Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Emery

I mindlessly wrapped another ridiculously expensive handbag, trying not to calculate how many months’ rent at the Extended Stay it could cover. The price tag alone made my debit card weep.

“Another Hermès?” Katie from the next station over whistled, her eyes wide as she paused mid-fold with her significantly less expensive gift. “That’s the fifth one today.” Her tone held a mix of awe and the same disbelief I felt every time I handled one of these ridiculously overpriced status symbols.

At least her station was dealing with normal presents today; the kind that didn’t make me question all my life choices while I meticulously wrapped them.

“Rich people gonna rich.” I carefully tied the bow. At least my “drunk octopus” technique had improved since starting here. Though thinking about Levi’s teasing comment made my cheeks flush and my mind wander back to this morning in his car.

The way his thumb had felt against my lip, rough and gentle all at once. The intensity in his green eyes right before his phone rang. If Ronan hadn’t called...

“Earth to Emery!” Katie threw a wadded-up scrap of paper at me. “You tied that bow three times.”

“Shit.” I quickly undid the mess I’d made, hoping my face wasn’t as red as it felt. “Sorry, I’m... distracted.”

“Uh-huh.” She smirked knowingly. “Would this distraction involve a certain boss?”

My head snapped up so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash, the half-tied ribbon falling limply from my suddenly clumsy fingers. “How did you… I’m not…” I sputtered, feeling heat creep up my neck as Katie’s grin grew wider.

“Sophie saw you two arrive in his car.” She scooted her rolling stool all the way to my station and leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Spill.”

“There’s nothing to spill. He gave me a ride and bought me breakfast. That’s all.” Even if his thumb lingered on my lip. Even if I’d wanted him to kiss me so badly I’d forgotten how to breathe.

“Right. And I’m secretly Mrs. Claus.”

I rolled my eyes and grabbed another package to wrap, this one containing a watch that probably cost more than my entire college education. A lot of good that college education was now.

As I measured out the paper, my phone pinged with a flight alert: prices to Portugal had jumped again. Why did my parents have to retire to somewhere so far away? Couldn’t they have picked Florida?

I hadn’t spent Christmas alone since... well, ever. Even though going home would mean enduring Mom’s passive-aggressive comments about my choices and Dad’s awkward attempts to relate to me, it beat spending the holidays in a musty motel room watching Hallmark movies alone.

But between the room, food, and trying to save for a security deposit on an apartment that didn’t have hourly rates, there was no way I could swing a ticket home. Maybe I could pick up another job. Or find one that would extend past the holidays.

“Miss Christmas Spirit.” A familiar voice made me jump, and I nearly dropped the watch. “Ready to go?”

Levi stood by my station, keys twirling around his finger, looking unfairly gorgeous in his charcoal gray slacks and black sweater.

“Go?” I glanced at the clock. Five already? Where had the day gone?

“Can’t let you walk home in this weather. Besides, your car’s still out of commission, right?”

“Oh, um, you don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t have to.” His smile softened. “I want to.”

Katie made a small squealing noise beside me that she poorly disguised as a cough.

“I...” I looked down at the half-wrapped watch, then at the small pile of packages still waiting.

He glanced at my wrap sheet. “You’re ahead. Those can wait until tomorrow,” he said firmly. “Come on.”

“I should really finish these.”

“Emery.” He stepped closer, voice dropping so only I could hear. “Let me take care of you.”

Those six words shouldn’t have affected me the way they did. Shouldn’t have made my knees weak and my pulse race. Shouldn’t have had me immediately reaching for my poor excuse of a coat.

But they did. God help me, he’d melted my resolve like snow on a hot sidewalk. I struggled to maintain any semblance of composure, knowing I was fighting a losing battle against both the weather and his charm.

“Fine.” My voice was far more breathless than I’d intended.

His answering smile was brighter than any Christmas light I’d ever seen.

I followed Levi through the office, painfully aware of the stares burning into my back. Katie wasn’t even pretending to work, her phone probably already buzzing with texts to spread the latest gossip. Blake actually dropped his prized scissors, nearly stabbing his foot.

Great. Because I needed more reasons for people to talk about me.

I even caught sight of Ronan in his office, arms crossed as he glowered down at us. The intensity of his stare made me stumble slightly, and Levi’s hand automatically went to the small of my back to steady me.

“Are you okay?” He was completely oblivious to the death glare from above.

“Fine.” I was very aware of his touch through my thin jacket. “Just... clumsy.”

We exited into the parking lot and hurried to Levi’s car. The wind made it feel like it was at least twenty degrees colder than it was. If only Christmas was in July or if I lived in Australia.

As we walked side by side, I couldn’t help but notice how different this felt from this morning. The same car, the same man, but now my stomach was doing Olympic-level gymnastics for entirely different reasons.

“I’m staying at the Extended Stay on Fifth,” I said once we were settled in his ridiculously nice car. I was trying to sound casual and probably failing miserably.

“We’re not going there.” He pulled out of the parking lot, turning in the wrong direction.

I gripped the edge of my seat and really hoped I wasn’t about to end up on a true crime podcast. “Where are we going then?”

