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Bingo!
Merry freaking Christmas to me.
* * *
There was just one more small thing I needed to do before I left for the holidays. I’d already prepped a Motion to Withdraw as Rex Adam’s counsel and handed it off to my paralegal to get filed. After signing into my bank to make sure that my year-end bonus check had cleared, I decided that since giving myself gifts was so much fun, I was going to give myself one more. Taking a stroll down the senior partner hallway, I knocked on the door of the only one in this week—Milton Fleming. I wasn’t a fan of his. The few times I’d been invited to executive outings—usually because I had the best golf handicap in the firm—all he did was talk shit about the other associates and which paralegals he’d like to bend over the copy machine.
“Chester. Come on in. How’s the golf game going these days?”
Well, it’s December in New York, so the courses were pretty much frozen and covered in snow. But I’d play along anyway. “Great. Just great.”
“How can I help you?”
I walked to his desk and extended an envelope to him. He reached out and took it.
“I’m giving you my resignation. I’ve really enjoyed the last five years here at Fleming, O’Shea and Leads, but it’s time for me to move on.”
His big, bushy brows dipped inward and met in the middle. I never noticed before, but they looked like two fuzzy caterpillars trying to mate. “Is this a matter of money? Were you not happy with your year-end bonus?”
“No, the bonus was fine. Thank you. I appreciate it. I’m just ready to go out on my own.”
“Have you already informed your clients?” It was common practice for lawyers to tell their clients before their firm to try to sway them to leave with them when they left.
I shook my head. “Nope. They’re all yours.”
“This is rather sudden. I thought you were happy here.”
I almost laughed at that. How the hell would he know if I was happy? It’s not like he’d ever asked. “It’s nothing personal.” I pointed to the envelope. “I wrote I’d stay on through year end. But I’m flexible if you want me to stay on a little longer.”
Milton sighed. “Alright. I’ll let the other’s know. I’m sure they’ll be disappointed to hear the news.”
“Have a good holiday,” I said.
“Yeah, you, too.”
With all of my Christmas gifting done at work, I still had one more little plan I needed to set into motion. I locked up my office and headed for the front door while Googling Star Events.
5
Margo
“Are you up for a little dare?”
God, I was definitely not in the mood. Yet…I couldn’t break that stupid streak. I sighed. “Go easy on me. I’m going to have no gifts from Santa under the tree this year, and I’m still pouting over the loss of an elf.”
“So I take that as a yes, then?” Nancy raised a brow.
“Yeah. Of course. But be kind. We have to be in court in an hour, and I don’t want to be all flustered.” Nancy and I met at a coffee shop around the corner from the courthouse. People were walking in and out, and I couldn’t help but glance up every time the Christmas bells hanging on the entrance door jingled. My hopes deflated every time it wasn’t a certain lawyer. What the hell was wrong with me? Of all the men to become obsessive about, it had to be the one guy I should have zero interest in…and the one guy who wasn’t allowed to have any interest in me. I sipped my Peppermint hot chocolate and sighed. “So what’s my dare?”
“You see that Salvation Army stand outside?”
I turned to look out the window. “Yeah.”
“I just watched Santa leave in a dented Lexus parked in a handicapped spot, even though he seemed perfectly fine to me. Go take that annoying bell off the door and stand outside and sing ‘Jingle Bells’ until you get someone to stick money in the donation box.”
While embarrassing since I couldn’t sing for shit, it could have been way worse of a dare with Nancy. I dug my gloves out of my pocket and put them on, then shrugged on my coat before she changed her mind. I wagged a finger at her. “No videoing me.”
She raised her hands like she was Little Miss In
