by Alyssa Dean
“So?”
“I guess I started thinking of myself as that, too. All month I’ve been thinking that by Christmas Eve, I won’t be shopping for Josh anymore, or going to parties with him anymore. That all will be ended by then. And now we’re nearly at that point. Christmas is just a few days away,” Amanda explained. “We’ve nearly finished Josh’s shopping list. We’ve just got his mother left—and we’ll see her at Francine’s open house tonight. Then we have the Larkland Christmas party and then it will be Christmas Eve. And then what?”
“I think you’re worried over nothing, Amanda,” Brandy said in a reassuring tone. “You’re not going to stop seeing Josh just because Christmas has arrived.”
“I hope you’re right,” Amanda said, worried all the same.
“I NEVER KNEW shopping could be so exhausting,” Josh complained as they were getting ready for Francine’s party that evening.
He came out of the bathroom, buttoning up the collar on his shirt, and gave Amanda a kiss on the nose. “What were all those people doing there anyway?”
“Possibly Christmas shopping,” Amanda teased. “Just like we were.”
“Well, they should be more organized,” Josh complained. “They should have finished their shopping a long time ago.”
“You haven’t finished your shopping yet,” Amanda scolded. “And it wouldn’t have taken us all day to find two things if you weren’t so difficult! I told you. They don’t make variable-speed reversible drills with pink handles.”
“Aunt Francine needs a drill and she always wears pink.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Amanda. “People do not color coordinate their wardrobe to their work tools.”
“Oh.” He grinned, hugged her and then released her so they could finish dressing. “The good news is, we’re nearly finished. We just have to think up something for my mother.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “You haven’t had a brilliant idea, have you—besides a pasta maker, I mean?”
“No,” Amanda admitted.
“Me, neither,” Josh admitted. “I’ve talked to her, I’ve taken her for lunch, and I even asked Shelby and Charmaine for suggestions.” He grimaced. “They weren’t much help. Shelby thought I should get her a cookbook and Charmaine’s idea was perfume. Obviously they’re no better at this personal stuff than I am.”
“We’re running out of time,” Amanda reminded him. “We’d better come up with some ideas tonight.”
“I will.” Josh’s eyes sparkled at her. “We’re getting down to the final stretch here. This is the last family party we have to go to. We’re on the last present. Soon we’ll just have the office Christmas party to get through.”
A cold shiver traveled up Amanda’s spine. Don’t be ridiculous, she scolded herself. So what if Christmas comes. You’re going to stay right here and be with Josh... Still, she couldn’t stop herself from asking. “What happens after that?”
Josh shrugged. “Things get back to normal.” He expertly knotted his tie. “It’s about time, too. The work is just piling up on my desk.”
Amanda shivered again. The possibility of this wonderful thing with Josh ending seemed frighteningly possible.
It seemed even more possible when they were at Francine’s that night.
“It’s something of a family tradition,” Edwina explained to Amanda. “Mimi has the first party of the season. Francine has the last one before Christmas. And then on Christmas Day, everyone comes to my place.” She smiled at Amanda. “I never thought to ask before, but I assume you’ll be joining us at Christmas. Or are you going to be with your own family?”
Amanda would have loved to be with her family, but they had so much business now, and it was so expensive to get there, that she had decided to stay here. She’d planned on spending the day with Brandy’s family, although she had been expecting Edwina’s invitation. She opened her mouth to accept, then changed her mind. “I’m not really sure what I’m doing,” she said instead.
“You’ll always be welcome with us,” Edwina said. She gazed across the room, where Josh was involved in an animated discussion with his sisters. “Josh has been so different since you’ve become part of his life.”
Everyone kept saying that. “It’s so amazing to see the change in Josh since you’re part of his life.”
“Josh is so happy since you’re part of his life.”
“Josh is so cosmically aware since you’re part of his life.”
“I think Josh is starting to give serious consideration to getting a cat,” Marilla said. “It’s all because you’ve become part of his life.”
