Page 25 of The Santa Swap

“It sounds like you really needed it,” Susan said.

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” Luke added. “Sleep well.”

Olivia climbed the stairs to her apartment, noticing that Luke didn’t pull away until she had her hand on her door knob. She waved goodbye and then let herself in.

After a long, hot bath to warm back up, Olivia pulled out her dating app. She looked at Paul’s profile, trying to find any hints that should have warned her about his extreme personality. Unfortunately, the app didn’t have a box to check if you were a controlling alpha male who only cared about your own needs.

The problem wasn’t that Paul wanted to take control. Olivia didn’t mind a man who knew his mind. Her thoughts drifted to Luke. He was definitely a take-charge sort of guy, but he listened to the opinions of others. Every business meeting felt like a collaboration rather than a dictatorship.

Olivia was pulling up a video to spend her evening with when she got a message from Luke.Just checking in. Did you get warmed up okay?

She stared at the text, unsure how to reply.A warm bath and some hot cocoa did the trick. Thanks again for rescuing me. Did you and Susan ever make it back to dinner?

It had been embarrassing to have to call her boss. That was twice in one week. Olivia needed more friends, but she wasn’t sure how to find them. She didn’t go anywhere other than work, and her office was upstairs in no-man’s land. The only people who frequented the top floor were people who were in relationships already. Tara and Gary were adorable. As much as she hated to admit it, so were Luke and Susan.

Her phone chimed.We ended up at a pizza place around the corner. I didn’t want to push our luck going back to the same restaurant.

How did the food taste?Olivia pressed send and then she threw her phone onto her bed. She didn’t need to be starting a conversation with Luke. It wasn’t fair to Susan.

When Luke’s reply came through, Olivia couldn’t stop smiling.The food was okay, but it would have tasted better if you joined us.

Was he flirting with her? The person Olivia knew wouldn’t do that. He was being friendly but it was time to end the conversation before her heart started to do somersaults.Thanks again for the rescue. I owe you guys a treat. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.

She pushed send and sat back against the wall. There was a sappy movie calling her name and she was ready.

Luke’s final reply was something she agreed with 100%.Fingers crossed for no snow.

Fingers and toes have been crossed since I moved here. Goodnight. She turned on the movie and let herself sink into the love story between a hunky cowboy and his next-door neighbor. The friends to lovers romances always made her heart smile.

When the happily ever after was finished, Olivia picked up her phone. She had a few more messages from potential matches but was she brave enough to try any of them? The thought of swiping on another profile sent a wave of nausea through her body. Maybe she’d be brave enough to look in the morning.

* * *

Olivia was wateringthe cactus plant in the corner of her office when someone rapped their knuckles on the door. “Come in,’ Olivia called.

She set her watering pot down and turned to see Susan standing in the doorway. Heat flooded Olivia’s face.

“Hi, Susan. I feel so stupid for ruining your date.”

Susan smiled. “It was no big deal. I’ve totally been in your shoes. I used to have my brother pick me up.”

“That’s where having family around would be awesome, but mine all live in California. I’m still trying to find a group of friends here.”

Susan handed a stack of papers over to Olivia. “I can’t help much in the friend department outside of work, but I do know a way you can get to know more of the employees here.”

Did all of her bosses think she was incapable of finding people to talk to? “What do you have in mind?”

“Luke and I think it is time we get the company into the holiday spirit. So far enthusiasm for the Santa photo booth has been lackluster. We were hoping you could help run some activities that could bring the company closer together.”

Olivia could feel the excitement bubbling up inside. “You want me to pick something from these papers?”

Susan shook her head. “Only if you like the ideas. We’re game to anything you can think of.”

“I’ll get started with the brainstorming and get back to you later this afternoon.”

“Thanks. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.” Susan walked out of the room, her perfect hips swaying from side to side. It wasn’t fair that Susan looked like a model. Instead of being haughty, she was sweet as could be. Olivia wanted to hate her but she couldn’t.

She watered the rest of her plants and then turned her focus to the papers Susan had brought her. By the time lunch was rolling around, Olivia had narrowed the ideas down to a handful. She ordered a sandwich from the deli around the corner, braving the cold for a brisk walk.

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