His First Christmas: The Lonely Billionaire - A Heart-Warming Romance Novel (2 page)

CHAPTER THREE

Anna jumped when she heard a “How did it go?” from behind her. It was Penelope, Anna’s cubicle neighbor.

“Oh…apparently lots of hoops to jump through before I can get started,” Anna said. She and Penelope had only recently started to bridge the gap between acquaintanceship and friendship, but Anna was glad that she finally had someone to talk to, if only for superficial topics.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Penelope said, leaning on Anna’s desk. “Personally, I don’t get why you would want to bother braving all the red tape.”

“Oh well, it’s all just a minor inconvenience, really,” she smiled. “It’ll be worth it in the end. The holidays would ring so hollow without giving back, you know?”

Penelope shook her head. “Gorgeous
and
a heart of gold. You must be hiding some kind of dark secret,” she winked. Before she left Anna’s cubicle, she asked, “Still coming for Wednesday drinks with the rest of the team later?”

“Definitely,” she said. “And thanks for the compliment,” she added, blushing slightly, as Penelope walked away.

It was true that Anna had inherited her mother’s elegant looks: well-defined brows, high cheek bones, full lips, and large, hazel eyes. Her simple, straight brown hair let her facial features shine.

Anna had been told she was attractive her whole life, and that kind of compliment tended to wash over her. She was more tickled to hear Penelope say she had a heart of gold.
Let’s see if my heart is gold enough to pull off this charity appeal.

“And I’m not hiding some dark secret!”

***

Okay, maybe I am hiding a dark secret…
Anna thought as she sipped beer with her coworkers at the local pub.
That being that I like my job.
The pub, The Three Boars, was busy with a mixture of young adult professionals like Anna and her colleagues, hip college kids, and retirees. Anna felt like it was part of authentic Seattle.

“To another Wednesday finished with,” Penelope cheered, raising her glass. Their coworkers, Kirk, Jane, and Victor, echoed, “To another Wednesday over,” clinking their glasses. It had been Penelope’s idea to have Wednesdays be drinks night.

“Monday gets a bad rap, but it’s not
actually
so bad. You still have your energy from the weekend. And same with Tuesday,” Penelope had argued. “But by Wednesday there’s no energy to speak of, and the weekend is still light-years away. So why not a drinks night to tide us over?”

The thing was, Anna found it disconcerting spending every Wednesday hearing her coworkers commiserate. Anna genuinely loved her job: the thrill of the sale, connecting with customers, and seeing how happy she could make people by helping them find their dream home. Her job was the one saving grace of Seattle.

“Okay, I’ll start. So I have this one nightmare client,” Jane began. “He’s completely delusional about the value of his home—about fifty grand off—and he’s been refusing offers that I think are more than fair. It’s going to be eons before I can close this sale,” she groaned.

Her coworkers nodded in sympathy. “Definitely been there,” Kirk chuckled.

“War of attrition. Not ideal, but he’ll come around,” Penelope said.

“You know how I avoid shit like that? Weed out crappy clients from the beginning. The sale, if it ever comes off, is never worth the headaches,” Victor said.

Jane took a swig of her beer. “I can’t wait for Friday.”

“I can’t wait for Christmas break!” Kirk exclaimed.

“Amen,” his coworkers echoed enthusiastically—all apart from Anna.

CHAPTER FOUR

Penelope, Victor, Kirk, and Jane… they’re all really nice, decent, people,
Anna thought, closing her front door behind her. Her cheeks were still red from the cold, having just walked five blocks from the closest bus stop.

Anna was grateful they had welcomed a newbie such as herself into their fold. Still, as much as she wanted to, Anna felt like she didn’t really connect with them.
We’re more friends of convenience,
she thought, taking off her heels.
Maybe my real dark secret is that I feel alone.

Anna felt like her generation glorified moving to new cities. Sure, it was an adventurous thing to do, but underneath the glamour of moving to a new city, she wished she’d known how lonely it would feel. She had been unprepared for the loss of entire networks of friends; unprepared for starting from zero, socially.

When she’d first moved, Anna had figured she would eventually adjust.
That’s what I did when I moved from Westmount to Spokane for college,
she’d reasoned.
Sure, I missed my family, but I assimilated pretty fast.
And
when she stayed in Spokane for her first real job, she’d had her college friendships to fall back on.

Anna sighed, slumping into her couch. She’d taken the pressure-cooker of friendships that is college for granted. It was harder to make friends when you were an adult; everyone already had their networks, and any new people were just encroaching upon potential friends’ Limited Time. She felt like she could barely scratch past surface level with anyone—but surface-level, drinks-after-work friends were still better than nothing.

Realizing that she was brooding yet again, Anna got up from the couch and got out the vacuum cleaner. Even though lone, type-A types such as herself left nonexistent messes, she found that cleaning was a soothing ritual, and a way for her to take pride in her first home: a charming bungalow in Rainier, a twenty-minute commute from her work downtown.

This year had held a lot of firsts for Anna: first non-used car, first time investing, first time actually having health insurance. She was checking off Official Adult milestones, and she felt like her life was coming together quite well for twenty-five.
Not bad for a girl who grew up on welfare.

She moved on, to the one or two dishes left in her sink.
The thing is…will I ever get my relationships in order?

She pictured herself in a doomsday future: successful but lonely, filling in a mansion all by herself.
I guess I wouldn’t mind cats?

She turned on the oven. Thoughts of a potentially dismal future were bumming her out, and she decided to make some of her favorite comfort food, baked potato soup, in order to calm herself down and think about something else.

