by Aiden Frost
“I’m not supposed to tell anyone,” said Shandra.
“You can tell me,” said Amanda.
Shandra scrubbed her hand across her head. Her hair sat in tight curls today, not brushed out and tall like she normally wore it. Shandra suddenly blurted out, “The business is crumbling.”
Amanda eyes went wide. “What do you mean crumbling?” She moved even closer to Shandra, so close she was practically stepping on her toes. “I just spent twenty-thousand dollars on a Christmas party.”
Shandra looked around, nervous before speaking. “It wasn’t the company’s money. That was Max’s personal finances. He paid our bonuses out of his pocket too.” Shandra leaned down, her lips next to Amanda’s ear. “Soon I’ll have access to millions of dollars of Max’s personal money.” She stood back, and Amanda stared at her.
“Millions,” Amanda mouthed.
Shandra nodded. “But he’s tying it all up into the business.”
“But what if things don’t work out?”
Shandra shrugged. “Then you’ll be in love with a homeless man instead.”
Shandra said this so nonchalant that Amanda just mulled it over in her head a moment before she really grasped it. She glowered at Shandra. “I am not in love with anybody.”
“Okay,” said Shandra, in the same nonchalant manner.
“I’m not,” insisted Amanda.
“Who are you trying to convince now?”
Amanda squinted her eyes and her, then turned and walked away. She heard Shandra chuckling behind her. She was not in love with Max Avery. She hadn’t even thought about him—constantly—during her time off.
She walked past Max’s office, wondering where he was. If the business was faltering, why wasn’t he here, spending every moment trying to fix it? She wanted to turn around, and ask Shandra if she knew where he was, but she knew what that would turn into—she’d just prove to her that she had Max Avery on her mind. He was her boss, she was allowed to wonder where he was. She paused a moment, but then continued on to her desk.
She organized her work space, separating her work from Carter’s. “What are you working on, Carter?” When he didn’t answer her, she leaned over the divider. “Carter!” she said, this time louder. He startled, turning to her. “What are you working on?”
He leaned back in his chair. “We’re completely back-logged with Janice half-assing most of her duties.” He shook a stack of papers at her. “Shandra is having everything she’s ever touched in the past two years gone over again.”
“Wow, really?”
Carter nodded. “I’ve found a ton of discrepancies already. Shandra thinks ever since Andrew Avery got sick, she started neglecting her duties.”
“Mr Avery was sick?” Amanda asked.
Carter clamped his lips shut.
“That’s why Max took over?” Amanda asked him.
Carter made the sign of zipping his lips closed. Amanda growled at him under her breath but moved back down into her seat. She’d spent the last week trying to get Max Avery out of her head. And now he was using his personal money to pay out bonuses and throw a Christmas party? Amanda could wrap her head around him using his own finances to try to save his business, but the other? It made no sense. Max had never gotten friendly with anyone in the office. What did he care if they had a party or had Christmas bonuses? She also hadn’t known that Andrew Avery was sick. She wondered if something was going on with his father now. Max never missed work, but now something had kept him away for a week. Should she call him? Check to see if everything was okay? She moved her hand over to her phone, but once she had the receiver in her grasp, she second guessed herself. She was only some girl the boss had hooked up with a few times. But he had asked her out. But maybe he just felt obliged since they were having sex. Amanda’s hand hovered above the phone. She didn’t know what the right thing would be to do. She went back to the paperwork. She figured if it was on her desk, she’d help Carter sort through Janice’s mess. If Max wasn’t at the Christmas party tonight, she’d call him over the weekend. Maybe.
Chapter Seventeen
AMANDA HAD BOUGHT HERSELF a new outfit for the Christmas party. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to assess herself in the tall mirrors of the staff bathroom. She almost looked festive. She’d tried to get away with a black sweater, but the saleswoman had insisted she try on a red one. Amanda had to admit, it did fit her perfectly. She’d compromised with a rope of shiny grey pearls which adorned her neck. She’d decided on a pair of slim, black dress pants. They came to a few inches above her ankle, allowing a small peak of skin. Her silky, black heels completed the outfit. She wanted to look festive, a little bit sexy, yet proper for a party that involved children. She thought she’d pulled the combination off.
