by Elle Rush
“I know this is a lot to take in. Go home, think about it. I’ll contact you later this week and you can let me know what you’ve decided,” Nick said.
Joy was fairly sure she shook his hand before she walked out of the room. The rest was a blur until she parked in front of Decker’s office.
He must have been looking out the window when she arrived, because he met her at the door. “Joy, I wasn’t expecting you, but you have great timing. I have good news and bad news,” Decker said. “How do you want it?”
It seemed he was having the same type of day as she was. “Me, too. Give me yours in the same order,” she said.
He pulled her arm, and she tumbled onto the client sofa with him. “You passed your renter’s security check—”
“Shocker,” she interrupted, smiling.
Joy shut up when he mock-frowned at her. “Quiet. You passed, and if you want it, you can move in at the beginning of January. That’s my good news. What’s yours?”
“I’ve been offered a new job,” she said.
“Congratulations! I didn’t realize Rob was giving you a promotion too.”
“He’s not. It’s with a new company.” This was harder than she expected. “And now we’re getting into my bad news, so you first,” Joy said.
“I might have an even cheaper, pet-friendly place for you, if you’re interested.”
“I’m interested! But how is that bad news? Did somebody die in it?”
She stilled when he gave her a hug. In the last two weeks, she’d come to know his squeezes. This one told her to brace. “No. It might be vacant because we’re getting to my bad news. I’ve been offered a job too. It’s a great opportunity.”
That may have been so, but if it was bad news, he didn’t have to take it. “You like working for yourself. You said so.” In one of their over-dinner conversations, Decker had told her being his own boss was the best part of being a private investigator, even when the money was tight.
“It wouldn’t be a regular job. Well, it is, but it’s for a unique company. It wouldn’t be the normal nine-to-five.” He huffed, like he’d made himself laugh. “Nothing about it is going to be normal. I’d be really good at it. It’s not a forever deal. If I stay there for a few years, I’ll be set up to reopen my agency or do whatever I want to do in the future.”
It sounded good for him. A great opportunity. “Is the cheap place you found for me yours?” she asked. It was the logical progression. There weren’t too many great opportunities for a private investigator in Ottawa. He was trying to tell her he was leaving.
He didn’t answer in words, but his hug said yes.
“When?” Her voice cracked on the single word.
“Not until you’re settled.”
Joy refused to sniffle. Or let herself melt into Decker’s arms. Maybe her bad news wasn’t so bad after all. If she was going to be alone again, she’d better get used to handling bad news on her own. She couldn’t afford to follow him, not without a job lined up. Her bonus wouldn’t be enough of a cushion to rent an apartment for a few months until she got one. Not to mention, he hadn’t asked her to come with him.
“Now we’re back to my bad news. My new job wouldn’t be here either.” This was it. They were both going their separate ways.
Suddenly, Nick Klassen appeared in Decker’s office door. He had a tablet in one hand and a monster-sized coffee cup in the other. “Sorry I didn’t knock, but my hands were full. Hello again, Joy.”
“If your hands were full, how did you open the door?” Joy asked.
“That is a very good question,” he said. Then he promptly ignored it and continued speaking. “Since you’re here, and talking with this gentleman, I might as well give you the final details about your job offer. It might help make your decision easier. The position we’d like to offer you is with North Pole Unlimited. We discussed salary, but I didn’t mention that we also offer subsidized, pet-friendly employee housing. It’s a great place to work. I think I’ve talked Decker into signing with us.”
Joy didn’t remember sitting back down on the couch. Her head spun. “You want both of us?”
“We were looking at Decker to fill our head of security position. You had already made it to the interview stage with your application before I realized you were in Ottawa as well. I had no idea you two knew each other when I arrived in town,” Nick said. “Although it seems somebody did,” he muttered under his breath.
“How about you give her a minute, Nick?” Decker said. His tone was almost an order, although it was laced with humor.
“Sure, I’ve got to get the contracts from my truck anyway. You can tell her the rest.” Nick wandered back out the door, sipping his coffee.
Decker slipped his hand around her shoulders and traced circles on her back. “I never got a chance to tell you who wants me for their chief of security.”
Joy felt a thousand pounds lighter. “Are you serious? Nick Klassen offered you a job too?”
“He says the company owns an apartment complex. And have two single units available on the same floor. The cats could visit with each other.”
“We have family units too,” Nick shouted from the other side of the door.
“Not helping, Nick!” Decker pulled her closer. “No pressure,” he said softly, “but if you’re really looking for something new, and a job and apartment where you can keep the terrible trio, and want to have an adventure in the frozen tundra, because North Pole Unlimited’s headquarters is just outside Winnipeg, there’s really nothing keeping you in Ottawa, is there?”
“Not if you’re not here.”
Decker must have liked her answer. He wouldn’t have kissed her like that if he didn’t. She forgot everything but the kiss, which was full of sweetness and promises and warmth. She pressed her lips against his one more time, then pulled away.
“Are we taking the jobs?” he asked.
“Was there any question?”
“Well, I’m not sure if your feelings for me are as strong as the ones I have for you, so I have to ask. I’m in love with you, Joy.”
