by Hunter, Lara
“I don’t have one, actually,” Anna said politely. She braced herself for The Look she was about to receive: the why-are-you-still-single look.
Luckily, Penelope was good at diffusing awkwardness. “I know, right? With looks like hers? I personally maintain that she’s hiding some dark secret. Other than that, she seems like the most eligible girl in the world,” Penelope said.
Anna chuckled, pushing down her embarrassment. “Or, maybe, being single is actually totally normal and doesn't mean I’m secretly hiding weapons of mass destruction or something?” she said sweetly.
“Not for someone who looks like you,” Tina said with a smirk. “That being said, I bet you won’t be single for long.”
“Well, actually,” Kirk started, “I have this theory that beautiful women are more likely to be single, because people are afraid to approach them.” He gave his wife a kiss on the cheek and told her as an aside, “But luckily I wasn’t too afraid to approach you.” Joan squeezed his hand and smiled.
Looking at them, Anna was touched. “Aw,” she said. “You guys are sweet. If I do end up attached, dark secret or not,” she said to Penelope pointedly, “I hope it’s like your guys’ relationship.”
“Hey,” Victor interjected. “Our relationship is awesome too!” he joked.
“Ours too! Emulate us!” Penelope added.
Anna shook her head, laughing. Hey, maybe we’re all finally going past surface-level friendships, she thought. “I’d love to stay with you guys but I’d better keep doing the rounds… If I don’t get to catch up with you later, thanks for coming, all of you. It means a lot.”
“Thanks for having us, Anna. It’s a great event.”
“Yeah. Great food…”
Anna continued to make her rounds, smiling and chatting with clients and colleagues. It seemed like everyone was having a genuinely good time, and Anna thought that she might just be beginning to relax a little. She scanned the room, curious to see if their esteemed CEO had made an appearance, and spotted Karen, his secretary. She smiled and made her way over.
“Hey Karen,” she said cheerily. “Happy holidays!” Anna once again felt the need to overdo her cheeriness in an attempt to compensate for having shoved Christmas trinkets in Karen’s face.
“Happy holidays to you too,” Karen nodded, still somewhat warily.
“Do you know if Jason made it out tonight?” Anna inquired gently.
“Unfortunately he did not,” Karen said, matter-of-factly. “Mr Hawthorne is on his two-week break, remember?”
“Right…” Anna nodded. Anna wasn’t sure why she cared if Jason Hawthorne came to her charity dinner. Maybe to see if a billionaire such as himself ever thought of giving back? Maybe to find out if he’s really that cold all the time; or maybe to test his holiday spirit like the momma bear I am, she mused. Anna was ready to put any remaining curiosity about Jason to rest when Karen pulled out an envelope.
“Here,” she said, handing it to Anna. “It’s Mr Hawthorne’s donation to the fundraiser.”
“Oh,” Anna said, glancing at Karen, surprised. “Thank you.”
Anna peeked at the envelope on the way to the stage. She went a little slack-jawed as she spied the amount. How many zeroes? Okay, maybe he’s not as much of an asshole as I thought…
But then a more pessimistic side of Anna’s mind weighed in. He probably just donated for the sake of his public image. Sure, it’s a lot of money, but it’s probably just a drop in the ocean for him… Anna tried to shush her cynical side. This is no time to focus on the negatives, just be happy that he donated!
Anna climbed up the stage and stared out into the sea of her coworkers and their clients. She was happy at how the venue had turned out. It was intimate with soft lighting, but classy.
She spotted Penelope and the gang grinning at her and flashing thumbs-ups. Clearing her throat, she leaned in to the microphone. “Hello everyone. It’s so nice to see how many of you made it out tonight,” she said warmly. “It’s especially nice because we’re all so busy nowadays… I think what I love most about the holiday season is slowing down. Even with all the frantic, last-minute shopping, and holiday squabbling, it’s a time to take stock of those things that matter most,” she paused. “To sit down with your people and spend time with them. And most of us are lucky enough to do this in the homes we’ve created for ourselves…but not everyone is so lucky…” Anna said. A memory of the homeless man, Robert, flashed in her head. “But, thankfully there are people out there doing everything they can to better what can seem like a hopeless situation,” Anna continued.
“So, I wanted to thank everyone for being here, and generously donating. I’m proud to announce that together we’ve raised…two hundred thousand dollars for Compassion House,” she said, scarcely believing the amount as she said it. The crowd stood up and applauded, cheering when she read the amount. “Thank you, everyone—for helping make people’s lives easier during the holiday season,” Anna said, grinning at the whooping crowd.
At that moment, Anna felt a strange sense of déjà vu. She realized what it was when she flashed backed to her childhood, and that dinner at the community hall. This is why I do this.
CHAPTER TEN
After the high that was the fundraiser, it was a little hard for Anna to settle back down to work. Of course, it being so close to Christmas, it was unusual that she was getting back to work in the first place instead of heading home for the holidays.