Shandra strolled in as Amanda stood back on her tiptoes, desperately trying to make certain she was completely put together. “Would you like me to pick you up, munchkin?” she asked as she went and stood before the mirror.
“Ha ha,” Amanda said, but couldn’t help but smile. “What are you wearing?” Amanda was a bit concerned that Shandra wasn’t aware that most everything she worse was considered sexy by everyday standards.
Shandra took to wiping off her makeup, glancing quickly at Amanda in the mirror. “A sweater. Leggings.”
Amanda was silent.
“I know how to dress down,” said Shandra. “But I don’t understand how it’s my fault I was built with curves.”
Amanda shrugged. “Then it’s not my fault that I enjoy the pleasure of men.”
Shandra’s lip curled and she went back to removing her makeup. Amanda realized that her skin was pristine underneath. She almost looked prettier with her face wiped clean. Shandra took out a dark red lipstick, but Amanda stopped her. “Wait,” she said. She shuffled through her makeup bag as Shandra turned to stare at her. “Try this instead.” She handed the makeup stick to Shandra, who just looked down at it in fright.
“It’s just a pale gloss,” she said.
“It’s pretty.”
“But it’s not—”
“Just try it,” Amanda commanded of her. “If you don’t like it, wipe it off and put on your lipstick.”
Shandra chuckled. “I like you when you’re fierce.” She opened the tube and leaned toward the mirror. With one last uncertain glance at Amanda in the mirror, she applied it to her lips. She didn’t move. Then she cocked her head at herself in the mirror. “It’s...”
“Really pretty on you,” said Amanda. The gloss accentuated the pale brown of Shandra’s full lips, the shininess of the gloss making her pout even more pronounced.
Shandra stood back, then without a word, she went to work on her eye makeup. She smeared a pale cream across her lids, before spending a few moments accentuating her eyelashes just right. She applied bronzer to her cheeks, ironically lighter than her skin. It gave her dark cheekbones some definition. She stood back from the mirror, scrutinizing herself again. Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but Shandra turned, rummaging in her bag. She whipped her shirt off over her head, before replacing it with a cobalt blue sweater. It was sleeveless, snug but not overly so, and ran down over her hips. Shandra removed her skirt, replacing it with a pair of leggings. She slipped out of her heels and into a pair of gold-sparkled sandals.
“You’ll freeze in those!” said Amanda.
Shandra looked down at the heels on Amanda’s feet. “Not any more than you will in those.”
Amanda watched as Shandra looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t adjusting her outfit but was still staring at her makeup.
“You look good, Shandra,” Amanda insisted.
“I think I’ve been wearing red lipstick for almost twelve years.”
“It’s how they’d do your makeup when you modeled?”
Shandra nodded. “But this is almost...freeing.”
Amanda moved to her, giving her a quick squeeze around her waist. “Good,” she said. “Now let’s go find Carter and his family before they le
ave without us and we need to wait for another limo.”
Shandra nodded, staring at herself a moment more, before she went to packing up her makeup bag.
“Shandra?” said Amanda as she stood in the door. Shandra turned to her, her eyes sad. “We’ll be okay this Christmas. I mean, maybe not okay, but better.”
Shandra’s lip curled into a partial smile. “I know, girly. I’m trying.”
“You can talk to me. I’m good at keeping secrets.”
“I know,” said Shandra. “Not a single person came to me today, crying about the business tanking.”
“I wouldn’t—”
Shandra chuckled. “This is a test...this is only a test...” She looped her arm through Amanda’s and they left the office, heading out the doors and to the awaiting limo.
“WOW!” THEY ALL BREATHED out as they entered the building. It was even more breathtaking on the inside than it was on the outside. And it was even more impressive in real life than it was in the photos. A thirty-foot tree greeted them as they walked through the door. It lit up the area around it, while soft lighting set above the tables near the massive windows surrounding it. Amanda heard the excited chatter of children as one of the staff members regaled them with stories on what they would be doing for the night.
