Page 188 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“Watermelon gummies it is,” I announced, pulling up at the drop off line. I preferred watermelon gummies over carrots, as well. The carrots that we had left out last year had quickly found their way to the bottom of my trash can.
I got out of the car and opened Austin’s door. After getting him out of his car seat, I helped him to the sidewalk. His teacher, Ms. Flowers, walked up to us.
“Hi, Austin!” she greeted him with a smile on her face. “Hello, Mr. Lewis.”
She didn’t try to hide the fact that she was checking me out from head to toe. I had caught her checking me out before, but this time it was blatantly obvious. She was a good-looking woman, but she had nothing on Tiffany.
“Tomorrow is the last day before Christmas break!” Austin shouted, running circles around me and Ms. Flowers. His excitement for the holidays was infectious. I couldn’t wait to celebrate Christmas with him this year. I felt that it was the first year that we didn’t have a black cloud hanging over our heads.
“It is, buddy,” I said. Ms. Flowers laughed.
“Any plans over the break?” she asked me. I shook my head.
“Nothing special, just hanging out with my little man,” I told her.
“That will be nice,” she said. “After Christmas, I’m heading to the Caribbean with some of my girlfriends. I don’t have a boyfriend here, so I might as well have fun with my friends, right?”
She was really trying to turn on the charm. If she thought I was picturing her running around in a bikini, she was wrong. I could only picture Tiffany. After chit-chatting for a minute, I said goodbye to Austin and headed into the office. I was excited to see Tiffany. I had spent the night at her house on Tuesday but hadn’t really seen her since. I was trying to give her space in the office. I respected the boundaries that she had set for us in the workplace. I didn’t want to jeopardize her job or our relationship.
I was still angry at what she had told me after our shower sex. Her mother sounded like an absolute bitch. I couldn’t believe that Tiffany was planning on spending Christmas Day alone. No one deserved to be alone on Christmas. She deserved to be surrounded by happy people, eating good food, and opening presents.
Christmas was such an important holiday for my family, despite everything we had been through with Layla’s death. I wanted Tiffany to see how great Christmas could be. I had debated inviting her to my parents’ house. I wanted to, but I also knew that would be a serious step for us to take together, especially since it involved Austin. I would have to discuss it with her further.
One thing was for sure, though; I couldn’t get Tiffany out of my head. I was consumed by thoughts of her. Some could say that I was obsessed. All I knew is that I was happy for the first time in a very long time. Sure, the whole work situation put a damper on things, but I would not let that stop me from being with Tiffany.
I walked into the office building and nearly knocked into Tim.
“Cayden!” he exclaimed. “Just the man I was looking for. Do you have a minute?”
Great, I thought. Meeting with the boss first thing on a Monday morning. This can’t be good.
“Sure,” I said, following him to his office. He closed the door and told me to take a seat. I was nervous. Was I in trouble again? I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“We should talk about Tiffany,” Tim said, taking a seat.
“I told you, Tim, it’s over between us,” I said. “She broke things off after we got in trouble. She respects you and Robin and values her job.”
I was growing irritated. How much longer did I have to defend myself? It was one kiss that a nosy co-worker happened to catch. It’s not like we were having sex in the breakroom.
Tim nodded.
“I know that,” he said. “That’s exactly why I need to talk to you about her. She is a fantastic worker. Everyone raves about her. I don’t remember the last time I heard so many compliments about one person. Everyone gets along with her and thinks she has major potential. With Marnie going on maternity leave, we have a writer hole that we need to fill. Do you think Tiffany would take on a writer role?”
I was flabbergasted. Not only was I not getting in trouble, but Tim wanted to promote Tiffany to a writer – her dream job. She was going to be elated.
“Of course,” I said, trying to stay professional. “She seems like she would be a great writer. I think that would be a good choice on your end.”
Tim smiled, obviously pleased with himself.
“Good,” he said. “I’ve noticed a big change in her recently. She’s much more confident, and that’s translating over to her work. I wouldn’t normally promote someone this soon, but there is something about that girl. I can see why you’re involved with her.”
I wanted to stop and reinforce that we weren’t together, but Tim continued to talk.
“Like I told you earlier, I don’t care what goes on here as long as the work gets done and it gets done well. If you want to continue to date Tiffany, I’m perfectly okay with it. I assume you’re the reason for her change?”
I wasn’t sure what to say. Was this a trap? Was he trying to get me to admit to dating Tiffany? If I admitted it, I would also be admitting to lying about not being with her. I thought I trusted him, but I wasn’t sure. There was still too much on the line to admit to a relationship, plus Tiffany made it very clear that we needed to keep our relationship quiet. I didn’t want to go against her wishes.
“I think she’s just a hard worker,” I responded.
