Page 21 of The Santa Swap

“See you in a few.”

When the door thudded shut behind Tara, Olivia’s heart sank. The team had only come up with the idea a few days before. How was she supposed to hype up an event that had no official starting date or time?

Olivia needed answers and she needed them quickly. She pulled open her calendar, counting backwards from the day the toys would need to be delivered by. If they rushed things, they could take Santa photos the Saturday after Thanksgiving and deliver them to the firehouse the second week of December. It was a tight schedule to arrange for decorating, but Olivia felt confident she could pull it off.

The elevator ride up to the tenth floor went much faster than she was anticipating. She shook her hands by her side, trying to get the blood flowing. If her watch was right, she had only a few minutes to talk the heads of the company before they would be talking to the press.

She stepped out of the elevator to find Luke and Susan standing near the fish tank, their heads huddled together. Jealousy raged through Olivia’s body, but she clenched her hands together to tame it down. There wasn’t time to act petty when they were scheduled for an interview in less than five minutes.

Luke glanced her way, and the double take that followed had butterflies swirling in her chest. Then he cleared his throat and turned his attention to Susan. Olivia cursed her overactive imagination. He was probably just checking to see that she was appropriately dressed.

Olivia cleared her throat and stepped forward. “You guys are just who I wanted to see. Do you mind going over some details on the way down to the interview?”

“What do you have for us?” Luke asked. His eyes were liquid pools of blue that she wanted to sink into but she pulled her attention to the notebook.

“If we’re going to be announcing the Santa booth, we need to have a solid date in mind.”

Olivia presented her plan, and by the time the elevator reached the main floor, both Luke and Susan were smiling. Olivia rocked her head from side to side and followed behind them to the front foyer, where a small podium had been set up. A crowd was already gathering.

Off to one side, the camera operator was deep in conversation with Tara. Gary hovered nearby, talking to a woman holding a microphone. Olivia followed behind Susan and Luke, going over the facts in her head. She could read from notecards, but for a charity event, she wanted to sound natural.

When they reached the set-up, Olivia noticed a row of chairs off to the side of the podium. From the looks of it, she wasn’t going to be the only one speaking. She hoped she’d get to be first so she could relax for the rest of the press conference.

The universe had other plans. A reporter started off the conference giving a brief overview of the company. She emphasized the fact that the company which had started as a result of a double date had gone on to become one of the fastest growing companies in the state.

“Can I have the founders come forward, please?” the woman asked.

Olivia watched as Tara and Gary stepped forward. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek. The audience gave a collective sigh. Then Luke and Susan stood forward. He glanced over at Olivia, the expression in his eyes impossible to read. Then he reached down for Susan’s hand, weaving his fingers around hers as they stepped forward.

The crowd erupted in cheers, all except for Olivia who was grateful she was hidden from the cameras by the two couples in front of her. She doubled over, her stomach recoiling from an invisible punch.

“This company has kept us close all these years,” Luke said. “It will be exciting to see where it goes in the future.” He pulled Susan’s hand to his lips, giving it a kiss, and Olivia found herself blinking back tears.

She had maybe thirty seconds to pull her emotions together. Olivia reached for her phone, pulled up the dating app, and quickly swiped to the right on one of the profiles. If all went well, she’d be leaving the office that night to head to a date.

CHAPTER10

Susan’s arm was blocking her face when Luke raised her hand to kiss it, but he could still hear her quiet rebuke. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” she asked.

Luke beamed his brightest smile at her, and then he raised a hand to hide a fake yawn. “It’s the only way to get the mysterious photographer off my back.”

Susan turned to hug him so her back was to the crowd. “I sure hope this works.”

Luke felt comfortable holding her in his arms, but it was more like slipping into an old pair of jeans. The romantic spark had disappeared years ago. Luke and Susan didn’t work as a couple. They had given the dating thing a good try, but in the end, they worked much better as friends. Still, he was immensely grateful that she was willing to put herself into such a public relationship for him.

When Luke had called Susan to his office the previous day, he had been forced to bite back a lot of pride. Susan wasn’t the type to help unless she knew the entire story so he told her everything, leaving out no details. He described how he felt seeing Olivia on the street for the first time, and ended with telling her about the kiss that capped off their night. As expected, Susan burst out laughing when he described how Olivia had snubbed him when she learned he was her boss. Then she got serious.

“What is it about this woman that has you so tied in knots? You said you kissed her, but I know you’ve kissed your fair share of women over the years. What’s different about her?”

Luke had to think for a minute so he could explain. “There’s an intense physical attraction to her. I mean, she’s gorgeous. But you’re right. I’ve dated my share of beautiful women. It’s much deeper than that. When Olivia talks, I want to drop everything I’m doing just to listen to her. She’s passionate about family, she’s not afraid to try new things, and she’s clever. She makes me want to be a better person.”

Susan sank down in her chair. “And you’ve told her all this?”

“I can’t. She turns me down every time I even hint at dating.” He didn’t add that she was threatening to call it a harassment charge if he asked again.

“But she called you to help her with her tree. That’s something, right?”

Luke shrugged. “I’ve been friend-zoned, remember? I honestly think she’s new enough that she doesn’t have anyone else to call yet.”

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