by Elle Rush
“Yes, now. You have thirty minutes to go home, pack, and be waiting at the apartment building doors for pickup.” Jilly stared at him for minute. “Move it. Sun and fun await—at least, for me. If you make me miss my flight, I will make you pay.”
“Where are you off to?”
“Orlando. Dan and I are going to ride rollercoasters until we puke.”
“That sounds like a terrific vacation.” The not was unspoken, but she laughed at him all the way out the door.
The highway was terrible; traffic was worse. They slid into the departures lane in front of James Richardson International Airport with only minutes to check in. A legal assistant Hollis recognized slipped him a thick brown envelope just before he walked into the security check area.
Hollis pulled out the contracts he was supposed to deliver. “Are you kidding me!”
Behind him, Jilly snickered.
“Did you know?” he demanded.
“Everybody knows,” she said.
“I filed my recommendations two days ago. That’s not nearly enough time for a full background check, let alone the rest of it. How is this even possible?”
She laughed again. “The recommendation to investigate Teague Flowers went before the board the day after you called in your first report. How could we not? I mean, the woman got you up a stepladder in the mountains to clean her store windows. She was obviously a good person, somebody you trusted, and someone you respected. Adelaide didn’t need more than that to get started.”
He stopped walking. Ivy had got him onto a stepladder, and he hadn’t thought twice about it.
Jilly continued. “Hollis, it was obvious you fell for Ivy the moment you met her. You’re the only one who didn’t know.”
That wasn’t true. He knew he’d been falling for Ivy since the moment he met her. He hadn’t realized it had been obvious two thousand kilometers away. As for the contract… That was plain, well-intentioned deviousness on his boss’s part. He’d never seen it coming. Ivy certainly wouldn’t. But… “If Nick knew I was getting involved with an affiliate’s rival, why did he leave me there so long?”
Jilly shrugged. “It wasn’t compromising your assignment. In fact, you were working harder because of it. Besides, I told him it sounded like you were having a good time.”
Chapter Fourteen
Ivy
December 15th
Whistler, British Columbia
“Eighteen dozen gone!” she crowed.
Maggie knew what she was talking about. It was ten days before Christmas, and Ivy only had twenty-four poinsettias left in her shop. Even if they didn’t get sold, it was an acceptable number. It hadn’t been easy; it had been a battle to get every single plant out the door. But Ivy didn’t have any complaints. And when Ellen Franks had come to her looking for replacements for the flowers in her executive suites—she said she couldn’t afford to replace the rest of them—Ivy had magnanimously sold her three dozen healthy plants without a single dirty look. At full cost.
It was just business.
“One more order, boss,” Maggie called out, interrupting her mental gloat. “Rush job. A massive arrangement for some guy’s girlfriend.”
“An apology bouquet?”
“No. He said this was a congratulation present for his girlfriend, who got a promotion after working her tail off. He said he wanted to celebrate it with her. Sorry, Ivy, no “I was a jerk” surcharge on this one.”
It was an unofficial store policy. She generally gave sympathy flowers a discount. Jerks made up the deficit. It came out even at the end of the day. “Did he give any preferences?”
“Chrysanthemums—baby ones, if possible—asters, lots of greenery, and some large gerberas for accents.”
Ivy’s head came up in surprise. She’d get to play with all her favorite flowers in one display. As an added bonus, it didn’t sound like she had to make it Christmas themed. She loved her new Christmas designs, but a change would be a nice way to end the week.
It would also keep her from checking her phone to see if there were any messages from Hollis. He’d been okay about texting her, but it was more infrequent than she would have liked. He treated her like a buddy; even Joel had more interaction with him than she did, and Hollis hadn’t taken Joel out for dinner.
She knew she had a false image of Hollis in her head. He’d come into her life when she’d needed a knight in shining armor more than she ever had before, and everything he’d done made him the perfect candidate to pin all her hopes to. Even if he had been working with Annie. He hadn’t promised her anything beyond the two dates he’d given her.
The future she’d built with him was entirely in her head.
And yet, she wasn’t completely devastated. Disappointed, yes. But if she couldn’t have Hollis, maybe someday, she’d find another knight to make her forget the one she’d lost.
“Ivy, do you want to do this one, or should I?” her assistant asked.
Considering Maggie had one hand on her skis, Ivy took mercy on her assistant. “I’ll do it. Get out of here. See you on Monday.” They were both going to enjoy their day off to rest and recuperate before the final Christmas push.
“It’s a full moon tonight. I should get at least one good run in. The customer said he’d be in to pick it up just before six.”
Since she was using all her favorite flowers, Ivy decided the recipient deserved a little something extra. Congratulation bouquets were a lot of fun to make and didn’t come up often. She started with a bone white, twisted vase she’d been saving for a special occasion, grabbing it from the back of the cupboard. It was the perfect complement to the flowers she wanted to use. The recipient was going to be one lucky girl.
