Sunlight is barely streaming into the windows the next morning when the door to Ike Noble’s office swings open, revealing the man himself.
“Dad.” Jonas scrambles to his feet and darts a glance my way. I sit up on the floor, where we both curled up last night. Thankfully, we put our clothes back on after so we could stay warm. Well, we put on most of our clothes. I’m not entirely sure where my bra has gone. “What are you doing here?”
“Someone in the building across the way saw your signs.” He gestures toward the window we covered in paper last night. “I guess they tried to come in and find you last night, but they miscounted the floors. Security sent an email out to all of the office managers last night.”
A dark flash flickers in Jonas’s eyes. “And Joyce waited until this morning to say anything?”
“We were at a holiday party last night and got in late. We didn’t check our messages until this morning. She told me as soon as she saw it.” A fierce frown crosses Mr. Noble’s face. “You have to stop thinking the worst of her. She’s going to be your—”
“I know. I know.” Jonas holds his hands up in surrender and sighs. He looks at me again, and I can read the regret from his outburst. “Sorry, I know Joyce is a… nice woman. I shouldn’t have jumped to the wrong conclusion. But… we were stuck in here overnight. We didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“No.” Mr. Noble seems to take a closer look at his office. His stare lasers in on the pile of snowflakes we made. The crumbles leftover from the cookies we ate as our dinner. The empty glasses next to his half-empty bottle of rum. “Though, it looks like the two of you managed well enough.”
Then he zeroes in on something on the floor near the desk. I follow his line of sight and wince. There it is. My red lace bra. And… Oh my God. Next to it is the open foil wrapper from the condom we used last night.
I clench my eyes shut, my face burning hot. Oh my God. There’s only one thing I can do. Well, two things, really. First, I need to grab my bra and race out of here before I can add to my embarrassment by crying. Second, once I get home and wash off everything that happened in the longest shower ever and wrap myself in the fluffy candy cane-striped robe Mom gave me a few Christmases ago, I’ll draft my letter of resignation.
Because there is no way—no way at all—I will ever be able to show my face in this office again.
Goodbye, promotion that was probably not going to happen anyway.
Hello to the big bowl of sugar cookie dough sitting in my fridge.
Unable to stand the tension another moment, I rise to my feet, ignoring the hand Jonas offers to help me rise.
“If you gentlemen will excuse me…” I don’t meet either of their stares and—with as much composure as I can—I retrieve my bra and shoes.
Then I race out of the office, ignoring the sound of Jonas calling my name. I can’t face him right now.
Not when what happened last night was so prominently on view.
Not when the look on Mr. Noble’s face leaves no doubt about what I can expect for my non-existent future with the company I’ve worked so hard to build up.
Once I’m out the door, I pick up my pace. I pause only long enough to grab my purse, coat, and phone from my office. I slide my feet into my shoes and pull on my coat during the ride down the elevator.
When I step outside, I look around, disappointed to find that a certain bell ringer isn’t at her post. Not that I should expect her. It is Christmas Eve. She probably has family and friends to spend the day with.
Unlike me.
The self-pity wraps around me until it’s almost suffocating. At least… At least I have a video call with my sisters to look forward to this afternoon. Hopefully, it’ll make me feel less alone.
* * *
A few hours later, as my sisters’ familiar faces fill the phone screen, it’s all I can do not to burst into tears.
Instead, I stay uncharacteristically quiet while each of them takes a turn filling us in on the adventures with their trips. It’s with more than a little surprise that both of them share their own romantic entanglements. It’s only been a few days since we were all together, and yet so much has happened.
When Mere has finished telling us about the man she’s been spending time with in Vermont, Ivy turns the conversation toward me.
“You’ve been oddly quiet, Holly. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I blurt out and wince. I’ve said it more than a little too quickly.
It doesn’t go unnoticed by my sisters.
“Come on, Holly.” Ivy gives me a stern look. “Tell us. Everything.”
Taking a shaky breath, the words spill out of me. I tell them about the arrival of Jonas and the implication it has on my promotion. I tell them about the major shift in my feelings for him, and how much more they’ve complicated the situation.