Page 22 of Her Holiday Heartthrobs

“They’re waiting for you in Mr. Walker’s office.”

I nearly stumble a step. Mr. Walker? Why isn’t she calling him Henry like she usually does? I shake off the small shock and nod. “Alright. Thanks.”

“Sure thing.” Sabrina winks at me, and I’m glad whatever it is, the change doesn’t have anything to do with me.

I knock on the open door and peek inside at the three of them standing around with their morning coffees. Each of them with a different preference.

“Paige,” Eli calls, seeing me first. He sets his small, sleek coffee cup down and waves me forward. “Come in. You could have set your stuff down before you met us.”

He meets me at the door and helps me out of my coat. Heat flushes along my skin at his light touch. My breasts growing heavy with the want for him to reach around and squeeze them.

I clear my throat softly. “Thanks. Sabrina said you were waiting…”

“Oh, that’s fine.” Eli hangs up my coat and closes the door behind me. “We just wanted to chat before the team arrives.”

Measuring my stride, I step closer to Henry and Jake, Eli closing in behind me. I flash back to the dream again and work to slow my breath.

Jake goes to the coffee bar and pours me a mug. I take it more like he does, a simple medium roast with cream and one spoonful of sugar. Henry prefers espresso or tea. And Eli is in love with his very fancy Kona.

I swear the room gets smaller when he returns with my cup. “Thank you.”

Jake does the closest thing to smiling I’ve seen him do—a small quirk at the left corner of his mouth. He nods.

I try not to squirm as I drink. My eyes close, and honestly, it’s much better than the cheap, cheap stuff I have at home. Definitely a perk of this job. “I barely got two sips of my coffee at home this morning. It went cold before I got back to it.”

After another long sip, I set the mug on a coaster behind Henry.

“Okay. The team will be at HR at eight thirty because I know Doreen likes to get at least a full cup herself before she dives into her morning. She won’t drink the swill at home, so I have her as the buffer.” I reach for my briefcase on one of the armchairs in front of Henry’s desk and pull out my proposed itinerary. I hand a copy to each of them.

“That means they’ll be done and ready to come up around ten. The bonus of giving Doreen her thirty minutes is that she’ll keep them all there and send them up at once. It starts the team building on their own without the bosses hovering, and we don’t have them wandering in and getting anxious.”

“Remind me to get Doreen a coffee care package for Christmas so that she doesn’t miss out on the weekends.” As I finish saying this Eli grins, looking up from my schedule. “Smart thinking, Monroe.”

“I learned a long time ago that if you pay attention to others’ routines and occasionally supply them with treats, they’re happy to do you a favor when you ask.” I point at the paper. “It’s all pretty standard stuff. We want them to understand their roles, the projects as a whole, and how they’re going to cooperate with each other. Most of what I have listed is project-focused team building problems.”

“Except for that first one,” Jake says, taking a pointed sip of his coffee.

“Well, it’s December, I thought it was appropriate.”

“I have to say, I like this much more than your approach, Eli.” Henry folds an arm under the other elbow and grins.

“What, the wing-it approach he’s become known for?” Jake adds.

I feign shock and horror. “The planner in me is scandalized.”

“Good,” Eli says, and he keeps my gaze. His sparkles with humor. He’s certainly used to a good ribbing from what I’ve seen. “Because I think it’s time you take the lead. These are your ideas after all.”

My heart stops. Me take the lead? I’d thought Henry would do that.

It’s not like I’ve never led a team before—in college—but most of my authority has been born from having a three-year-old hyperactive boy.

“Just for today?” I have to ask. I need to know how to present myself.

“We’ll be there with you today, but we have to go back to our other responsibilities.” Henry smirks, offering me a pastry bag from the cafe downstairs like he knew I would need the extra fuel after this prep meeting. “You built a good team. Let’s see what you can do with them.”

Oh shit.Okay. I’ve got this.

PAIGE

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