Knowing it wasn’t Easton took the sparkle right out of my Secret Santa whirlwind.
Whoever was at the other end of these gifts was going to feel pretty let down at the end if they did have a crush on me. Because the only man I wanted to unwrap on Christmas morning was Easton.
But I still wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery of my Secret Santa. It was dominating my thoughts these days.
I studied the Jingle Mingle Market invitation. Maybe if I sat at the goat’s milk booth all night long, I’d find out who my secret admirer was.
Or maybe, just maybe, it was time to go to HR. That could be my shortcut to figuring out the mystery.
Thirty seconds later, I was knocking on Aemon’s door.
“Do you have a moment?” I asked.
He looked surprised to see me. “Uh, sure. What’s up, Violet? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I slipped into the chair across from his desk. I’d only spoken to Aemon during the hiring process and again at orientation. Since then, we hadn’t exchanged a single word. I always got the feeling that he was averybusy man. He did HR not just for our small office, but for the other divisions nationwide that Von Renpel Enterprises owned.
Since I couldn’t figure out how to ask, I just put it out there bluntly.
“I know you have more important things to deal with, but I… wanted to thank my Secret Santa in person. Can you give me their name?”
He cocked his head. “Secret Santa gifts aren’t happening until December 23rd.”
“I know. Mine just happened to get me something earlier. Any chance you’d share their name? It was such a thoughtful gift.”
He chuckled. “Sorry, Violet. It’s a state secret. No one gets to know who their Secret Santa is.”
I leaned in closer and stared right at his face, looking for any hints or signs. “Butyouknow who it is,right?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“And theydefinitelywork here?”
“Yeah. They work for Von Renpel.”
I sat back in my seat again, hand coming up to my mouth, deep in thought.
Then Aemon put on his HR hat. “The gift wasn’t inappropriate, was it?”
“No. No. Definitely not.”
He tapped his pen on his desk three times. “I tell you what. I’ll check with the person who got your name and let them know that you were asking. If they’re okay with it, I’ll share their name with you.”
A wave of relief flowed through me. I was going to find out who it was soon enough.
“Good. Thank you for doing that.”
“Before you go, do you like it here, Violet? Have you settled in well?”
I’d only been here for about six months. My division had closed, and I’d been given the option between a severance package or a transfer from sunny California all the way to this tiny Ozark mountain town. I’d opted for the transfer.
Nodding my head, I gave him a tiny smile. “Yeah. It’s nice here.”
The truth was, it was a beautiful town, but I was lonely as hell. And having a hard time making friends, despite everyone being so friendly. It was my personal issue. I tended to pull back from people even when they were trying to get to know me. It was hard to come out of my shell.
Chapter 12
Easton
