Brand New Man

by Weston Parker

  Could I blame him? I wanted to stay a little longer, too.

  What the hell was happening to me? How had one stupid kiss turned everything upside down?

  He was still the most aggravating man I had ever met. Still the most infuriating, egotistical, and self-serving jackass I knew. But he was also clever. Charming. Amusing. He was spontaneous and fun in a way I’d always wished I could be. He was daring and dashing, and filled with a passion and fire. I liked all those things about him. Those were the things that had made me fall for his annoying ass in the first place. They were the things I’d worked so hard to forget as I’d worked to get over him.

  Max rolled to his feet and offered me his hand. He pulled me up beside him and I dusted off my rear end where tiny pieces of sidewalk dust clung to my pants. Then I bent over, picked up the top of the tree, and waited as Max hoisted the heavy end. He gave me a flash of his white smile. “Ready to go slap some ornaments on this bitch?”

  I laughed out loud and we descended the stairs and made our way back toward the office. My thoughts bounced around in my head like tumbleweeds on the wind. My first impulse was to call Ella and tell her what happened—that Max had kissed me and, despite the alarm bells going off in my head, I’d enjoyed it very much and hadn’t wanted to stop.

  Would she judge me? Would she think I was making a mistake and be that voice of reason to talk me back down to sanity? Or, would she tell me that maybe Max was my Romeo after all?

  I wasn’t prepared for either scenario.

  As we carried the tree through the lobby of the office building we received smiles and waves from other business folk in the building, a few even calling out ‘Merry Christmas.’ With a lot of pushing and prodding, Max somehow managed to get the tree on the elevator without breaking any branches off, but there was little room for me. Finally, not wanting to make a scene, I squeezed in, not realizing I’d be pressed up against him on the left wall while the bulk of the tree filled up every inch of the space.

  The doors finally closed, sealing us away from prying eyes, and we began our ascent.

  “Max,” I said, turning to face him. We were so close that my knee brushed his when I turned. I tried to back up a bit but had nowhere to go and was forced to tip my head back to look at him. Naturally, when our eyes locked I forgot what I was going to say. “Erm.”

  “Erm? What is erm?”

  Heat crawled up my neck and burned my ears. “Never mind.”

  Max peered up at the ever-changing illuminated number above the elevator doors.

  4... 5... 6... 7...

  So many more floors to go. So much time with just the two of us in such tight quarters.

  He shook his head and looked back down, a grin tugging at his mouth and his gaze grew so intense I was lost in his eyes.

  “Do—do you want to kiss me—again?” I asked. My voice didn’t sound like my own, and the words seemed to hang between us for a moment too long as he stared at me.

  Max closed the tiny space remaining between us by wrapping an arm around my waist and tugging me to him. I was pressed flat against him and had to part my legs for his knee, which slid between my thighs as he kissed me again. Harder this time.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him as the kiss deepened. The smell of evergreen was even stronger now that we were in such a confined space, and the Christmas music playing on the elevator was a familiar jingle of bells and harps. Max’s hands roamed up my back and into my hair, then down again. I moaned into his mouth, leaning into him.

  Suddenly, a softer bell chimed to announce that the doors were about to open. We pushed away from each other—a ridiculous move considering our close proximity. I wiped my mouth off and looked at the ground as the doors slid apart. Luckily, nobody was standing on the other side.

  We fought and shimmied ourselves and the tree out the doors and finally each picked up an end one final time to carry it inside. Casey saw us coming and got up from her desk. She held the office doors open for us and beamed at me as we squeezed through the door frame. “You picked a good one! It’s huge. Nice and green, and so full. Why on earth didn’t you use the freight elevator, Max? You must have been squished and barely able to breathe in there.”

  What freight elevator? One glance at the guilty look he bore had my face turning all shades of red, and I silently vowed to seek revenge over such an obvious sin of omission for ill-gotten gains.

  All the while, Casey was still rattling on about what a tussle we must have had getting it in there. My ears abruptly tuned in at the mention of cameras.

  “What?” I asked, horrified.

  “Oh, I was just saying how fun it would be to watch the elevator security camera, to see you two trying to get this thing inside that elevator car, not to mention squeeze in yourselves.”

  Little black dots swam in my vision and I wondered if it was possible to die of mortification. I stuttered and stammered, trying to say something, anything, while Max stood there looking bemused.

  With a wink and a giggle, Casey mercifully moved on. “Oh, wait ‘til you see. We got ornaments for the tree of course, but we also got—you’ll never guess—candy canes!”

  She fell into step behind us as we carried the evergreen down the hall. “My mom and dad used to always put them on our tree when I was growing up, and my brothers and I would always fight over them. Thought it might be fun to keep some on the tree.”

  “Great idea,” I said, thankful for the change of subject.

  Employees lingering in the break room and kitchen saw us moving the tree and followed us out into the hall and into the main office. Everyone who was working in there looked up and smiled as Max took over and propped it up against the wall. He gestured at it. “There you have it, folks. Nova Corp’s first Christmas tree. Knock yourselves out.”

