Holiday Spice

by Samantha Chase

  “Now, Ariel, Paige had a specific plan for this campaign—”

  “But it wasn’t going to work,” Ariel countered. “And besides, I was trying to do a good thing. I’ve been feeling so weird lately, and then it came to me that this was what we needed to do. So while I was at the doctor’s office—”

  “Why were you at the doctor?” Robert asked, concern instantly lacing his voice.

  Paige was certain she was seeing her own brain from rolling her eyes so hard. How was it that nobody else saw through this ridiculous act?

  “Well,” Ariel began with a coy grin, “I was going to wait until lunch to tell you, but…” She looked around the table to build anticipation. “I’m pregnant! Dennis and I are having a baby!” Then she squealed with joy and waited as everyone jumped up to congratulate her.

  With a sigh of resignation, Paige stuffed the papers into the folder and simply joined the line to wait her turn.

  * * *

  The next day, Paige begrudgingly sat and looked over Ariel’s list. The rest of the previous day had been a bust. After the big pregnancy announcement, the meeting had pretty much ended. Her father promised they’d get together later in the week to talk about the campaign again, but he had been too far gone with joy at the news of becoming a grandfather to concentrate on anything else.

  There was a part of Paige that was excited at the thought of becoming an aunt, but really, it was the image of her sister getting fat and throwing up that put the slight grin on her face.

  “Uh-oh. Someone looks like they’re plotting something!”

  Looking up, Paige chuckled as Daisy walked in. She was a little bit younger than Paige—fresh out of college—but there was something about her that made you feel like she had been living under a rock or something. She was a hard worker but a bit…quirky. Clueless. Not in a bad way, Paige thought, but there were times when it took far too much energy to reel the girl in.

  “What could I possibly be plotting?” Paige asked sweetly. “There’s too much work to be done to focus on anything else.”

  Placing some messages on her desk, Daisy took a seat facing her. “So how did the meeting go yesterday? I had to head out early. Did everyone just love the list of authors we’re going to get?” She sighed happily. “I mentioned to my mom—who loves to read—that we were trying for Marta Hayes, and she about fell out of her chair! I mean she screeched, and I thought she was going to hyperventilate! So I had to calm her down and get her something to drink and before you knew it—”

  “Daisy?”

  “Hmm?”

  Paige took a moment and studied her assistant. “Remember when we talked about asking questions and waiting for the answer before you start talking again?”

  Confusion came first. Then remembrance. Then a smile. “Right. Sorry,” Daisy said with a sheepish smile. “You were going to tell me about the meeting.”

  “I had just started going into my pitch about the list of authors, except when I looked it over, it was all different. Ariel changed it,” Paige said.

  “What? No!” Daisy cried with disbelief. “Why would she do that?”

  “Because she thinks we need bigger celebrity names—not authors. I mean…she doesn’t even understand what it is we’re trying to do here. It’s a literacy campaign! We need to have authors! I know there have been other campaigns with sports stars and celebrities, but that wasn’t the angle I was going for.” With a huff, Paige pulled up the list of names Ariel had made and handed it to Daisy. “Honestly, I can’t even look at the stupid thing. I get aggravated just thinking about it. I don’t even recognize some of those names!”

  Taking the paper from her boss’s hand, Daisy scanned it and then gasped excitedly. “Oh, come on! You have to know who Mick Jagger is!” Then she looked up at Paige and shook her head. “Not that I expect him to do the campaign. I mean, let’s be realistic.”

  “I know there are some big names on there—none of whom are probably going to do it—but that’s not the point. The point is, I had an outline for this campaign and she disregarded it. Now I’m going to have to redo my approach and still reach out to authors and their agents and publicists and publishers when I’m already swamped!”

  “I can help with that, Paige. That’s part of my job.”

  Paige smiled. “I know. And thank you. But…I had this whole thing worked out in my head and now it’s going to be completely different.”

  “What did your father say? Didn’t he question why she changed everything without telling you?”

  “He never got the chance,” Paige said.

  “How come?”

  “Because in the middle of it all, she dropped a bombshell. She’s pregnant.”

  “No!”

  Paige nodded. “Oh yes.”

  “And she decided to share that? In the middle of your presentation?”

  Another nod. “I don’t think she would have if it weren’t for the fact that I was calling her out on making these changes without my permission and she was trying to take the focus off that.”

  “Kind of an elaborate tale to tell just to get out of getting reprimanded.”

  Tale? “Wait…are you saying you don’t think she’s pregnant?”

  Daisy’s eyes went wide. “What? Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. Although…nothing would surprise me where Ariel’s concerned.” Then her hand flew over her mouth as if she couldn’t believe she had said that out loud.

  Unable to help herself, Paige burst out laughing.

  “Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God!” Daisy cried, jumping to her feet. “I’m sorry! I’m really, really sorry. I can’t believe I said that!”

  Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, Paige waved her off. “It’s okay. Seriously, Daisy, you’re fine. It’s fine. Sit down. Please.”

  Daisy murmured “Oh God” a few more times, then sat, her face beet red with embarrassment. After a moment, she calmed and let out a slow breath. “That was completely unprofessional of me. Ariel is your sister and an executive, and she deserves my respect.”

