“I ordered us croissan’wiches,” Morticia said as she set the borrowed keys in the little dish on the bookcase. “Though, mainly I bought them for you. You have a gallon of wine in your stomach.”
I checked my phone as I ate the croissant. There were several texts from Owen. One was Rudolph dressed up as a snowman. Another asked if I was going to come to the holiday party he was apparently hosting on Christmas Eve.
Owen:Please don't move to Paris. I'll miss your cookies.
There was another text from Amber with the pictures of Owen kissing Sloane.
Morticia peered over my shoulder. “Is that—”
“I think she ambushed him.”
“She seems to be doing that a lot,” Morticia said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
“It's not his fault!” I protested. “Sloane is crazy.”
“He's a billionaire,” Morticia said flatly. “He could have nipped that in the bud a while ago.”
“I can't believe you're agreeing with Amber,” I said.
Standing up and balling the empty wrapper, Morticia sighed. “You're my friend, and I don't want to see you get hurt. Also, I have a baseball bat in case he screws up.”
“I appreciate that,” I said, rolling my eyes, “but I'm not taking a baseball bat to Owen.”
“Missed opportunity.”
“I'm going to see him,” I insisted, throwing away my trash. “We'll have an adult conversation. I still have his credit card anyway; I should give that back.”
“You're going like that? You have frosting in your hair, and you smell like a bar.”
*
I hoppedout of the Uber in front of Owen's tower. I felt much better after a shower and some coffee. It was almost Christmas! I was wearing a sweater with holiday corgis on it. Owen had wanted me to help him with a holiday party, and there was nothing better than throwing a party!
Owen's office was mostly empty. A temp worker filling in for the receptionist was sitting at the front desk, sipping tea out of a giant mug shaped like a penguin and watching holiday movies.
“Just go on up,” she said when I asked about Owen. “His secretary isn't there. She went back to Texas.”
When I arrived on Owen's floor, I snuck up to his door. I wanted to surprise him, but I was the one who got the nasty surprise.
Owen was in his office, alone, withSloane. She smiled and said something, then Owen tipped his head back and laughed.
I held my breath, not daring to believe what I was seeing. Surely there was a logical explanation for all of this, right? Then she leaned forward, grabbed him, and pulled him into a passionate kiss. I wanted to turn tail and run. But I would regret it forever if I didn't make some kind of scene.
I picked up one of the decorative pine cones I'd put on the secretary's desk. It was practically shellacked in glitter. And it was flaking. I flung the door to Owen's office open and chucked the giant pine cone at the two of them. It hit Sloane square in the shoulder. Sloane shrieked as she and Owen were covered in a puff of glitter.
“You lunatic!” she spat, trying to dust herself off. “This was a very expensive blouse!”
I was pretty proud of myself for the shot. All that whipping cream by hand had given me some muscle under the liquefied sugar.
“Holly,” Owen said, “this isn't what it looks like.”
“Really?” I said “What is it then?”
Sloane smirked. “He's giving me the payment for winning theTechBizcompetition.”
I tried to keep the despair off my face.
Sloane was triumphant. “You honestly didn't think your stupid little parties were what won him the contest, did you?”
