Page 22 of The Santa Swap

Susan twisted her hair into a bun, putting a pencil from Luke’s desk through the center of it. “I don’t think you’re thinking this through. If we pretend to date publicly, you’ll ruin any chance of ever getting Olivia.”

Luke raked his hands through his hair. “Don’t you think I know that?” He pulled out his phone and showed her the text messages. “If I don’t get the paparazzi off my tail, any chances I have with her are ruined anyway.”

In the end, Susan had agreed. That was why she was standing by his side, helping him as he introduced their next speaker.

Olivia walked to the microphone, barely glancing Luke’s way. He was beginning to regret his decision to be so affectionate with Susan, but he couldn’t take it back now. Instead, he loosely draped his arm across Susan’s shoulder and tried to keep from staring at Olivia.

When Tara had offered to get Olivia prepped for the press conference, Luke didn’t know what that meant. Now he understood it meant applying makeup to accentuate Olivia’s already flawless skin. She was beautiful without a lot of makeup but this red carpet look was one that he could easily get used to.

Olivia took the microphone, charming the crowd with her description of the event they wanted to put on. She turned to beam a smile at Susan, giving her all the credit, but her eyes slipped right past Luke as if he wasn’t there.

As a way to close the announcement, Olivia talked about the time she received the gift of a doll that looked just like her. She had been going through a hard time in school, constantly being teased because of her unruly red hair. When she got the doll with that same kind of hair, it gave her an instant friend.

Olivia’s voice trembled, and Luke wanted to see her face. She lifted a hand to wipe her eyes before she continued. “That toy was one small gift, but to me, it made all the difference in the world. I learned that if there were dolls that looked like me, then I could be something special. That is the gift we are trying to give as many kids as we can. We want every child to believe that Santa cares about them. I look forward to seeing all of you at our toy drive.”

The room erupted with cheers when Olivia stepped down. She turned to smile at Luke and Susan before heading to talk to Tara and Gary. Luke wanted to follow, but Susan held him back. “Part of keeping the press off your tail is keeping you out of the spotlight with Olivia. You can talk to her upstairs.”

She was right, but Luke hated not being able to congratulate Olivia on a job well done. He turned his attention to the group of reporters swarming him, making sure to keep a hand on Susan’s arm the entire time. By the time the reporters had filed out, Olivia was long gone.

Luke found her upstairs in her office. He knocked on the door, suddenly shy about barging in. “You did a great job out there,” he said.

“Thanks.” Olivia was typing on her keyboard. Luke waited for her to say anything else but she looked like she was concentrating. He opened his mouth to tell her that dating Susan was a ruse, but then he quickly closed it. She didn’t care about his dating life so there really was no problem. Instead, he cleared his throat and then left the room.

He walked into his office to find Tara and Gary leaning against the edge of his desk. “So,” Gary began. “Anything you missed telling us at our last meeting?”

“Hold on a second.” Luke turned on his heels and left the room, returning a minute later with Susan in tow.

“I told you they’d have questions,” she said. Susan sat in one of the chairs, patting the seat next to her. Tara joined her.

“When did you guys get back together?” Tara asked.

“We didn’t.” Luke said.

“Huh. That’s not how it looked out there.” Gary walked over to join his wife.

Luke was caught, but he wasn’t sure how much he wanted to tell his coworkers. He didn’t want them to worry. Then he realized that if he was being stalked, there was a chance they would be too. He glanced at Susan, who met his eye.

“You should tell them,” she said.

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Luke told the story of meeting Olivia. He told them about the paparazzi and showed them the pictures. Their eyes grew wide.

“So, Susan is a decoy for you to date Olivia?” Gary asked.

“Not really.” Luke picked up a pen and twirled it between his fingers. “Olivia has made it very clear that she doesn’t want to date me.”

“I’m more of the bait to get them off Luke’s tail for a while,” Susan said. “The paparazzi got tired of running stories about us months ago. We figure they will blast us with an article or two, and then get bored and go find someone else to harass.”

Tara’s brow was furrowed. “I can see how this helps Luke, but what about you?”

Susan grinned. “It’s great for me. I’m pretty tired of the dating world right now. I’ve been working on my PhD and I need the time to focus on my thesis. A fake boyfriend will keep men from calling me.”

“Huh.” Gary tucked his hands into his pockets. “I mean, I guess we can handle going on a double date or two with you guys. If it would help, that is.” He winked at Tara. “As long as I get to go home with this one, I’m good.”

Tara grinned at her husband before looking at Luke. “Alright. We’re on your side. Let us know if we can do anything to help.”

Luke ran a hand through his hair. “We’ll let you know. Thanks.”

He waited until everyone left his office before sinking down to his chair. Questions of doubt swirled through his mind. Even though he wasn’t dating Olivia, he had been building a friendship with her. Was this going to wreck it?

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