Page 11 of The Santa Swap

“Susan should be here later today. She’ll head to Luke’s office when she gets here.”

The poppy seed muffin in Olivia’s stomach started churning. “So, they are still dating?” She didn’t want to hear the answer. Not when she could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers.

Tara laughed out loud, causing several heads to spin her direction. She covered her mouth with her hand and then leaned forward, whispering so Olivia had to strain to hear the words. “Never say that to either of their faces. It is the best way to get fired.”

Olivia’s stomach was doing backflips. If Luke and Susan were secretly dating, that would totally explain why Luke had told her a fake name. He didn’t want to get caught. He was pretty bold to be flirting with her at the office though. Especially if Susan was due to show up any moment. Then again, he probably had Tara trained to watch his back while he snuck kisses in random offices.

The puzzle pieces continued to click into place, confirming what Olivia already knew. Men were jerks. The days of finding someone who was faithful were probably over, and that was an incredibly depressing thought. She didn’t understand why they couldn’t just be out in the open with their relationships instead of sampling the field to see which woman they liked best.

Tara brushed crumbs off the table into her napkin and stood up, dropping the napkin into the trash. “Are you ready for the rest of the tour?”

Olivia nodded, but her heart wasn’t in it. Somehow, she had gone from her dream job to feeling like she was plopped in the middle of her worst dating nightmare, even though it had been just one evening. She followed after Tara, trying to pay attention while she talked.

They took an elevator upstairs to a foyer with a giant fish tank in the center of the room. Tropical fish swam through the water, darting between dark purple and emerald green plants. The bubbling of the tank filter added a soothing background noise. Tara walked past the tank and opened one of the doors lining a long wall.

“This is my office,” she said, pointing to a plaque outside the door that said Tara Spade, Vice President. She picked up a handful of folders and walked out before Olivia could comment on how large the place was. Tara opened the next door over. “And this is yours.”

Olivia stood in the doorway, her eyes trying to process what she was seeing. One wall of the office was made completely of glass, with a small ledge running along the base of a window that looked out over the city. In the distance she could see snow-capped mountains. Someone had thoughtfully placed a potted plant on the ledge, but other than that, the room was sparse. A desk stood in one corner, a filing cabinet ran the length of a second wall, and there was a whiteboard that looked like it had never been touched. Other than the basic furniture items, the office was empty.

“I don’t know what to say. This is way larger than I imagined.” Olivia walked to her desk, trailing her finger along the edge.

“We like our employees to feel comfortable. Besides, do you have any idea how many people you beat out to get this job?”

“Not really. I know at the end there were three of us.”

“You guys were the final three from over fourth-five applicants. In case I haven’t told you enough times yet, your resume was extremely impressive. Now, let’s get you set up with the IT guys. They will have your computer up and running in no time.”

Olivia looked out the window, trying to wrap her head around the fact that this was her new reality, and then she followed Tara out of the room. She couldn’t wait to start working her new job as office manager.

They were walking towards the elevator when the door opened and a gorgeous woman stepped out. She was wearing a gray and black striped pair of pants that accentuated her long legs, a silky red blouse, and a killer pair of black heels. Flanking her on either side were Luke and a man who looked like a slightly more mature version of him. They were chatting animatedly but stopped as soon as they saw Tara and Olivia.

Luke’s glance slid right past Olivia to Tara. “How is the training going?”

The heat was rising in Olivia’s cheeks when he turned to address her. “I hope you aren’t causing any trouble here.”

Olivia half expected him to stretch out his hand to shake hers. Was this really the same guy who had been kissing her moments before? He was so formal now.

The woman stepped forward. “I’m Susan. And you are?”

Olivia’s cheeks burned as she glanced back and forth from Susan’s deep red manicure to her own hands, the nail polish barely hanging on. “I’m Olivia Parsons, the new office manager who will be working closely with Tara.” She may not have spent as much money getting her nails done as Susan, but she was still a professional who belonged in the office. If she was talking to any other employee other than the one who was secretly dating the boss, she would have no reason to be intimidated.

Susan’s handshake was firm, but her eyes were kind. “I’m happy to meet you. With the trouble this guy causes, we can certainly use someone else to keep an eye on things.” She nudged Luke in the chest with her elbow, and he fake winced.

Olivia watched the playful banter. They were clearly comfortable being together. She needed to direct her focus somewhere else, and the gentleman standing nearby seemed like the perfect distraction.

“I haven’t met you yet.”

The man took her hand and shook it, lingering with the handshake a little longer than was necessary. Luke cleared his throat and the man dropped Olivia’s hand. “I’m James. This guy here is my little brother, so I guess you could say I’m his boss.”

Luke took a step towards Olivia as if to shield her from James. “If age was the only factor, I guess you’d be winning. But let’s not forget who runs this company. If I remember right, I was the one who hired you, Big Brother. Where were you working before that? The department store?”

James winced. “That’s hitting below the belt.”

“It’s just the facts. I gave you the New York branch to run, and you’re doing a great job there. But Salt Lake? This office is mine.”

Susan put her hand on Luke’s arm, and her touch calmed Luke’s words almost instantly. Olivia pushed aside the flare of jealousy that shot through her body.

“Come on, guys,” Tara said. “You both are great. You too Susan.”

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