Page 30 of Sleigh Rides With St. Nick

I looked over to where Nick was putting the finishing touches to the pasta.It was a strangely wholesome sight, and there was a part of me that felt like I could really get used to it, and I wasn't entirely sure what to do with that.

Chapter13

NICK

Ivy twirled her fork around her plate, taking a bite of the pasta and letting out a satisfied hum.It wasn't necessarily the best food for a date, but I hadn't been planning on her coming back here, so it was the best I could do with what I had in the fridge.

"This is good," she said."I'm guessing you learned to cook while travelling around Europe?"

I chuckled."No, it's a much more recent skill.I went through a cooking show phase about ten years ago.Before that I could make a stew, but not much else."

"That's funny, I went through that phase too.When I was in my early twenties and just starting out, I used to go to the supermarket with a fiver and buy what I could get from the clearance section.When I got home, I'd turn it into my own cooking challenge."

"That sounds like it would either create really nice dishes or disasters."

"Pretty much."She ate some more of her past."But I was a broke marketing intern at the time, I didn't have much of a choice."

"Is marketing what you always wanted to do?"I asked.

"When I was a kid I wanted to be a dancer."She smiled at the memory."Then I broke my ankle trying to do a very basic move and that was the end of that.Marketing was actually an accident.I did some work experience while I was at university for a marketing firm and realised that I loved it.Not the graphics part, I'm terrible at that and always have to ask the graphic designers at work to do even the most basic mock-ups, but I'm good at the rest."

"Even with a company in as dire a position as Cringle?"I joked.

She laughed."It's not as bad as you think," she promised."The re-engagement of your audiences has been going well, which is to be expected.You have great products at competitive prices for their quality, peoplewantto hear from you and buy your products."

"Maybe we're going to have to get you to stay on full-time as the Head of Marketing," I suggested, and not just because it would mean that I still got to see her every day.

"No."She took a deep breath and set down her fork."I mean, not yet.You can keep me on via Miracle Marketing Solutions, but if we're going to do this, then you can't be my boss."

"Of course, I'm sorry, I didn't think," I murmured.

"It's fine.It's just complicated because I'm not supposed to date you according to my contract, and working for Cringle would sort that out, but it would introduce so many other complications.What if we broke up?I know we're only just starting out, but it has to be a consideration here."

"It does," I agreed.I knew she was right, but I was still disappointed."But the offer could stay open.You can accept it when you're ready."

"Thank you, that's very sweet.But maybe let's just see how you feel once I've got numbers and results from what I'm doing.You might like me, but you might not like my work."

"I'm sure I will."

"Nick," she said sternly."You should judge my work based on what it does for the company, not on how much you like me.Or you should get Pieter to do it."

"Oh, he will.I'm surprised he hasn't given you feedback already."

To my surprise, she laughed as she picked her fork back up."He has.We talk about it almost every day."

"Then he must be pleased about everything you're doing.I've known Pieter for a long time, and he's not the kind of man who stays silent when he's not happy about something."

She nodded and ate the rest of her pasta.

"But we shouldn't be talking about work," I said.

"Probably not.But I suppose that is how we met."

"Ah, not true.We met at a Jinx event," I reminded her.

"So we did."

"We should still go to The Cedar sometime," I mused.

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