. “I enjoy it. The problem-solving aspect of writing code and perfecting it is what keeps me interested.”

  I nodded. “I can see how that would be interesting.”

  “I’m a total nerd, I know.”

  I laughed. “More like a genius.”

  “I think we all have talents. I don’t have the creativity to do anything in marketing.”

  “It’s just writing and putting content together.”

  His eyebrow raised. “And presenting it to people.”

  I nodded. “That’s true.”

  “I’m not very good in front of people. I’d much rather work behind the screen.”

  I giggle at his pun. “I guess that’s why companies have different people in different de
partments.”

  His grin grew. “Thank heaven for that.”

  I didn't know what he meant by that. Was he grateful he didn't have to do my job or was he was grateful there were people in the company because that meant we could meet?

  I really wanted it to be the second option.

  “It's a little crazy that we never met before yesterday.” He paused. “I mean, with us both working for the same company for months.”

  I didn’t want to tell him it had been several days since I noticed him. I blamed the company for not getting everyone together more often.

  “It is. I barely know anyone outside of my department.”

  He nodded. “That’s the downside of working at a place that big.”

  His eyes connected with mine, and I wanted to tell him how happy I was we finally met. How I’d thought about him before forcing fate in my favor.

  “It's not all bad though, right?” I wanted to say something to let him know I was interested. Running into him like this was our first organic encounter, and I didn’t want to let it go to waste.

  He shook his head. “No, it’s not.”

  I held his gaze and smiled. “I’m really happy we ran into each other yesterday.”

  His smile grew. “Me too. I actually—”

  “There you are. Are you ready?” I turned to see a man with a grey peacoat and matching beanie walking toward us.

  I glanced back at Lane, who looked annoyed. “Sorry, Mitch. I must have lost track of time.”

  I looked between the men, wondering who he was.

  “Taylor, this is my roommate, Mitch. Mitch, this is Taylor. She’s hosting the New Year’s party.”

  Mitch’s eyes lit up with recognition, and his face paled. “I’m sorry to interrupt. We’re just late.”

  Lane smiled at me apologetically. “Sorry to run. We planned a dinner with one of our friends from MIT who’s in town.”

  I forced a smile. “No problem. Sorry I kept you.”

  Lane frowned. “I’m not sorry.”

  My breath hitched, and I broke eye contact. I stood and pulled my purse over my shoulder.

  Then I turned to Mitch and smiled. “I hope we’ll see you tomorrow.” When I looked at Lane, I hesitated. “I’ll see you later?”