“By showing her it wasn’t me she wanted. I doubt she would have gone through with the kiss, but if she had, well, I was prepared to throw the company’s policy on office romances in her face. A supervisor and a subordinate entering any type of relationship is an office no-no.”
“Real altruistic of you.” Ryan snorted. “And that policy doesn’t exist.”
Logan smiled. “Irrelevant. The point is, she went chasing after you. Judging by the way she appears to have gone AWOL, I take it whatever happened didn’t go well.”
“Something like that.”
“You have it pretty bad for her, huh?”
Ryan blinked. “I think I love her.”
Logan gave him a smart-aleck grin. “About time you admitted it. You know I think she’s amazing, and you two would be good together. Stop wasting time sitting here with me and go get your girl.”
Ryan shook his head. “It’s not her plan for the two of us to be together.”
A smack to his shoulder indicated Logan wasn’t buying it. “Buddy, it’s time to put another plan in motion. Make your move.”
Ryan let that last sentence marinate. It wasn’t as much about his plan, but showing Sarah that her plan wasn’t the only one. Logan was right. He needed to make a move—a big one. Giving her a bag of malt balls and leading her back to his office to tell her there that he loved her was sweet, but was it really going to show her he wanted a future with her and was ready to take that leap?
An idea popped into his head. He jumped out of his seat. “Stay right here.” He rushed over to the Secret Santa table, reached for his gift for Sarah, and brought it back to Logan. “Take this.”
“You were my Secret Santa? It better be something good.” Logan took the gift and shook it. “I would have expected something bigger coming from you.”
“It’s not for you, dumb-ass. I need you to give it to Sarah. I’m her Secret Santa.”
“Oh hell no.” Logan stood and handed back the box, shaking his head. “Did you not hear anything I said? Sarah wants you.”
“Maybe…” Ryan glanced down at his watch. The exchange was to happen in a half hour. Did he have enough time to execute a perfect Hail Mary?
He sure as hell was going to try.
“Go find Sarah and give her the gift. When you do, take her to the conference room to open it, but give me fifteen minutes. I need to drop something off in there first.” He looked over and his gaze landed on Paul, Nancy, and Hillary showing Mary Beth how to do the Electric Slide. “But first I need to enlist a couple elves to help me.” He turned and headed for the dance floor.
“Where are you going?” Logan called out.
For once, Ryan knew exactly what he was doing when it came to Sarah, and what he could do to show her how much he wanted her. He spun around, grinning. “To win over the girl.”
…
Sarah closed her eyes and massaged her forehead, trying to come up with a way to get out of going into the cafeteria for the Secret Santa exchange. When Logan had left to join the party, she’d retreated to his office, yanked off her red heels, and flopped into his black faux-leather chair—the same chair she’d curled up in last year, where apparently both Ryan and Logan had discovered her.
Her gaze went over to the red throw now draped over Logan’s couch.
But only one man had been thoughtful enough to cover her up. For months, she’d thought Logan had been the one. That sweet move had even been the catalyst for her thinking maybe there was something special about him worth exploring.
But it wasn’t him who’d covered her.
She groaned.Of courseit’d been Ryan. That was the thoughtful guy he was—that he’d always been.
He was the type of guy who took his sister in and helped her get her life back. He was also the type of guy who sent her a text late at night to make sure she was okay.
He was the type of guy who protected his best friend from bullying as a kid and accepted an award on his behalf with genuine sincerity.
He was the type of guy who agreed to help his pathetic coworker with her stupid plan.
She laughed bitterly. He was perfect, and she’d fallen for him.How could I have been so blind not to realize what’s been in front of my face all these months?
Because this entire year she’d walked around with tunnel vision. All she’d been able to think about—all she’d focused on—had been how to make Logan fall in love with her.