Wrapped Up for Christmas

by Katlyn Duncan

  Chapter 6

  On the way back to the office, Nick couldn’t believe he had run into Angie again. When he first saw her, he had noticed how she avoided his eyes. After not thanking him for paying for her food, he wanted her to be uncomfortable about the other day. But it seemed that it all was a misunderstanding. The banter they had from their brief encounter had returned, and he found himself wanting to be around her. It was a strange feeling toward someone he barely knew, but a sense of urgency had forced him to invite himself to eat with her.

  Nick wasn’t happy that Angie lost her job. But with her applying to the mall an opportunity to help her appeared in front of him.

  Maya oversaw the interviews, so she would have all the resumes. When he returned to the office, he couldn’t help gravitating toward her desk.

  ‘Did you have a good lunch?’ he asked, propping his arm on the divider of her cubicle.

  ‘It was fine,’ she said, sorting resumes.

  Nick peered down, looking for Angie’s name at the top of one of them.

  No such luck.

  Nick couldn’t imagine Angie doing anything to have a strained relationship with Maya, but one thing he knew of the HR head was that she didn’t care for people who were on her bad side.

  ‘What’s going on with you?’ she asked.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Maya sat up in her chair. ‘This isn’t the time of year for you to be so happy. Or lie.’

  Nick dragged a finger over the top of the cubicle. ‘I’m in a good mood. I had lunch with someone. It was interesting.’

  She raised an eyebrow. ‘Interesting, how?’

  Nick shook his head. ‘It’s not important. But I have a few minutes. Did you need me to approve anything?’

  Maya trapped her bottom lip under her teeth. ‘Actually, yes. I wanted your opinion on a potential applicant for the information specialist position. I went to high school with her, and she’s a bit overqualified. I’m not sure if I should keep looking or not.’

  Nick cleared his throat, leaning closer. ‘Who is it?’

  Maya handed over a piece of paper.

  Nick held the paper in front of him as if it was from any other applicant.

  Angela Martinelli.

  He pocketed her last name for later. Scanning through, he found out she had worked at a prestigious hotel as an event planner since she’d graduated from college.

  Nick was more than impressed.

  ‘I have a few teens looking for work,’ Maya said, sifting through the other resumes. ‘They’re seniors, but all of them brought phones to their interview. They seem more into looking as if they are working than actually doing the work.’

  Nick tapped his finger against the EMPLOYMENT HISTORY section of the resume. ‘Under relevant work, Angie – Angela, I mean, has worked at the booth. She has training.’

  ‘There isn’t much training involved, though. Is it weird if I pick her? She seemed a little desperate and sad. I don’t want this to be a conflict of interest. Since I know her.’

  ‘That was years ago. To me, it doesn’t seem like a conflict of interest.’

  Maya raised a questioning eyebrow. ‘At least, I’m assuming, from what you said,’ he said quickly. ‘You have to trust your judgment.’

  Maya swiveled in her chair. ‘I’ll think about it a little more.’

  Nick placed the resume on her desk. ‘I know you’ll make the right choice, Maya.’ He walked into his office, not wanting to interfere with the hiring process. It wasn’t his place, but he hoped Maya would give Angie the job, he wanted to get to know her a little better. As he sat down, he woke up his computer. His eyes strained to stay on the screen instead of checking in on Maya.

  The front of his office was all glass, giving him a view of Maya’s desk. He left his door open to hear her making phone calls to the applicants. After some time, his ears perked up when Maya said Angie’s name. She was on the phone, the top of her head barely visible over the cubicle wall.

  Nick hadn’t expected to hear anything from that distance, but he crossed his fingers that Angie would accept. His water bottle stood empty at the edge of the desk, offering the perfect opportunity to fill it at the water cooler out front.

  Nick slipped by Maya’s desk, but she wasn’t on the phone anymore.

  With each desk he passed, his smile widened. A few of the other employees blinked away their surprise. Nick wasn’t the grinning type at work, especially with his father around.

