“How much do I owe you?” I ask, unclasping my purse.
Hugh waves me away. “Nothing. Consider it a welcome to Santa’s Village drink.”
I should insist, especially considering he bought the first round. Ultimately, I decide to accept the gesture; I have a feeling he’d have a comeback for whatever I said, anyway. “Thank you.”
Meredith asks if I want to join her and the others on the dance floor, and I say yes. She asks Hugh to come along and show us some of his moves, but he declines, saying he’s going to get a game of darts going. “Maura was mixing up another batch of elf shots when I was out there,” he says before we head off. “Be sure to pace yourselves.”
*****
It’s just after midnight and I’m only now realizing why Hugh’s words sounded like a warning. Whether or not he guessed I’m a lightweight, two daiquiris and two shots have left me with a buzz that makes me feel like I’m floating.
I’m sprawled in the middle bench seat of Hugh’s SUV. The only other person left for him to drop off is Meredith, who apparently lives down the street from him. We had a car full of giggly elves until a few minutes ago. I can still feel the goofy smile plastered to my face as I sink into the plush seats.
“Don’t fall asleep, we’re almost there,” Meredith says from the front. Her words are slightly slurred, which triggers my giggles yet again. For the last half hour or so everything has been hilarious.
We pull up in front of my apartment building and I fumble with the seatbelt, unable to depress the button enough to free it. Hugh releases his own seatbelt and twists around, kneeling on the center console so he can reach me. He’s close, filling my nostrils with his fresh winter scent. My breath catches and I hold it until he frees me.
“I’ll walk you up to your apartment.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him. “This is a no parking zone anyway. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll stay in the car in case a fire truck comes,” Meredith says.
“You’re more drunk than I am, so you wouldn’t be able to move the car.”
Hugh laughs quietly, shaking his head as he shifts back into the front and opens his door.
“Then I’ll get out and…I don’t know, push it out of the way,” she says.
I snort. “Push a vehicle that weighs about a thousands times more than you. I’d like to see you try.”
Meredith hops out of the front seat and opens my door. “Well you won’t see it because you’re going to let Mr. Chivalry walk you upstairs so you don’t do a faceplant in the hall or something.” She reaches out and helps me slide out of the car. We stumble on my oh-so-graceful landing and turn it into a laughter-fueled hug. “I’m so glad you came tonight. And I’m glad you started working at Santa’s Village. And I’m glad we’re friends.”
I laugh into her hair. “I’m glad about all those things too.” Upon releasing her, I notice how heavy her eyelids appear and how flushed her face is. I haven’t had a chance to check my reflection, but I can assume my face is red after so much alcohol. At least I’m not the only one. “Are you going to be okay to work in the morning?”
“Psh, of course.” She grips the handrail inside the passenger side door and hoists herself into the seat. “This is nothing. You should have seen me in college. Just make sure to drink a full glass of water when you get upstairs and you should be fine in the morning.”
I wave goodbye to Meredith and join Hugh on the other side of the vehicle. We’re quiet as we go up the front walk. The air has a bite to it that feels nice against my hot cheeks. I unlock the building’s front door and lead the way to the elevators. I usually take the stairs since I only live three floors up, but I can feel myself fading fast and I don’t want to take a tumble on the stairs and keep Hugh any longer than necessary.
Neither of us has said a word yet. It almost feels like the end of a date, which is probably why butterflies are taking wing in my stomach. There shouldn’t be any awkwardness, though; I felt at ease with him after our chat earlier, plus Meredith is waiting in the car. It’s not like I have to worry about him expecting anything from me. Or having to do the weird post-date dance ofshould I or shouldn’t I invite him inor the always funwill he or won’t he kiss mequestion.
The elevator dings and the doors slide open. I almost tell him he can go now, but I have a feeling Hugh is the type to see things through, and he’ll want to make sure I get all the way to my door. We trudge down the hall and I stop in front of my door, belatedly realizing I should have been digging my keys out on the way up.
“Thanks for the ride,” I say, fishing in my purse and latching onto my keys. “And the drinks. And being kind and welcoming and friendly in general.” My body moves forward of its own volition and before I fully grasp what I’m doing I kiss his cheek. I move back so fast I slam into the wall behind me. “Oops! Alcohol brain. I must have been thinking you were David.”
“David?” he asks, his brows pinching together.
“My best friend Bridget’s David. I mean boyfriend. They’ve been together for almost a year now and we reached the peck-on-the-cheek stage early on because we’ve known each other so long. He was our boss until this past January when he moved up in the company.” I press my lips together to stop my rambling. I don’t miss the bemused look on Hugh’s face. After a deep breath, I add, “Anyway, he’s tall and hot too, except his accent is British, and oh my god I need to go inside and sew my mouth shut now.”
In the time since I started this never-ending speech of embarrassment, Hugh has crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. His eyes hold a mixture of amusement and curiosity. “You think I’m hot?”
“Well, I mean, yeah. Obviously. Do you own a mirror?”
A low laugh rumbles out of him. He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again when a scraping sound comes from inside. I can’t see any light from under the door, so maybe Celia got up to go to the bathroom and bumped into something. Or maybe she heard us talking and is coming to investigate. If she opens the door and finds me out here with Hugh, I’ll never hear the end of it.
“I’d better be going,” Hugh says. “Meredith tends to fall asleep after a night like tonight, and I’m not sure I’m up to carrying her inside her place.”
“Okay. Thanks again for everything. I’ll see you on Monday?”
“You bet.” He leans in and my heart stops for a second as I think he’s going to kiss my cheek. Instead, his hand lightly grips my shoulder and squeezes. “Sleep well.” He releases me and starts down the hall, stopping after only a few feet. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty hot yourself.” After my mouth running away with me the last five minutes, I’m now stunned into silence. Hugh grins and turns around slowly. “Goodnight, Ivy,” he says over his shoulder.
