Page 4 of Holiday Hoax

“Mia?” Silvia, my boss, pokes her head out of her office. “Can you come in here for a second?”

“Sure.”

I walk into her office and have a seat on the plush blue armchair that sits opposite her white lacquer desk. She looks at me warmly, the wrinkles on the corners of her eyes deepening as she smiles. She always looks exquisite. From her perfectly slicked back bun to her Chanel suits, Silvia is aging gracefully personified.

“Eric Simms left a message about coming back in for a third appointment.”

I don’t bother to hide my grimace. “Really?”

“He specifically asked for you. Are you okay with that?” She watches me with keen eyes. “I can always tell him that you’re ill when he shows up.”

As tempting as that is, I need the commission. My brother might have given me his apartment, but I still have other bills to pay. So I shake my head.

“No, I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure to stay close just in case.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” She slides her glasses on and looks at her computer. “You’ll be in for the show Thursday, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I need to run out that afternoon for a few hours, so you’ll be the point person for catering.”

“No problem.”

“How was last night? I’ve been dying to try Verde.”

I huff out a chuckle. “Mason canceled on me last minute, but I decided to go anyway, just for the experience, but you’ll never believe who I saw.”

“Who?”

“Eric,” I say deadpan.

“Simms?” Her eyebrows shoot up.

“Yeah. I think he was going to ask me out.”

“What happened?”

“My brother’s brother-in-law showed up and interrupted him.”

“Oh, thank god. What a terrible coincidence.”

“Right? Luckily Ian was a good sport and pretended to be my boyfriend, so hopefully Eric truly just wants to find some art for his apartment.”

“Is Ian attractive?” She wiggles her brows, the gesture so at odds with her professional exterior.

“Yes, but it’s not like that.” Truthfully, he’s completely the opposite of my type. He’s so tall and clean cut, like he could have stepped out of a Tom Ford ad. I have a string of exes with full beards and gauges in their ears with full tattoo sleeves. “He’s quite a bit older than me, too, I think. Late thirties.”

“What does he do?”

“He’s about to take over Jameson Industries.”

“Never heard of them.”

“Me neither, but Nico says they’re a big deal. One of the biggest names in Chicago without being known or something.”

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