  With a full bottle, he made his way back to Maya’s desk. ‘How goes it?’

  ‘Fine.’ She lifted a piece of paper in front of her. It wasn’t Angie’s resume.

  ‘Good. Did everyone accept?’

  ‘I’m still making phone calls, Nick.’ She wheeled her chair around. ‘What gives? Are you checking up on me?’

  ‘No, not at all.’

  ‘Why don’t I believe you?’

  ‘You should because it’s the truth.’

  ‘All right,’ she said, eyeing him.

  When he returned to his desk, Nick let out a sigh. He couldn’t let Maya know why he wanted Angie to get the job. But it was the least he could do to help a new acquaintance for the holidays.

  ***

  That night, Nick returned to his apartment much later than usual. When he walked through the door, Charlie popped her head up from the other side of the couch. Her eyes were bleary with sleep.

  ‘Hey, girl.’

  She rolled over, exposing her chest for a rub. Charlie’s slobbery kiss met his hand. He settled into the couch, running over the day in his head.

  Tomorrow, he’d find out if Angie had accepted the job. It seemed an inevitability, unless she had a better offer.

  He had wanted to tell her he was the manager for the corporation that ran the mall, but most women only saw dollar signs and a free pass to new clothes when he talked about work. However, there was something in Angie’s expression that made him think that she was different to the rest. She had a spark of determination in her eyes that drew him in, and it made him eager to get to know her better.

  She had wanted the job so badly, but he knew any favoritism would put him in a bad light. Besides, he didn’t know her that well. The opportunity would come if it were meant to be.

  A text pinged from his phone on the table by the door, lighting up the wall behind it. He had finished with work for the day, the message could wait until tomorrow.

  Nick grabbed the remote and flipped the television on. He needed to distract his mind for a little while and spend time with his girl.

  ***

  The next morning, Nick woke with buzzing energy throughout his body despite sleeping less than usual. He searched for his phone, realizing it hadn’t moved from the night before. Nick mentally prepared himself for his dad asking about work or telling Nick he needed to redo something.

  Southside Villa, Saturday at 7

  Nick couldn’t help the flitting excitement moving through him at the prospect of a new venture with his father. It wasn’t an option he was given before, but David had had numerous opportunities. Maybe Nick was in his dad’s good graces after all.

  He mulled it over while running with Charlie. Quinn hadn’t prepped him for the meeting at all, but Nick’s enthusiasm to push further in his career would have to shine through. He debated asking his father for more information but wasn’t sure if this was a test for him to think on his feet.

  The plummeting temperatures outside were enough to put him in a sweatshirt and jogging pants, but Nick needed to figure things out in his head before going into work.

  Angie’s smiling face appeared in his mind. He wanted to help her get a temporary job until she got back on her feet. There was nothing wrong with helping out a new friend. Other than the fact that he hadn’t told her his job.

  Most of the mall workers only knew him by name, so no one would call him out as one of the corporate bosses. Though, at what point would his omission come out? He wanted Angie to get to know him proper
ly, without his job and position casting a shadow over any relationship they might have, but it wasn’t fair that he kept the information to himself.

  When he reached his apartment building again, he wasn’t any closer to figuring out the questions in his mind surrounding Angie and him.

  Chapter 7

  The call for the job came quicker than Angie would have thought. Her phone rang before she’d entered her house after coming home from the mall, and Maya wanted her to start Friday morning at ten-thirty.

  As she was getting ready for her first day of work, Angie recalled the conversation with Nick from the day before. Who was she kidding? He was all she thought of on the way home yesterday, and he filled her thoughts the moment she had woken up. His confidence in her getting the job was overwhelming, maybe she was too used to conversations with Brett only revolving around himself.

