“See, son, this is how things are after forty years of marriage.”
“Whose side are you on?” Mom asked in an accusatory tone.
“Yours, of course.”
I chuckled. Man, I’d almost forgotten my parents’ dynamic.
Few of my married friends were as lucky as my parents. Most were semihappy, but some swore they were the luckiest bastards alive.
I agreed with them. Luck played a huge role in finding the person you’re supposed to be with.
I’d had several relationships that fizzled out. I’d never envisioned myself with someone for the long term. I’d been in a relationship for about a year when I first realized the stores would implode if I didn’t take drastic measures. I barely had time to breathe after that, and things between us fell apart a month later, when Diane said she just couldn’t live with the constant pressure I was under.
It’s easy to make a relationship work when everything runs smoothly, but when things get rocky, that’s when you know if you have what it takes for the long term.
“Mom, I’ll make you a deal.”
“I’m listening.”
“You stop pestering my employees, and I’ll tell you what you want.”
“Pester? That’s dramatic, don’t you think?”
“You called five employees—I checked—until one of them gave you Sienna’s number.”
She sighed. “Well, I had to do what I had to do. But it brought you here. Am I forgiven?”
I laughed, shaking my head. How could I say no?
“Let’s ask for another round of scones,” I suggested.
Dad nodded. “And it’s time for champagne.”
As a kid, they’d first brought me here because I was crazy about the gingerbread house in the lobby. Then we started attending high tea. When I turned twenty-one, we changed the traditional tea for champagne. I managed to push some worries to the back of my mind that evening, even though Thanksgiving was in two days, and Black Friday just after that. It was the biggest shopping day, and it had to exceed expectations for the board to be satisfied. But the holiday atmosphere at the Fairmont was relaxing me. Sienna was already rubbing off on me.
***
Next morning, I arrived late at the store. I walked through the main entrance as usual. I liked to feel the store’s pulse, to check for details.
We’d officially kicked off our Christmas shopping weeks. That meant that all the shop attendants were wearing Santa caps. In addition, one person on every floor wore a full-on elf costume. They handed out sweets to kids and informed adults of the special Christmas sales. To some it might seem like trying too hard, but we ran surveys, and our customers had stated they like the additional Christmas spirit the elves brought.
I nearly did a double take when I reached the second floor. The “elf” there looked very familiar. Sienna. She noticed me too and quickly looked away. She was blushing.
And what was she wearing? Her costume was a different shade of green than anyone else’s. Seemed to be made of another type of fabric too—a stretchier one. It showcased every dip and curve. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and not allow anyone else to see her wearing that.
“Ms. Hensley.”
“Good morning, Mr. Statham.” She emphasized my name with a wink.
“You can’t be doing a second job. I’ll talk to HR about a raise.”
“The student in charge of this floor bailed. I requested someone else at the agency, but she can’t be here for another two hours. I’m filling in until then.”
“Have someone else fill in. I need you upstairs.”
I held her gaze. She drew in a deep breath.
“No, you have a phone conference starting in ten minutes. It’ll last about three hours. You won’t even know I’m gone.”