Page 31 of Texting My Secret Santa

Why?

Let’s think about this, Holly. Try to tame the logic. I had a crush on Asher when I was a kid. His kiss lit me up like a sparkler. When I’m with him, I feel special. When he calls me “Snowflake,” I want him to whisper it as he takes off my clothes and lays his hot, muscled body against me.

That doesn’t mean I’m destined to be with him. This isn’t a fairy tale. This is real life. Plenty of women play the field.

It just feels wrong. I can’t imagine anybody else kissing me. Maybe this is what going crazy feels like.

Deleting my last message, I type,I took your advice. I went to HR. He’s had a disciplinary meeting and has given me a written apology. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.

Derek is on Asher’s team. If my Secret Santa is Asher, he can discover whether or not this is true. Should I feel guilty for playing these manipulative games? Maybe, but if it isn’t Asher, at least they can chill. I don’t want to talk or even think about Derek, mostly because I know my Secret Santa is right.

Ishouldtake him to HR.

My Secret Santa:When did this happen?

Me:This morning, I type.Don’t give it any more thought, okay? Deal?

My Secret Santa:As long as you’re okay.

Me:It shouldn’t matter to you if I’m okay, but I am. It’s over.

I stuff the phone back in the drawer and stare stubbornly at my computer screen.

CHAPTER 12

ASHER

The atmosphere when I arrive at the office is frosty. Mia seems awkward about running into me last night, staring down at her desk every time I walk by. It’s preferable to her ogling me, at least. Derek has his headphones on, typing away. The man produces good work, which is irritating. If he were a subpar employee, I’d be able to find an excuse to fire his ass.

I stand at my office door, watching him as his fingers fly across the keyboard. Holly lied to me, saying that HR called Derek in and he had given her a written apology. He’d been at his desk for five hours straight. She doesn’t want to confront the issue.

I know it’s not my place. It’s her choice. Standing here, watching him, it’s dangerous. It makes me think about tearing the headphones off and smacking him across the face with them.

“If you ever come near my Holly again, I’ll break your nose.”

Then what? Holly hears about it and hates me even more. That’s the last thing I need. Or, worse, people will ask why I’m gettingso angry. Word gets back to Dan. He learns that his sister and his best friend have betrayed him.

Derek takes off his headphones. Maybe he saw me in the screen’s reflection. Or maybe, like prey, he sensed me staring at him. “Is there something I can help you with, sir?”

“No,” I grunt, slamming my office door.

I grab the Secret Santa phone, glaring at the screen. Again, the ludicrous idea comes to me that this isn’t Holly. There are too many similarities: first, the story about her dad, and then the Derek stuff. If this isn’t Holly, I should enter the lottery because fate is indisputably having some fun with me.

Later, I’m in Dan’s home gym, sweating so much my clothes stick to me, steam rising from my body. I’m working out hard to forget what I did earlier today. I texted my Secret Santa four more times without a reply, acting like I am suddenly a goddamn teenager.

Me:What exactly did HR say?

Me:What did he say in his written apology?

Me:Let me know if you need anything.

Me:Are you ignoring me, Miss Goody Two-shoes?

It would’ve been unthinkable to me not long ago to text somebody so much without a reply. I’ve never been the type to hound a woman. With Mia, my ex, not my employee, she was the one chasing me. It never felt like this.

I jump off the treadmill. I’ve already hit the weights. In the wall mirror, I look wild, ready for a fight. That’s what I want—to hurt Derek physically for hurting my Snowflake.

I walk down the hallway, hearing the shower coming from Holly’s room, most likely the en suite. Dan’s still in the office. Maybe it’s the exercise endorphins or wanting to make our relationship—friendship—fun again, not so intense. Perhaps I just want to get her back for my first day here when she moved my clothes.

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