Amanda watched Josh chat with his mother. She was part of his life, wasn’t she? Or was she just his Christmas elf who was pretending to be part of his life?
Josh caught her eye and began moving through the crowd toward her, his face lit by a cheerful smile. “I’ve got it,” he whispered into her ear. “A Christmas present for my mother.”
“What?”
“A pearl necklace. She mentioned she broke the ones my father gave her. I’d like to replace it.” He studied Amanda’s face. “That is...personal, isn’t it?”
“It’s perfect,” Amanda said, giving him a little hug. She was touched by his thoughtfulness.
“That’s it, then,” he said. “The last present.” He grinned with pleasure. “We’ve done it, Amanda. Now we don’t have to do this anymore.”
He sounded happy about it. Amanda felt colder than ever.
“I THINK WE’VE GOT THIS organized,” Amanda told Mable two days before the Larkland Christmas party.
She took an anxious look around the lobby of Larkland Technology Development. “I’ll do a few more decorations on the day of the party but that’s pretty much all there is left to do. The caterers are all lined up, I’ve arranged for the musicians...with no singing. And I’ve had positive responses from almost everyone we asked.”
“You’ve done a great job,” Mable murmured. “This is going to be one heck of a Christmas party.”
“It better be,” said Amanda. “Everyone Josh wants to impress is coming.” She leaned back in her chair near Mable’s desk. “I’m a little surprised at that. December twenty-third isn’t a great time to be having a Christmas party.”
“Everyone is coming because of Josh,” Mable explained. “No matter what he does, people like him. I even like him, and that’s not easy considering how difficult he is to work for.” She paused. “Of course, he’s been a lot easier to work for since you’ve been around.”
Amanda blushed at the compliment. “I don’t think I...”
“Yes, you did. You dragged him out of his office and into the real world. That’s been good for him. And you put him back in touch with his family again. That’s been good for him, too—and for them. But I’m not so sure it’s been good for you.”
Amanda felt a twinge of unease. “What do you mean?”
Mable’s blue eyes were warm and wise. “You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?”
Amanda opened her mouth to deny it, then closed it and nodded.
“I thought so.” Mable sighed heavily. “He is fond of you, too, Amanda. I know he is. And he needs you—right now anyway.” Her eyebrows came down. “But I’m not too sure what’s going to happen when Christmas is over.”
Amanda swallowed a couple of times. “What do you mean?”
Mable winced. “I don’t want to burst your bubble, and I don’t want to be an interfering old woman, either. But I’ve known Josh for a long time. True, I’ve never seen him act like this before, but it is Christmas. Josh gets a little strange around Christmas.” She smiled slightly. “Of course, it’s hard to tell because he’s a little strange most of the time.”
“Mable...”
Mable stretched forward and put her hand over Amanda’s. “What I’m trying to tell you is that this Josh—the one who is interested in you and spends time with you and wants to be with you—well, this isn’t the Josh I’m used to. The one I’m used to spends most of h
is time at work, and doesn’t think about anything but that.”
Amanda had a brief flash of Susan’s beautiful face as she’d told Amanda much the same thing. He just forgot about me, she’d said.
Mable’s blue eyes were crystal clear across the table. “I just thought you should be prepared...in case that happens. It’s not as if Josh is a bad person. He doesn’t mean to hurt anyone, and he’d never do it on purpose. He just wouldn’t know that he’s doing it.”
“I know,” Amanda said. She gave Mable a swift smile. “You don’t have to worry. I’m a Christmas elf, remember? Us elves can take care of ourselves.”
“I hope so,” said Mable. “Oh, and if it makes your job any easier, I should tell you that I’ve got my heart set on a bottle of brandy for Christmas.”
AMANDA ARRIVED at Josh’s place that evening feeling tired and depressed. They’d planned on spending the evening at home, but when she walked in, Josh still had his coat on. He kissed her when she came in, and Amanda clung to him extra hard. He released her and used a finger to raise her chin. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You look worn out.”