“You love me?” Her jaw dropped. She knew how she felt, but it was so fast. She didn’t expect him to be feeling the same way so quickly.
He laughed at her stunned expression. “I adopted a cat for you. I’m not taking it and leaving you behind. But—”
“I love you too, Decker!” she interrupted. “Whether or not you adopt Pumpkin.”
He kissed her again. This time she had enough of her wits about her to realize they were right in the middle of the office with her potential future employer right outside the door. She didn’t care.
“What are we going to do now? It’s a great opportunity for me, but I don’t know the details of your offer. If you want to take yours, I say we go. If you don’t, we stay,” Decker said, as if his unexpected revelation hadn’t knocked her world off its axis.
“I say we go for it.”
“Excellent!” Neither of them had noticed Nick open the door again. “If you’ll sign these offers of employment, and this stack of nondisclosure agreements, I can tell you what North Pole Unlimited really does, and what you’ll be doing there,” Nick said.
Pumpkin launched himself onto the table from wherever he’d been hiding. He sniffed at the forms, then sat on his haunches and pushed them toward Decker with his nose.
Decker handed Joy a pen from his desk. “Even Pumpkin approves. You sign, I sign.”
Joy hesitated on the last signature line. “What do you mean ‘what you really do’? You’re a toy company, right?”
Nick choked on his coffee. “Sign first.”
Epilogue
Mid-November
North Pole Unlimited Headquarters
December, Manitoba, Canada
The conference table groaned under the weight of two good-bye cakes: one for his boss, George Macintyre, and the other for Constantine Phelps, NPU’s retiring head of security. The security chief had agreed to stay till the end of the year
to get his replacement through his first Christmas with the company, but he wanted his cake early.
Decker was going to work out fine. Locating and retrieving a malfunctioning E.L.V.I.S. prototype which had been programmed to hide was enough to earn him the job without any objections from the board. Finding it while at the same time busting an illegal purebred pet scamming organization and cracking a shoplifting ring was just showing off. He had already increased the company’s internet security and presented a proposal to bring rescue animals into their manufacturing plants as guard dogs. Nick was pretty sure that idea had come from Dr. Farnsworth’s new veterinary assistant.
Nick still wasn’t certain how his grandmother had arranged for Decker’s new girlfriend to be hired at the same time. There was no doubt Joy was a great fit, but Nick didn’t know how the head of the Animal Care department had even found out about her. NPU background checks took months to complete once the decision to hire was made. They usually used a local detective to investigate applicants, but Dr. Farnsworth had somehow arranged for one out of Toronto to look into Joy’s case.
He decided he wasn’t going to question it too hard considering how well it had all worked out.
Dr. Andrea Farnsworth and the rest of the staff in the Animal Care department thought Joy walked on water. She didn’t spend much time with the larger animals, but she reorganized and took over the puppy and kitten rooms like a boss. Anyone who got a pet from one of NPU’s sponsored shelters was going to be a good pet parent. Or else. Nick smiled at the thought of her ferocity.
His grandmother sidled up next to him. “Nice party. Is this your doing?”
“No, it was all Jilly.”
“She needs a raise.” She handed her empty cake plate off to a wandering waitress who was collecting them and said, “Why don’t you walk me back to my office?”
Whether she was asking as his grandmother or boss, the answer was the same. “Of course. What can I do for you?”
She took his arm as they walked across the freshly polished marble floor of the lobby. “I have news. John Tinder is going out on medical leave indefinitely.”
“Indefinitely?”
She nodded, her eyes misty. “We don’t expect him back for a long time, and when he does return, he’s asked to be given a desk job. We’re looking for replacement, but the person has to be willing to travel. We have someone in mind, but I think I want a field test before we officially announce him as the new senior manager in Mergers and Acquisitions. We’ll talk later.”
Here we go again.
THE END
***
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Check out some other North Pole Unlimited romances
Hollis and Ivy (Book 2)
Christmas is a season of surprises, but Ivy isn’t sure if Hollis is one of Santa’s helpers sent to help her, or a Grinch in disguise.
Unlucky Ivy Teague can’t shake the plague of bad luck following her around Whistler, BC. Business is so dire she’ll have to close her flower shop unless a holiday miracle lands on her doorstep. Then he arrives.
By-the-numbers Hollis Dash is in town to finalize a business contract with Ivy’s rival. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that he should be making a deal with the pretty florist down the street.
When a series of suspicious events target Teague Flowers, the pair find themselves caught in a real war of the roses. Hollis can only do so much to help his business competition, and Ivy is doubtful of his intentions since Hollis and her new troubles appeared at the same time. If they can trust each other--and Christmas spirit floating through town, they might make it to the new year together.
Nick and Eve (Book 3)
Nick’s plan: dodge his grandmother’s matchmaking attempts by claiming Eve is his date for Christmas. He probably should have asked Eve first.
Although Nick Klassen is grateful when Eve rides to his rescue after he breaks down outside of December, Manitoba, he can’t run fast enough when his meddling grandmother tries to set him up with the pretty tow-truck driver. Then he gets an idea.