Anna’s thoughts flicked between potential venues for the charity dinner (should it be approved), and the major house showing she would be conducting the next day. After spending weeks in contact with her clients, the Carsons, and working out all the details together, the open house was finally happening.
A two-million dollar home. More than I’ve earned in my entire life.
She felt nervous.

CHAPTER FIVE

“You brought gingerbread cookies?” Mr Carson, a lawyer in his fifties, asked. He and his wife were selling in order to upgrade their already impressive home. Anna had to admit that she felt out of place in the midst of such extravagance, but tried not to let it show.

Anna nodded. “They’re to make the home smell inviting. Although it’s already plenty welcoming on its own,” she smiled.

“Do you think we’ll be able to sell?” Mrs Carson asked.

“Absolutely. It’s gorgeous, in a prime location accessible to the best parts of Seattle, and has mountain
and
lake views. To someone who can afford it, it’ll be a no-brainer.”

The couple nodded. “We have confidence in you, Anna,” Mrs Carson said, before she and her husband walked out the door, leaving Anna in charge.

Within minutes, potential customers had started to arrive. “Hi there,” Anna said warmly, taking in their designer clothing. “Right this way.”

“Right here we have one of the living rooms. As you can see, the large, paneled windows provide a stunning view onto Lake Washington and Mount Olympia. You can imagine having your morning coffee with such a serene background. And the cedar paneling, which features throughout the house, creates a cozy, warm atmosphere…”

After the end of the tour, one of the prospective buyers took Anna aside and said, “My husband and I have absolutely fallen in love with this house. If no one else has made an offer at the asking price…we’ll take it,” she said excitedly.

A second couple spotted what was going on and jumped in. “We’re very interested, too,” they said quickly.

“Right,” Anna said, looking between the two couples. “So just to confirm, the asking price is two million…” Anna maintained a calm composure, but inside, she was ecstatic that not only was she going to sell the house, but she had two couples fighting over it. She resisted the urge to do a fist pump. She was in the big leagues now.

***

Of course, closing the sale was the fun part. Then came the mountains of paperwork and emails. At this point of the sale, Anna basically had to live in her inbox.

“Staying late again?” Penelope asked.

Anna yawned. “Yeah. I’ve got to deal with all this paperwork, and then there’s some more charity appeal stuff that needs doing.”

Penelope shook her head slowly. “Alright, see you tomorrow,” she said.

Yeah, I know you think I’m crazy for putting all this effort in, Penelope. And who knows, maybe you’re right. But I’m still doing it.

Anna did have to admit that her life would be easier without taking on the extra workload of getting the fundraising dinner approved. She reminded herself of why she was doing this. Yes, it was a way of distracting herself, but more importantly it was about giving back in the season of giving back
.
As far as distractions went, it was a stressful one. Anna was learning that Hawthorne Estates took their red tape very seriously. So far in the approval process, she had had to email six different people in HR, attend a dozen meetings, and write a memo entitled “5 Reasons Why a Charity Dinner Will Boost Our Company’s Brand”.
And that’s before I even start planning the fundraiser!

Scanning her inbox, Anna was stunned when the magical words, “Request for Audience Approved” popped up. She exhaled quickly and opened the email.

Dear Ms Lionel,

Your request for the audience of Jason Hawthorne, CEO, has been approved. It has been scheduled for Wednesday October 16, 4:00 PM to 4:10 PM, at the main office.

Karen Taschuk

Secretary

A colder email could not have been written, but Anna didn’t care; she was ecstatic to have gotten through hurdle number one.
Now, to get the CEO’s approval!

CHAPTER SIX

Anna was in the middle of preparing a pasta sauce for her dinner when her phone rang.  Looking at the caller ID, she saw it was Cathy.

“Hey sis,” she said. “What’s up? How’s college treating you?” she inquired.

“It’s good, it’s good. Almost through with finals now. Listen—I’m not sure what to get Mom and Dad. What are you getting them?”

“I already got their presents. And I’m not telling,” Anna said cheekily. “I’m sure whatever you get them, they’ll be happy with. But shouldn’t you be worrying about your remaining finals instead of Christmas right now?”

Anna could sense Cathy’s eyes rolling even over the phone.

“Okay,
Mom.
Who does their Christmas shopping so early?!”

“You’re just jealous that I’m all finished,” Anna teased. “So, have you figured out how you’re getting home for Christmas?”

“Yeah, Dad’s picking me up.”

“Okay, great. Well, see you at Christmas, Cath.”

“Wait, Anna,” Cathy said quickly.

“Yeah?”

“How are you finding Seattle? Like, actually?” she asked.

Anna paused. “It’s…good. It’s a beautiful city. And work is going really well…”

“Yeah, but, are you sure you don’t feel lonely? You’re not seeing anyone, are you?” Cathy pointed out.

Anna felt embarrassed that Cathy could sum up her tortured situation in a single sentence. But she wasn’t going to admit that Cathy was right. “I mean, I have my work friends. We go for drinks once a week,” Anna said, realizing mid-sentence how lame that sounded. “I don’t know, Cathy! These things don’t happen overnight,” she said defensively.

“Okay, Anna. I just think that you should put yourself out there more. Your last serious relationship was in college, and that was forever ago. Isn’t it time you started looking for something good again?”

Anna sighed. “I don’t know, but pestering me isn’t really going to help. Shouldn’t you be focusing on not flunking your exams?”

“
Okay,
Anna, I was just concerned for you.”

“
Okay,
Cath. I appreciate your concern,” Anna said. “Really. Good luck on the rest of your finals. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Cathy said begrudgingly.

They hung up. Despite how much they could get on her nerves, Anna was really looking forward to seeing her family. The phone call had been a welcome reminder that real love and warmth were awaiting her at home. She couldn’t wait for some respite from six months of surface-level connections.