Page 30 of His Christmas Gift

DEAN

Acold breeze drifted through the air as Autumn and I headed back to the rental car so that we could go back to the hotel.

Today had been a good day. Honestly, it was the best day that we had spent together. We ate a great meal, visited some old places we used to visit, and talked the whole time. It was like we were old friends, but the dynamic and chemistry were certainly different.

I didn’t want our day together to end, but the sun was starting to sink in the sky, and our feet were starting to ache from walking so much. We had to go to her parent’s house tomorrow for a dinner party, so we would need to rest up for that. At least we had a good break today and had some fun.

“I bet you’re looking forward to getting back and bossing me around,” Autumn smirked at me as we walked at each other’s sides.

I smiled in an amused manner.

“You like when I boss you around. Remember?” I replied.

Autumn rolled her eyes playfully at me.

“Different circumstance,” she said.

“I’m not going to boss you around at work, even if it’s a little fun,” I promised her. She worked hard all day long, so I didn’t want to bother her. Plus, I hoped that she would come by and see me out of her own free will. Maybe we could grab coffee in the morning or a drink after work.

“You can boss me around a little. Just a little,” Autumn said before lifting her hand to stop my celebratory grin. “Under one condition.”

“What?” I asked her.

“You need to take more time off for yourself,” Autumn told me.

I gave her a confused look.

“You want me to not work as much?” I asked her, making sure that was what she was telling me. I thought that her condition would give her something instead of giving me something. That seemed a bit unbalanced.

Autumn nodded.

“I know you’re the boss, but even you need to take a break from work and enjoy other things,” she replied. “If you want to mess around with me at work, you have to add more downtime into your schedule. Take a train ride somewhere random. Eat at a restaurant you’ve never been to before. Just have some fun.”

The thought of cutting my work hours seemed so foreign to me. I was used to buckling down and working more, not stepping away and messing around. At first, I wanted to try to get her to go for something else, but I pondered on her condition a little more. I was having fun being away from work. I was able to relax more and focus on other things. My business was still doing well without me. If I got to spend some time with her during my down periods, I certainly wouldn’t mind taking them.

“Is this a sneaky way of getting rid of me?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow at her.

Autumn laughed as she shook her head at me.

“I didn’t think of it that way, but maybe,” she said with a teasing wink.

“Why do you care if I take off more?” I asked her, feeling genuinely curious.

Autumn shrugged a little.

“I think you’ll be happier. Yes, I care about your happiness,” she said. “At this point, I can call you my friend.”

I smiled at her, a warm feeling coursing through me. That was nice of her to say. I could tell that she genuinely cared about me, that she didn’t let the money or the success affect how she treated me. That was a breath of fresh air.

“Since you care so much, I’ll take more time off,” I replied as I stopped walking. “But I hope I’ll see you outside of work every once in a while.”

Autumn’s face brightened a little.

“You want to see me outside of work?” she asked.

“I’ve liked spending time with you here more than at work,” I replied. Our time was so constricted at work, and we certainly couldn’t act like this in the office.

“I’m sure we can arrange something,” Autumn told me, tilting her head slightly as she peered at me.

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