“You’ll see.” His grin was equal parts mischievous and reassuring, which somehow made me more nervous.

“You know, if you’re planning to murder me, there are probably easier ways than...” I glanced at the passing street signs, trying to figure out where he was taking me. “Whatever this is.”

He laughed, the rich sound filling the car and setting off a strange, fluttery sensation in my stomach that I was going to try my hardest to ignore. “If I was going to murder you, I wouldn’t do it while wearing my favorite sweater. Blood’s impossible to get out of cashmere.” He plucked at the soft black material with his free hand, and I tried not to stare at the way it hugged his shoulders.

“Ah, a practical serial killer. Good to know.”

“I prefer the term ‘discerning psychopath,’ thank you very much.” He winked at me and my pulse stuttered. “We’re going to the mall.”

“The mall?” I straightened in my seat. Shopping was my happy place, but not when I had no money.

He changed lanes smoothly, his profile illuminated by the glow from the dashboard. “Consider it phase two of Operation Save Christmas. This morning was phase one: basic survival needs. Food and transportation.” He ticked them off on his fingers. “Phase two is essential supplies.”

“Levi, I can’t-”

“Let me finish,” he cut me off gently. “That asshole donated your winter clothes, right? It’s December and you need a warm coat at minimum.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I really can’t afford it.”

“Who said anything about you paying?” He shot me a look that was both challenging and tender. “Consider it a Christmas bonus.”

“That’s too much.” My throat felt tight. “You’ve already done so much today.”

“Em.” The way my nickname sounded coming from his lips sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the temperature. “You used your own funds to decorate our break room, you showed up to work despite everything, and you haven’t complained once. Let me do this.”

I stared out the window, trying to swallow past the lump in my throat. “People are already talking.”

“Let them talk.” His hand found mine across the console, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe they’ll get creative and come up with something actually interesting instead of the usual office gossip.”

Despite myself, I laughed. “Like what? Secret government agents? Alien conspiracies? I have a nifty tinfoil hat I could wear tomorrow.”

“Now we’re talking.” He grinned but didn’t let go of my hand. “Though personally, I’m hoping for treasure-hunting pirates who can’t decide if they want to duel or date.”

“Naturally.” I rolled my eyes but couldn’t fight my smile. “Because that’s so much more believable than ‘boss helps freezing employee buy a coat.’”

“Where’s your sense of adventure, Christmas Spirit?” He pulled into the mall parking lot, finally releasing my hand to navigate through the traffic. “Besides, who says it can’t be both?”

My heart thundered in my chest as Levi parked the car, his last words hanging in the air between us. When he turned to look at me, the same magnetic pull from this morning returned full force, and I leaned slightly toward him without conscious thought.

What did he mean by that? Both helping and... something else? The way he was looking at me definitely suggested something else.

“I should...” I fumbled for the door handle, practically falling out of the car in my haste to escape before I did something monumentally stupid. Like grab him by that ridiculously soft sweater and find out if his lips were as soft as they looked.

What was wrong with me? Here I was barely over a week single, fantasizing about kissing my boss. Talk about out of the sleigh and into the reindeer stampede.

When I dared to glance at Levi as he got out of the car, there was a flash of disappointment on his face before he masked it with an easy smile. Great, now I felt like a dick.

“Is Nordstrom okay?” His hand brushed against mine as we walked toward the mall entrance. The contact, however brief, sent little sparks of electricity up my arm.

“That’s a bit...” Expensive? Fancy? Way out of my comfort zone? “Much?”

He chuckled, his fingers grazing my wrist as we passed through the automatic doors. The warmth of the mall hit me like a wave, making me realize just how cold I’d been.

He steered me toward the designer coat section with a light touch to my lower back that definitely didn’t make my skin tingle. “You deserve something nice.”

As we walked through the store, his hand kept finding excuses to brush against me. Each touch felt deliberate but casual enough to maintain plausible deniability.

Part of me wanted to grab his hand and be done with this dance. A larger part felt guilty for even considering it.

I mean, Josh and I had been together for two years. We’d talked about marriage. Sure, he’d turned out to be a cheating jackass, but shouldn’t I be more torn up about it? Shouldn’t I be crying into a pint of ice cream instead of getting butterflies every time my incredibly attractive boss touched my hand?

Or anytime I saw one of my attractive bosses?

Oh, God. I was experiencing some kind of heartbreak brain psychosis.

“Earth to Emery?” Levi held up a gorgeous emerald-green wool coat. “What do you think about this one?”

“It’s beautiful.” I reached out to touch the soft material.

“Perfect.” He draped it over my shoulders before I could protest. “Try it on.”

As I slipped my arms into the sleeves, Levi stepped behind me, adjusting the collar and smoothing the material across my shoulders. His hands lingered longer than necessary, and I caught his gaze in the mirror.

The heat in his eyes made my mouth go dry. Two years with Josh, and he’d never looked at me the way Levi was looking at me now—like I was something precious and desirable.

“Beautiful.” Was he talking about me or the coat?

I needed to get a grip. This was just my boss being nice. Incredibly, confusingly nice, but still just nice. Right?