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And Noah Wylder.
Ugh…Noah Wylder.
He was with them for Christmas due to work reasons, not because he was related. He’d shown up for what was supposed to be one night and ended up staying for over a week. Even after all these years, she still wished she could go back in time and stop herself from the humiliation of that trip and her behavior toward him.
And with him.
She groaned and quickly wrapped the picture up. If she stared at it any longer, she knew she’d still remember every moment of their kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Her boyfriend had dumped her via text, she was lonely and hated the thought of being alone when the ball dropped, so…she’d kissed Noah.
And he’d kissed her back.
Spectacularly.
Yeah, he might be a numbers nerd like the rest of her family, but the man certainly knew how to kiss.
Sadly, she hadn’t been kissed like that since.
Damn him.
“Okay, no more thinking aboutthat,” she quietly reprimanded herself. “You have a job to do here. Finish packing and you could potentially be on the road tomorrow.”
It was an almost twelve-hour drive back to Charlotte and while that normally wouldn’t bother her, she needed to be logical. She had some things to take care of before she just hopped in her car and drove home, but…if she did the drive in two days…
Yawning, she gave herself a full body stretch and decided to call it a day. She’d take the two days to get home, arrive there on Thursday—earlier than she originally planned even with the extra day of driving—and could settle in and relax.
Stripping out of her sweaty clothes, she contemplated a shower, but ultimately decided against it. She’d wash the sheets and take a shower in the morning before she left. And as she crawled into bed, she couldn’t help but smile. In forty-eight hours, she’d be home with the people she loved most in this world.
And hopefully closer to figuring out what was next for her.
* * *
Getting called into his boss’s office wasn’t anything new and it certainly wasn’t cause for alarm.
It was the other people in the office with him that still made him quake in his shoes a bit.
Three years.
Three damn years and he was still getting the stink eye from Lucas Montgomery over a stunt his daughter pulled—a stunt she admitted being responsible for—and yet Lucas was still holding a grudge toward him.
Noah Wylder was used to dealing with stubborn people. Hell, he was related to the most stubborn man in the world. But with the way his boss’s son was still trying to intimidate him, he’d have to say he was the second most stubborn man in the world.
And he was tired of it.
Noah was an excellent employee and got along well with William Montgomery and his three sons until he went to Asheville three years ago. He was invited to their family holiday retreat to finalize important contract work for a merger because they trusted him. Unfortunately, the weather had turned and Noah had essentially gotten snowed in with them. He had been making great strides in securing the fast track to making it to the executive level, and the time he gained with them out of the office had been invaluable.
And then Lily Montgomery, Lucas’ daughter, had derailed everything for him.
Okay, maybe noteverything, but it had taken months to get everyone to see him as the same model employee he’d been before the holidays and not the guy who kissed the Montgomery princess on New Year’s Eve—a kiss that she loudly announced she’d initiated. And yet…it felt a little like he was still being punished.
At least it was only one Montgomery still holding a grudge and not the rest, but…jeez.
Knocking on William Montgomery’s door, he forced himself to smile as he stepped in. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Noah!” William said jovially. “Good to see you! Have a seat!”
Naturally, the only seat available was next to Lucas.
Great.