  Color me impressed. “It’s all right,” Paige said. “No one heard except me and…well…you know my frustration with my sister, so we’re good.”

  “Honestly, Paige, you really need to say something to your father. Or to your mother and have her talk to your father. What Ariel does it’s…it’s just wrong.”

  Don’t I know it. “The thing with her is she’s good at her job. Really good. I’m not trying to take that away from her. But she’s not good at finding a cause and getting a campaign started. She’s good at taking over once all the groundwork is done.”

  “So why not let it be known that it’s not fair that she’s coasting on other people’s ideas?” Daisy asked.

  “Because I’d end up looking paranoid. I’m not good at responding on the fly when she pulls one of these swoops. I’m normally stunned and then I turn mute.”

  “Or you come in here and talk to yourself.”

  Paige’s eyes narrowed at the comment.

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You’re right. I just don’t know how to be heard. I’ve tried to show that I can handle a campaign on my own, I really have, but…” She paused. “Do people think I dress weird?”

  “Um…what?”

  “My clothes. You hear the things people comment on around here. Has anyone commented on what I wear?”

  “Why would you even ask that? You are, like, the coolest person fashion-wise in this office! We all love your clothes! Very hipster-ish.”

  Sighing, she pinched her nose and thought of how to respond. “I don’t think the executives are looking at how much of a hipster I am. That’s who I’m worried about.”

  “Did your sister put this idea in your head?”

  Paige nodded.

  “Look, I talk to all the assistants here, and believe me when I
tell you we talk about everything. No one has ever mentioned your wardrobe to me, so I think if anyone has an issue with your wardrobe, it’s Ariel and Ariel alone.”

  They sat in companionable silence for a moment before Daisy spoke again.

  “So, a baby in the family. That should be nice.”

  “I guess. Although, I have to admit, I have a hard time imagining Ariel dealing with pregnancy. I don’t think she realizes that she won’t be rocking her designer suits and heels quite like she’s used to.”

  Daisy chuckled. “Well…maybe she will. You see all those glamorous actresses walking the red carpet when they’re nine months pregnant, and they do it with such ease! Remember Beyoncé at that awards show? I can barely walk around in high heels now. I couldn’t imagine doing it while I had a baby belly.”

  “I guess we’re going to find out soon enough how she’ll do.” Honestly, no matter how snarky her thoughts, Paige knew her sister would come off looking like it was all a breeze. If it were Paige, however, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that pregnancy would make her look like a bloated, beached whale.

  Great. Something to look forward to.

  Not!

  Clearing her throat, Daisy picked up the list that had fallen to the floor and glanced at it again. “Honestly, Paige, it’s not that this is a bad list. It’s random—almost as if she were simply picking names of people who have been in the headlines lately. I can’t see a correlation between any of them and this particular campaign.”

  “That’s what I thought too. I just wish she had—”

  Daisy’s loud gasp cut her off.

  “What? What’s the matter?”

  Daisy glanced at the list and then at Paige before her gaze returned to the piece of paper. “Did you see who’s on here?”

  “Um…yeah. Sort of. Maybe. Why?”

  “Dylan Anders is on here! Oh my God! I can’t believe it! I love him!” She jumped to her feet again. “Do you think he’s going to do it? Did Ariel mention if she’d talked to him already? If he comes here, I think I’ll die. No…no…I know I’ll die! Oh my God…Dylan Anders!” she cried and began to fan herself with the paper. “That man is sex on a stick!”

  Paige sighed. Great. Just what she needed—sex on a stick when she hadn’t had sex since…well… Heck. When was the last time she’d had sex?

  “He’s got great arms! Oh my gosh, have you seen them? I bet he has great hands too! He must, from playing bass! And he looks incredible in jeans and when he’s all scruffy—he’s one of those guys who can totally pull that off and make it look incredibly hot, you know? But oh…that would be amazing if Ariel got him! Don’t you think it would be amazing?”

  “Not five minutes ago we were talking about how her list was ridiculous!” Paige snapped. “And now one look at a name of some random guitar player—”

  “Bass player.”

  “Whatever! One look at a name on a page and all of a sudden Ariel’s right and I’m wrong?”

  Daisy gave her a patient smile. “No one said you were wrong, Paige. I just think this could be, you know, exciting! Rock stars and authors. It could make for a very cool campaign. You’d be appealing to a wider demographic this way, wouldn’t you?”

  Dammit, she didn’t want Ariel to be right. She didn’t want this to be a good idea at all. This was her baby. Her brainchild. She’d worked for weeks perfecting everything down to the tiniest detail, and her sister, being her typical self, just happened to stumble upon a great idea? How unfair was that?

  “Look, I’m not saying what she did was right,” Daisy went on. “I just think that maybe, this one time, she might have happened upon a good idea.” She shrugged. “It’s up to you what you want to do with it. You’re the one who’s going to make it great.”

  Paige gently face-planted on the desk. “I don’t know what to do with it,” she mumbled. “If I agree with her, she’s going to be so smug. And if I don’t go along with it and the campaign fails, then it will all come back on me how I screwed up because of my ego.”

