Page 20 of The Santa Swap

Luke ran a hand through his hair. “It’s recent. Anyway, what did you need?”

Olivia blinked back the tears that were springing to her eyes. “Never mind. It’s not important.” She left his office, holding back the tears until she was safely sitting behind her desk with the door closed. Then she grabbed a tissue and began to dab at her eyes.

“Stupid, stupid feelings. Why does it matter if he dates Susan? He asked you out and you said no. Lots of times.” The pep talk wasn’t helping. Olivia stood up and began to jump in place, trying to shake all the thoughts of Luke out of her mind. She was a professional, and it didn’t matter who Luke decided to date. As her heart rate began to climb, the tears stopped. By the time Olivia was done jumping, she had locked Luke away from her heart.

* * *

The restof the day crawled by, but Olivia made it through. She left the office, breathing a sigh of relief when she realized that Luke’s car was already gone for the day. When she got home, she threw a chicken pot pie into the microwave. A mindless television show helped soothe her wounds. She was crying over a guy she wasn’t even dating.

By the time her dinner was done, Olivia had made a decision. She opened up her computer and pulled up a dating site. Luke was welcome to date anyone he wanted, and she’d gladly do the same.

Finishing her profile took a little longer than she anticipated. She looked through her photos trying to find one that would convey the proper image, finally settling on a photo of her sitting on the beach. If a guy could make her feel like she was anywhere but snowy, cold, Utah, then that would be a good start.

Her phone started chiming with requests within minutes of her profile going live. Apparently, there were a lot of guys out there looking for companionship. Olivia read a few of the message requests and then turned off her phone in disgust. So much for a meaningful relationship. Most of them seemed to be looking for a quick hook up.

Where were the men who still believed in old fashioned dating? Olivia went to bed early, wishing all the frustrations from the day would melt away in her sleep. By morning, she wanted to have forgotten about Luke and Susan, her dating profile, and the apparent lack of gentleman in Utah.

* * *

Olivia managedto make it through breakfast without throwing her phone at the wall. It had been dinging all night with message after message, most of them disgusting. A small handful of the guys actually looked decent. She was determined to pick a guy for a first date by the end of the day and stop pining away for Luke.

With a feeling of empowerment, Olivia walked down the steps of her apartment to find her car covered in a foot of snow that was still falling. Olivia kicked at the tires, letting out a small huff of exasperation. She turned to see a woman walking by. “I get it,” the woman said. “Hang in there.”

There wasn’t any need to go to the gym later. Her arms were burning by the time Olivia was finished scraping the ice off her car. She climbed into the front seat, blowing on her hands to help warm them up. The car sputtered a few times before roaring to life. Even it had complaints about the weather. Olivia was going to lose her mind if the snow didn’t let up soon.

Tara was waiting for Olivia when she showed up to work. “You’re here,” she said, dragging Olivia into a side office. Tara looked Olivia up and down, telling her to twirl slowly. Then she sat Olivia down in a chair.

“Are you feeling okay?” Olivia asked.

Tara pulled a large makeup brush out of her bag. “We’re having a press conference today and Luke wants you to speak.”

“Me?” Olivia’s words came out like a squeak. “Why?”

“Close your eyes.” Tara leaned menacingly over Olivia and she obeyed. Tara dabbed the makeup brush over Olivia’s face, giving a few extra dabs to her forehead area.

“What are you doing to me?” Olivia sneezed, waving her hand in the air to ward off some of the powder.

“I know it feels stupid, but it will take the shine off your forehead.”

Olivia’s stomach sank. “Do I usually have greasy forehead problems?”

“Not at all. It’s the lights they bring in. They have a special glow. Now, please sit still.”

Tara was midway through applying eye liner when Olivia registered what she was doing. “Wait. You said I’m speaking at a press conference. About what? I don’t remember there being one on the schedule.”

“It’s about the Santa photos. We figured that with all the competition out there in malls and stores, we’d better add our name to the list.”

Olivia looked up towards the ceiling and down at the floor when Tara told her to. Then she puckered her lips for a darker lipstick than she usually wore. “Is this make up all necessary?”

Tara stood back with her hands on her hips. “You’ll thank me when you show up on the tv screens instead of being completely washed out.”

There was no point in arguing with someone who had done her share of interviews in the past. “Alright, but I feel like a clown.”

“You may feel like one, but you don’t look like one.” Tara handed over a small hand mirror. As Olivia turned her face from side to side, she had to agree. She looked better than she expected wearing ridiculous amounts of makeup.

“The press conference starts in fifteen. Do you think you can handle it?”

Olivia pulled a notebook out of her purse and nodded. “It's no problem. I do need a few minutes to gather my thoughts though.” She pointed to the door and Tara took the hint.

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