“Off to Cuba,” Penelope had grinned, on her way out.
“Mexico!” was Kirk’s destination.
“A staycation; a quiet week with the family,” Victor had told her.
“Have fun! See you in the New Year,” Anna had said to all of them. Sitting at her desk in a near-deserted office, Anna sighed. She would’ve really liked to get started on that quiet week with her family, but after all that work she did on the fundraiser, she now had to play catch-up on her actual work projects.
After spending a whole week basically alone in the office, Anna had dotted all of the i’s and crossed all of the t’s on that final document, and now her mouse was hovering over the “send” button. It was nearly nine o’clock, and despite being bleary-eyed and feeling like she had run a marathon in the past few days, Anna was excited at the prospect of it soon being over and finally being able to enjoy the holidays with her family.
Anna checked over the document one more time, to make sure there were no typos and such. Everything seemed fine until she reached the bottom of the page, when her heart sank. Above “Signature of CEO” was a big, fat, blank. She slapped her hand to her forehead. How could they send me this document without having Jason sign it first?! Her hours of staying late, her copious amounts of coffee would all be for nothing until that blank got filled. In her frustration and panic, Anna’s first thought was, Okay, so I’ll just forge it. She wanted more than anything just to get the thing over with and go home, but her cautious side stepped in. No… If I forge that signature, and I get caught…that’s my entire career down the drain. Not to mention endangering the company’s reputation. Do I really want to risk that?
Anna sighed again. She could never quite bring herself to ignore her cautious side. She racked her brains for what to do. How would she be able to get Jason to sign the document when he was most likely off partying on a private island somewhere? She dialed his office number, knowing that it would probably be useless, but she was desperate. She tapped her foot impatiently as the phone rang.
“Good evening, you’ve been redirected to Jason Hawthorne’s secretary, Karen Taschuk. What is your request?”
“Hi Karen, it’s Anna from Sales. The final document I need to process is missing Jason’s signature. I need him to sign it before I can leave the office,” she said, trying to keep her cool.
“Well, as you know, Jason is out of town,” Karen replied, curtly. “It will have to wait until he gets back.”
How could she be expected to wait so long for such an important contract?
The Carsons were counting on her to finalize everything. Anna resisted the urge to vent her frustration to Karen, who could really do nothing about it. Not wanting to end up in Karen’s bad books forever, Anna said goodbye and wished Karen happy holidays.
Anna paced the office for a few minutes, willing the universe to send her a solution, before collapsing in her desk chair. I should go to sleep, she thought, woefully. I’m not going to be able to do anything about this pacing the office like a madwoman.
She drove home feeling utterly miserable. She was supposed to be at her parent’s house by now. They had been planning on spending tomorrow morning catching up and cooking extravagant meals together, but now she would be spending that time hauling herself back to the office to figure out the signature situation.
Just as she pulled into her driveway, Anna’s phone began to ring. Oh God, it’s probably Cathy. She’s going to ask why I’m not there yet, and then when I tell her, she will start questioning why I choose to work for a company that cares so little about me… After the week she’d had, Anna would be tempted to agree with her sister, but at the same time she was in no mood for being lectured to. She picked up the phone, bracing herself for an earful.
“Hey,” she said, the exhaustion creeping out of her voice.
“Hi there…” said a voice that clearly wasn’t Cathy’s. “This is Jason.”
Anna was astounded. After all the red tape, after witnessing his aloof attitude firsthand, she had not been expecting the esteemed CEO to contact her directly.
“I received a message from Karen about the unsigned contract. I’m really sorry to have left you with unfinished work, especially so close to the holidays” he said. “I had no idea the document was still unsigned, but I assure you I can sign it right away. I’m not in Panama or anywhere like that… For some reason, everyone assumes that…” He cleared his throat. “I’m staying in a cabin that’s about an hour’s drive away. I only request that you bring it to me, if you are able. I’m sorry for the inconvenience…but I’m simply unable to leave the cabin and come back to the city.”
Anna blinked. So he’s not in a yacht in Panama? And he’s actually…apologizing to me?
“Oh, I see. I guess I can drive over tomorrow morning,” she said, still stunned to be having a conversation with the famously unfriendly CEO.
“That would be most kind of you. I will email over the address. Thank you, Anna.”
They hung up. As her shock subsided, Anna started to feel pissed off, and her conflicted feelings about Jason’s character turned distinctly negative. He was making her drive an hour out of the way when she was supposed to be spending time with her family. And he can’t even offer a good reason as to why he can’t just come into the office! I suppose that must be because his time is so much more valuable than mine, she harrumphed. She shut her car door and headed into her house in a sour mood.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Yes, Cathy, I’ll be home a little later. I just have to drive up to my boss’s cabin to get a signature and then I’m out of here.”
The lecture Anna had been expecting made its appearance the next morning.
