Page 27 of A Gift of Time
Chapter Eight
After leaving Caden’s store, I went home to put on a nice suit instead of the jeans and sweater I’d worn before going into work. I’d told Logan I wasn’t going to be in that day, but I was feeling much better.
Caden had a client coming in around noon, so I needed a way to pass the time before he came over later.
I was all smiles as I walked through the office. The people in their cubicles gawked as I passed their desks, whistling Christmas carols.
Logan popped his head up as I approached his desk. “I thought you were sick.”
His blond hair was spiked and styled in a preppy boy manner. The fitted sweater and vest, dress pants, and shoes added to that look.
“Never said I was sick,” I pointed out and winked. “But I had a change of heart. So, here I am. Any updates on the Brew Emporium commercial?”
“Um.” He grabbed a page from the printer and stood up, following me into my office. “The team sent over their report this morning. Looks like everything is on track. It should be good to air before the week is out. Just have to get the stamp of approval and work out the finer details with the TV networks.”
“Good.” I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and peered outside at the deep layer of snow. “What about the advertisement for Duncan’s Toys? The commercial aired nearly two weeks ago. Any news on how successful it’s been so far?”
The Duncan campaign had been in effect before Iwoke upin this reality, so I had no recollection of working on the project. Supposedly, I’d had some ingenious ideas for it, however, creating a commercial showing the toys in the store coming to life and dancing toThe Nutcrackertheme song.
“Not sure,” Logan answered. “But I can check and get back to you.”
“Please.” Tearing my gaze from the snow, I turned and walked to my desk. “Oh, have we set a date for the office Christmas party yet?”
“Yep. The twenty-second,” he answered, still standing in the middle of the room. “It’s the Friday before Christmas. Some people will be on vacation, but it’s okay since it’s not mandatory. It was the only date that didn’t interfere with deadlines.”
I nodded and wrote a note on my calendar for that day. Feeling eyes on me, I glanced up at Logan. “Something wrong?”
He narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. “Are you back to your old self?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re more confident today than you have been,” he answered before grinning. “It’s not a bad thing. Just… for the past few days, you’ve been preoccupied with how to get back to your old life. But today, it’s like you’re embracing the new one.”
“I’m happy,” I said, feeling the truth of my words in the way my heart fluttered in my chest. “This morning, I saw Caden, and I think things will work out. He’s shut off from the idea of dating, but I’m hoping that once he gets to know me better, he’ll change his mind.”
“Ah, so you plan to woo him.”
I snorted and gave Logan an incredulous look. “Woo? Do we even say that anymore?” He shrugged, and we both laughed. “I guess that’s what I plan to do, though. Only not as medieval. Then again… Cay loves that old-fashioned stuff. Maybe a grand gesture would win him over.”
“Might wanna wait until he knows you first, dude,” Logan said with a nod. “Otherwise, he’ll think you’re batshit crazy. Small steps. Like, start with dinner and work your way up to the knight in shining armor shit.”
The phone on my desk rang, and I held up a finger to Logan before answering it. “Jack Taylor.”
“Hello, Mr. Taylor,” a woman’s voice said from the other end. “This is Rebecca from the Finance department.”
She then gave me a run-down of that quarter’s numbers, and I jotted down what she said, pulling up a chart from the previous quarter. I smiled when I noticed we’d met our goals, plus some, since then.
Once I was off the phone, I briefly talked to Logan before he went back to his desk. My mood had only gotten better as the day progressed. Caden had agreed to stay with me, I was kicking ass at my job, and I had the luxurious life I’d always dreamed of having.
As everything started falling into place, I wondered if there wasn’t a way to have Cadenandstay in this reality.
Why did I have to return to a past life, when I could have everything I wanted in the present?
Suddenly, the ticking clock that loomed over my head, counting down the days to Christmas Eve, didn’t seem as daunting.
***
Around seven that evening, I picked up Caden and took him to my apartment. He’d only brought two suitcases and a small bag of his necessities, and I helped him carry them in, putting them in my bedroom. He’d left his non-essentials at his store and had only brought his clothes, shoes, and personal items like razors, toothbrush, deodorant, and cologne.
