Sometimes I wondered if I’d done the right thing by giving him a fake name and not leaving my phone number. In my strong moments, I felt like it was what a modern, confident, successful woman would do. But right now, when I was feeling weak and sad, I regretted it more than anything in the world.
Whenever I thought of the magical Christmas Eve night we’d shared in Jamaica, I blushed and broke out in goose bumps. I couldn’t believe that it had been almost a year ago – in just a few weeks, it would be Christmas Eve again.
But this time, I knew there would be no Jack. No sexy, fun, spontaneous trip to Jamaica. No beach and sun. Just the cold and snow and ice, and jerks like Jim who thought they could push me around.
I stayed on the couch, shivering, until Danielle got home. She stomped her boots in the foyer, sending crusted chunks of snow flying under the furniture. When she turned on the light and saw me lying there, she gasped.
“Oh my god,” Danielle said, putting her hand to her chest. “Hanna, you nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing home?”
“I quit,” I said lamely. I sighed. “I know, I know – you don’t have to tell me. But it was really bad, Danielle. My boss was such a creepy asshole!”
Danielle gave me a sympathetic smile as she sat down on the couch next to me. “It’ll be okay,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll find something else, Hanna. You always do.”
I bit my lip. “I’m really sorry.”
Danielle waved a hand dismissively in the air. “Don’t worry about it, sweetie,” she said. “We’ll make do.”
“I feel like the world’s worst best friend for putting you in this kind of position,” I said. “I really am sorry, D.” As I told her about Jim and the horrible day I’d just had, I felt the weight of the world start to lift off my shoulders. I still felt shitty and guilty for what I’d done, but I was starting to realize that I likely wouldn’t have lasted much longer at that job, anyway. Jim had been a colossal ass – and he wasn’t likely to change, even if I did start acting the way he wanted me to act.
Danielle shrugged. “You do what you have to do,” she said. “You know, my cousin works for a staffing agency. Maybe after the holiday, I could call her and see if she could find you anything.”
“Oh, god, that would be amazing,” I said. “You’d really do that?”
Danielle gave me a wry smile. “Of course, I would,” she said. “You’re my best friend.” She clapped her hands together. “Now, come on, get dressed. We’re going out.”
“I can’t afford to go out,” I said. I wrinkled my nose. “I have to use what money I have left for rent and bills.”
“My treat,” Danielle said drily. “You need a night of fun, Hanna.” She raised her eyebrow at me and grinned salaciously. “Besides, maybe you’ll meet some hot guy and it’ll take your mind off things.”
I flushed. “I’m not interested in dating anyone, you know that,” I replied.
Danielle shrugged. “Well, then come out with me anyway, you can be my wing-woman.”
I bit my lip. The truth was, I very much wanted to date someone. But not just anyone.
I wanted to date Jack, the gorgeous man I’d met in Jamaica.
But I knew the likelihood of that happening was about the same as Jim coming to me on his knees, begging for my forgiveness.
In other words, completely impossible.
Chapter Two
James
“James, thank you so much for your assistance. Really, it’s been fabulous – we’ve been so lucky to have you here!”
I grinned broadly. “It’s been my pleasure,” I said, lying through my teeth. “I’m just so happy that things are finally getting back on track for Magnate Group.”
Lewis, the London manager of Magnate Group, nodded. “Yes,” he said. “And while it took rather a long time, I’m confident that we’ve been able to turn things around. In just a year, we’ve acquired two new and very powerful clients, and our reputation is better than ever.”
“I’ve been thinking of expansion,” I said. “Perhaps we could open a Bangkok office, or one in Seoul. I hear international expansion can take us in a totally new direction.”
Lewis frowned. After nearly twelve months in London, I’d learned that was his default facial expression.
“Perhaps,” Lewis said hesitantly. “I just wonder, James, maybe you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Don’t get me wrong – you’ve done amazing things for the company – but maybe right now isn’t a good time for something so adventurous.”
I shrugged. “Well, we can always table it for later,” I said.
“Right, right,” Lewis agreed. “At any rate, I’d like to speak with you privately. Could you follow me, please?”
I narrowed my eyes and glanced down at my watch. It was half past seven, and I was starving. Plus, it was a Friday. I’d grown used to working long, late hours in London, but this was unusual. I wondered if something had happened.
“And don’t worry – everything is just fine,” Lewis said. The tone of his voice made me unsure.
I followed Lewis through the large London office. It was dark and quiet – most of the other employees had gone home hours ago – and I was impatient to leave myself. There was a quiet little pub near the flat where Magnate Group had installed me, and they had the best cheeseburgers I’d ever eaten.
“What is it, Lewis?” I asked. “You don’t have to keep me waiting, you know – the whole office is gone.”
Lewis looked deeply uncomfortable.
I rolled my eyes. “There’s no one here,” I said, turning around and glancing at the empty building. “You can just spit it out, you know.” I winked at him. “No need for a stiff upper lip and all.”
Lewis frowned. Just as he was about to speak, I heard a loud cry.
“Surprise!!”
The lights flickered on and I watched as the London employees stepped out of the shadows. One of them, a secretary, was wheeling a cake toward me with a giant Magnate Group logo screened on the front.
“Surprise, James,” Lewis said. He still looked uncomfortable. “We’ve been planning this for weeks, you know.”
I snickered. “What is all of this for? It’s not my birthday,” I added. “And just because I’m the CEO doesn’t mean you have to surprise me!”
“The London office has made such an incredible turn around that we wanted to thank you,” Lewis said stiffly. He sounded almost offended. “And I did hope you would be appreciative!”
“I am appreciative,” I assured him. “This is great.”
As the employees began to mingle and chatter and nibble at slices of the Magnate Group cake, I sighed and leaned against the wall. It wasn’t that I was unhappy. In fact, quite the opposite. I missed Boston, but I was proud of the work I’d accomplished in London. In under a year, I’d made my company two billion dollars richer. There was even talk of an IPO, once things began to settle down a little bit.
“Congratulations, James.”
I glanced up to see a secretary, a pretty blonde slip of a thing, blushing and holding out a slice of cake.
I chuckled. “No, thanks,” I said. “I’m watching my sugar intake.”
The girl flushed and I smirked at her. “Please,” she said. “I was the one who ordered it, and I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.”