“Go on,” said Carter’s wife, Celeste, as she shooed her children away from her.
“Come on, Mom,” whined Marco, the oldest at thirteen. “I don’t want to play with the little kids.”
“We’ve got prizes and games, and our virtual reality system is set up...”
Marco’s head turned toward the crowd of children. “If you really want me to go with the kids...” he said.
“Go,” chuckled Celeste, “I insist.” Their children took off to the area where the other kids were gathering. The staff member led a trail of them down the hall and out of sight.
“Will they be eating with us?” asked Carter.
“Nope!” said Amanda. “There’s a separate dining area downstairs near the game room. I can all but guarantee the kids will be so occupied, it’ll be doubtful we’ll see but one or two of them straggling around for the entire night.”
Celeste looked at her, curious. “You planned this?”
“I... no... well...” Her eyes pleaded with Shandra to save her. This was supposed to be Max’s thing, not hers.
“It doesn’t matter now,” said Shandra. She turned to Celeste. “Yes, Amanda is who put this whole thing together.” She turned to Carter. “And yes, Max personally paid for this, because I know you’re wondering where the money came from.”
Carter and Celeste looked around the room, silently absorbing its beauty.
“We’d better go get a table if we want to sit together to eat,” said Shandra. “They’re filling up fast. People are getting here a lot earlier than I anticipated.”
Waiters passed through with drink trays and hor d’oeuvres. Amanda snagged the waiter closest to her. She passed out champagne glasses to Celeste and Carter and Shandra before taking one for herself. “Cheers,” she said, and they clinked glasses. She sipped at the chilled liquid. It spun soft bubbles down her throat and then right up to her head. “Whoa,” she said, “this stuff is good.”
“I think I’d better get something to eat first,” chuckled Celeste. “I’m not quite as practiced as you two,” she said as she watched Shandra down the glass with one more long sip.
“Fantastic,” Shandra said.
They trailed after Celeste when she took off to a vacant table in the corner. They needed to squeeze past two other tables, but the view through the window was worth it. It was already dark outside, but the view held what was probably a small garden during the summer. It currently boasted thousands of tiny white lights strung among the trees, and the water from the fountain lit a soft blue as it cascaded from one layer to the next.
Carter nudged his wife, indicating the view out the window. “We’re going to be making out by that fountain later,” he whispered to her.
Amanda dramatically held her ears closed in a gesture of mock horror.
Celeste giggled, her cheeks tinging pink, but she turned, winking at her husband.
“This time of year makes people nuts,” observed Shandra from her position next to the table.
“Sit,” Amanda told her. “Relax.”
“I can’t,” she said. “I haven’t seen Max yet.”
“If he’s coming, he’ll be here.” Amanda had a sudden flash of her and Max kissing next to the fountain. She shook it free from her head. Shandra was right, this time of year did make people crazy.
“It’s Max’s party though. It feels wrong that we’re celebrating without him.”
“Who’s talking about me over here?” boomed a jolly voice.
Shandra smiled and tipped her head back when Max came up from behind her and planted a kiss on her cheek. Max’s eyes trailed down to Amanda. She gave him a quick smile before busying herself with finding another glass of champagne. Carter introduced his wife to Max, and they spoke for a few moments like they were old friends. Amanda peered out across the room, turning only half an eye back to Max. He was cleanshaven and his hair looked like he’d recently showered, for it appeared still damp around the edges. But his movements were off. He appeared jumpy, uncertain in how to settle in and enjoy himself. A waitress suddenly appeared at their table, interrupting her thought.
“Good evening everyone. My name is Sandy, and I’ll be serving you this evening. We’ll start with drinks, but you’re also welcome to serve yourself at the bar anytime.” Sandy turned, indicating the small alcove with the cozy bar near the front door. “I also need to know who ordered which meal. So fill out the card on the table and I’ll collect it when I come back with your drinks.”
The waitress collected their drink orders, and then turned to Max who was still standing beside their table. “What’ll it be for you, sir?”
