Page 6 of His Christmas Gift

DEAN

Autumn Miller had changed a lot.

It still blew my mind that we were actually here in the same city together after growing up in the same hometown. She was the last person that I expected to move here in the craziness of the city. Back in school, she was so quiet, so stiff. Now, she had a bit of a surprising edge to her like she didn’t take any nonsense from anyone.

Now, she would be working for me. She didn’t seem very happy about that, but I was actually looking forward to being around her again and getting to know her. What else had changed about her? How else would she catch me by surprise?

Granted, I couldn’t exactly blame her for not being ecstatic about our new working relationship. My friends and I were kind of annoying jerks to her back in school. She mostly stuck to herself, so she was easy to tease. She never told on us or made a big fuss.

Looking back, I felt like a jerk for what we did to her. She didn’t deserve it, and I was obviously acting my age and being dumb. If I could take it back, I would, but I couldn’t turn back time. All I could do and wanted to do was move forward. We were obviously different people now, and I wondered if there was a chance that we could get along.

Another big thing that had changed about her was how she looked. She had that cute, nerdy look back in school with her thick-framed glasses, freckles, and stiff dresses and skirts her rich parents made her wear. She always looked so uncomfortable in her own skin.

Now, she was glowing. Her hair was long and red, flowing past her shoulders. The glasses were gone, and her green eyes were bright and friendly unless she was looking at me. She had a lean, toned body that looked great in her leggings and tank tops. What could I say? I was a sucker for fitness girls. It was kind of my own brand.

I made sure to choose the office across the hall from hers so that I always had the opportunity to run into her in the hallway. She had been dodging around me for the first few days I had been here, but she couldn’t ignore me forever. We just had to jump over the hurdle that was our past.

I left my office and walked toward the yoga studio, knowing that her class was about to end. I had already started reconstructing the gym, tearing down the old logos and signage to replace them with my own. Next, the facilities and equipment would be redone. Autumn hadn’t been the most supportive of me uprooting things around here, but it had to be done. This place had to thrive now that it was under my name.

I watched people pour out of the yoga studio as I got closer to it. At least Autumn’s yoga classes were a hit. They had the most attendance out of any other class. I lingered outside until the last person exited before entering the studio.

Autumn had her back to me as she grabbed her Bluetooth speaker and phone, preparing to leave and rest. She turned around and nearly dropped her things, fumbling with them to scoop them against her chest.

“Can you knock next time?” she asked, sounding bitter and embarrassed as she straightened up. She was wearing a light green sports bra and matching leggings today. A light sheen of sweat glistened on the crown of her head as her hair was drawn back into a braid.

“Oh, did I scare you?” I smirked as I walked toward her. I couldn’t help but admire her for a moment, taking in the sight of her. I couldn’t think of another woman who had caught my eye like this before. She was gorgeous.

Autumn rolled her eyes at me. She acted polite toward me in front of other people, but when we were alone, she didn't hold her attitude back. Honestly, I preferred that. I wanted her to be straight with me, and I would be straight with her.

“What is it?” she asked me, placing her free hand on her hip.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I towered over her. I couldn’t hide the amusement I felt on my face. She was so feisty now. I never expected her to turn out like this.

“Yoga classes are canceled next week. We’re replacing the floor,” I told her, delivering news that I knew she would hate to hear. I wasn’t tearing up the floor of the yoga studio just to spite her, though. It actually needed to be redone, but her reaction was certainly icing on top of the cake.

Autumn’s eyes widened in bewilderment.

“What? You can’t just cancel them on such short notice!” she argued. It was the first time that she had ever yelled at me.

“Actually, I can. I’m the boss. Remember?” I replied, unable to help myself. I had to tease her a little. I had never gotten these reactions from her before. Plus, she didn’t seem all that impressed by my whole CEO getup. She even scoffed at my fancy suits, expensive watches, and the luxury car I had parked outside.

“How can I forget? You’re constantly ruining things around here,” Autumn muttered bitterly as she shook her head at me. She started to push past me, but I stood my ground and held my arm out to block her from leaving.

“Your Aunt’s gym is going to thrive once I’m done with it. If it wasn’t for me, she would’ve gone bankrupt,” I reminded her. This place needed to be whipped into shape.

“It’s not her gym anymore. It’s yours,” Autumn said, eyeing me with distaste.

“I know you’re mad about what all happened in school,” I started to say.

Autumn huffed loudly and cut me off.

“So, you do remember,” she said.

The gig was up. I acted like I didn’t recognize her at first. I wanted to make sure that she recognized me first, and I could tell that seeing me all these years later was just as much of a shock to her as it was to me.

“I shouldn’t have been such a jerk,” I admitted to her. I knew that I and my friends were in the wrong for that. It was fun at the time, but there was a new game that I wanted to play now. I was not going to mess up her hair or toss paper balls at her, but I was going to push her a little to see just how much she had changed over the years. I wanted to see the true Autumn.

“You’re still being one now,” Autumn replied.

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