Page 43 of Stranded for Christmas with my Boss

Jensen cracks a grin. “Yes, Alyssa. I’m sure. Besides, there is no way in hell I’m missing out on seeing you in an elf costume.”

“Well, it’s not a sexy one if that’s what you’re getting at.”

Jensen laughs as he moves to sit on a couch. “Please tell me you’ll have pointy ears.”

“Maybe…”

“Saturday can’t come fast enough.”

Our laughter mingles as we smile at each other over video chat, a curious silence soon taking over. Why does he want me to come so badly? It can’t just be because Oliver asked and because I’ll be in costume.

“Is everything okay? I forgot to ask why you called.”

My mind zips right back to the purpose of this whole phone conversation that got way off track. I lift up the receipt so that he can see this. “I found this while organizing your files. It’s a receipt for Premiere Auto on the same day my parents’ car started being repaired.”

Jensen glances away from the camera. “You weren’t supposed to find that.”

“You paid thousands of dollars so that my parents’ car could be fixed,” I tell him, disbelief lacing my voice. “Why?”

Jensen shrugs. “Because a terrible thing happened to good people who didn’t deserve it. You were…distraught. I realized I had been dragging you over the coals for no good reason while you were already dealing with a lot on your plate. I just…wanted to make things a little easier.”

My eyes start to sting a little. It’s like someone is squeezing my heart in their hand, their grip tightening with each word he speaks. “Thank you. I mean it. I…I wish there was a better way to express my gratitude, but you really helped us. And we can pay you back down the line.”

Jensen shakes his head. “Don’t pay me back. It’s…a gift.”

A small smile crosses my face as our eyes finally meet once more. “Like an early Christmas gift?”

Jensen chuckles as he nods. “Yeah, something like that. You can’t give back Christmas gifts.”

Does he even realize how incredible he is? How much he has already impacted my life in the span of a few weeks? I can barelywrap my head around it, but my heart has been reacting to him for a while now.

Racing. Pounding. Skipping. Fluttering.

I can’t control it.

“Thank you, Jensen,” I say in a soft voice as I share a warm look with him. “You’ve already made this holiday one I won’t ever forget.”

Jensen’s face softens. “So have you.”

Silence lingers after his words, but we both smile, reveling in the warmth of the moment as snow blankets the city outside of our windows. We may be in two different parts of the city, but I can’t help but feel close to him right now.

I can’t help but want to be right there in his arms, shielded from the frigid cold outside and all the worries that surround us.

Chapter twenty

Jensen

“Happy birthday, Oliver!”

Green and white confetti pop out of small confetti poppers as Oliver’s friends surround him. The adults lining the walls of Holly’s kitchen and hanging out in her living room laugh and clap as Oliver cries out in glee, confetti adorning his hair.

“Oh, look at him,” Holly sighs happily as she stands next to me by the kitchen counter where Oliver’s birthday sheet cake is sitting. “He’s so excited.”

“I’m glad he made some good friends,” I tell her with a proud smile on my face.

Oliver and his friends toss confetti at each other by the dining table where all of his birthday gifts are piled up. He bounces on his toes, nearly making his glasses bounce on his nose too. He picked out a white T-shirt to wear that has “It’s my birthday!” written across the front, and I can’t count how many pictures Holly has already taken of him.

Paper snowflakes hang from the ceilings. A tablecloth full of different reindeer covers the dining table. There’s a small blow-up snowman in the corner of the living room. Of course, there are little elf decorations littered everywhere too.

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