Page 4 of Her Billionaire Stocking Stuffers

“What?” Gabriel tips his head.

“It only takes me like thirty minutes, tops.” I shrug as if I have a choice. Who can afford a car payment and insurance on these wages?

“Not in the dark and with this weather.” Gabriel crosses his arms.

“We’ll drive you.” Cole makes it sound less like an invitation and more like a mandate.

I shake my head. No way am I going to let them see my Home Crap Home.

“Guys, I wouldn’t advise her to take a ride from three strangers. She doesn’t know us that well.” Pax cuddles Snowflake as he misunderstands my refusal. “Besides, we’ve got a…meetingto get ready for.”

“You’re right.” Gabriel already has his phone out. “In that case, I’m calling you a cab.”

“Please don’t.”

“Too late.” Cole insists as Gabriel waves me off.

Will the tip they left be enough to cover the fare? It would be a relief to stay warm and be a little less exhausted by the time I crawl into bed.

I scoop the money out of the jar and smoosh it into my pocket without looking. I’ll count it quick when they leave and cancel if I need to. “Can you ask what the fare is to 48 Holly Lane?”

Instead, Gabriel rattles off a credit card number he must have memorized and tells them to charge it to him.

What must it be like to pay for things without even knowing how much they cost?

Pax notices my expression. “Don’t worry, Ivy. We’ve got this.”

“What’s your number?” Gabriel prepares to relay it to the cabbie. “He’ll call you when he’s pulling up.”

“I don’t have a phone.” That’s a luxury I definitely can’t justify.

Gabriel glowers then tells the person on the other end of the line. “She’ll meet you on the corner by the ice skating rink in ten minutes. Do whatever you need to get there by then and I’ll pay double.”

He hangs up.

Cole dares me to argue with eyes that are even bluer than Snowflake’s.

When I don’t protest, he flashes a tight smile. “Good girl.”

“I promise we’ll take care of Snowflake.” Pax hugs her to him beneath his thick coat.

I don’t doubt it for a second since they’ve done the same for me tonight.

“Have a nice night.” Gabriel leaves first. Cole winks before the three of them head into the winter evening, taking all the warmth and joy in my life—plus my kitten—with them.

CHAPTER 2

Ivy

Crisscross applesauce in my flannel candy cane pajamas—the heaviest ones I own—I clutch my hands around the cup of steamed apple cider I made myself before leaving the coffee shop. Turning up the heat costs more and encourages the radiator to clank louder without actually making my drafty apartment warmer.

So I wrap myself in the thick comforters I picked up at the thrift store and settle in for a night of scrolling the internet on my second-hand laptop. I’m so grateful it’s still running now that I’ve finished school.

Not that my animal welfare degree is doing me any favors these days. It put me in crippling debt without any available positions for me to land so I can pay back my loans before I die.

Ah, well.

At least there’s the coffee shop to help me scrape by for now. Tips are usually pretty decent during this time of year.

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