She’d stuck it in the cooler and was doing a final sweep of the floor as the clock approached six. She was putting the broom and dustpan in the back when she heard Captain announce someone enter the store. “Kisses! Kisses!”
It wasn’t the parrot’s usual greeting. “I’ll be right out,” Ivy called.
She didn’t waste time. As soon as her customer paid her, she was locking the door and going home for thirty-six hours of enforced nothingness. Her grandmother’s stash of old holiday containers had lasted three weeks. Fortunately, Ivy had seen the writing on the wall and had ordered the least offensive replacements she could get from Imprint Glassworks. She, Maggie, and a couple other local artisans had spent a wine-filled Sunday afternoon turning plain baskets and vases into a collection of Christmas- and winter-themed containers that should have lasted her another month.
They’d done it again a weekend later. She couldn’t keep her new designs in stock. The antique, retro, and straight-up kitschy pots and containers struck a chord with her customers. People wanted to be reminded of the good old days, even if they were only a decade ago.
Ivy heartily approved, although it meant she’d be haunting flea markets in the new year to find new, old stock to ensure she could do it again next Christmas.
“I’ll wait.”
She knew that voice. “Hollis?” She had to be hearing things. Hollis was in Manitoba, probably rolling around on the flat prairie landscape and breaking hearts all over the province. Had he really come back to see her?
“I’m here to pick up a congratulation arrangement.”
The truth of the situation hit her. The only reason he’d been in town at all was to work with Annie. He must be signing a new North Pole Unlimited contract with her. Annie couldn’t very well be surprised if she made her own celebratory bouquet.
She couldn’t believe Hollis had put her in such an awkward position.
The price just doubled.
She slammed the vase down onto the counter. Bits of baby’s breath fell off, bouncing off the black, fake quartz onto her clean floor. “I’m sure Annie will love it.”
He handed over his credit card without a word.
Only once she’d completed the transaction did he speak again. “It looks beautiful.”
It was hard to
stay mad at such a sincere compliment. “Thank you. I had some good blooms to work with. It turned out well.”
“I’m glad you like it, too. Since it’s for you.”
“What?”
“Annie probably would like it, but it’s not for her. It’s for you. I asked Maggie what your favorite flowers were.”
The little sneak. First, she was going to yell at her assistant, then she was going to add a little something extra to Maggie’s Christmas bonus.
“Why are you congratulating me? Did I win the lottery?” She’d definitely won something by having Hollis back in town, but she didn’t know why he was there or how long he’d be staying. He could break her heart again if she got her hopes up.
He pulled an envelope from his suitcase. “I am pleased to offer you an affiliate contract with North Pole Unlimited. We will need a florist in the area beginning in the new year. The terms, conditions, and contract are in here.”
It was everything she’d wanted. A month ago. “Will I be working with you?”
“You will. Of course, I’ll have to check on you pretty regularly to make sure everything is going smoothly. We’d need to have business lunches. Maybe suppers. Is that okay?” He took her hand and brushed his thumb across her knuckles. “I hope that’s okay.”
She’d already been burned by him; she wasn’t anxious to do it again. But he was the one who’d taught her to be brave, starting with her job. It had worked for her once. She could try it in her personal life. Ivy took a deep breath. “It’s not the best idea. I’m not certain I could have a business relationship with you—not without hoping it turns into something more.” The temptation was great; she wasn’t going to deny it. But she didn’t want to put herself in a situation where her business was at risk, in addition to her heart.
Hollis’s jaw dropped. Then he smiled like she’d told the world’s funniest joke. “Okay. I’ll tell Head Office we have a personal relationship. Nick can manage you. He’ll be grateful for an excuse to come skiing.”
Ivy’s head spun. Her luck wasn’t that good—not until lately. Was Hollis really here, saying what she thought she’d heard? She thought he’d felt the sparks between them, too, but he’d never given her any indication he was looking for more. “What are you saying?”
“I got the promotion I told you about. You are looking at NPU’s newest senior manager in Mergers and Acquisitions. While I knew relocation was part of the job, I thought I’d be heading to southern Ontario, but my boss, and my boss’s boss, had other ideas. They assigned me to the west coast. I’m going to be moving here. I was hoping that you could help with that. Maybe help me find a place, something between here and Vancouver?”
“You don’t want to be based in Vancouver?”
“Ivy.” He took her hand and led her out from behind the counter, then pulled her close. “I want to be based close to you.”
“Kisses!” Captain squawked.
They both looked up and, sure enough, Hollis had them under the mistletoe again. “I’m working on it, Captain.”
