Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Levi

I tossed the stack of holiday cards that had arrived over the weekend onto the kitchen counter with enough force to scatter them like confetti. Red and green envelopes mocked me with their cheerfulness, probably filled with pictures of perfect families and their perfect Christmas trees.

“Deck the halls,” I muttered, grabbing my coffee. The kitchen still smelled like the bacon Max had made earlier before heading to work. He was always the first one up, probably because he was the only one of us who enjoyed mornings.

Our shared kitchen was the center of this ridiculous house we’d built together. Three separate living spaces connected by this massive common area. Apparently even successful thirty-year-old men needed roommates. Though roommates didn’t quite cover what Max and Ronan were to me. They were the family I chose, the ones who made Christmas bearable after years of watching my parents use the holiday as ammunition in their ongoing war.

“You’re brooding again.” Ronan’s voice made me jump, nearly spilling my coffee.

“Jesus, wear a bell or something.” I turned to find him already dressed in one of his stupid expensive suits, tablet in hand. “And I’m not brooding. I’m contemplating.”

“Contemplating what? How to avoid your mother’s Christmas party invitation?”

I grimaced. “How did you know that?”

“Because I’ve known you for over ten years, and she sends the same invitation every year, like clockwork. Always a red envelope, gold trim, and arriving three weeks before Christmas.” He grabbed a travel mug from the cabinet. “Also, it says ‘RSVP Levi’ on the back.”

“Subtle as a sledgehammer, that woman.” I picked up the envelope, fighting the urge to tear it to shreds. “Remember when Christmas used to be fun? Back when Wrap It Up was just us wrapping presents for extra cash?”

“You mean when we were drunk college kids charging people too much money to badly wrap their gifts?” Ronan smirked, filling his mug. “Those were definitely simpler times.”

“At least we could breathe then.” I leaned against the counter, suddenly feeling the crushing weight of the holiday season pressing down on my shoulders. “Now it’s all impossible deadlines and mind-numbing shipping schedules. Not to mention desperately trying to keep three hundred stressed-out employees from having complete mental breakdowns over whether their corner folds are precise enough to meet our stupidly high standards. Sometimes I miss the days when our biggest crisis was running out of tape at two in the morning.”

A wistful expression crossed Ronan’s face, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “Speaking of mental breakdowns, what are we going to do about Emery Williams?”

My mood instantly lifted at the mention of our newest problem child. “You mean our resident Christmas carol conductor and decorator? I vote we keep her.”

“She started a sing-along in the middle of the warehouse and completely changed our property without permission.”

“She brought life to that mausoleum we call a workspace.” I grinned, remembering how she’d turned “Hi-ho” into a wrapping anthem and the look of shock on Ronan’s face at the break room decor. “Besides, Max likes her.”

Ronan’s eyebrow shot up. “Max likes everyone.”

“No, Max tolerates everyone. He smiled at her. Twice.” I picked up another envelope, this one from my father’s new wife, who was probably younger than me. “And don’t pretend you don’t find her interesting.”

“I find her disruptive.”

“You find her hot.”

“I find her...” He stopped, narrowing his eyes at my knowing smirk. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?”

“Shouldn’t you be loosening that tie? It’s cutting off circulation to your sense of humor.”

He flipped me off as he headed for the garage, but I caught the slight smile he tried to hide. That was the thing about Ronan—under all that structure was a guy who needed to let loose occasionally. Maybe Emery was exactly what we all needed this holiday season.

I looked back at the pile of cards, feeling slightly less murderous toward them. The holidays still sucked and Wrap It Up was still going to kill us all before New Year’s, but at least things were getting interesting.

Thirty minutes later, I was driving to work when I spotted a familiar figure trudging along the sidewalk, shoulders hunched against the December chill. Emery’s brown hair whipped around her face in the wind and even from where I was, I could tell something was wrong.

I pulled up to the curb beside her and rolled down the passenger window. “Need a ride, Christmas Spirit?”

She jumped, wiping quickly at her face before turning toward me. Her eyes were red and puffy, mascara slightly smudged at the corners. “Oh, hi Levi. I’m fine, thanks. Just getting some exercise.”

“In this weather? Without a proper coat?” I eyed her thin jacket with disapproval. It had been unseasonably warm until the last few days. “Come on, get in. You’ll be late otherwise.”

“I don’t want to be a bother.” She hugged herself tighter, but she was shivering.

“The only bother is watching you turn into a popsicle. Get in before I have to explain to HR why one of our best wrappers became a lawn ornament.”

A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. “Best wrapper? Friday you said my bows looked like a drunk octopus tied them.”

“A very talented drunk octopus.” I reached across and pushed open the door. “Seriously, get in. I promise I don’t bite unless specifically requested.”

She hesitated another moment before climbing in, immediately wrapping her arms around herself. I cranked the heat to full blast and switched on her seat warmer.

“Thank you.”

