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She smiled at me, extending her arm, and I let her tow me in for a hug. “Dean, I haven’t seen you in so long.”
When she let go of me, I stood and stuck my hands in my pockets, returning her smile. Mrs. Novak had always been kind to me, and while I’d never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Novak, I was sure I would have enjoyed knowing him just as much.
“You’re working too hard,” she told me, and I huffed, refusing to tell her the truth, that it was her granddaughter’s fault. Ever since Taylor had transferred to the West Chester office, I’d been billing more hours and hustling for more clients in an attempt to demonstrate I deserved to be next in line on the chain. Not her. I had been there a lot longer than she had. If you didn’t count how she had toddled around the Philly office as a little kid, according to a few pictures I’d seen on the walls there.
Instead of acknowledging any of that, I shrugged. “You’re one to talk.”
Mrs. Novak waved off my words. She had worked well into her seventies. Although she had severely cut back on her workload, she still showed up every day at the office and was the one who had hired me for my first summer internship.
“I noticed you talking to Taylor,” she said, her cool and pale hand taking hold of my own as she stood. She had always been tall and slender, according to those same photos with Taylor, but now her shoulders were more stooped, her skin thin and papery, hair completely gray.
“We do that sometimes.”
She pinched my arm, and I gave in to a laugh, wrapping her arm around mine. She pointed to the area next to the Christmas tree, where her son, Kevin, stood talking with two other men from another office, and I slowly escorted her there. “When you’re not arguing.”
Mrs. Novak was well aware of our mutual dislike of each other, and I conceded the point with a nod. “I don’t know if you know this, but she can be quite stubborn.”
Barbara let out a familiar wistful sigh. One that always accompanied a mention of her dearly departed husband. “Inherited that from her grandfather.”
After a moment, during where I ignored Taylor sliding something across the bar to octopus guy, I looked down at Mrs. Novak. “I heard rumors of restructuring.”
“Rumors, hmm?”
I waited patiently for her to answer.
“Well then, I think you might be interested in staying at the party a little longer, instead of running off with some woman like you usually do.”
I felt my neck heat, unable to keep a straight face under her intent, matronly stare. “I’d never dream of leaving such a fun party like this.”
Her answer was a sardonic laugh and slight push to my arm as I let her go when we reached her destination. “I see everything, Dean Hargrove. Don’t forget that.”
Then she winked and turned, politely breaking into the conversation with the men.
My smile dropped as I spied Taylor across the room from me, still talking to the bartender, about what I couldn’t possibly imagine, and checked the time with a sigh. I still had hours to go.
CHAPTERTWO
Taylor
Mariah Carey belted out “All I Want for Christmas Is You” as my focus snagged on Shauna. She had terrible taste. If her literal ugly Christmas sweater wasn’t an indication, then certainly her choice in men was. Dean bent his head down as she giggled about something, and my jaw clenched. He wasn’t that funny.
I didn’t know why everyone loved him so much.
He was full of himself, refused to take advice, and waited until the last minute to do anything. Plus, he also always—always—made some comment about my desk, as if he had nothing better to do than complain about the state of it. Which wasn’t even that messy.
“What’s that sneer for?”
I whirled around to find Kennedy next to me, her cheeks red from the cold, her long hair windblown.
“I’m not sneering, and what are you doing here?”
“Right. It’s your regular face,” she said with a grin as she stuffed her gloves into her pocket and removed her coat.
“You’re such an asshole,” I said, hiding my growing smile with a sip of my martini. “And answer the question, what are you doing here?”
“What? I can’t come see my family?”
I eyed her and that overly innocent tone. “How’d you get here?”