  The familiar tingles of interest floated through her, but she tried to crush them before they could take hold. Nick seemed interested, even after their disastrous first meeting but she had only just come out of a relationship and she no longer wanted to be that girl, moving from one disastrous relationship straight to the next. Maybe a phone call to Reese would stop her from thinking of Nick in that way.

  She took a deep breath and walked into the hallway. Her family was already up and moving around the kitchen. Her mom was going to ask her if she was excited about going to work again. If Angie was truly honest with herself, her heart felt heavy as though she had backpedaled ten steps from where she wanted to be. But without anyone from the hotels returning her calls, she couldn’t turn down a company who wanted her.

  Maria was already in the living room, digging through another box of decorations. They were multiplying like snow bunnies. Christmas-themed knick-knacks and houses that her mom had painted in her ceramic classes years ago already covered every surface.

  Angie had about an hour before she needed to leave.

  ‘Do you need help?’ Angie asked. ‘I have some time.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Maria said.

  Her nonni were in the kitchen having coffee. She kissed them each on the cheeks before coming back into the living room.

  ‘How are you feeling about all this?’ Maria asked.

  ‘Okay …’ Angie flipped the box open and looked through the contents.

  ‘You don’t sound okay about it.’

  ‘I’m grateful for the opportunity, but I wish some of these hotels would call me back.’

  Maria lifted a snow globe from the box and turned on her heel. She eyed the room, looking for a place to put it down. ‘I’m sure the holidays are busy for these places.’

  ‘They are.’ That was an excuse she had repeated to her family all week. At her previous job, she planned parties from Thanksgiving through New Year’s at the many event spaces for local corporate businesses. Other than keeping track of her team and subcontractors, she barely had time to breathe never mind look at someone’s resume. She wished someone would make the exception for her.

  ‘I just need to keep working. If I don’t, I’m afraid I’m going to turn to a ball of mush sitting around eating cookies.’

  ‘Calories don’t count around Christmas. Remember that.’

  Angie wished that was the case, though her nonna made a point more than once to tell her to eat more.

  ‘How about you open those holiday cards for me?’ Maria asked.

  An activity that always brought on another blast from the past. When Angie was younger, she would rush to get to the mail after school to see who had sent them. Maria was the traditional type and sent cards filled with glitter. Apparently, she wanted to be remembered by the piles of minuscule sparkles which stuck to every surface through the Christmas season.

  Angie held the stack of a dozen cards ready for opening before she plopped onto the couch.

  Maria handed over a letter opener with the face of a reindeer at the end.

  Angie opened the first card. An unfamiliar family of four stared back at her all wearing matching Santa hats. They smiled at the camera as if preserving their lives in one of Maria’s snow globes.

  Angie flipped the photo around. ‘Who’s this?’

  ‘The Richards family. Susan plays bridge with Mom. That’s her daughter.’

  ‘She sent you a card?’

  ‘I go with her to the community center. We’re all close.’

  Angie shrugged. Throughout the season, only a handful of people sent her cards. The stack next to her was from one week at Maria’s house. She couldn’t help the pinch of envy in her chest. Her mom grew up in this town and had so many connections. Angie wondered if that would ever be the case with her.

  Maria explained the history of each of the unfamiliar faces on the cards. Several came with letters detailing the lives of a family throughout the year. Maria wrinkled her nose at those, calling them ‘braggy’, but Angie thought it was a nice touch. Especially because it helped her get to know the families better.

  The last card had a familiar face on it. ‘This is from Emma.’ Her college roommate always sent Angie a card each year.

  Maria sat next to Angie, letting out a long sigh. ‘Her daughter is the cutest.’

  Emma had the most adorable three-year-old girl on the planet. At first, it was a shock when Emma announced her engagement a year after they graduated. But even with Emma’s excessive partying, she met a studious guy named Nathan and fell in love.

  ‘What does she do again?’ Maria asked.

  ‘She works for a non-profit in the city.’

  ‘Emma always had a good heart. I’m glad her husband calmed her down a bit.’

