Chapter 1
Ali Porter paced in the downstairs cafeteria, two cups of coffee in her hands and a thousand excuses in her mind. Maybe she should just go home. Home was safe and at least, it wasn’t the office. She looked up at the ceiling, cursing the droning Christmas music pouring through the speakers. It reminded her of a death march. There was nothing joyful about the tedious drone of holiday songs while trying to work.
She checked the time on her watch again. Somehow, she’d shown up early. She felt all sorts of out of it today. If Ali showed her face before 8:15, Carter would wonder why. And then he’d ask her, loudly. He was the office busybody, and her office second best friend. Carter was a fifty something married man, father of four with a rapidly expanding waistline, and he just didn’t care about his weight. He professed to be married to the love of his life and he seemed to enjoy every single day of his life in general.
There were plenty of days Ali would like to crack him right in his nose for being so cheerful, but she had never found a man more loyal or willing to give another person a hand. But today, she was avoiding him. Carter had seen her leave the parking lot with Alex last night … her car was now in the shop … but if she came in early, he’d know something wasn’t right, and he’d pump her for information.
Kiara blew through the open door like a model entering a runway. The sea of people parted and she strutted up to Ali like she owned the building and everyone in it. Dark-haired Kiara was a lithe beauty whose skin was the color of caramel. She towered over Ali at her normal height of six-foot-one, but today she wore a pair of heels that looked like they could hold up a small bridge.
Ali tipped her head up as Kiara reached down to peck her on the cheek. She probably could have made millions on the catwalk, but Kiara preferred power of a different sort, and at only twenty-seven years old, she had her sights set on becoming a CEO one day. Her work at McLaughlin Enterprises was temporary. She was there to soak up as much knowledge and experience as she could, and then move on to bigger and better things.
“So, how did it go?” Kiara asked as they headed for the elevators.
“It didn’t go anywhere,” Ali told her friend. “He drove me home. We had tea and he left. I have rules. No cavorting with the boss. I have to play by those rules.”
“Yeah, the list of rules.” Kiara sipped her coffee, staring straight ahead at the elevator doors as they rode up to the top floors of the building. “Are you sure nothing happened between you two?” she asked as the elevator dinged and they spilled out onto the twenty-second floor.
When Ali didn’t answer, Kiara turned to her. They didn’t really need to look where they were going because as they walked, people parted for Kiara just like they always did. “How am I supposed to live vicariously through your dating life if it’s this stagnant? I need a good love story.”
“That’s because I’m not in love with anyone,” Ali said. “You’ll have to get a story from someone else, or maybe from your own life.”
They stopped in the hallway before parting ways.
“Are you sure you only had tea with Alex? I think you’re holding out on me.” Kiara stared down at Ali with a suspicious expression.
Ali wrinkled her nose at her friend. “Nothing happened last night. And nothing ever will. I’ll see you at lunch.” Heading to her desk, she thought, that is if I’m not fired by then.
Last evening after work, Ali had gone out to the parking lot, got in her car, and tried to start the engine. Nothing. Nothing, but a harsh mechanical grinding noise.
Alex McLaughlin was leaving the building and noticed the miserable sound coming from Ali’s car. He offered to drive her home, but she didn’t want to bother him and she sure didn’t feel comfortable around him so there was some need for a bit of convincing. Alex was the owner of the company where she worked and although she was nervous about spending more than a few minutes with him, she finally accepted his offer of a ride.
While driving her home, there were a lot of awkward silences, and as they moved along the city streets, tiny flakes of snow shimmered under the streetlights as they fell.
Arriving at her carriage house apartment, Alex got out to walk her to the door. It was freezing and the sidewalk was slippery. A large box had been delivered and it sat on the porch near the front door. Alex offered to carry it into the house for her.
“That’s okay. I can manage,” Ali protested.
Alex lifted the box with ease. “I’ve got it.”
They went inside and Alex deposited the package on the entrance floor. Ali offered him tea thinking he would refuse, but he surprised her by accepting.
They’d sat side by side on the sofa making small talk. Ali thought Alex was one of the most attractive men she’d ever seen and being around him made her nervous and unable to make simple conversation. Although, she wished he would leave so she would stop making a fool of herself, she also liked looking at him sitting next to her in the warm glow of the lamplight.
When Ali had been in the middle of a sentence, Alex leaned over and kissed her, his lips moving so softly against hers that they sent hot little sparks flying over her skin.
They both leaned back from the kiss, flustered and embarrassed. Alex fumbled with his words as he hurried to his feet, brought his mug to the sink, and rushed to the door.
Once her boss was outside, Ali leaned against the door and closed her eyes berating herself for kissing him. She let out a groan. Alex wasn’t just the boss, he was the company owner and CEO.
Whenever she and Alex interacted in the office, they were stiff and hurried with one another. They behaved like two people who had never spoken with another person before, and interacting with him always made her a nervous wreck.