“Anna, it’s the holidays. Are you seriously putting your work over your family?” Cathy asked critically.
Anna groaned. “Cathy, you know I would be there already if something hadn’t come up. I’m gonna go now. Give Mom and Dad my love and tell them I’ll be there soon,” she said, before she hung up.
Anna got ready quickly and hopped into her car. As she pulled out of her driveway, she recalled her mood in the office last night; the joyous feeling of relief at finally being finished, which she had enjoyed for about thirty seconds until it was snatched away from her by a single, stray signature. But now her ordeal was about an hour’s drive away from being over, and she couldn’t get there fast enough. How could Jason have been so careless, neglecting to sign one of the most important year-end contracts? she thought, aggravated, as she merged onto the highway.
Snow was falling gently, but not bad enough to hinder driving. What did slow her down was the fact that everyone seemed to be going somewhere for the holidays. Gosh, traffic is brutal, she thought sullenly.
She spent the journey to the cabin ranting internally about Jason. It was partly an outlet for her road rage, partly because she hadn’t yet forgiven his grump act, and the fact that he was making her miss quality family time. Why is he spending Christmas in a cabin and not some fancy, exotic locale? she grumbled internally. Is the cool new thing among billionaires? Hanging out in rustic cabins?
After making her way up a particularly treacherous mountain road, Anna reached the beginning of the long driveway to the cabin. She’d driven through the mountain stretch with her breath held. I can’t imagine how people drive here in blizzard conditions, she thought with a shiver.
After a few more minutes of slow progress up the grand, winding driveway, Anna finally arrived at her destination. Sure enough, the cabin was extravagant; it basically screamed, “rich people live here.” It had picturesque views over the mountainside, was at least four stories tall, and had an entire balcony that consisted of a hot tub. Had Anna not known any better, she would have thought she was at a luxury resort.
Okay, time to get this over with, she thought, parking her car and power-walking over to the front door. There was a heavy, ornate door-knocker which she opted against using; instead giving the wooden door three crisp taps.
After a moment, the door swung open. “Hi Anna, thanks for coming,” Jason said.
Anna felt a pang of surprise that Jason had answered the door himself and hadn’t had some member of staff save him the trouble. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but she was certainly taken aback at seeing the esteemed CEO in a non-office environment. She was surprised, too, by how different Jason seemed out of the office. For one thing, he was addressing her as an actual person, and for another—while she wouldn’t say Jason was glowing with happiness—he didn’t look anywhere near as grumpy as he had done during their last meeting.
Anna blinked as she absorbed what she was seeing, saying “Hello,” just a beat after the acceptable time frame of doing so.
“Come in,” he said, smiling and making room for her. Anna obliged, stepping inside as he closed the door on the cold behind her. Her head had been set reeling by this contrasting impression of Jason, but she cast aside her confusion as she focused on her mission. Alright. Get in, get signed, go home, she thought.
“Do you have the contract with you?” he asked.
She nodded, extracting the contract from a folder in her purse and reaching out to offer it to him. “Just a second,” he said, “I’ll just go find a pen. I’ll be back shortly—make yourself comfortable,” he said.
“Sure,” Anna said. She took a few more steps into the cabin and surveyed her surroundings. For a cabin, it’s not that cozy, she noted. Probably because it’s just so…big. Too much empty space. The ceiling was at least twenty feet above her head.
At least there’s a fire place, she noted. True to cabin fashion, the walls were made of stacked timber and displayed plaques of animal heads. From her spot in the reception area she could see the kitchen, and noted its impressive liquor collection which took up an entire wall.
She was about to take a closer look at the kitchen when Jason came back, pen in hand. As he leaned over the table to finally sign the contract, Anna found herself drawn in by the care and attention he gave his signature; a mix between chicken scratch and curlicue cursive.
Finishing off his signature with a careful flick, Jason looked up at Anna and said, “I’m sorry again for making you drive all the way out here, and for not really providing a reason as to why I couldn’t just drive down to you. It’s kind of a difficult situation…” he said softly, trailing off.
A difficult situation? Anna was intrigued at what he could be referring to, but decided to leave it at that. I just really need to go home.
Jason handed the contract back to her, tenderly. S
he was about to do the whole “Okay great, bye” dance, but then she remembered something.
“Um… Before I leave, I’d like to say thanks for donating to the fundraiser,” she said, giving him a brief smile.
Jason blinked, seemingly unsure of what she was talking about. “Oh. That was probably Karen. I put her in charge of charity,” he explained.
Oh. Anna wasn’t sure if he was being honest with her, or just incredibly modest.
“Ah,” she said, smiling awkwardly. She stood there for a moment, looking at Jason, noting for the first time how light his eyes were. Icy blue eyes for a person who, turns out, is not that icy. Seeing Jason out from behind his fancy desk, it was undeniable that he had a sturdy physique—tall, broad shoulders. She could sense the outline of his muscles through his clothes.