Puzzled, I allow them to hand my things off to the coat check and pull me into the office. I step through the threshold and my breath catches in my throat.
In the hours since I’ve been gone, the whole place has been transformed. In addition to all of the decorations Jonas and I painstakingly put up before our lock-in, there must be several hundred strings of fairy lights strung and twinkling from the ceiling. Among them, there are hundreds—maybe thousands—of paper snowflakes and streamers.
Buddy the elf may have transformed his family’s home into a Christmas wonderland with these decorations in his movie. But a very real—and very busy—elf has been hard at work here.
And I have a sneaky suspicion I know exactly who that elf might be. I just wonder what all this means.
“Where is Jonas… Noble?” I add quickly, hoping not to give anything away by sounding too familiar?
“I believe Baby Noble is waiting outside of your office,” Diane says.
Linda smirks. “If I’m not mistaken, there might be a fresh bundle of mistletoe hanging overhead.”
So much for not giving anything away. But… who cares? Let the office gossip. I’ll worry about that in the future. Right now, all that matters is the right now.
Buzzing with anticipation, I make my way across the office floor. I nod at colleagues and their plus ones along the way. But I don’t stop to talk. I have somewhere to be and someone to see.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ike Noble dressed as Santa, passing out gifts to the children of our co-workers. The past few days—and particularly this morning—may have complicated things between myself and my mentor. No matter what happens, I will always remember the lessons that he has taught me in my years working for him.
When I round the last row of cubicles, I slow my pace giving my nerves, and my heart, a chance to settle down. Then Jonas—who looks every bit as good in a suit as he does in his flannel and denim, steps into view—and my heart is racing again.
I like him. A lot. I won’t say it’s love. It’s too soon for that.
But if he keeps making my heart pound the way it is right now—if he keeps looking at me with that warm glint in his dark brown eyes—it won’t be long before I can put a name to these feelings churning inside of me.
I slow to a stop when I’m a couple of feet from Jonas. I’m tempted to throw myself into his arms. I consider it for a moment, and with a laugh, I do just that.
His arms come around me, the strength in them pulling me close. He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and my heart is pounding once again.
“Well, hello to you,” he says, kissing my temple this time. “I’m glad you’re happy to see me too. I wasn’t sure you would be.”
His words, like his touch, flood my soul with joy. I’m glad I gave caution to the wind and gave in to the urge to hug him. It may have been a risk given our past. It may complicate things in the future. But at this moment, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
“I am.” I give him another squeeze before leaning back in his arms so I can see his face. “So glad.”
“I missed you.” He pulls a face. “Do I lose cool points for admitting that?”
“You earn cool points for saying it.” I beam at him. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”
“These old decorations?” He glances around us and lifts his shoulder as if it’s no big deal. The slight flush in his cheeks suggest otherwise. “They only took all day to do.”
I shake my head, once again admiring the decorations in awe. “I can’t believe you made this many in a day.”
“Well, I had a little help.”
I blink in surprise. “Oh?”
His cheeks turn adorably pink. “I recruited the old man and a few little elves.”
Then a grin spreads across his lips. He nods over my shoulder. I turn to see Linda and Diane giggling like little girls instead of grown women.
I give a short laugh. “Some elves. You did all of this for me?”
He nods slowly, his expression sobering. “I told my dad I don’t want to be CEO.”
I suck in a breath. “What?”
“And I told him he’d be a fool not to hand our family’s company over to the person who has lived it all these years and breathed new life into it.”