Page 36 of All I Want for Christmas

Tristan froze, his eyes sliding over to Freja. ‘You didn’t say?’

‘...It hasn’t come up!’

‘How not?’

Freja swallowed. ‘Because I didn’t anticipate us getting to this point where we would be meeting each other’s families and friends.’

Tristan reached over and placed his hand over Freja’s. ‘How can you be so young and yet so cynical?’

‘Because a lot’s changed since you were young,’ Freja quipped.

Tristan grinned and Darcy saw again the teasing energy between them.

‘What exactly is the age difference?’ Darcy asked, seeing as they were being frank.

‘Sixteen years,’ Freja answered. ‘He’s forty-two.’

‘Forty-two and your boss,’ Darcy murmured. ‘Right.’

‘It’s not ideal, I know. On paper it looks bad,’ Tristan said, his smile disappearing for the first time since he’d arrived. ‘But Freja’s twenty-six. She knows her own mind, and neither of us was looking for this or expecting it to become what it’s become. We’re more surprised than anyone.’

I doubt that, Darcy thought but didn’t say. She wondered how her flatmate’s parents would take the news when they heard. If they heard. ‘So are you divorced, or...?’

‘No. Never married. I was too focused on building the business to have time for relationships before now.’

‘Building the business?’

‘Black Circle Labs is Tristan’s company. He’s the founder.’

It was Darcy’s turn to gasp, as she heard the name of the company where Freja was doing her work placement. ‘So then you’re the boss’s boss. Thebigboss.’

‘I’m the boss of everyonebutFreja. I’ve yet to win an argument – or to steal the duvet back in the middle of the night.’

Darcy had to smile. ‘...Any kids?’

‘No kids either. Not even any pets.’

‘Oh, well, that’s just worrying,’ she rebutted. ‘Anyone who willingly chooses to live without dogs is clearly sociopathic.’

‘Then I shall get a dog,’ he said, not missing a beat. The man radiated charisma. ‘How am I doing? Do I pass, in spite of my very obvious flaws and dogless state?’

‘I guess you’re passing muster,’ she grinned back.

‘Is that it? Is the interrogation over?’ Freja demanded. ‘Can we get back to the crisis in hand now?’ She turned back to Darcy. ‘How was it, seeing him again?’ She looked at Tristan. ‘He dumped her before they could be a thing. Said they need to be professional because of working together.’

‘Usually I would wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment,’ Tristan said, reaching over and squeezing Freja’s thigh.

‘Well, it was a shock, obviously, given I thought I was going to see Viggo.’ Darcy shrugged. ‘But he was...very nice about it all. Generous.’ She tried to make her words as neutral as possible.

‘Wasn’t it awkward, though, being in his house?’

‘Not really. He wasn’t even there after the first ten minutes.’

‘He left?’

‘Yes, he had plans with his girlfriend.’

Freja’s jaw dropped open as the hits kept on coming.

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