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He hesitated, then gave her Andrew’s mother’s full name.
Instantly, she was out of her chair and her arms were wrapped around his neck. “Kyle Nixon, you’re a good fucking egg, you know that?”
He laughed and returned her hug. “Tell my mom that.”
“I will. And then we’ll find you a nice girl to settle down with.”
“Nope, don’t do that.”
“Too late, already on it.” She squeezed him tight, then stepped back. “Just tell me how much and consider it done. She’s in here a few times a week.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Not at all. Happy to help. Tis the season, and all that.”
Kyle nodded. It was all that. The holidays were magic for some, and hard for others. For him? It was a two-week break from teaching. He’d spend it playing video games and installing trim, and trying really hard not to think about his first real girlfriend.
Dear Santa… For Christmas this year, I’d like to move the fuck on. Thanks, Kyle Nixon
Chapter 2
Laney Calhoun slid her laptop into her leather messenger bag and flicked off the overhead light in her office. She paused at her assistant’s desk to steal a peppermint chocolate square and drop off a light blue jewelry box wrapped in a white ribbon. One of the perks of living and working in downtown Chicago—easy access to awesome shopping.
From across the hall, she heard the tap and scratch of pen on paper, and she hesitated. She could sneak out, but she wanted this resolved before the holidays. The affair with Rick had been a mistake from the beginning, they were on the same page about that, but how do you move back to just being friends and colleagues?
The door pushed open as she knocked, and Rick looked up from his desk. “You’re off, then?”
“Yep. I just wanted to say...Merry Christmas.”
“You sure I can’t convince you to come to the lake house with me?”
She shook her head with a rueful smile. “Let’s not do this again, Rick. I’m not the girl you should take home to meet your mom.”
“I know. Would have been convenient if you were.” He returned her bittersweet expression and gestured for her to take a seat. “Don’t you ever want more, though?”
“I...I used to.” She sagged into one of the two chairs across from him and scrubbed her face with her hands. Once upon a time, she’d wanted it all. “If I was capable of falling in love, you’d be the perfect guy.”
“Shame that’s not how it actually works.”
She bit her lip and nodded, although it wasn’t like she was an expert on healthy relationships. Quite the opposite. Laney had banned emotional entanglements from her life a long time ago. Never again would she be vulnerable and give her heart to someone. It wasn’t worth the pain.
She barely did physical relationships, only agreeing to enter into a sexual arrangement if the interested party understood he would need to get tested and be monogamous for the duration. Condoms and birth control were mandatory. Most men cooled off in a hurry when they heard those terms. Rick had chuckled and scheduled a follow up discussion for a week later, when he presented her with a clean bill of health.
They joined DermaNorth at the same time a year earlier, both fresh out of plastic surgery residency programs, and she had seen him date two other women in the intervening months. Both relationships had been casual, brief and ended amicably, exactly what she liked. So they negotiated terms: Laney wanted an escort to fundraising events and didn’t like overnight guests; Rick didn’t want to leave in the middle of the night, but promised not to linger in the morning or expect breakfast.
“I’m sorry that I changed the rules on you.”
Seriously, what kind of guy apologizes after a woman breaks up with him? Laney hated herself a little bit for not being open to exploring something more with Rick. But while their time together had been nice, that’s all it had been. Physical compatibility and pleasant conversation. “What happened? Is it the holidays? More pressure from your parents?”
“Honestly? I think it was my birthday. Another year older, and what do I have to show for it?”
Laney cocked her eyebrow in disbelief. “Your career?”
“There’s gotta be more to life than this, Laney.” His lips quirked, then he cleared his throat. “Well, for us mere mortals, anyway.”
“Hey! I have a life outside work.” She paused, then dipped her head, acknowledging the point. “Okay, I don’t, but—”
He interrupted her with a chuckle and she feigned a glower before continuing. “I get it, I really do. You want someone to come home to at the end of the day, even if it’s in the middle of the night and all they do is rub your back for a minute after you stumble to bed. Someone who knows that when you scratch your nose at family dinners, it means you need to be rescued. Someone who can read your moods and bring you wine or chocolate or run you a bath without being asked. You’re ready for sweatpants and watching TV on the couch, and loving every minute of it.”
