Walker:Yeah that's Holly. I told her to get with you on the TechBiz holiday party stuff.
Walker sent me her contact card, and I added it to my phone.
Owen:Do you ever get tired of Christmas?
Holly:How'd you know it was me and not one of your crazy stalkers?
Owen:Tech genius and billionaire.
Holly:You asked Walker, didn't you?
Owen:How did you know?
Holly:Christmas savant.
Holly:And Walker told me. He also wants me to bring fun and Christmas cheer to your office. And the dog daycare?
Owen:Right.
Holly:Want to meet tomorrow?
Owen:Fine.
I wanted to meet right now. If my office wasn’t all glass, I would fuck her here. But she had run off last night. I'd better be patient. I could do that. I was successful because I remained cold and rational when everyone else was freaking out. When Bitcoin tanked and everyone including Walker was telling me to stop investing in it, I had poured more money in. And it had paid off.
But it didn't seem as if Holly was all that impressed by my business prowess.
The thought that I would see Holly again soon was enough to get me through the rest of the day. After a contentious conference call with Svensson PharmaTech, my day was over. I clipped on Rudolph's harness. I needed to buy him one that wasn't so Christmassy. But Holly had bought it, so maybe I would keep it.
Unfortunately, I couldn't see to that tonight. I had drinks scheduled with my siblings. Ever since Belle had returned last year, we had tried to get together more often. My youngest two brothers were in college still, but Jonathan, Jack, and Belle were already at the bar.
“They said we could sit outside in the courtyard,” Belle said, giving me a hug.
The waiter looked at us nervously. “It's cold outside.”
Belle shrugged. She was wearing a sleeveless silk top. “The cold never bothered me anyway. Besides, the dogs can run around.”
Jack's husky, Milo, promptly picked up Rudolph by the scruff of the neck and took him outside. There was frost on the metal café furniture in the small courtyard. People gaped at us through the windows.
“Owen has a girlfriend,” Jonathan blurted out as soon as we were seated.
“It better not be Sloane,” Jack said.
The server, bundled up in a puffy coat, brought out a tray of whisky. “I warmed it up,” he said, steam rising from the cups.
“Cheers!” Belle said, clinking glasses.
“So did Mom tell you about Owen's girlfriend?” Jack asked Jonathan.
Jonathan looked askance. “She showed up at my office.”
“Dad showed up at my office too,” I growled.
“They still want grandchildren,” Belle said, rolling her eyes and taking a sip of her drink. “I guess they've given up on you, Jack.”
“Even if I had a kid, I wouldn't let her see it,” Jack said, scowling at his drink.
“So if it's not Sloane, who's your girlfriend?” Belle asked me. “It better not be one of the contestants. I saw you flirting with Holly ineffectively.”