  Angie smiled, thinking of all the good times she’d had with her college friend. ‘I should tell her I’m home. She’s going to get her card back from my address.’

  ‘It would be nice if you caught up with her more often than over Christmas.’

  ‘Ma,’ Angie warned.

  ‘What?’

  ‘It’s different with Emma. We text each other sometimes.’ Usually when Angie experienced a memory linking to their four years together. They had a similar relationship to Reese and her. When they saw each other, memories flooded their conversations, and they could talk for hours as if no time had passed at all.

  ‘Sometimes isn’t going to make your Christmas card pile any bigger.’

  Angie waved a card at her mother. ‘That’s not how I gauge friendships.’

  Maria kissed Angie’s head, and pulled Angie close. ‘I know, but it’s nice to know when people are thinking of you.’

  Angie didn’t want to admit her mother was right. Over the years, she’d allowed her work to get in the way of life. Whenever she had a lousy day, she always texted or called Reese. Most of her nights over the last year involved Brett and only him. They never went out with a group of friends, and now she understood why. Angie had alienated the people in her life because of a guy and that thought made her stomach twist into knots.

  Heat seared her eyes, and she stood up from the couch. ‘I’m going to hang these.’

  When Maria came into the kitchen, Angie was composed again. She wanted nothing to do with Brett anymore, but he still affected her. What a waste of a year of her life. What would he think if he saw her now? She didn’t care. It might take time, but one day, he would regret treating her the way he did. Though would he even care to learn?

  ‘Looks great,’ Maria said.

  Angie considered her handiwork. She placed the same type of cards together, so they came together artistically. This was her project. It was small, but she was proud.

  Emma smiled back at her through her card. Angie lifted her phone from the table and sent a quick text giving vague details about her trip home.

  Emma returned her text about a minute later.

  Tell me everything!

  The words poured out of her as Emma’s response threw her into the past. She could almost feel the springs in her twin bed in their dorm room under her as she and Emma gossiped together over microwave
mac and cheese.

  As she relived each moment between her and Brett and coming home, a sense of relief washed over her. This was her life. He wasn’t going to dictate anything anymore.

  I have a job at the mall. The same place from high school. I’m waiting to hear about my resume from a few other hotels.

  Let me know how I can help. Miss you.

  Maybe after the holiday, I’ll visit?

  Yes, yes, yes! I would love that.

  Angie and Maria gathered fixings for omelets and French toast while Donato and Emilia argued about the state of the world as he read the newspaper. Emilia told him he was too sensitive about politics which put him on track for another rant.

  While Angie ate, she couldn’t stop smiling at her family.

  ***

  Angie arrived at the information booth with ten minutes to spare. A metal shade covered the window in front. Maya had told her a man named Stuart Greene would get her settled. She wasn’t sure when Stuart would show up, but she prided herself on being early.

  Despite the mall being emptier than she remembered in years, the parking lot was already filling up. This was the first weekend in the busiest month in the year. She walked through the back entrance to reach the booth before anyone came inside. The familiar hallways and the silent mall reminded her of a simpler time in her life. She yearned to keep that in mind while getting over the man who had shattered her heart.

  A tall blond guy in a mall security outfit walked toward her. Angie pegged him in his forties. He shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose. ‘Angela?’

  ‘Stuart,’ she said. ‘It’s nice to meet you.’

  He let out a guttural smoker’s cough and Angie almost gagged. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ she said, waving him off.

  The information booth was a rectangular structure in the center of the mall. The sign had been updated since she was there last. Apparently, now it doubled as a security office as well.

  Using a set of keys, he dug through the choices and shoved one in the back door of the booth. ‘Someone will open this for you each morning and lock it after the last shift. You’ll share the booth with other security guards. We fill in sometimes, but there are two other specialists on the schedule. Trina is on maternity leave, so you and Gary are splitting shifts.’ Stuart looked her up and down. ‘I hope you’re not as lazy as him.’