His First Christmas: The Lonely Billionaire - A Heart-Warming Romance Novel (12 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The interruption had knocked Anna’s confidence. She felt like she was being jolted awake to something.
I guess that something would be…reality,
she thought.

“You have a couple of minutes to grab your essential items, and then we have to move,” said the driver from the doorway, glancing at the cobbled-together Christmas tree in the corner.

Jason frowned. “Are you sure you can’t wait just a little bit longer? We just finished making dinner,” he said, gesturing to the table. “You’re welcome to join us, if you want,” he offered.

“I’m sorry,” the rescue worker said, his cheeks appearing flushed in the light of the cabin. “You may not have heard but there’s another storm on its way. If you don’t leave now, there’s no telling when you’ll be able to get out of here.”

Anna hastily put away the food and collected her few belongings. Jason grabbed his coat and a briefcase, and within moments they were out the door.

Standing at the side of the truck, Jason and Anna locked eyes, unsure of what to say.  “Go ahead,” Jason finally said, gesturing for her to take shotgun. She smiled quickly, hopping in.

After the doors were shut, the driver began to make his way slowly down the mountain. Anna glanced back at the cabin in the side mirror, watching it disappear out of view.

Attempting to break the awkward silence, Anna started on small talk. “So…working Christmas Eve? That must be rough,” she said, sympathetically.

“It’s not great, but at least I get extra pay out of it,” the dark-haired man replied. “And it’s satisfying to help folks out of a pickle, especially this time of year.”

Anna nodded. “Yeah, I can imagine,” she said.

“Although, you two didn’t exactly seem like you were in a pickle,” he chuckled.

Anna smiled politely, glancing at Jason in the rear-view mirror. Having worked herself up to telling him the truth, she wanted more than anything just to spit it out and get it over with. But now it seemed like she’d missed her opportunity.

“So…what are your holiday plans?” the driver asked.

Anna replied, “Oh, you know, dinner with my family. They live over in Westmount.”

“Oh yeah? I don’t live too far from there. I live in Piney.”

“Small world,” Anna smiled.

“And what about yourself, sir?” he asked Jason.

“Oh,” Jason cleared his throat. “I live in Seattle, same as Anna.”

“Ah, you two are city folk,” he said.

“Born and raised…” Jason said, trailing off. He caught Anna’s eye in the mirror.

I wish I could tell him right now
, she thought.
But how can I confess my feelings to him when we’re hurtling down a mountain?

“So…What do you guys do for a living?”

“We both work in real estate,” Anna said.

“Oh. Nice. Real estate…”

The three of them braved the small talk for the rest of the ride, aside from a brief interruption when the rescue worker attached Anna’s stranded car to the back of the truck.

“Thank you so much,” Anna beamed to the driver as he detached her car at the entrance to the highway. “Well, have a Merry Christmas, both of you…”

“Wait—before you go…” Jason started. “Anna, don’t worry about the contract. It can wait for the New Year,” he said.

Anna was a little disappointed that it wasn’t anything more sentimental, but in the context of the situation, she knew more could not be said.
Wait, in the New Year?!
The idea of waiting that long to send the contract sent Anna’s workaholic tendencies into panic mode.
There’s no way it can wait until then
.

Nevertheless, she replied brightly, “Oh, alright. Thanks, Jason. See you in the New Year.” She walked over to her car, giving a final wave to Jason and the driver. Whatever her intentions for putting in extra work, Anna couldn’t worry about the contract just yet: first, she had to get to her family.

After a solid twenty minutes warming up her car, Anna finally started her drive to Westmount.
What an interesting few days it’s been
, she reflected. She’d arrived at the cabin pissed off, a bundle of fraying nerves, and she’d come out a woman smitten. With her boss. Who only days previously she’d thought was a profit-obsessed, cold and distant authority figure.
How wrong I was.

She recalled how upset Jason had been when he’d concluded that she resented him for keeping her away from her family, and felt a pang of guilt that she’d not set him straight
.

Realizing her exit was coming up next, Anna hastily got into the right-hand lane and turned, still ruminating.
Wait. Now, I technically don’t have to set it straight…
the only reason she had felt compelled to confess was because she’d found it unbearable being around him while pretending her feelings towards him were strictly platonic.

Now they were out of the cabin, it would be easy to avoid Jason and bypass the need for the whole conversation altogether. It was so difficult to actually
see
him at the workplace that she would have space to power down her feelings and carry on her work, problem-free. It was the pragmatic choice, and Anna was a pragmatic person.

Even if Anna didn’t go down the sensible route, there was still the possibility that Jason might reject her advances.
Now, that could really jeopardize my career…
She remembered how reluctant he had seemed to kiss her under the mistletoe.
Maybe that’s proof that he doesn’t see me in that way.