  It took a good half hour to get the tree where we wanted it and stabilized on a base. The trunk was pretty big, not to mention heavy, and we had to use a bigger planter than I was expecting. But we finally pulled it off, and once it was balanced out the twine was cut to release the branches. Everyone finally got a good look at just how magnificent the tree was, and many people came over to me and thanked me for making it happen.

  Max stood idly by, arms crossed over his chest, brooding.

  It was hot as hell.

  I distracted myself from steamy thoughts about Max Miller’s lips and strong hands by finding a knife to cut open the ornament boxes. Casey had purchased a great variety of decorations that were going to look beautiful on the tree—little Santa’s with glittery hats, silver, red and gold sparkly orbs, white icicles, snowmen, and some in classic Christmas movie themes.

  As I brought out all the ornaments, two young women set about wrapping the tree in colorful winking lights. Max, still looking sour as hell, rolled his eyes when they plugged them in and discovered the middle strand didn’t light, which in turn meant the three strands following that one didn’t work. Max grumbled something about that’s why you plugged each strand in before you put them on the tree.

  Naturally, he took over.

  He caught me watching him wrap the tree. Our eyes locked, and I smiled. He did, too. It was the first time I’d seen him smile while doing something festive, and it suited him. I’d have to tell him sometime. Not that he would understand or appreciate it. He would probably think it was a weakness.

  Silly man.

  When the tree was aglow in lights, the rest of the staff still nearby selected ornaments and began placing them on the tree. I chose one of the Santa’s and put it in a spot hanging off a branch so it looked like he was sitting on a lower one. One of the red lights lit him up beautifully, and I stood back to admire our work.

  Soon, all the ornaments were in place. The tree was full and twinkling, and the shiny ornaments gave the illusion of magic.

  The lights in the office suddenly went off, and the oohs and aahs began, and even those who had wandered off to their desks came back to join the group. When I turned to see wha
t Max thought of it, I realized that the light switch was on the wall right behind him. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and a big smile on his face.

  But it wasn’t the tree he was looking at.

  He was looking at me.

  Chapter 23

  Max

  The office was dark. It was well past eight o’clock and the only lights on in the place were those in my office, and the Christmas tree in the other room. Laura’s well-crafted plan to put the tree where I couldn’t see it hadn’t quite gone as planned. Ideally, I wasn’t supposed to be able to see it. That had been the deal. But, when I sat at my desk, I could see through the cut out in the wall through the waiting room and into the office. I couldn’t see the tree, but I could see the reflection in the far window, and with how dark it was at this time of night it might as well have been the real thing.

  The lights were distracting. Not because they were Christmas lights, but because they reminded me of Laura. Of how she’d smelled when I kissed her. How she’d let out that surprised little moan, but leaned into me as soon as our lips touched. How she’d clung to the front of my shirt with a desperation that rivaled my own.

  I shook my head.

  I still had work to do. Emails to send. I’d fallen a bit behind with my workload for the day after spending a good chunk of it looking at trees and making out with Laura on those steps in front of the bank and on that steamy ride in the elevator. I’d also squandered time away watching my team decorate the tree. Even though I didn’t think it was something I’d want to do, walking away hadn’t been an option. They were all in their element as they looped tiny metal hooks through their ornaments to place them on the branches. Men and women of all ages were as delighted as the young interns.

  But Laura had been my favorite person to watch. She chose the placement of each ornament she hung with deliberate consideration. First, she would find a spot with a light available to illuminate the ornament she chose. Then she would bend the hook just right to make sure it faced the way she wanted, and only then would she hang it and make the necessary adjustments to get it just right. I could only imagine how long it would take for her to decorate a tree all on her own.

  I thought of the Christmas traditions with her parents that she’d told me about. How they went out and got their tree and spent the evening watching Christmas movies, snacking, and decorating the tree. It must have taken hours.

  How could people want to spend so much time affixing little glass orbs to the branch of a dying tree? It confounded me. There were so many other things I would rather do with my time.

  Like get my damn work done so I didn’t have to stay after hours.

  But Laura saw this whole time of year differently. She always had. She used to ask me if I could feel it. And by it she meant the magic of Christmas. I never knew what she meant by that. I still didn’t. There was no magic to it. To me it just seemed like a bunch of overspending, overeating and overdoing. Everything was to the extreme. Grand gestures were nothing but markers to beat next year.

  And everyone fell for it. Hook, line and sinker. It was foolishness. No matter how I looked at it I just couldn’t justify the excessiveness—and I wasn’t a man of minimalism by any means, either. I indulged. I made big money and spent big money. But not because a holiday demanded it.

  Yet clearly Laura loved every bit of the hoopla. She lived for it. She loved the lights and the trees and the decorations. She loved the baking and the food and the hustle and bustle that took over the city from Thanksgiving to the New Year. She loved the fake snow in window displays, the Santa Claus setups in the malls, and the gift wrapping stations. She loved the music and the stress and the Christmas wishes everyone shared.

  Somehow I had to stop thinking about her or these emails were never going to get finished. I buckled down and forced myself to click through all I had left and respond to them one by one before sending off reminders for Casey to check in the morning. I had several meetings that would need to be scheduled for the upcoming weeks.