Between juggling extra hours at work and a never-ending Christmas to-do list, Eve LeBlanc doesn’t have time for a new man in her life. But ever since she picked Nick up on the side of the road, she’s been running into him everywhere.
His flirtations started innocently enough but when his grandmother invites “his girlfriend” to the family’s Christmas dinner, Nick realizes if he wants to stop pretending about Eve, he must come clean. Once Eve learns of his deception, he’ll need Santa’s help to turn their fake relationship into the real thing.
Rudy and Kris (Book 4)
Second chances, new romances, and disappearing Secret Santas.
Baker Kris Singleton’s hands are full as she covers for her sick aunt at the family bakery. Then she’s asked to take her place on a local children’s Christmas party committee. Kris has no time for a romance with a former beau who’s decided it’s time to make up for missed opportunities.
Chief Christmas party planner Rudy Gillespie knows if he can get Kris’s attention again, she’ll realize they were always meant to be together. When his plans for the holiday event of the season fall apart, he desperately needs her help to save it from utter disaster.
Can two mismatched elves come together to save Christmas? Only Santa knows.
A sneak peek at DOCTOR MILLIONAIRE (Hopewell Millionaires #1) – Coming December 1, 2019
Twelve friends.
Ten-year reunion.
One $50,000,000 lottery ticket.
The only reason Dr. Doug Little returned to work in his dying hometown was to keep a promise. Two years and he’s gone. The only things getting him through his first couple months are his ten-year reunion and working with his old high-school crush.
Although Jackie Dunn loves her quiet world, her small-town life gets even harder when her part-time hospital job is in peril. If not for her friends’ encouragement, she’d head to the city for better opportunities for herself.
At the reunion, all the returning graduates chip in for a lottery ticket, but nobody expects to win the fifty-million-dollar jackpot. Doug’s share should be more than enough to buy his freedom, but the town doesn’t want to let their new doctor go. Jackie is the only thing that makes Hopewell bearable; the problem is the more time he spends with her, the more he forgets how much he wants to leave.
When he finally finds a way to escape, Doug realizes he’ll be doing it alone. Jackie doesn’t have much time to show him the life he accidentally created for himself in Hopewell is far better than anything his millions could buy him anywhere else.
* * *
Scarlett had been right. He was having fun. Maybe more fun than supper the night before, because the pressure was off. The reunion was about showing up, showing off, and making an impression. This was just hanging out. It was almost like old times.
Freddy brought Andie a full mug of coffee from the kitchen. He stopped in front of her and held it tantalizingly out of reach. “Have you checked our lottery ticket yet?”
Her jaw dropped. “I’d totally forgotten. Probably because I haven’t had enough coffee yet.” The threat was obvious. Freddy handed over the cup. She took one sip and handed it back. “You hold it. I’ll spill it while I’m digging for the ticket.” Andie pulled her wallet and a pen from the depths of a large, leather purse. “Who wants to call out the numbers?”
Jason reached for his phone. “I’ll do it. I’ve got the Maxx Money app.”
“Free play, free play,” Cameron chanted quietly.
Scarlett and Tyler joined him. The chant grew.
“Quiet! Jason, go ahead.”
“Four.”
Andie touched the tip of her pen to the ticket. “Okay. Next?”
“Eight.”
“Next?”
“Twelve. Nineteen.”
She frowned, her eyebrows coming tog
ether. “Okay. Then?”
“Twenty-nine. Forty-seven. Forty-eight. Do you want the bonus number?” Jason asked.
Doug moved so he was standing beside Cameron. The sunlight coming through the window highlighted the sweat on Andie’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay, Andie?” he asked.
“Umm.” It wasn’t a yes, but it was an acknowledgement. “Jason, can you read those again, but slower this time?” she asked.
“Andie, did you pick a ticket where we didn’t match one number? I hate those,” Tyler complained.
Doug did too, but he had a feeling that wasn’t the source of Andie’s distress.
She was still sweating. “Tyler, watch Andie,” Doug ordered.
Tyler sat up straight and held out a hand, ready to grasp Andie’s biceps in case she toppled over. It looked like a real possibility.
Jason rattled off a string of numbers again.
Andie swayed on the sofa cushion. Tyler’s grip kept her upright. “Jason, move,” Doug ordered. He and Tyler tilted Andie until she lay across the sofa. “Andie, I need you to slow your breathing. You’re hyperventilating.”
“We won,” she gasped. Her blonde bangs were plastered to her forehead.
“How many numbers did we match?” Jason asked.
“All of them,” she said breathlessly.
Doug swiped the ticket out of her hand. “Breathe. Slowly. In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.” His eyes went to the ticket; a tiny, blue dot under each number. “One more time, Jason?”
“Four. Eight. Twelve. Nineteen. Twenty-nine. Forty-seven. Forty-eight.” His voice cracked when he asked, “Did we really get them all?”
Doug wanted to hyperventilate himself. He nodded. Seven out of seven. That was a jackpot win, if it were true. “I think so. Maybe somebody should look on another site. Or run out to the gas station and see what they have posted in case Jason’s app is wrong.”
