Page 37 of Scrooge

“Get me an appointment at Harry Winston,” I tell her, and I hear her gasp a little.

“Harry Winston, sir?” she confirms. I am not surprised by her reaction. I have never asked for such an appointment before. Buying jewelry isn’t something I ordinarily do.

“It needs to be before Thanksgiving.”

“Certainly, sir. I will make the call and update your calendar.”

I end the conversation and walk to the windows to look at the streets below. I spot the area where Tucker Toys is located, the heritage building now surrounded by high-rises made from reflective glass panels.

She is right. Tucker Toys is the heart of New York, and my buildings are suffocating it.

16

HAYLEE

“Okay, so what do you need to do today?” I look up to Alex as we walk across the grass to the soccer pitch. My hand is in his as we get closer to the crowd. There are a lot of people, mostly families, but I spot a few photogs pulled up behind us on motorcycles. Clearly, we are still a hot topic. I wouldn’t know; I have stopped looking at my social media and banned my sister from telling me anything.

“I have no idea. Give the trophy or something,” he murmurs, looking around. His frown is deep, his hold on my hand tight and warm. I roll my shoulders back and lift my chin, this act now in full force and feeling less like an act by the day.

“It’s nice to see you out of your suit,” I feel the need to tell him, and he looks at me briefly. I swear I see a quirk of his lips, but maybe that’s wishful thinking.

He looks good. Dark jeans and a navy Henley that is tight on his frame, showcasing his extremely fit physique. He has on a jacket, but it is more casual than his usual suits, with a scarf draped around the back of his neck that finishes what is a very luxurious weekend look. My mind flashes to the memory I have of him naked. Today is the first time I have seen him again since then, my cheeks heating instantly at the thought.

“How did it go with Laurent and Sheridan during the week?” he asks, and I grin.

“So good. I can’t believe you are giving all your staff members' kids toys. They are going to absolutely die when they see what we have organized,” I say enthusiastically. It took Laurent, Sheridan, Jillian, and me all afternoon, but we finally got everything ordered and organized. The Jackson Enterprises holiday party is going to be amazing.

“That sounds expensive…” he murmurs, looking down at me again with lowered eyebrows this time, yet I beam at him.

“It is. Thank you for letting Tucker Toys help.” I’m grateful because, not only will our agreement put a hold on our leasing obligations, but the investment from his company to purchase toys for all the families is an injection of funds that we desperately need. It will really set us up moving into the start of the new year.

“Worth it,” he says quietly, and I tilt my head in question.

“For what?” I ask, wondering how he sees the party. I know he didn’t want to do it. Sheridan and Laurent pretty much told us that when they came to Tucker Toys to discuss their vision and give us their budget.

“To see you smile like that,” he tells me easily, and I almost stumble. My cheeks heat and shock fills my chest. I am about to say something to him, but he is already greeting Sheridan, so I just try to breathe and act like he didn’t just drop a compliment that has me swooning.

“Alexander. Good to see you,” Sheridan interrupts, walking up to us as I try to get into character for this charade. I swallow before I put on my biggest smile. It is an act. People are watching, most likely within hearing distance, maybe even lip-reading our words, and I need to remember that. But I can’t help but wish that those words actually meant something. That maybe I could find a man one day who wants to see me smile, instead of my ex, who just wanted to slap the smile from my face.

“Where do you need us?” he asks, his professional facade back, his hand still holding mine tight.

“Hey, Haylee, you can both just take a seat up on the stands. The game is about to start,” Sheridan confirms, and I look past her, seeing the kids in uniforms on the pitch warming up. They look about sixteen or so, and most seem to be taking it pretty seriously.

“Which one is our team?” I ask her, and Alex looks over at them, somewhat intrigued.

“We are the boys in blue. The Midtown Blues. Today is the final. These teams are evenly matched,” she says, smiling like only a proud mother could.

“Which one is yours?” Alex asks, and I try to hold back the smile that comes to my mouth as I see him softening and asking the right questions.

“Number ten and number twelve,” she says.

“You have two?” I ask.

“Twins.”

“Oh, how fun,” I say, grinning, because I love kids. Having twins would be insanely hectic, but the good kind.

Alex scoffs, and I roll my eyes at him. “Come on. We need to get good seats,” I say, pulling him along, his grip in mine tight as he follows me. We find a couple of seats at the front, the crowd looking at us as a few murmurs move around the group.

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