Page 1 of Mission: Merry Christmas
ChapterOne
Avery Troupe’s gut had been spinning since the moment she’d received email notification of the meeting with her boss at four o’clock this afternoon. First of all, Tom Ware never worked in the office on Mondays this time of year when New York City turned cold and grey. Second, late afternoon meetings had a long history of being bad news around here, and Tom wasn’t great to be around, even on a good day.
As the day drug on, and she hadn’t heard anything else from Tom, she dreaded the meeting even more.
Just before four, Avery sucked in an extra breath for confidence as she approached Tom’s door and leaned in the doorway. “You wanted to see me?”
Tom flashed that smile he was known for and leaned back casually in the oversized executive chair. “Avery. Yes, come on in.”
Her nerves settled cautiously. “Is everything okay?” Hundreds of colorful twinkle lights on the Christmas tree in the corner of his office cast an almost Santa-like glow over Tom, distracting her for a moment.
Tom was the furthest thing from a jolly old soul. No matter what seemingly kind of act he was up to, he always has an ulterior motive.
She’d learned that the hard way when she’d first started working at The Ware Agency. She’d quickly learned that his ego was even more inflated one-on-one than the highly dramatic personality that dazzled the obscenely high-paid sports figures he represented. She loved her job, but Tom was Tom, and like now, everything had to be a production.
His eyes darted to the shiny ornaments on the Christmas tree. “Every shiny ball on that tree represents an athlete represented by The Ware Agency.”
“I know,” she said sarcastically, affirming him. Each ornament hung like a trophy. Nothing Christmassy about it. Bragging rights is all it was, and if it was one thing Tom was good at, it was bragging. But he was her boss, so she smiled through it. “It’s been a great year for the agency.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Yes, it has. My most profitable year yet.”
He slid an envelope across his desk.
“What’sthis?” She picked up the envelope. It wasn’t standard Ware Agency letterhead. Turning the fancy holiday envelope in her hand, someone had taken the time to write her name in beautiful calligraphy across the front.
He tapped his fingers together slowly in front of him.More Grinch-like than Santa.
“Open it.” He nodded toward the envelope. “I think you’ll be pleased.”
Shehadgotten that hockey player healed in time for the playoffs, which sealed the Stanley Cup for them. That had earned another fancy feather in Tom’s cap. Maybe it was another bonus.
Anticipation motivated Avery to remove the contents. It was a check, and the five zeros following the number made her nearly stagger.This was over-the-top, even for Tom Ware.
“This isverygenerous.” She sat.Clearly, I made the nice list.Her smile pulled so wide her lips quivered. “I’m… wow. Thank you.”
“See how much value I put on your hard work and the wellness program you manage? I recognize the changes you’ve put in place have been a factor in our significant growth this year.”
Pride flooded over her. It was true, but hearing it from him was a big deal.
Her whole heart and soul were poured into that wellness program. She’d built it, staffed it, and managed every aspect of it. Starting out as a sports therapist, it hadn’t taken long to realize she had much more to offer.
Pitching Tom Ware about building a preventative and maintenance plan for all their athletes, not just the injured ones, to keep their moneymakers healthy had been scary, but thankfully he’d jumped on the opportunity.
The wellness program had proven to be a win-win. It had also been the differentiator that had landed them some of the biggest names in the business this year.
“It’s worked out well for everyone,” he said.
It always came down to the money for Tom, but she took pride in what she’d built here. She’d found a way to make a real difference. This was more validation than she’d ever dreamed of.
A pang of guilt stabbed Avery’s gut for thinking of Tom as the Grinch.
Tom leaned forward, his forearms resting on the fine leather insert on the desk. His smile faded. “Look, I appreciate all you’ve done…”
Something in the way he hesitated sucked the joy out of the room. Dread washed over her.
“Our new business model now separates us from the competition with the wellness program as a key part. We’ve set the bar. The others can’t touch me now.”
The unspoken “but” still dangled like a glass ornament too close to the edge of the branch.