  When I was done I turned off my computer and stretched my arms over my head. As I indulged in a yawn and closed my eyes there was a soft knock on my door.

  I opened my eyes as the glass door opened.

  Laura was standing there. She was still in her jeans and loose white sweater from earlier, but she’d taken her boots off and was just wearing a pair of gray socks. She crossed one foot in front of the other as if self-conscious that I’d noticed her lack of footwear. “Hey. Do you have a minute?”

  “Yeah. I thought everyone had gone home.”

  “Everyone but me,” she said. Then she tipped her head out down the hall. “Come on. I want to show you what I’ve been working on.”

  My chair creaked as I stood up. Laura stepped aside when I came out into the hall, but then took the lead. I followed her down the hall into the office space, dark except for the continuous winking lights of the tree.

  Laura walked over to a plug on the floor by a socket near the tree. “Ready?”

  “For what?” I asked, dubiously.

  Laura smiled. Then she crouched down and plugged it in.

  The whole office was lit up by lights strung around the windows. Tinsel and garland were draped across the ceiling, and, hanging around here and there were even sprigs of mistletoe.

  “Is this what you’ve been doing since everyone left at five?” I asked.

  Laura looked around at the office. Her smile was all pride, but also contained a bit of embarrassment. “Yes. Is that bad?”

  “It’s confusing.”

  She laughed. “I think it looks good.”

  “It’s not half bad,” I admitted.

  “Really? I’m shocked you haven’t demanded I take it all down and throw it out.”

  “I wouldn’t make you do that.”

  “So that wasn’t your first impulse?”

  I studied her. “Surprisingly, no. Had someone else put it up, it very well could have been. In fact, I probably would have called the janitors and doubled their wages tonight to take it all down.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “I said, if someone else had done it,” I winked.

  Laura grinned. “Do you think everyone will be surprised?”

  “Sure they will. It looks like Christmas threw up in here.”

  “Some people like the look, you know.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  Laura walked out into the middle of the office so she had a view of all her hard work. I followed her and turned in a slow circle, soaking in the twinkling lights and the winking glitter on the garland. It was almost—magical.

  I shook the thought out of my head as soon as it crossed my mind.

  “Max?”

  “Yes?” I asked, turning to her.

  Laura was standing beneath a sprig of mistletoe. It dangled three feet above her head, hanging from a glittery gold strand of curly twine. A couple of holly leaves were also attached.

  She reached out her hand to me. “Come here.”

  I took her hand and she gently pulled me to her so I was standing beside her under the mistletoe. In the soft glow of the Christmas lights all around us Laura looked like a fairytale come to life. Her skin was as bright and flushed as the fake Santa ornaments on the tree. Her hair appeared to be made of spun gold, and strands of it were stuck to her shimmering lip gloss. She smelled like cinnamon and mulled wine, and I didn’t hold back from inhaling deeply; breathing her in.

  “Why did you do all this?” I asked.

  She cocked her head slightly to the side. “The decorating?”

  I nodded.

  “It’s simple, really. I like to make people happy. And something as simple as lights and some garland can do that, especially in an office setting.”

  “But why?” She wasn’t understanding what I was asking. Maybe I wasn’t asking it the right way. I couldn’t understand her motivation. It seemed so—selfless. What did she get out of it?

  “Are you asking me w
hy I like making people happy?”

  “I think I am.”

  She shrugged. “Because it makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I’m contributing. Having a positive impact on someone else’s day or week is a good feeling. And it stays with me for a while. Besides, I wanted to be able to do this at least once this year.”

  “You mean decorate?” I asked quizzically.

  Laura looked around the office. The red, green, yellow, blue and orange lights reflected in her eyes. “Yes. Usually I do this with my mom and dad every year. We do the tree and decorate the house. And you know, watch Christmas movies. But I’m missing it this year.”

  “Why?”

  “They’re travelling,” she said, finally looking up at me. Her eyes seemed much bigger than normal. “They went on a world cruise. It will be the first time I spend the holidays without them. Turns out it’s been—harder than I expected it to be.”

  “Does this mean you’re spending Christmas alone?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’ll be spending Christmas day and evening with Ella and her family. They were kind enough to include me when they found out my parents would be away.”

  I was relieved to hear that. Laura couldn’t spend her favorite time of year by herself. That would have been a cruel punishment she didn’t deserve. As I looked at her I found myself wishing I could spend Christmas with her, too.

  “Max?” She whispered my name and I loved how it sounded rolling off her tongue. Sweet. Almost seductive.

  “Yes?”

  “Did we make a mistake?”

  “A mistake?”

  She nodded. “Earlier. On the steps. And then again in the elevator, which we’ll be discussing later, by the way.”

  “It didn’t feel like a mistake at the time.”

  “And now?” She asked intently, inching a little closer to me. “What does it feel like now?”

  Her eyes flicked back and forth between mine. Big brown irises lined with thick black lashes. Her freckles were nearly impossible to see in the dim warm lighting.

  “Now?” I asked. My voice was hoarse and strained.