Amanda was touched that he’d noticed and then annoyed with herself for being touched. “I’m just tired,” she said. “It’s all this rushing around. Thinking up Christmas presents. Buying Christmas presents. Organizing parties. Going to parties. And you should see my apartment. I can’t even move in there.” She rested her head against his chest. “Sometimes Christmas gets to me.”
“Me, too,” he said. “Cheer up. Soon it will be all over and things can get back to normal.”
“Now there’s a cheerful thought,” Amanda muttered. She eyed his clothes. “I thought we were staying here tonight.”
“We can’t,” said Josh. “There’s this...business thing we should go to.”
The last thing Amanda wanted to do was go anywhere. “Do we have to?” she asked.
“We really should.” He patted her shoulder. “Come on. It’s the last Christmas thing you’ll have to come to.”
Was that supposed to make her feel better? “Terrific,” Amanda muttered. “The North Pole looks pretty good right now.”
“We’re not going to the North Pole. Hurry up. Get dressed. Let’s get out of here.”
His aura of suppressed excitement made Amanda want to either smack him or throw herself at his feet and beg him to assure her that Mable was wrong.
She was still mulling over Mable’s warning when Josh stopped the car. Amanda had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed where they were. Now she realized they were stopping in front of an office building. She glanced over at him. “Is this the right place?”
“Uh-huh.” Josh grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Come on.”
Amanda hesitated. The building looked pretty much deserted. “But...”
He ignored her objections and guided her into the elevator, and pressed the button for the second floor. “Are you sure you know where we’re going?” Amanda asked as the elevator rose.
“Absolutely positive,” said Josh.
The elevator opened onto a hallway. Josh used a hand on her back to guide her down it, and stopped in front of a glass door. Amanda looked up at him, then at the writing on the glass door in front of her. A&B Executive Services, it said in big block letters.
Amanda looked back at Josh. “What?”
“It’s your Christmas present,” Josh explained. “I would have wrapped it but it’s a little hard to wrap an office.”
“An office,” Amanda echoed. She looked back up at him. “You got me an office?”
“Uh-huh.” He grinned down at her. “I even had a voice-recognition door lock installed. It’s coded for Brandy’s voice and yours, too.” He gestured at the door. “Go ahead. Open it.”
“I can’t believe this,” Amanda said, thoroughly astonished and thoroughly delighted. She looked from him back to the door. “Open,” she whispered. The door swung open.
“It’s not huge or anything,” said Josh as he led her through the reception area. “But it’s a lot bigger than your apartment.”
It wasn’t huge, but it was exactly the right size. There was a small foyer at the front, a storage area at the back, a large square work area, and two interior offices. It was all completely furnished, and the cupboard in the back was filled with stationery supplies. “These are from my family,” Josh explained as he showed them to her. He held up a hand. “I know you said you didn’t want them to give you anything but it was impossible to talk them out of it. I finally gave up and told them to give you office supplies, so they did.” His forehead furrowed. “Except for Aunt Judith. She gave you a year’s supply of toilet paper.”
“That was very kind of them,” Amanda said, her voice choked with emotion.
“Hey, you haven’t seen the best part.” Josh led her over to one of the interior offices and gestured at the wooden door. There, on the door, was her name—Amanda Kringleton—carved in big block letters.
“It’s what you said you wanted,” Josh reminded her. “An office with your name on the door. Of course, if you ever leave this place you’ll have to take it with you.”
“Oh, Josh,” Amanda said inadequately, so touched she could hardly speak. “You...you did all this in just over a week?”
“I told you. I’m a fast worker when I make up my mind.”
“You sure are,” Amanda breathed. She turned and threw herself against him. “Thank you so much. I just...I can’t...I...”
Josh chuckled and backed against the wall, taking her with him. “I guess you like it, huh?”
