Page 104 of One Night Only
“I know it’s not your Captain Herschel, but?—”
He looks up at me, and the unexpected emotion in his eyes is enough to silence me. “Emily, this is…” He trails off, shaking his head as he glances down at the giraffe again. With a watery smile, he looks at me. “Thank you,” he says, his voice cracking.
I press my lips together in a smile, my heart tugging in my chest.
Andy clears his throat, carefully tucking the giraffe back into the gift bag. When his gaze meets mine again, there’s a tenderness there I’ve never seen before. “Was that all you needed to speak to me about?”
Oh, crap. My shoulders fall when I suddenly realize the real reason I pulled him away from the party. But I know I can’t riskruining our moment now. Not after I just gifted him a replacement for the giraffe he lost when he was a child.
“Oh, yeah,” I start. “I was just wondering if I can take off a little early?”
He laughs. “Yeah, of course. No one’s obligated to stay for the holiday party. Most people usually do just because of the free booze.”
I exhale a sigh of relief.
“Where are you off to?”
I stiffen at his question, staring at him a moment.
He offers the hint of a wry smile. “You’re leaving early, so I just assumed you were travelling somewhere…”
“Oh…” Shit. I force a smile. “I’m just… heading over to Staten Island.”
“Oh yeah, you’re spending Christmas with your folks, right?”
I nod, swallowing hard, my smile hurting my cheeks.
“Let me just grab… hang on,” Andy murmurs, as if he’s just remembered, walking through to his own office. Moments later, he returns, carrying an envelope in his hand. “I was going to give this to you later, but since you’re leaving now.”
He hands me the plain white envelope with a smile. Taking it, my brow furrows with confusion as I slide open the tab, and I’m unable to contain my own gasp at the sight of the money inside.
“What is this?” I gape incredulously at him.
“It’s just a thank you for being an amazing assistant,” he says with another shrug. “I know you didn’t qualify for the company Christmas bonus because you haven’t been here for the required three months, but this is just a little something from me.”
I look down at the contents of the envelope once again. There’s got to be at least a few thousand dollars in here. I shake my head, at a loss. “Andy, this is so…” I don’t even know what to say. I wasn’t expecting anything at all. “Wow.”
“I mean it,” he says with a light laugh. “You’re an amazing assistant, and I’m just so thankful for you.”
I can’t help but wonder howamazinghe’ll think I am when he finds out the truth. God, he’s going to hate me. And suddenly I feel sick. Again.
“You head on out,” Andy says, clearly oblivious to my inner turmoil. “Have a Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Andy.” I smile, and I know it’s tight and probably doesn’t match the look in my eyes, but it’s all I’ve got right now.
I watch him walk out of the office, leaving me to it, and I release the breath I’ve been holding.
My phone shudders in the pocket of my jeans, and I pull it out to see Dallas’s name on the screen, but as much as I love seeing his name, I can’t help but feel like a piece of shit right now.
D: You on your way to the airport, baby?
Me: Yeah, just leaving work now.
D: I can’t wait for you to get here.
Along with his text, Dallas sends me a photo of himself in his cowboy hat. There’s a wide-open field behind him and that, combined with his dimpled, carefree grin, helps to ease the trepidation swirling low in my belly. This is the right thing. Yes, how we’re going about it is the wrong way, and I hate lying to Andy. But it’s a means to an end, because I know now that when it comes to Dallas and me, we’re endgame.
CHAPTER 42
