Chapter Nine
The more Grant thought about everything he had to get ready for Christmas, the more he realized that he was going to need Sunny’s help.
It was too much to ask. Theonething Sunny had asked for was Christmas day off, and Grant had wanted to tell him to go home on Friday and not come back until the first Monday of the new year.
Now he was on the verge of asking for his pre-Christmas weekend, too.
He was a terrible boss.
But he needed the help, and the worst part was that he knew Sunnywouldhelp him. For whatever reason, Sunny seemed to like him.
It was nice to be liked.
It wasn’t nice to take advantage of it, but he didn’t have much choice.
Grant took a deep breath, checked his hair in the reflection of his laptop screen, and steeled himself.
“Sunny,” he began, figuring it couldn’t hurt to practice once or twice. “Sunny,” he repeated, changing his tone to something softer.
This wasn’t an order. It was a request.
“Sunny,” he said a third time, glancing up at the door to make sure he hadn’t accidentally summoned him.
“This is a lot to ask, but I could really use your help setting up for Christmas. I know it’s not in your job description, but Iwillcompensate you, it’s just that-”
Grant paused as the door to his office swung open.
“Are you talking to yourself?” Sunny asked. “Because I thought I heard you call.”
Crap.
Now he had to ask, whether he was ready or not.
“Who are we compensating?” Sunny continued.
Grant wet his lips. “Uh, you, actually,” he said, completely forgetting the speech he’d just put together in his head. “I need to ask you a favor. Of the personal kind. I’ll pay you.”
Sunny stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. “Are you about to ask the impossible again?”
“Kinda?” Grant winced at the thought.
He was asking too much. Heknewthat.
But Sunny was so helpful, and he needed the help. He didn’t have anyone else to ask, and he couldn’t do it all on his own.
Sunny sat down across from him, smoothing out his tie and settling his tablet in his lap, ready to take notes.
Grant sighed. He had to ask. The worst that could happen was that Sunny would say no.
Or maybe the worst that could happen was that he could sayyes.
He knew how taking his pretty, much younger PA to a cabin in the middle of nowhere would look. He just didn’t have the luxury of caring about that right now.
This was about Hope. He would have done anything for her, and one or two rumors going around weren’t enough to stop him.
Besides, if they thought Sunny would be evenremotelyinterested in someone like him, they were idiots. Sunny could do a lot better.
“I need you to come up to that cabin with me. I know I promised you some time off, and you’ll still get it. You said it was near your parents’ place, and I promise I will personally take you home on the morning of Christmas Eve so you can spend some time with them, and I’ll make you dinner the night before, and I’ll pay you twice your normal rate.”
