Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“I wanted to check in with you about the Christmas party,” his boss said. “I know you weren’t thrilled about my plan for how to impress McClain, but I’m hoping you’ve reconsidered. The man owns three amusement parks, and he’s been married to his high school sweetheart for thirty years. They have five children together. I cannot stress how important it is that you seem to have the same family-oriented priorities.”
Leo nodded.
Mr. Manning pinned Leo with a serious stare. “He has a reputation for refusing to do business with people who he believes are lacking in the right values. I think it would be best to make him believe you’re at least serious with a woman, if not already married.”
Leo had given this serious thought. “I’m not going to pretend to be married,” Leo said. “That’s way over the top, and if he becomes my client, I’ll have to work with him regularly. I’m not going to wear a fake wedding ring each time I see the man.”
Tipping his head, Mr. Manning said, “Well, you won’t have to worry about that unless he actually becomes your client.”
Leo nodded, not wanting to upset his boss. “Don’t worry. It’s been taken care of. I’ve secured a date.”
A beautiful, sweet, funny date.
“Wonderful news!” His boss pushed himself up from his seat and left Leo’s office with a smile on his face, confident that Leo would do whatever was necessary to secure Mr. McClain as a client. But Leo wasn’t smiling.
He’d been relieved when Cammie agreed to join him for the party, but as he’d assured his boss that he’d found a woman to lie about being in love with him, he didn’t feel good about his plan.
He wasn’t lying about anything. She’d agreed to help him, but it still felt wrong. He wasn’t sure why, but something had changed between them last night. The longer the evening went on, the less he felt like they were strangers getting to know one another to fool some rich guy with uptight ideas about who he wanted to work with. They had a connection.
He liked her.
How could he not? She was sweet and bright and open. And he might not be a big fan of Christmas, but the way her eyes lit up at that Winter Village had been enchanting. Being around her made him realize for the first time that he could be a little too serious at times, maybe even negative. A clear contrast to her light, sunny personality.
He didn’t mean to be such a downer and didn’t think he used to be. But over the past year, he’d gotten so focused on his job that he lost sight of anything else. That left him with a sour personality, even if he hadn’t realized it until now. Ice skating with Cammie reminded him there was a life to be lived outside of work.
With that thought in mind, he picked up his office phone and called his best friend. Charlie had lived out of the country for several years on an archaeological expedition, since she’d moved back to New York last year, they tried to meet up every so often for lunch.
But between his dedication to his job and the fact that Charlie recently had a new baby with her husband Jared, they hadn’t seen much of each other lately. Charlie’s maternity leave had ended a couple of weeks ago, and she’d returned to work. So, when she picked up on the first ring, he invited her to meet him for lunch later in the day.
She asked where he wanted to eat and with Cammie still on his mind, he suggested the coffee shop. It was located near his office, which was how he’d found it in the first place, and they sold sandwiches and pastries. There was also the added benefit of getting to see Cammie.
Charlie agreed.
Leo left the office half an hour later. Because it was lunch time, Froth and Grind was crowded, and Cammie didn’t notice him walk in thanks to the line of half a dozen people. Holiday music sounded through the speakers but was mostly drowned out by the grind of coffee beans, the whirring of the blender, and the murmur of conversation in the background.
Still, as he joined the line, he could easily pick out Cammie’s cheery voice greeting customers.
Charlie was already sitting at a table in the middle of the cafe with a turkey club and a hot tea. She waved when he walked in before turning her attention to her phone. He’d guess that she was checking in with the nanny since she was still adjusting to being away from the baby.
Leo shifted to the side to catch a glance of Cammie and he couldn’t help but grin when he saw the big Rudolph earrings she wore. They looked ridiculous, and yet she pulled off the holiday cheer appearance. She didn’t wear a Santa hat today and her blonde hair had been swept up in a messy bun at the top of her head, her usual style. But today was the first time he appreciated how it showed off her long, slender neck.