Ali had joined the company six months ago and her first look at Alex McLaughlin had sent her heart into overdrive, but bosses were always on her do not get involved with list. She’d kept him at arms-length, keeping her emotions tightly in check. Her heart fluttered whenever he was near, but she tamped down her feelings putting on a serious and almost robotic front.
Now they’d kissed. Ali wondered how she was ever going to show her face in front of him again. They would have to see each other in the office and pretend nothing had happened.
This mess couldn’t have been her fault. She didn’t think she’d given Alex any signals of interest. She’d tried to keep her distance.
As soon as the kiss was over, Alex had skedaddled himself out of her place like the house was on fire. She could tell there was not going to be a bouquet of flowers on her desk from him in the morning. She’d be lucky to keep her job. Ali groaned again. She needed the job. She liked her job. And she sure did want to keep it.
Chapter 2
“No,” Alex spoke loudly into the phone. “That’s unacceptable. I don’t care what your accounts say, check them again. We are not behind on those payments.” He slammed down the receiver in frustration and ran his hands through his sandy brown hair, which was getting too long for the office, but he hadn’t had the time to get it cut lately.
The sun streamed through the massive windows of his office, much too cheerful and much too bright for his mood.
A firm knock sounded on the door and Kiara walked into the room.
He knew it was her before he looked up. She was one of the few people in the building confidant enough to walk into his office without an invitation. He respected her. She was going to have what she wanted from life, and it wasn’t because she had a set of legs that could stop traffic and a face that should be on the cover of magazines. Kiara was smart, innovative, and she worked hard for what she wanted, and in Alex’s book, that was what made someone great.
Kiara approached his desk and dropped a large file down on top of it. “Morning, Alex. Here’s a big pile of mess for you to start your day.”
Usually, she strode back out of his door without a second glance, but today, her worried eyes lingered on him for a second before she turned to leave.
Alex sighed, picked up the folder, and flipped through the pages to see more depressing accounting sheets. “You know what’s going on with the business, don’t you?” he asked, as Kiara’s hand rested on the door handle.
“I’m aware,” she said without turning around.
He paused a moment, a moment too long that made Kiara think he wanted to ask her a question, but then he didn’t. “I’d appreciate it if you kept things about the company’s financial situation to yourself.” He waved the folder at her back. “For now.”
She nodded, and headed out the door.
Alex tipped himself back in his chair, his feet on his desk. He had absolutely no interest in participating in the day. Last night was… weird. He knew he shouldn’t have driven Ali home. He’d always kept a firm line between himself and his employees, but there was something about her. He just couldn’t stop thinking about her.
In his old life, he tended to be too friendly with everyone in the office, but when his father turned the business over to him, he knew he’d need to keep professional distance between himself and the employees.
His father had a way about him, everybody loved him, and at the same time everyone respected him.
Alex let out a long sigh. Things hadn’t been going well for some time. So many bills that couldn’t be paid. Not enough income coming in. How could he turn things around? He had to think of a way.
He snatched a pile of folders off his desk and grabbed his jacket off the coat rack. He took a moment to straighten his tie and button the suit coat before putting on his winter jacket. He pushed his hands through his hair before exiting the room.
“Janice,” he said when he approached his assistant’s desk, “see this gets taken care of.” He flopped one of folders onto her desk.
Janice opened her mouth to speak, but he was off down the hall before she’d gotten a word out. “Jerk,” she muttered under her breath.
Alex moved through the office, a hurried air about him so no one would try to stop and talk to him. He snuck a quick glance in Ali’s direction as he passed her cubicle. She had her back turned to him, busy at her computer. He thought of going over to her desk and apologizing, but that would only embarrass her … and him … so he kept walking, unsure of how to address last night’s kiss with her.
Alex placed a call and put his phone to his ear as he stepped out of the elevator. The phone rang through, going to voicemail. He hung up. Searching through his contacts, he rang another number.
“Hey, Alex,” came the voice on the other end. The voice was hurried. Alex could hear the baby in the background. He knew the answer before he asked the question.
“Hey, man. You sound busy.” Alex and his friend made small talk for a little while. “I’ll catch up with you another time.” The call clicked off and Alex shoved his phone back into his pocket. He’d really wanted to talk to his buddy about what was going on with the business, but he couldn’t impose on him when his friend was with his child.
Grumbling, he pushed through the front doors and out into the cold. The sun was shining brightly, but the air was brisk. Alex could either stand out here trying to figure out who else he could call, or he could head somewhere he didn’t want to go.
He slipped into the next taxi that pulled up to the curb and he gave the driver an address.
Alex pressed his head into his hands, rubbing his fingers over his eyes.
“Rough morning?” came the voice from the front seat.
“A rough evening, too,” Alex mumbled.
