Her Festive Baby Bombshell

“Sounds awfully convenient.” His voice took on a disgruntled tone.

He didn’t like the thought of Holly going to such lengths to keep her path from crossing his. Up until this trip, they’d done so well avoiding each other at the office. He had to admit a few times he’d hoped to bump into her in a hallway or the elevator, but that had never happened.

Holly was smart for wanting to get away from him. When his ex-fiancée hadn’t been able to deal with his moods and distance, she’d left. He’d never blamed her. It was what he’d deserved. He should be relieved that Holly wanted to move on, but he couldn’t work up the emotion.

He told himself that he didn’t want to see her go because she was a good worker. She was smart and a go-getter. She wasn’t afraid to think outside the box. His company needed more innovative people like her.

Holly smoothed the cream-colored sheet as though sorting her thoughts. “Listen, I know this comes as a surprise, but I really do think it would be for the best. It isn’t like either one of us wants a serious relationship. You have your company to focus on.”

“And what do you have?” He knew there was more to this request than she was saying, perhaps something even beyond what was going on between the two of them. Because if her reasons extended beyond the attraction between them, then he could fix it and she would stay, he hoped.

“I have my work, and this new position will help me to grow and to take on greater responsibility.”

“And you can’t do that at Lockwood?”

She shrugged, letting him know that she’d already dismissed that option.

Without Holly to liven things up, he would return to a downright boring existence. Before he handed over the golden ticket to another position, he needed more time to think this over. Surely there had to be a way to persuade her into staying.

“You’ve caught me off guard. Can I have some time to think over your request?”

“Of course. But don’t take too long. Once word gets out about the opening, the candidates will flood the office with résumés.”

He could see she’d given this a lot of thought and her mind was made up. “Just tell me one thing and be honest. Is this because you’re trying to get away from me?”

Her gaze met his. “Maybe. Partly. But it’s an amazing opportunity and I don’t want to miss out on it.”

“Would you be willing to tell me what the position is?”

“That would be telling you two things and you said you’d only ask one thing.”

“And so I did.” He sighed. “This isn’t over.”

“I didn’t think that it was.”

“I’ll go get you some ginger ale and crackers.”

“You don’t have to do that. You have a business meeting to attend.”

“Not before I see that you’re cared for.”

And with that he made a hasty exit from the cabin, still digesting the news. It left an uneasy feeling in his gut. And this was why he never got involved with employees of Lockwood. It made things sticky and awkward, not to mention he couldn’t afford to lose such talent.

CHAPTER NINE

IT WAS SO good to be back on solid ground.

The next morning Holly stood on the balcony of Finn’s beach house that was more like a mansion. He’d just escorted his last guest to the helipad. Their sailing trip had been cut short due to the rough waters. She thought for sure Finn would be upset, but he took it all in stride.

She shouldn’t be standing here. There was work to be done on Project Santa—work that could be done from anywhere in the world, including New York.

The sound of footsteps caused her to turn around. Finn stopped at the edge of the deck. He didn’t smile and the look in his eyes was unreadable.

“Did everyone get off okay?”

“They did.”

The silence between them dragged on. Finn obviously had something on his mind. Maybe this was her chance to broach the subject of her leaving.

She turned to him.

“I was thinking I should get to work. You know, there’s no reason I can’t complete Project Santa in New York. I can make my travel arrangements and be out of your way shortly.”