Page 66 of One Midnight Kiss

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NATALIA

It had been two weeks since Thanksgiving. Two weeks since I last saw Fox. His absence left me feeling oddly numb, like someone had turned down the volume on everything around me. Now, as I stood in front of the boardroom table, addressing a group of executives with forced enthusiasm, I felt a hollowness inside that I couldn’t shake.

It was so much easier to accept the new life I established for myself before I met him. He dragged me out of the cold, dark place I crawled into after the divorce. He brought me into the sunshine and made me feel again. Now that I was back in my dark and twisty place, I knew it. Before, I had been kind of numb. It didn’t bother me. In fact, I relished the cold. But now? Now I wanted to be in the sunshine with him. I wanted him to do those things to my body that made me all warm and gooey.

I heard someone cough and was quickly snapped back to the present. I blinked and saw many eyes on me.

I remembered my train of thought and started speaking again. “The advertising plan for quarter one is straightforward,” I said, gesturing to the slides behind me. “We’re focusing heavily on social media integration for HomeTech, leveraging targeted influencer campaigns and a push toward interactive ads.”

As I continued outlining our strategy, my voice steadied, and my mind began to clear. But underneath that presentation mask, Fox crept back into my thoughts. It was hard to dismiss the recent memory of him.

I glanced around the room. It wasn’t just me that had my thoughts elsewhere. Half the team wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t blame them. It was mid-December. Everyone was itching to use up their vacation days and get out of there. No one gave a shit about next quarter. It had been a long year, and we were all ready to take some time off and not think about social media, graphic design, and finicky clients.

Penelope had already left for her two-week holiday break. She’d packed up her desk yesterday with a cheerful smile, hugging me before she rushed off to visit her family in Oregon. Good for her. Everyone else had their plans, their people to go home to.

But what did I have? An empty home on Christmas Eve and a fake engagement that had spiraled into something I couldn’t quite control. I stopped the dismal thoughts. I knew where this road led. I would get sad and depressed when I thought too hard about being alone.

Being alone was fine. I actually relished it. It was being lonely that got me all worked up.

As I wrapped up the presentation, I could see the relief on everyone’s faces. They were so ready to be done. “Great work, Natalia,” Aaron said. He flashed me a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Thanks,” I replied curtly, turning off the projector and gathering my notes.

Everyone filed out of the room, all of them chatting with each other about their plans for the holidays. I was used to not being included. I was the boss. No one wanted to hang out with the boss, and I honestly didn’t think it was good to fraternize. It confused things. Muddied the water. Then again, considering how much time I spent at the office and my complete lack of a personal life, the office was really the only place I could fraternize.

No wonder I was longing for Fox’s company. He was the only person outside of the office, besides Christa, that I had spent any time with. I would get over it.

On my way to my office, I passed by Penelope’s empty desk. Her phone rang. I picked it up knowing it was likely someone trying to reach me. “This is Natalia Dawkins.”

There was a beat of silence on the other end. “Oh, Natalia. I didn’t expect you to answer. This is Jerrod. Jerrod Leeman, the CFO at HomeTech.”

I smiled. “Yes, Jerrod, I know who you are. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering, is Fox up there with you?”

I frowned, leaning against the desk. “No, is he supposed to be?”

Jerrod hesitated. “He didn’t come into the office today. I thought maybe he was working directly with your team, especially after you guys secured the Samsung account for Hanna’s tech. I assumed he went straight there to hammer out the details.”

The Samsung account. That was a big win, one that required Fox’s direct involvement. I noticed a hint of worry in Jerrod’s voice, and for some reason, it made my stomach twist. I assumed it was abnormal for him not to show up to work. “Did you call him?” I asked the obvious question.

“I did. A few times. He isn’t answering. I assumed he was in a meeting with you and your team. Maybe he just slept in.”

I had a feeling that was the more likely answer to his question. Or maybe he was sleeping in with whatever slut he picked up at the bar.

“Sorry you misplaced your CEO, Jerrod,” I said dryly. “I haven’t seen him. Good luck finding him.”

I hung up, drumming my nails on the desk. What was going on with Fox? He’d been radio silent for two weeks, and now he was a no-show to his own company. I tried to ignore the stab of worry in my chest, but it was there, lingering like a bad taste. He wasn’t really my fiancé. I didn’t have to keep track of him. He was a grown man that could do as he wished with who he wished. I wasn’t his keeper.

“Natalia!” Aaron’s voice broke my thoughts. He walked up to me looking annoyingly cheerful.

“Yes?” I asked, expecting him to ask me for more time off.

“A few of us are heading up to the bar for drinks. You should come. It’s almost Christmas, after all. We all deserve to relax and unwind. You look like you could use a drink.”

Normally, I would have made an excuse and gone back to my office, but tonight maybe a distraction was what I needed. I didn’t want to go home alone and sit and think about Fox. “Sure,” I said, forcing a smile. “I’ll join you all.”