Page 67 of All's Fair in Love and Christmas
Maybe...
I’ll leave that thought right there. Let it keep every ounce of possibility it can feasibly hold. Who knows, right?
Maybe...
27
What if I just skip the office Christmas party? Yes, Sofiya is supposed to make her announcement of who is getting the promotion, but I don’t even want the job anymore, so maybe if I’m not there, she’ll automatically name Jeremy as the winner.
Besides, now that the raise won’t be coming to me, I need to spend some time brainstorming ideas to earn extra money to pay for Mom’s care. I can take on a few more freelance clients, but that income isn’t reliable. More like feast or famine. I need an income I can depend on.
I wonder how much a kidney goes for these days on the black market.
The sound of cereal being poured into a bowl filters through the thin walls of the apartment. I push my feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers and pad out of my bedroom and into the main living area.
“Morning.” Milk drips from the corner of Keri’s lips. She wipes at it with her thumb.
“Can you take my Secret Santa gift with you when you go to the party?” I shift my weight to the other foot.
Her spoon stills. “Aren’t you coming?”
“My mom is being discharged today.” My fingers brush against my flannel pajama bottoms, and I pinch the excess material between my thumb and index finger and rub them back and forth. “I’m going to hire a rideshare over to the hospital and see if I can take her back to Heritage Hills. Maybe even take her to one of her favorite restaurants.”
“Oh, sweetie. I wish you could.” She taps her phone, which lies beside her bowl. “Alejandro texted. He’s already on his way to pick up Caroline and take her back.”
I run my finger along the seam of my pants. “Then I’ll meet her there and spend the day making sure she feels comfortable in her room again.”
“Kenz.” Keri’s jaw is set, but her eyes are soft. “Alejandro says days like this are often hard. There’s a lot of change, and your mom may begin to feel unsettled. I know you want to be a familiar face for her. I hate to say this, but sometimes your presence has the opposite effect. I think that even on the days where she’s her most confused, a part of her recognizes that she should know you, and the fact she doesn’t makes her even more upset.”
My eyes sting. I want to argue with Keri, but I can’t. Everything she said is painfully true.
“Come to the party,” she coaxes. “It’ll help take your mind off things. Alejandro will tell us when your mom is settled and what kind of day she’s having, and then I promise I’ll drive you over to see her.”
A sigh deflates my chest. “Fine.”
I trudge back to my bedroom and change into a pair of jeans, a black-and-white-striped long-sleeve shirt, and a mustard-colored chunky cardigan that pools at my wrists and grazes the middle of my thighs. If I have to go to this stupid party, I’m at least going to be dressed comfortably.
Twenty minutes later, I’m sitting in the passenger seat with two wrapped presents in my lap—my Time-Turner necklace forRosa and Keri’s pen set for Frank. Sofiya has the party catered every year, so at least I can count on some good food.
A fresh dusting of snow looks like a baker sprinkled confectioners’ sugar all over the ground. It crunches beneath our boots as we walk to the building from the parking lot. Keri reaches the doors and pulls one open, letting me inside first. Warmth seeps through the knit of my sweater, my skin a welcoming recipient. The elevator already rests on the ground floor, so we don’t have to wait. Mannheim Steamroller plays over the speakers as the steel cable pulls us up. The elevator settles, and the doors open. I step out.
And immediately stop. My mind can’t wrap around what my eyes are taking in.
The office has been turned into a global bazaar. Sights, sounds, and smells compete for my attention. On one wall is a backdrop of Mount Fuji. The volcanic mountain is resplendent with its white-capped top and the pink cherry blossoms in the foreground. A table has been set up like a booth with origami Christmas trees alongside what appears to be Valentine’s Day decorations. Large white-and-red buckets with Colonel Sanders’s face on them overflow with crispy fried chicken.
Derek drapes an arm across Annabelle’s shoulders. “Did you know Christmas in Japan is a romantic holiday for couples?”
The way he grins then winks down at Annabelle pulls a laugh out of me. I whirl around, my gaze trying to take in everything at once but snagging on the paróls hanging from the ceiling by Sofiya’s office, the vibrant red poinsettias flanking a two-foot-tall nativity scene with a banner declaringFeliz Navidadin bold colors behind, and the sandbox in the shape of a lobster with a free-standing electric grill beside it and a smorgasbord of seafood cooking on the wire racks.
“What is all this?” I breathe as I turn back around, expecting to see Keri. I can’t believe she’s done this.
Keri isn’t behind me. In fact, I can’t see her at all. Instead,Jeremy stands off to the side, his hands shoved into his pockets. He looks uncertain. Almost as if he’s waiting for something. So different from his usual confident and calm demeanor.
“You’ve made it your mission the last couple of weeks to bring back all of our best memories of the holidays.” He clears his throat. “We wanted to make your Christmas just as special.”
My whole body shakes. I press the palm of my hand against my thigh to still the movement, but it’s no use. Tremors run up and down my spine like my backbone is a fault line. “You did this?”
He tilts his head. Man, I love when he does that.
