Page 30 of A Man for the Holidays

She points to the man in question, and when I turn to face her, I see a wide smile on her face.

“It’s okay to be happy Spencer, I won’t tell anybody,” she says.

I give her a smile, then take another sip of my drink as I look back at Quinn and Jerry who are still deep in conversation.

“He does look strikingly familiar though. Where did you meet him?” she asks.

“Ah, through a colleague of mine,” I answer quickly.

Well, it’s not exactly a lie.

“He is delicious, mmhmm,” she replies.

“Yeah, and he’s mine,” I say.

“Oooo, do I detest a little jealousy in that tone?” she questions.

“No, of course not,” I reply.

I angle my head back at Quinn, who quickly looks up and gives me a smile. I finish the last of my drink, then excusing myself, I get to my feet and proceed to the bar. I order a wine, and after the bar tender places it on the counter in front of me, I nod in thanks and grab the glass as I make my way to the railing on the stairs. I turn around and press my ass against the railing, as I look over at Quinn who’s laughing about something with Jerry. My eyes connect with Liz, and she gets up and wanders over toward me.

“What’s going on, Spencer? I know that look.”

“Well, if you know this look, then why are you asking me what’s wrong?”

“It’s okay to be scared when it comes to relationships, take it from a woman who’s been married three times.”

“So, I guess that would make you an expert, right?” I ask in a tone that I know is anything but sincere.

“I’m just saying, don’t be afraid to make choices, to take a chance on love. You and Quinn are clearly meant to be together, so why are you fighting it?”

“What makes you think I’m fighting anything?”

“Because I can see it written all over your face. It’s the same look I had on my face whenever I tried to give myself a million excuses as to why this relationship wouldn’t work, or why I shouldn’t be with the guy.”

She couldn’t be farther from the truth, it’s the complete opposite actually. Iwantto be with this guy, it’s what I want more than anything in the whole world, but I know that in a couple of days, I’m once again going to be left heartbroken.

“It’s a little more complicated than that, Liz. His time here is limited.”

“Which is why you shouldn’t miss an opportunity, right?”

My heart starts pounding again, maybe in fear or excitement, or perhaps even in sadness at the thought of losing Quinn. That thought alone has been swirling around my head since we had sex the other night, and as much as I try and brush it out of my mind, I know it’s a reality that I’m not sure I’m ready to face. I take a quick look at my watch, then take another sip of my wine.

“It’s time for the awards.” I say, quickly changing the subject.

I place my glass down on the railing and make my way over to the podium at the front of the room.

After the awards ceremony, we each exchange our Kris Kringle gifts and continue to mingle with the crowd. Well, to be fair, I spent the remainder of the evening trying to get a moment alone with Quinn, but it seems as though everyone is curious about the mysterious man who has captured my heart. When I finally see him standing on his own at the bar, I immediately take the opportunity and head over toward him.

“Well, you’re certainly Mr. Popular tonight,” I say.

“I’m sorry, Spencer. I couldn’t get away; your colleagues really like me.”

“That they do,” I agree.

“I’m sorry, we haven’t had much of an opportunity to spend any time together this evening.”

“That’s okay, we still have the rest of the night when we get home,” I tell him.

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