“Ah. Girl troubles?”
Alex chuckled, his laugh rolling through the cab. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
The cab driver raised his thick, bushy eyebrows, glancing at Alex in the rearview mirror. “You didn’t tell her that, did you?”
Alex winced. “I kind of left pretty fast.”
“That’s not good, son.”
They rode in silence as the cab entered the bypass and weaved in and out of traffic. You’d think at 9 a.m., everybody would be at work, but the traffic was as thick as always. Alex leaned back against the seat, wondering why he was going to this particular place. He had half a thought to tell the driver he’d changed his mind.
The cab swerved, cutting across two lanes to take the Eighth Street exit, and in a few minutes, the driver brought the car to a stop in front of the house he was looking for.
Before Alex got out of the cab, a bit more alert after the exhilarating ride, he ran his credit card through the payment box. Smiling at the older gentleman, he thanked him for the ride.
“You best make things right with the young lady,” the man said as Alex turned to leave. “Christmas time is about love, not being lonely.”
Alex nodded, then walked up the drive to the massive brick house.
Blowing warm air into his hands, he rang the doorbell and only waited a few seconds before the door swung open.
“Alex!” His stepmother stood in the doorway. She threw her arms around him, squeezing him tight. “Andrew,” she hollered back over her shoulder. “Alex is here!” She pulled him inside, slipping her arm through his.
As Alex pulled the door shut behind him, he could see that the woman’s happy exterior seemed forced. She struggled to keep her mood upbeat and she plastered another smile on her face. “Your dad will be so happy to see you. He’s in the library.”
“Thanks, Ana,” Alex said as he wandered off down the hall.
He found his dad in his office, his shirt collar open and his phone held to his ear. Although he’d retired from in-office duties a year ago, he still dressed up when he managed things from home. His father had started doing a little consulting work and was teaching some business classes at an area university.
His father smiled, waving Alex to the seat across from the desk, finishing up his call before addressing him.
“Alex,” his father smiled, leaning forward in his chair, his thick forearms holding up his large frame. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
Alex pulled the folder out from inside his coat and placed it on his father’s desk. “What’s this all about, Dad?”
Andrew McLaughlin flipped open the folder, then just as quickly, flipped it closed. He sighed, setting his weight back in his chair. “Where’d you get this?”
Alex sat up, alert. “You knew about it?”
“It’s our company, Alex. I know everything about it.”
Alex eyed the man before him. His father was like a vision of who Alex would be in the future. He had the same blue eyes, the same sandy hair. While Alex currently had the physique of a toned athlete beneath his tailored suit, his father once had, too. Although one thing Alex knew he’d never had in common with his father was his shrewd business sense. While things seemed innate to his father, Alex sometimes struggled to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“Son,” his father said, shaking his head, “you’ve had almost a year trying to make this work. The business is hemorrhaging money. I requested that one of the employees in the office provide me with some analytics….”
“Who have you been talking with?” Alex demanded. “Have you had someone keeping an eye on me the past few months?” The young man moved to his feet, pacing the office, then stopped suddenly and turned. “You’ve had a spy in the office keeping tabs on me? Who is it?” He began to pace around the room again, his face red with anger.
“Son, sit down. There’s no spy at the company.”
Alex moved to the chair, but he didn’t sit. He grabbed the back of the leather chair in a death grip, his forearms straining with the effort.
“No one needs to keep tabs on you. Someone has been collecting data for me, discreetly. You have a lot on your plate so I requested more data from one of the analysts. We have a decision to make,” Andrew McLaughlin said. “This decision has nothing to do with your leadership or managerial skills. You’ve given it your best. It has everything to do with the fact that the business can’t be brought back. We’ve tried.”
“So that’s it then? We’re giving up?”
“We’re not giving up … we’re conceding defeat.”
“Tell me what to do. There must be something else we can try. Tell me what you think needs to be done to fix this.”
Andrew shook his head. “It’s too far gone. You’d need to bring in more money in the next six months than you’ve brought in during the last year, and then double that money for the six months after that.” His father looked grief-stricken. “And there’s nothing left to do. There is no one else who will give us product on goodwill.”
“What about you, Dad? You could invest in the business.”
“A good deal of my assets are already tied up in the company. I’ve been holding this off for a long time. Our house is in Ana’s name, we have savings and investments, but….” Andrew held up his palms, indicating he was empty.
“No, I can’t accept it,” Alex said. “There must be something we can do.” He turned slowly and headed for the hall. “We need a little more time. I’m not giving up yet.”
His father was silent as he watched his son leave the room.
After Andrew heard the front door slam shut, Ana entered his office. She moved to him, wrapping her slight arms around his neck, leaning her cheek on his face. He reached up, pressing her head to his.
“He’ll be okay,” she said.
With a heavy heart, Andrew McLaughlin remained silent.
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