Page 106 of A World Without You
“Lorraine always takes the reins with parties. It’s her precision that makes them great.”
“Ahh,” I muse as Bennett adds, “We haven’t had a bad office party yet.”
“Well, aren’t you still such a doll?” Lorraine remarks, swatting a delicate hand on his chest, then turns to me, “How are the cocktails?”
“Delicious!” I answer quickly and Bennett murmursliarin my ear. I force a smile.
“Oh, good! I hand-picked the recipe,” Lorraine muses and Bennett and I both let out anahhsound with our fake smiles.
Barry clears his throat, and my attention shifts. “I know it’s still unofficial, and I know I’m not technically allowed to tell you this, but you came highly recommended by one of my most trusted associates, and we’d love to have you on board permanently in the new year.”
I swallow the giddy excitement bubbling in my chest. “I would be honored to be a part of the team.”
“Good, good,” Barry nods, his due diligence done here. “Olandria from HR will be in touch so we can cover all the formalities before you start. You’ll still need to interview and have a meeting with Phil Goldin and me but...unofficially, I just wanted to say congratulations.”
“Thank you. This is truly wonderful. I won’t let you down,” I continue to smile politely and Bennett rests a hand on my lower back. It’s protective and proud, and yet it makes all of my excitement want to explode out of my chest.
“You two have a lovely evening.”
We thank the Wellingtons as they walk away and as soon as they’re out of our line of sight, I turn to Bennett, grab his hands, and silent scream while I shuffle my feet. He mimics me and even though it’s entirely out of his character, I realize he’s willing to step out of his comfort zone for me. Over and over.
“Shall we celebrate?” he asks.
I jump into his arms, and his arms settle around me. “Let’s celebrate everything.”
The band set up in the corner soon shifts from playing jazzy holiday classics to Journey and Elton John covers and then moves to theCha-Cha Slideand Nelly. The transformation of the playlist morphs with the escalation of drinks in everyone’s bodies, and there is a direct correlation with how many suit jackets are off and ties are undone.
The Wellingtons certainly know how to throw a party. Just before midnight, we’re boozed up, exhausted, and walking barefoot to our double-bed room.
“I’ll pay you back for half of the room,” I say as we push past the hotel door.
“No, you won’t,” Bennett says.
“Hey, I have a real job with a 401k, insurance, and everything!” I laugh out of excitement and anticipation.
“Starting January second.”
I glare at him and flop on the bed. “Such a buzzkill.”
Bennett drapes his jacket over the chair in the corner and starts unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. “I’m showering,” he declares, and I hum in response.
My eyelids are heavy with alcohol and excitement. This was one of my favorite months I’ve had in a long time, which makes next to zero sense. My divorce is final. I live at my parents’ house. I’m completely starting over at thirty years old.
But even when I tally everything that’s wrong with my life, I consider everything still going right. I just got a new job. Christmas is just three days away. And I feel more at peace than I’ve felt in a very long time. I sit up from the bed and head over to the window, drawing back the curtains. The streets are mostly empty. The sidewalk shines with ice and snow, and teeny, tiny snowflakes fall from the sky. It’s going to be hell driving out of the city tomorrow, but a part of me doesn’t want to leave.
“The shower is all yours,” Bennett says a few minutes later. I turn to see him with wet hair and wearing gray sweatpants, as he folds his slacks into his bag.
I take my time in the shower—scrubbing my face and washing my hair. The water burns my skin in the best way. When I reemerge into the room with clean skin and wearing an old t-shirt and cotton shorts, Bennett looks at me from his bed. He’s leaned against the headboard, one hand behind his head and the other focused on the remote. “GremlinsorChristmas Vacation?”
I smile and jump onto the bed next to him. “Or...Miracle on 34thStreet?” I offer.
“Hey, get on your own bed,” he says, tone teasing.
“No way! I want to snuggle. I only have a t-shirt and it’s the dead of winter!” I laugh out my answer while Bennett just smirks and shoves a pillow between us, pounding it with his fist to soften it. “Really? Am I that repulsive?”
He meets my eyes. “No, you’re just that attractive.”
My heart does a double take, surprise tingles at my flesh. Of all the things I expected Bennett to say, this was not it. I try to swallow but my mouth is coated in cotton and my heart is pounding so hard, I feel it pulsing on my neck.
