Page 419 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“Did that have anything to do with this elf nomination?” Danielle asked.
I put my coffee down and massaged my temples. “There’s no more nomination. Alastair let Chadwick handpick his elf.”
“Oh no,” Danielle breathed. “Does that mean…”
“Mhm,” I groaned.
Aleena dragged her chair a little closer and leaned on my desk. “Hold up. So, Chadwick wants you to be his elf? Where does that leave us?”
Benji nodded, worried. “We can’t do this without you, Tinsely. You’re the Christmas Queen around here.”
“Yeah,” I grumbled, “and apparently all my hard work amounts to being the boss’s son’s little bitch for the month.”
“There are worse things,” Aleena said, trying to be optimistic.
“Are there?” I challenged. “I’ve been busting my ass for the last three months on the designs for this year. I had everything lined up just right. Now I don’t get to do the hands-on work? It’s not fair.”
Aleena sighed. “What’s not fair is that the one girl in this office who doesn’t want to spend alone time with Chadwick is the one he picks.”
“Amen,” Danielle said as she ran her fingers through her tousled brown hair. I’d always thought Danielle was an especially attractive young woman. She always dressed in jewel tones, and today she looked exceptional in a ruby red turtleneck that matched her lipstick.
Benji pointed at Danielle. “What she said.”
I knew full well that everyone in this office with a pulse who was attracted to the male species had a crush on Chadwick. You know who else knew it?
Chadwick.
Benji sighed dreamily and rested his chin in his palm. “You know, I bet I’d make a good elf. Do you think Chadwick would go for it? New York doesn’t need another cute female elf, no offense, Tinsely.”
“None taken,” I said.
“New York needs a big fat gay elf,” Benji said enthusiastically. He patted his round belly under his knit sweater. “I think it would make Bamford’s stand out. Bamford’s could tap into a whole new customer base if they did this right. Do you think Alastair would go for it?”
“No,” all three of us said in unison.
Benji pouted. “Well screw him.”
“It’s not because you’re gay,” I said, putting a reassuring hand on Benji’s forearm. “It’s just that, well, you’re six feet tall and have about fifty pounds on Chadwick. You’re not very elfly.”
Benji gasped playfully and pressed a hand to his chest. “How dare you? There’s just more of me to love, and Chadwick would be lucky to have me.”
Danielle giggled. “Chadwick wouldn’t know what to do with you, Benji.”
“Or your manhood,” Aleena added.
Benji winked. “But I would know what to do. Anyway,” he said, waving a dismissive hand, “I digress. What does this mean? Is Aleena in charge now?”
I looked to Aleena. “If she’s up for it, yes.”
Aleena nodded eagerly. “I’m up for it. I can handle it.”
“You’ll still be able to call me if you need anything, and I’ll still be around the office,” I said. “And when I’m not in the office, I’ll be dressed up like a fool pretending to enjoy Chadwick’s attention while he flirts with single mothers as their kids sit on his lap.”
“Someone’s bitter,” Danielle said.
“Just a little,” I said.
Benji pulled his chair closer to mine and nudged my side with his elbow. “Chin up, kid. You’ll knock this gig out of the park. It’s in your blood. Just like everything else you do, you’ll be exceptional at this, make a lot of overtime money, and have an in with the new boss. Just think. Chadwick is taking over the company. If you can get in his good graces, you’ll be in good standing with the new CEO.”