Max looked down at them, then back up at the waitress, uncertain if he should invite himself to their table. Amanda supposed the group of them was the closest thing to friends Max had at work.
“Sit with us,” Amanda said. Max and Shandra both turned to her, wondering if they’d heard her right.
“I...” he turned back to the waitress. “I’ll just have a fizzy water for now, please.”
“No, he won’t,” said Amanda, slinging back her second (or was it her third?) champagne like it was water. “He’ll have a...” she eyed him, wondering what a man like him drank. “You know what?” Amanda said. “Surprise him with something festive. This here is the boss. It needs to be special.”
The waitress smiled at her, then turned to Max. “Have you met our hostess yet, Mr Avery?”
Max shook his head. “No, I haven’t. Where would I find her? I’d love to thank her for putting together such an extraordinary event.”
“Come with me,” said Sandy.
Max turned his eyes to Amanda as he walked away. She appeared to be ignoring him on purpose, looking out the window at the gardens beyond. He wasn’t sure if she was being nice, or if she was goading him into something. He hadn’t been away from his father’s side in a week. Being here made him nervous. He couldn’t stop touching the phone in his pocket. His nerves were on edge, waiting for it to vibrate, to call him back to the house and tell him his father had taken a turn for the worse. They were trying to be optimistic, but Max wasn’t sure if he had any optimism left.
He smiled, trying to focus as Sandy introduced him to Shelley, the owner and hostess of the establishment. Max spoke to her for a few moments, but he remained distracted. He shook his head when she asked him if he’d like to speak a few words before dinner was served. “Not tonight,” he said. He looked at all the joyful people around him. “Thank you,” he said to Shelley. “It’s been a rough year. They deserve a night of fun.”
The elderly woman placed her hand on his arm and he turned his eyes to her. “So do you, son.”
Max’s lips pursed with built up sorrow. He
nodded to the woman and walked away. He weaved his way through the crowd, greeting people as he went. These people had worked hard for him the past year, they didn’t need to see their boss looking forlorn all night long. He continued to smile, making chitchat here and there, until he found himself standing before the bar.
“What’ll it be?” asked the barkeeper.
“Oh, I...”
“Come on, Mr Avery,” said Marie who was standing at the bar with her husband, “loosen up just for one night.”
“Oh, what the hell,” said Max. He turned to the barkeeper. “I’ll have a bourbon, neat.” Max stood at the bar, talking with Marie and her husband until he finished his drink. Then he excused himself and made a lazy trail back to his seat. The drink had made him looser, if only a little, for he found himself genuinely smiling as he approached his table.
“I thought you weren’t ever coming back,” said Amanda. She looked aghast as Max passed her a sly smile.
Shandra leaned over to her as Max turned his head to speak to Carter. “What is wrong with you? Get yourself together.”
“I can’t help it,” whispered Amanda. “Champagne makes me slutty.”
“Well, keep your legs closed at least for the night.”
Amanda nodded, her head feeling foggy as it bobbled up and down.
“Water,” growled Shandra as she placed a water glass in her hands.
“I’m sorry,” whispered Amanda.
She looked near tears, so Shandra reached under the table, squeezing her hand. Shandra knew all about the stupid things people would do on the holidays just to feel not so alone. Not that she minded Amanda and Max together, but tonight was not the night for it. Max had just spent the last week caring for his ailing father. He looked like he was in no mood to even be here, much less be openly hit on by someone.
Amanda stared down at her food as it was placed before her. She’d chosen the vegetarian meal, not necessarily for he beliefs in dining, but because she was curious what a nice place like this was able to serve in the colder months. Call it gathering intel for her future gardening sales. She looked over to Celeste enjoying her seafood meal, and Carter enjoying his steak. She hoped it was only Shandra who had noticed the need in her voice when she’d spoken to Max. She was quite enjoying getting to know Celeste and Carter as friends. They were both over twenty years older than her, yet she found that not only did she find them interesting, she found herself feeling more grounded when she was with them. They were past the age of dating, and past the age of needing to impress everyone or feeling all of life’s uncertainties.
