Page 3 of Wishing for Christmas
She nodded, urging him to continue.
“Butthey think you need to learn more first.”
“Learn more?”
“About the operations side of running the hotel. They want you to get more experience with that.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And how am I supposed to do that?”
“Well, they want you to shadow me throughout the hotel for the time I have remaining here. You’ll help me in the day-to-day operations and management.”
“So, I’d be your . . . assistant? For a year?”
“Think of it as an internship.”
“What about the sales office?”
“You’ll still manage it, for now. But you’ll also learn everything you need to know to run the hotel on your own. You should probably move your desk to my office too, now that I’m thinking of it.”
Her eyes widened.
“And then—when the new hotel is ready—I’ll move on, and this one will be yours.”
Clara tried to hide the sudden collision of thoughts going on inside her head. Becoming general manager of the hotel she’d loved for so long was a dream come true. And at her age? But to spend everyday of the next twelve months, if not more, alongside her ex? At least in the sales office, she had some degree of separation from him. This arrangement sounded as if they would be attached at the hip for the next year.
Typical Matthew.Wasn’t it just like him to turn something as simple as a well-earned promotion into something so drawn out and tangled? She shouldn’t be surprised. The wholeconversation was a perfect illustration of their relationship. Here he was, building up her hopes again, only to throw some curveball in at the last second.
It didn’t matter whether it was personal or business. With Matthew, things were always complicated. He was her ex-boyfriend, her current boss, and the key to her future career. He was like her ghost of Christmas past, present, and future all rolled into one hovering spirit that never seemed to stop haunting her.
On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine where she’d even be in her career without him. She’d been a front-desk agent working summers during college when he’d taken a liking to her, both personally and professionally. He’d mentored her through the ranks and supported her promotion to the sales department. Sure, she had worked hard to get to where she was in her career and, deep down, Clara knew she had earned it all on her own merit. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would have had as much success at another hotel, or career for that matter, without him helping her along.
There was nothing she wanted more than to finally prove herself instead of always riding on Matthew’s coattails. It was why she’d been spending so much extra time at work lately, building these potential client portfolios. She knew she was capable of being successful without him.
Her feelings for him weren’t only about work, though. Despitehisever-changing feelings, he’d always been a stable presence over the years—showing up for her, making her feel taken care of. She thought about his romantic side and the way he had been able to make her heart skip a beat with one look. Perhaps he still could.
She only wished he would stop stringing her along. Clara wasn’t sure why she hadn’t cut that tie already, but there was something about him she couldn’t seem to shake. No matterhow long she’d known him, she still felt like the same smitten twenty-two-year-old she’d been when they’d met. She supposed eight years was a long time to have feelings for somebody, and they wouldn’t go away overnight. She’d known for some time she needed to move on from him. It had always just been so much easier to stay.
But what else could she do now—start a new career? No, moving through the ranks somewhere else would take more time than she was willing to put in. This opportunity was simply too good to pass up. Sure, she would have to endure an uncomfortable year, but after that she would be the general manager of the Darlington Hotel.
With new resolve, Clara stuck out her hand toward him and took on the most confident posture she could manage to drive home her unwavering determination. “Okay, I accept.”
His perfect white teeth gleamed back at her.
“And thank you,” she added. “Really, Matthew, I appreciate what you’re doing for me.” As much as she hated the situation she was in, an attachment to her ex was the price she’d have to pay to reach her career goals. She only hoped this continued relationship wouldn’t come at the expense of her new one. Clara gritted her teeth and promised herself this would be the last time she would need Matthew Edmunds for anything.
“But remember,” she said, with a look of warning, “our relationship willonlybe professional. Understand?”
Matthew smiled back at her from underneath a raised eyebrow and shook her hand. He placed his other hand on top of hers and gave it a warm squeeze. His green eyes held her gaze.
She hated that she felt her heart quicken.
“Of course,” he said as if it was the most obvious statement in the world.
She only wished it could be that simple.
CHAPTER TWO
BRENT
