Page 6 of One Foggy Christmas
But it’s been alongtime since my heart has had the opportunity to beat like that.
NASH
“Talk to me, Reggie,”I call as I round the corner of one of the cubicles in the office. Harper is at the end of this aisle, scooting along. She’s never been great on the Wiggle Cars. I can’t say I fault her. They are meant for kids.
“I’m by Eli’s desk,” Reggie says across the office. “The coast is clear here.”
“Where are you hiding, Victor?” I hate losing our office version of tag, but Victor may have us beat.
When I told my assistant, Grace, that I wanted to buy twenty Wiggle Cars for the office—you know, to build team unity—I thought she would quit right then and there. But she bought the carts and even cleared out one of the storage closets to store them in. However, she’s never joined in on the games.
Grace is old school, and by that, I mean old.
She styles her graying hair in a bun and wears pencil skirts even though I’ve told her repeatedly that Superior Health is a casual work environment.
“Nash!” I hear Grace’s voice above the commotion, but I don’t stop my wiggles.
“Yeah?”
“Nash!” she scolds, and I know I’m in trouble.
My erratic hip motions stop so I can hear her better. “Yes, Grace?”
“Your new intern is here.”
“Oh, I forgot about that.” I glance at my watch. It’s noon—right when I told her to show up. “What’s her name again?”
“Sadie Bradley,” a new voice says, obviously the intern herself.
Three months ago, Grace and Eli narrowed down the internship applicants to the top ten candidates. I spent the next two weeks interviewing everyone, but Sadie Bradley was finishing her last semester at Syracuse University and couldn’t fly in to meet face to face. We decided on a Zoom interview. She apologized over and over again about her camera not working, but it was fine just to do it over the phone. I was immediately impressed by her energy. I’m curious to see if my gut reaction was right.
“Okay, guys. Game over. Green team back to work.”
Multiple people groan.
“We’ll play again on Friday.” I hop to my feet, hidden between the maze of cubicles. “Victor, where are you?”
Victor’s dark hair is the first thing I see as he slowly comes to a stand. He’s at the other end of the office, almost to the water cooler, which, if you make it to the water cooler before you get tagged, you’re the winner.
“Dude, how did you get over there so fast?”
“I like Shakira, so I know how to shake my hips.”
That’s actually a solid reason.
I spin around, ready to greet the new intern, and that’s when my mouth falls open like an idiot. “It’s you.”
The girl from the Cubs game stands in the middle of my office. Instead of shorts and a t-shirt, she’s wearing a fitted white blouse tucked into black flowy pants. It’s a different look than the one over the weekend, but she’s still a complete knockout.
Bewildered is the best way to describe her expression. “You’re Nash Carter?”
I run my fingers through my hair, suddenly feeling the urge to make myself look presentable after my time on the Wiggle Cars. “Yeah.”
“The Nash Carter who owns Superior Health?”
“Guilty.”
We stare at each other, neither of us knowing what to say. There’s a weird expression written across her face, but unlike a book, I can’t read what it’s about.