“You’re moving here?” Ivy still couldn’t believe it. After the terrible year she’d had, the last month had more than made up for it.
“As soon as I can manage it. So, are you going to help me find a place?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
Hollis wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, spinning her until they were both dizzy. Then he set her down and kissed her until she was dizzy in a completely different way. The corners of her mouth turned up when he pulled away. He’d used a beard wax that smelled slightly of spruce. He was going to fit right in with the skiers, snowboarders, and mountain climbers.
“And go out to celebrate my promotion with me?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
He kissed her again. Captain approved and kept demanding more “Kisses!”
“And to celebrate your new contract with North Pole Unlimited?”
She’d completely forgotten about the contract. Laughing, she slapped at Hollis’s hands on her hips and returned to the counter. She slipped the paperwork out of the envelope and began to scan it quickly. “You are inviting me to sign on as an affiliate to North Pole Unlimited. That’s…”
Huge. They wanted to use her as their primary floral distributor in the area, and she’d be the preferred contractor for other affiliated companies. All it would cost her was a small discount. And she’d receive the same discount from everyone else under the NPU corporate umbrella. It was the business stability she’d been longing for. If she got in with the bigger hotels, too—which was a possibility after Annie’s meltdown after the Villa Montague disaster—Ivy would have to expand. Get more staff. She’d need to make a new business plan, but even the thought of all the work excited her.
This time, she kissed him. She put everything she was feeling into it—all her happiness at his return, all her thankfulness about giving her a chance to make her business the success she’d always dreamed of, because she knew the contract had to come from him, all her gratitude for him taking a job in the mountains so they could be together.
She didn’t want him to regret it for a second.
“Can I take that as a yes, you’re interested in the contract?” he asked. “My boss is anxious to have this done by the new year.”
Ivy put her bouquet back in the cooler. She’d pick it up on her way home, after their celebratory dinner. She’d planned the arrangement better than she’d known. “I’ll have my people contact your people. Over dinner. Tonight.”
“I look forward to it. NPU’s first order will be a never-ending supply of mistletoe. We’ll have to ensure you are keeping up on quality control.”
“I’d only have the best mistletoe for North Pole Unlimited’s newest Senior Mergers and Acquisitions account manager. But I think spot checks might be necessary.”
“Daily spot checks.” Hollis kissed her again.
Epilogue
Christmas Eve
North Pole Unlimited Headquarters
December, Manitoba
“Hollis Dash, put that phone away. You can speak to your young lady later. This is a party.”
Nick Klassen watched his grandmother try—and fail—to get Hollis to hang up on Ivy. “It’s a business call, Adelaide,” Hollis argued. “Maintaining relationships with our affiliated companies is my primary duty as Senior Account Manager. I’d hate to have you think I was shirking my responsibilities the first month on the job.”
She sputtered, and Hollis didn’t wait for her to form a reply. Instead, he waved good-bye and wandered off—in search of a quiet spot, Nick assumed—to continue planning his move. In the last week, Nick and Hollis had scoured real estate boards looking for a place for him to live north of Vancouver. Ivy was going above and beyond on her end, checking them out in person and giving them a thumbs-up or thumbs-down based on her knowledge of the area. If they didn’t find something soon, Hollis could be living out of a hotel for a month.
“I think the joke is on us,” his grandmother said. She appeared at Nick’s elbow like magic, the same way she did when he was hoping to disappear before a board meeting. “Here we thought it would be hilarious to send Hollis to the mountains for an assignment, and now he gets to live within spitting distance of the best skiing in the country.”
“As much as he likes Ivy, I don’t think he’s going to be hitting the slopes any time soon.”
His grandmother sighed heavily—hard enough to make him look at her in concern. He kept forgetting she was a sprightly seventy-something-year-old. A gentle kick to the shin of the head of I.T. opened up a chair, and Nick helped Adelaide take a seat.
“Would you like a glass of water?”
She shook her head and leaned into the cushioned back rest. “I’d like the pages on the calendar to stop flipping by so quickly. We’ve had a lot of changes this past year, Nick. Have you noticed?”
He had and figured it must be harder for her. Two of her contemporaries had resigned, moving on to their wel
l-earned retirements. His grandmother lived and breathed for the company, but she had to be thinking of retirement, as well. He knew she was grooming his cousin to replace her. “I have, Gran.”
The fatigue disappeared from her shoulders, and a wicked grin crossed her face. “I thought you might have. First Decker. Now Hollis. I guess this means you’re up next for finding a sweetheart.”
Jilly walked past him and poked him in the back. She’d said the same thing when she’d returned from her vacation and heard about Hollis. Nick had threatened to fire her. “I’m too busy with work to think about that.”
“We’ll see.”
Here we go again.
THE END
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