Page 35 of Icing on Top
“Hello, Paul,” I said politely. He looked surprised and slightly annoyed to see me here with his bosses. I held his gaze, refusing to be the first to speak. I didn’t owe him an explanation. My eyes shifted to the woman by his side, who looked confused as her eyes bounced between us. The awkward silence stretched, so I broke it by introducing myself.
“Hi. You must be Paul’s ‘business trip,’” I said, making air quotes before holding my hand to shake hers.
“What?” she asked.
“How did you...” Paul trailed off from his questions but continued to sputter nonsense. He didn’t expect me to know the truth and didn’t want to say too much to risk his relationship or employment.
“I’m Nova.”
“Brandy. Nice to meet you,” the thin, perky blonde replied.
“How long have you love birds been together?” I asked. I felt my men crowd around me in silent support.
“Six months. It started as a long-distance relationship, but I recently moved to town.”
I looked at Paul; he had the good sense of looking slightly ashamed. “You’re pathetic,” I told him.
“Wait!” Brandy exclaimed. “Did you say that your name was Nova? As in, the owner of Icing on Top and coordinator of the Christmas festival?”
“That’s me,” I replied, slightly taken aback by her excitement at meeting me, considering she was sleeping with my boyfriend.
“If you need help or more volunteers, please let me know! I would love to help out!” she gushed.
“Umm, Bunny,” Paul interjected. “We should probably get going. I’m sure Nova and her friends have important plans to get to.”
He ushered her away before any more words could be exchanged. When he was a short distance away, he looked back at us with an unreadable expression.
“Just look at how jealous he is,” Grant whispered as he hugged me from behind.
“She had no idea who you were to him,” Lincoln commented. “He never told her about you.”
“I should probably warn her, but it’s not my business,” I replied as I watched them walk away.
“You did good,” Ben praised. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks.” I shivered from the cold. “Let’s go get that hot chocolate.” That chapter of my life was over.
Tree-mergency
Grant
17 Days Until New Year’s Eve
My mind wandered as I sat listening to my legal team review the new tracker’s terms and conditions. I would love to be anywhere but here. Given a choice, I’d rather be between Nova’s warm thighs. Unfortunately, today wasn’t my day with her because I was swamped with work. One of my brothers would get that honor tonight. My phone beeped, and I smiled when I saw I got a text from Nova. She must have known I was thinking about her. I opened the text message and froze.
Nova: 9-1-1. Icing. I need you.
Worried, I jumped up. “Sorry, I have to go. Something has come up that needs my attention. Send me the document when you’ve finished.” I raced to the cupcake shop. Nova wasn’t an alarmist, so whatever it was had to be serious. As I parked, I was relieved the shop didn’t appear to be on fire. I rushed inside, and Stef pointed toward the kitchen.
“She’s losing her shit,” Stef advised me as I passed.
I rushed into the kitchen and found Nova in her office, frantically pacing the small room. I grabbed her and checked her over, searching for any injuries. When I was sure she wasn’t physically hurt, I willed myself to relax so that I could figure out what the problem was. Nova was babbling, and I couldn’t understand what she was saying. Not knowing what to do, I pinched her lips closed with my fingers.
“Stop. Breathe. Relax. Whatever it is, we’ll fix it. But you need to calm down so I can figure out what needs to be fixed.” Nova melted into me, and I held her close. “Start at the beginning,” I said when I felt she had calmed down enough to communicate better.
“I don’t have a tree!” Nova exclaimed as she pulled away from me and began to pace again. “We’re having a tree lighting ceremony in three days, and I don’t have a tree!”
I grabbed her and sat in her desk chair with her in my lap. “I thought you had that squared away?”