“Like it?” She took his face in her hands and kissed him hard. “I love it.” She pushed herself against him, running her hands down him, feeling him harden in response.
“Good.” He raised his head. “But is it...personal?”
“It certainly is,” Amanda told him.
THE NEXT DAY she took Brandy over to show them their new quarters. “It’s rent-free for six months,” she explained to Brandy, passing on the information that Josh had told her. “If business keeps on the way it is, we shouldn’t have any problem affording the rent after that.”
“It’s...amazing,” Brandy said, as she wandered around, touching the desks and staring at the stationery. “I hope you got him something really good for Christmas.”
“I did.” Amanda smiled in satisfaction. “I got him a picture of his whole family. It’s not exactly a surprise, since I had to get them all together to do it.” She rolled her eyes. “That was a real adventure. Alaina phoned me four times to find out what everyone else was wearing. Francine insisted on showing up in pink. Judith wanted to wear red, so she said she wouldn’t stand anywhere near her. Marilla wanted to bring all her cats. Luckily, Josh was cooperative.” Her smile faded as she said his name.
“We sure were wrong about him,” Brandy said. “Just like I was wrong about Harvy.”
“I’m not so sure,” Amanda said slowly.
Brandy peered at her. “Oh, no. You’re not still worrying about that Christmas elf stuff, are you?”
Amanda sat down in her office chair. “As a matter of fact, I am.”
“Well, don’t. I’m sure Josh feels something for you. You’re always together. He gave you an office...”
“Oh, he does feel something for me,” Amanda agreed. “At least, he does right now. But I’m not so sure that will last. He keeps talking about how he can hardly wait until this is finished. I swear if he calls me his Christmas elf one more time, or says, ‘I’ll be glad when this is over so things can get back to normal,’ I’m going to smack him.”
“Why? People often...”
“I wasn’t part of his normal,” Amanda reminded her. “I was hired to do a job. Yes, we’re attracted to each other, and yes, we’re having a great time now. But after Christmas, he isn’t going to need me anymore. And then what will happen?”
“Amanda...”
“I don’t want to be dumped again,” said Amanda. “It was
bad enough when Dwight and Kyle decided they didn’t need me anymore. I don’t know that I want to hang around and watch Josh decide that he doesn’t need me, either.”
“You don’t know that’s going to happen,” Brandy said, but she had an uncertain look on her face.
“I know. And maybe I am being silly. But I want to be prepared.”
AMANDA SPENT the next two days rushing around, preparing for Josh’s office party, helping Brandy with two other parties, moving into her new office, finishing the last of the shopping, and assuring herself that everything was wonderful between herself and Josh. However, every time Josh jokingly called her his elf, she cringed.
And at his office party, she finally made up her mind.
It wasn’t that things didn’t go well. As a matter of fact, it was probably one of the best parties Amanda had ever organized. Even some of his family came, mingling with the business acquaintances, and oohing and aahing at the technology. Charmaine came with Wendell. “It’s so connected to the universe,” she exclaimed. She clung to Wendell’s arm and looked up at him. “In a reality-based way of course.”
“It’s all so amazingly modern,” Mimi said, while Judith admired the bathrooms and his mother admired everything.
“Your father would be so proud,” she told him with tears in her eyes.
Even Josh seemed to be having a good time. He walked around, confidently explaining the technology to everyone. And he introduced Amanda to everybody. “This is the person responsible for all this,” he’d say. “Amanda Kringleton. My very own Christmas elf.”
When it was over, Josh was ecstatic. “We did it,” he said to Amanda as they returned to his condo. “Hank says he’s got people almost forcing their money on him.” He led her over to the couch and pulled her down beside him. “This has worked out perfectly,” he enthused as he stared at the Christmas tree. “I’ve got the investors lined up. We’ve got terrific personal presents for everyone.” He chuckled. “You know, I haven’t been this excited about Christmas since I was a kid. I can hardly wait for everyone to open their presents. I just hope they like them.”