If she had to go with her gut, Anna would say that yes, Jason probably did reciprocate her feelings.
But considering just how wrong my first impression of him was…
Maybe I’m completely unable to read him?

Anna rubbed her forehead, one hand still on the wheel. She had just crossed her capacity for overthinking things.
Okay, I’ll just have to sleep on it,
she thought grumpily.

She tried to focus on looking forward to the family dinner.
Gosh. We will have a lot to catch up on…
Her mouth watered just thinking about dinner. After all, she hadn’t had a single bite of the elaborate feast she and Jason had prepared.
A serious shame
.

She spent the rest of her drive home attempting to tune out her thoughts to the sound of the radio.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

As she pulled into the familiar driveway, Anna felt a rush of relief that she had made it back. Checking her watch she saw it was nine o’clock—there were still three hours of Christmas Eve left.

She knocked on the door, bleary-eyed, but excited. As the door swung open, Anna shrieked with glee when she saw the seven people all huddled in the doorway, shouting “Anna!” in chorus. Emerging from behind them, a small, old, dog excitedly scrambled onto Anna’s legs.

Anna grinned wide, scooping up Bayou. The two of them were enveloped into the fold, and after a flurry of hugs and kisses, Anna was free to wash up and settle down.

“I’m
so
,
so,
sorry I got here so late,” she said, before heading upstairs.

Her parents and her sister waved off her apology. “We know you didn’t mean to, honey,” her dad said.

“Oh my God,” Cathy said excitedly, “You
have to
tell us about your romantic time snowed in with your boss.”

Anna turned beet red, wondering how Cathy had read the situation so perfectly. She set Bayou down as her mom said, “Cathy, she just got back from a long drive. Give her some room to breathe.”

“Alright, alright,” Cathy relented. “But don’t take too long! We’re dyin’ to know over here!” she called after Anna.

Anna came down to face a grilling from her family and neighbors. The only solace of the endless questioning was the fact that a piece of pumpkin pie had magically appeared in her hand (and was gone in seconds.)

“So, tell us about your time shut in with your handsome boss,” Leone chuckled.

“Well, um, in case you guys forgot, I was stuck there. I didn’t actually have a choice in the matter—neither of us did,” Anna said, indignant. “And why do you assume he’s handsome?”
I mean, he is. But I never mentioned that.

Leone shrugged. “Why else would you be spending so much time with him?”

Anna protested, “I just said! I didn’t have a choice in the matter—”

“So why are you blushing so much?” Cathy teased. “Did you kiss him?” Anna’s face somehow got even redder.

“Oooh, she did,” her Auntie Lynn said playfully.

Anna laughed nervously. “He’s my boss. Stop being so inappropriate, all of you.”

“That’s right,” Cathy said. “Your rich, handsome, boss!”

“Alright, alright,” Anna’s dad finally stepped in, laughing. “Let’s stop torturing Anna and eat, shall we?”

The whole exchange got Anna thinking of the cliché of falling for your boss. Apparently it was common enough that her family expected—nay, predicted—that being snowed in with Jason would result in romantic feelings. As they moved through to the dining room, Anna considered how a potential relationship between her and Jason would be perceived.
“Oh, she’s only dating him for the money,”
they would think.
“Oh, he’s using his power to chase young tail.”
What these hypothetical people would not realize, however, is how different things are when you find yourself living the cliché.

Maybe I shouldn’t be getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with deciding if I’ll admit my feelings first, and then I’ll go from there,
Anna thought, sighing.

“These all look so
good,
” Anna said enthusiastically, taking in the array of dishes in front of her.

“Just wait till you see tomorrow’s spread,” her Uncle Robbie said.

After shoving some food into her mouth, Anna turned to Cathy, “So, Cath, seeing anyone cute?”
My turn to hound you on your love life.

“Oh, you know…nothing serious…” Cathy said, turning over her mashed potatoes with her fork.

“Hmph,” their grandma said. “You youngsters are all allergic to commitment.”

“But Ma,” Uncle Robbie argued, “they’re young—they have time. They can figure themselves out before they decide to settle down.”

“Allergic. To. Commitment,” she retorted.

Anna and Cathy giggled.

Not long after their late dinner, Anna headed up to her teenage bedroom, exhausted. Nestled into her undersized bed, she was about to drift off when an image of Jason popped into her head.
Oh my God, brain, not now. I’m in my childhood bedroom, for God’s sake.

But admonishing herself did nothing to stop her imagination. So Anna stopped resisting. She felt her heartbeat get faster and breathing get slower as she sank back into her blissful romantic reverie.

Shit. The contract,
she thought, as the sudden memory jolted her out of her fantasies. The excitement of seeing her family had made her forget all about it.
If I don’t send it as soon as possible, it will compromise the whole deal,
she thought anxiously.
The Carsons will leave with a bad impression, they’ll never recommend me to their friends, and it will all go downhill from there…