I pulled away from the curb, sneaking glances at her between checking traffic. Her nose was red from the cold, and she kept swiping at her cheeks when she thought I wasn’t looking.

“So,” I ventured, “want to tell me why you’re walking to work in the cold with what can hardly be considered a winter jacket while crying? Does someone need a holiday ass-kicking?”

That got a watery laugh out of her. “Yesterday when I called my ex to see if he’d dropped off the rest of my stuff at my storage like he promised, he told me he’d donated it all to Goodwill instead. Then, naturally, my car wouldn’t start this morning.”

“He what?” I gripped the steering wheel tighter, already planning ways to make this guy’s life miserable. “That’s theft.”

“Yeah, well, apparently it’s what I deserve for “ruining his holidays” by catching him cheating.” She sniffled, then immediately straightened up. “Sorry, you don’t want to hear about my drama.”

Instead of turning toward work, I turned the opposite direction. “First of all, fuck that guy. Second, have you eaten?”

“No, but…” On cue, her stomach growled loudly. “But work…”

“Will still be there in thirty minutes. I’m the boss, remember? I declare this a breakfast emergency.” I signaled and turned into my favorite breakfast fast-food joint. “Besides, you can’t wrap presents on an empty stomach. It’s against company policy.”

“Is it really?”

“It is now. I’m adding it to the handbook right after the section about mandatory dancing Santa appreciation.”

That earned me a laugh, the kind that made her entire face light up. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Thank you, I try.” I pulled into the drive-through lane. “Now, what’s your breakfast poison? And don’t say you’re not hungry, because I heard your stomach growl.”

She bit her lip, looking at the menu. “I really shouldn’t...”

“Either you choose or I’m ordering one of everything. And trust me, you don’t want to see me try to eat six breakfast sandwiches. It gets messy.”

“Fine,” she conceded with an eye roll. “A bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. And maybe a hot chocolate?”

“That’s my girl.” The words had just slipped out, but instead of making things awkward, her smile grew wider.

I ordered way more food than necessary, including hash browns and the cinnamon roll bites that were on a separate sign that she’d been eyeing. When she reached into her purse for her wallet, I waved her hand away.

“Put that away before you offend me.” I handed my card to the teenager at the window. “Consider it hazard pay for dealing with your ex’s bullshit.”

Relief flashed across her face before she could hide it. Just how bad was her situation?

I pulled into the nearly empty parking lot of a park down the street, cutting the engine but leaving the heat running. The early morning sun painted everything in soft gold, including Emery’s face as she carefully unwrapped her sandwich.

I dunked a hash brown in ketchup. “So, a storage unit and a broken-down car. Where are you staying?”

She focused intently on her food. “Oh, you know. Around.”

“Around?” My jaw clenched. “Please tell me you’re not sleeping in your car.”

“No! God no. I’m at the Extended Stay on Fifth.” She took a big bite, probably hoping I’d drop it.

That motel was basically one step up from a crack den. “How long have you been there?”

“Since Thanksgiving.” She wouldn’t meet my eyes. “It’s temporary. I’m looking for an apartment, but everything’s so expensive right now, and with the holidays...”

I watched her pick at the wrapper of her sandwich, noting how her fingers trembled slightly. “And this asshole ex of yours donated all your stuff?”

“Most of it. I grabbed what I could when I left, but...” She shrugged, trying to act casual. “It’s just stuff, right?”

“It’s your stuff. What’s his name? I know some people who could make his life very uncomfortable.”

That got a genuine laugh out of her. “As tempting as that is, I’d rather just move forward.” She reached for her hot chocolate, and her eyes lit up when she saw the cinnamon rolls. “You really didn’t have to get these.”

“I wanted to.” I grabbed one and popped it in my mouth. “Besides, breakfast dessert is crucial for proper gift-wrapping form.”

“Is that in the handbook too?”

“Right next to the section about how the boss is always right, especially the handsome one.”

She snorted. “Max?”

“Wow. I’m wounded.” I clutched my chest dramatically. “Here I am, feeding you, keeping you warm, offering to hire hitmen...”

“My hero,” she deadpanned, but her smile was soft.

We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching a couple walk their dogs across the frost-covered grass. When I looked back at Emery, she had a small smear of icing at the corner of her mouth.

“Hold still.” I reached over to brush it away with my thumb. I lingered there, tracing the curve of her bottom lip. Her lips parted slightly, and the urge to close the distance between us was almost overwhelming.

I could practically taste her already. Hot chocolate and cinnamon and something uniquely Emery that I’d been dying to sample since she first walked into our office. All I had to do was lean in...

My phone blared to life, making us both jump. Ronan’s name flashed on the screen.

“Shit.” I dropped my hand. “We should probably head in before they send out a search party.”

“Yeah,” she agreed breathlessly. “Thanks for... everything.”

I started the car, trying to ignore how my hand tingled where I’d touched her. “Anytime, Christmas Spirit.”

And I meant it. I had a feeling I’d do just about anything to keep that smile on her face—handbook be damned.