Page 14 of The Santa Swap

The message was short but it filled Luke’s stomach with dread.Secrets, secrets.

Luke threw his phone to the desk as if it was scorching his hands. There wasn’t any sort of a threat attached to the message, but it felt sinister. Who would be creepy enough to take the photo and why were they spying on him in the first place? More importantly, what did they want? People didn’t send texts from unidentified numbers unless they were up to no good.

He debated about if he should go tell Olivia, but what would he say? Her main reason for keeping things casual with him was so that people would respect her. How much respect did it show for her to be caught in his arms? He clenched his fists to his side. It was better to leave her in the dark.

As the day went on, Luke jumped at every ping of his phone. He was waiting for another threat to come through, but by mid-afternoon, there was no more contact. Luke began to wonder if it was a good Samaritan warning him to be more discreet with his affections. By the time he was leaving work, he was able to breathe a little better.

The relief lasted until Luke bumped into Olivia outside the elevators.

“Hello, friend,” she said.

Luke’s stomach churned when he thought about the text, suddenly hyper aware of every movement he made. Would his stalker be waiting at the bottom of the elevator, camera in hand if Luke walked out near Olivia? He walked in when the doors slid open and pushed his back against the wall, trying to create as much distance from her as possible.

“How was your day?” he asked. That was a normal question. One that he’d ask anyone in the building.

“It was good. I finished the Lillian files in case you really wanted them. I wasn’t sure if you did or if they were just a cover.” She walked over and leaned against the same wall as Luke, now close enough that he could easily wrap his arm around her shoulders. This being friends thing was going to be rough.

Luke pushed back from the wall and made a show of stretching his arms high above his head so he wouldn’t be tempted to drape them around her shoulder. Why was the elevator so slow? It wasn’t fair to make him ride in such close proximity to Olivia when she had dumped him earlier in the day.

The elevator doors dinged on the fourth floor and three people got on. “Hi guys,” Luke said. He was so relieved to have someone else to break the tension that had been building in his mind. Now, when they got off the elevator, it would be a group. No awkward walks to the parking lot and no reason for the stalker to believe Luke was singling out Olivia. He was half tempted to give the trio a raise.

He was the first person off the elevator when the doors opened to the main floor. “Great work today, team.” He waved to the elevator group, intentionally keeping his gaze away from Olivia.

“Uh, thanks, boss,” one of the men called back. Luke didn’t wait to watch them leave. He ducked into a hallway, walking until he turned the corner and was able to push open the unmarked doors of a restroom. No one would be able to find him there except for the janitor.

Luke walked to the sink and splashed some cold water on his face. His mind was spinning so quickly, it was difficult to land on just one thought. He was pressing a paper towel to his face when the door opened behind him.

“Everything okay here?” the janitor asked. “I haven’t seen you sneak in here in a while.”

“Yeah,” Luke said. “I just wanted to freshen up before heading home.”

“Enjoy your evening,” the janitor said.

Luke had no choice but to leave the bathroom. He couldn’t hang out by the sink without looking suspicious, and the last thing he needed was more questions. Hopefully his little detour had given Olivia enough time to get in her car and drive away. Luke couldn’t risk being seen with her again on the same day as he had been caught kissing her head.

When he walked to the parking lot, he slid his eyes over to Olivia’s spot. Thankfully, her car was gone. Luke pulled his Ferrari out of the stall and relaxed into the drive. Between the leather seats and the music he blared, there was no time for discomfort. Even still, he wasn’t able to completely relax until he was upstairs in the penthouse. There was no chance of Olivia being there.

CHAPTER7

Friend-zoning Luke had gone well on paper, so to speak. Olivia half expected him to make awkward passes at her, but so far, he was respecting the friend rules. Standing in front of the Christmas tree lot though, she had to wonder just how far she could push those lines.

Living in Utah wasn’t exactly shaping up to be the dream she envisioned. She missed the sunshine and beautiful flowers. According to the people at work, Utah was experiencing one of its heaviest snowfalls in years, which meant that the streets were lined with dirty piles of snow where the plows had pushed them. The snow-covered trees were there, but all the branches had lost their leaves.

Work was the only bright spot in Olivia’s day. She loved working with Tara, and was constantly amazed at the level of work she put out. It was no wonder she was one of the vice presidents of the company. Tara and her husband Gary were an unstoppable duo.

The only difficult part of her day was seeing Luke. They had agreed to be friends, but it didn’t stop a pang in her heart every time she saw him. They had only gone on the one date, but it was enough to make her heart long for more. She tried to talk herself out of the feelings, saying he was just one in a sea of hundreds of guys, but then he’d turn his Monet eyes her direction and her pulse would kick up a notch.

There was certainly no shortage of eligible men in Utah. She had toyed with putting her profile up on one of the dating sites, but for now, she had work to focus on. There really wasn’t time in her day to be worrying about dating, let alone a boyfriend should one of those relationships deepen.

Standing in the Christmas tree lot, she was wondering if maybe she should have been better about meeting people. She was eyeing a tall, seven-foot tree that called her name, but there was no way she’d be able to lug it up the steps to her apartment all by herself. She needed help.

Olivia took a deep breath and pulled out her phone. She pressed Luke’s name before she could chicken out.

“Hi Olivia,” he said. His voice washed over her like liquid honey and she had to remind herself sternly that he was just a friend.

“Hey Luke, I have a favor to ask.” Olivia crossed her fingers, hoping he’d be free.

“What’s up?”

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