Page 38 of The Santa Swap

Luke tried to tighten his grip but she pushed away, stomping to the center of the room with a huff. It was everything they had practiced, and Susan was pulling off her lines like a pro. Unfortunately, Olivia wasn’t out of earshot.

Olivia turned her head slowly, taking a long, measured look at the couple before she turned back to the door. A wave of hope washed through Luke’s body. Maybe Olivia was someone who didn’t care about office gossip. When she walked out the door, Luke could give his full attention to the fight.

Susan cleared her throat, a not-so-subtle reminder that Luke had lines to deliver as well. Break ups took two people. “Are you serious? All you ever want to do is boss me around. I asked you to do one simple thing for me, and this is the response I get?” Luke was raising his voice to match Susan’s, which meant that more and more people were turning to watch them.

Susan turned her frown on him. “You’re making a scene,” she hissed.

“Well then maybe we should take this out of the building so everyone doesn’t have to listen to us.” He looked pointedly at a few of the more obvious gawkers, who had the decency to duck their heads and look away.

“Fine.” Susan stormed out of the door, with Luke close on her heels. The first part of the plan was working great. Now all he needed was for the paparazzi to be waiting outside. A few incriminating photos and Susan would be free to date whoever she wanted.

As the door swung shut behind Luke, he realized that Olivia hadn’t gone far. She had stopped to talk to a coworker right beside the main entrance.

It was too late to stop the argument. Susan had been an actress in high school, and she was giving a performance worthy of a standing ovation. There were actual tears welling up in her eyes. Luke would have been impressed, but this was the final part of the play. If he didn’t deliver his lines perfectly, the paparazzi wouldn’t buy any of it.

“You know what?” Luke shouted. “I can’t believe I thought we’d actually have a chance dating after the way you’ve treated me in the past. I’m done. From now on, please only speak to me if you have something to discuss about work.”

“It’s about time!” Susan let out a huge sob and held her hands to cover her face. Then she ran to the parking lot.

Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw a man peeling back from the bushes, a long camera in his hands. Luke waited for a few beats and then turned to the crowd that was gathered. “Don’t you all have somewhere else to be?”

The people dispersed until Luke was left standing alone. He walked into the building, waiting to pump his fist in the air until he was in the elevator heading back to his office. When his phone rang a moment later, he couldn’t stop smiling.

“We did it, Susan. Thank you.”

“Of course. Do you think they bought it?”

Luke held the receiver tight. “Hook, line, and sinker. Now, go get your man.”

CHAPTER17

Olivia couldn’t believe what she had just heard. The tears in Susan’s eyes were real, but Luke’s stoic glare made her think he was barely keeping his emotions together. She quickly wrapped up her conversation with Landon and stood, unsure which person to run after.

Susan was clearly upset, which made her the more obvious choice. Olivia headed towards the parking lot even though her heart was pulling her in Luke’s direction. When she reached their reserved parking spots, Susan’s car was pulling out of the parking garage. That made Olivia’s choice much easier as she turned her steps back towards the office.

She headed back upstairs, tapping her fingers against the wall while the elevator crept past each floor. When it finally reached the top, Olivia had figured out what to say.

The door to Luke’s office was closed. As president of the company, Luke was all for an open-door environment, which made knocking that much more difficult. A closed door meant he really didn’t want to be disturbed. Olivia took a deep breath and rapped her knuckles on the frame.

“Come in,” Luke said.

Olivia studied his eyes when she walked in. Susan had clearly been crying, but Luke didn’t seem concerned in the least. He was busy typing away on his keyboard, clearly concentrating on the work at hand.

“I’m checking to see if you are alright,” Olivia asked.

Luke pursed his lips. “Breaking up with Susan was the best thing I’ve done in a long time.”

“But you guys seemed so good together.” Olivia had watched their fight, but the breakup wasn’t making sense to her brain. They were the perfect couple.

Luke kept his eyes on his computer screen. “There’s a lot of things you didn’t know,” he said. “Was there anything else you needed?”

Olivia could recognize the snub. “Nope. I just wanted to check on you. I’ll be in my office if you need anything.” She walked out, feeling more stupid with every step she took. Was it really surprising that Luke wanted to be left alone?

She pulled the door to her office closed, mirroring the mood that Luke’s office was giving off. The last thing she wanted was a visitor. Instead, she pulled open a file and poured her energy into working. Even though she felt like a concerned friend, Luke and Susan’s relationship really had nothing to do with her.

* * *

Tara was waitingin Olivia’s office the following morning. Olivia greeted her with a smile. “Are we trading jobs today? I mean, your office has the better view but my office has more plants.”

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