Page 24 of The Holiday Cottage

“It’s more comfortable than the shirt and tie, that’s for sure. That’s Christmas Day sorted too then.” He beamed at her. “Can I keep this?”

As if the guy wasn’t worth a gazillion. As if he couldn’t have bought several tons of cashmere sweaters with the change in his wallet. What he was short on was time, and her efficiency bought people time.

“Of course.” She handed the jacket to Nick and made a mental note to add the sweater to the final invoice. “Nick will hang your jacket somewhere and you can collect it later. Or we can have it delivered back to your office. Whichever works for you. In the meantime, everything looks in order here. We’ve checked the sound system, and everything is looking good for your speech at twelve.”

“You won’t be here for that?”

“Sadly, no. I have to be in Knightsbridge for eleven forty-five, but I’ll be in contact with my team the whole time if you need me. But you won’t, because everything is going to run perfectly.”

“Because of you. You’re one of a kind.” He shook her hand again. “Do you ever rest, Imogen?” His voice was caring, but she assumed it was a trick question.

If she said yes, then he’d wonder if she wasn’t giving her all to his account. If she said no, he’d start worrying that she might suffer burnout and his account would suffer.

“I rest when I need to, and when the time is right.”

He laughed. “And that’s a diplomatic answer if ever I heard one. Anytime you want to leave all this behind and come and work for me, give me a call. You must be looking forward to taking a well-earned break at Christmas.”

“That’s still several weeks away.” She tried not to think about it, because she wasn’t looking forward to it. And she didn’t plan to take a break. Christmas was bad enough without having time off to sit around and think about how bad it was.

“Where do you spend Christmas, Imogen?”

It was the question she hated most, but she had her answer prepared.

“With my family in the country.” She’d said the words so often, she almost believed them. And the lie was better than the truth. The truth made people feel awkward, and she didn’t want people to feel awkward. Nor did she want people feeling sorry for her.

“So you’ll be getting out of the city. That’s good. We’ve worked together all these years. You know everything about me, and yet I feel as if I know so little about you. What do you do to relax, Imogen?”

“Lots of things. Jujitsu. I’m a black belt.” It was the truth. The one honest thing she revealed about herself among a bushel of lies. It was her only hobby. The only thing she made time for other than work.

“Jujitsu?” His eyebrows rose. “What made you choose that?”

A need to feel more in control and able to handle herself.

“It’s a great way of keeping fit.” She tried to think of more hobbies. She needed to look more rounded. What did Janie do? “I do yoga several times a week. I read. I walk my dog. Pretty normal things.”

“You have a dog?” Angus looked interested. “Breed?”

Oh good grief.“Golden retriever.” She shouldn’t have mentioned the dog. Those life details were for colleagues, not clients. She gestured to a couple of his executive team who were hovering. “I’ve taken enough of your time, Angus.”

“I enjoy talking to you, but you’re right—I should mingle. Thank you again, Imogen.” He glanced around him, taking in the winter theme park she’d created. “This is the perfect ending to a perfect year.”

Imogen decided it was time to extract herself before he started crying. “Enjoy yourself, Angus. This isn’t just for your staff. It’s for you too. You’ve had your best year ever. You’ve earned the right to enjoy this. Go and treat yourself to a sleigh ride.” She gave his arm an encouraging squeeze and left him to mingle with his staff while she checked the rest of the event.

She was genuinely fond of Angus, and there was a certain thrill that came from seeing all the plans come to life so successfully.

She checked in with the account manager in charge of the event, assured herself that all was well, and then jumped on the train back into the city.

Her next event was an awards lunch held at a five-star hotel overlooking Hyde Park and she arrived in plenty of time. So far so good.

She was halfway up the steps to the entrance when she had a call from the account manager in charge of her evening event. This particular client was difficult, so she was planning to be there for the whole thing to smooth over whatever wrinkles occurred.

“Imogen?” The voice was urgent and high-pitched. “Crisis!”

Imogen paused on the steps. “Breathe, Sophie. Stay calm. Remember, we talked about this. Calm. If there’s a problem, then we look for solutions. We solve it a piece at a time.”

“What do you mean ‘if’? There’s ahugeproblem.”

“Everything is going to be fine.”

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