  “I certainly wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”

  Slowly, Paige lifted her head and gave her assistant a stern glare. “Thanks.”

  “Why don’t I go and get you a bottle of water and some ibuprofen and close the doors so you can concentrate? I won’t let anyone in unless it’s an emergency and I’ll hold all your calls. How does that sound?”

  “Make the water a soda and throw in a bag of chips and you’ve got a deal.”

  Daisy left and, for a minute, Paige let the silence wash over her. It was after three in the afternoon and a Friday. Would it be a bad thing for her to pack it in and call it a day? She had a feeling that maybe she’d get more accomplished and perhaps think a little clearer about this list of potential celebrities if she was someplace a little more soothing. Peaceful.

  And not her office.

  That was the key.

  If she was going to relax and look at the situation objectively, she knew she needed to put a little effort into unwinding. Maybe she’d leave and stop at the grocery store on the way home and find something fun to make for dinner—and grab some cake or brownies for dessert. And wine! Yes, a nice bottle of wine to get her through the weekend would help with the situation.

  Looking around her office, she spotted her satchel and immediately snapped it up and began organizing papers, folders, and reports and stuffing them inside. With a quick glance at her emails, she noted that there wasn’t anything urgent waiting for her, and without an ounce of guilt, she shut down her computer. Walking around the room, Paige scooped up her phone, her charger, and the small stack of books she had on a corner table that she’d been meaning to bring home.

  Once everything was packed, she scanned the room one more time and was pleased to see that she had everything she needed. At the thought of leaving early, the tension began to ease from her shoulders, which she rolled just to confirm that fact. All she needed to do was let Daisy know. No need to tell anyone else—it wasn’t as if she punched a clock. Everyone worked crazy hours as needed and no one ever questioned her whereabouts. Not that she ever took advantage of it, but it was a nice perk.

  “Okay, boss! Here’s your soda and… What are you doing? Are you going somewhere?” Daisy asked as soon as she stepped into the office.

  “I have decided to head home and look over this stuff and try to make sense of it all. You know I see things more objectively when I’m not stressed.”

  Daisy smiled and sighed at the same time. “I wish you weren’t tense all the time. You’re so good at your job, and you know everyone here thinks the world of you. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing for you to just…relax!”

  “That’s why I’m leaving early. I’m going to go home and unwind and…”

  “Do some yoga? I love doing yoga. It really helps me—”

  “No yoga,” Paige interrupted before the story went any further. “I’m going to pick up something good to make for dinner, something yummy for dessert, and some wine.”

  “Yoga’s better for you.”

  “You relieve stress your way, and I’ll relieve it my way. Okay?” she asked, forcing a smile on her face.

  “Fine. Go and grill a cow or eat a vat of ice cream. See if I care. I’m going to do hot yoga tonight and maybe a Zumba class in the morning.”

  “Good for you,” Paige said, taking the bottle of soda from Daisy’s hand. “And I hope you have a great weekend. I’ll see you Monday.” She began to walk away, but Daisy got in step beside her.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Do you ever do anything…you know…fun?”

  Paige looked at her as if she was crazy. “Seriously? That’s your question?”

  Daisy nodded. “Uh-huh. It’s just that I’ve noticed how you take work home every weekend, and you never talk about doing anything fun,
like going on a date or out with friends. You should do that.”

  They were at the elevator, and Paige hit the down button and then turned toward Daisy. “Things have been busy but…sure, I go out with friends.”

  “When was the last time you did that?”

  Oh God. When was that? Probably around the last time she’d had sex. Not that she was having sex with friends but… Oh. Wait. Mitch. Mitch Stevens. Sex and a friend. Sort of like a two-for-one based on this conversation.

  “Okay, I’ll admit it’s been a while. But it’s all good. Once this campaign stuff falls into place, I’ll be able to step back a bit and take time for myself. I promise.”

  Daisy’s gaze narrowed. “I’m not sure I believe you.”

  Behind them, the elevator dinged its arrival. Thankfully.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Paige said reassuringly. “I’m fine. You enjoy your weekend and hopefully on Monday all of this will have sorted itself out. And maybe…” She stopped as the look on Daisy’s face changed.

  Paled.

  Her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. Her eyes widened.

  “Daisy? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  “I…I… It’s…it’s…”

  Panic swamped Paige. She stepped forward and grabbed her assistant by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “Daisy? What’s wrong?”

  “Sex!” Daisy hissed.

  “What?”

  Daisy began to tremble as she leaned forward and whispered to Paige, “Sex on a stick. Oh God. He really is!”

  Paige took a step back and immediately bumped into someone. “Oh…excuse me. I’m sorry. I…” She turned her head and froze.

  Good Lord.

  Tall, dark, and a bit scruffy. He wore faded blue jeans, a gray T-shirt, and a leather jacket, and smelled like a sexy combination of heaven and sin. Paige’s eyes wandered up to his strong jaw and dark-chocolate-brown eyes as she swallowed hard.

  Holy. Crap.

  “Hey,” he said casually, smiling. “I’m looking for Paige Walters. I was told her office was up here.”