Chapter 29
Scottie stood at the curb in front of her apartment building and tugged her coat tighter around herself, shivering in the damp air that had a December bite to it.
She fought the urge to check her watch again and instead fidgeted with the knot of her tie.
Shouldn’t Willow be here by now? Scottie had gone downstairs as soon as Willow had texted to say she was on her way to pick her up.
Just as Scottie was about to check her phone, Willow’s by-now familiar retro car turned onto her street.
Play it cool, Scottie told herself as the Civic came to a stop. Willow probably assumed they were just two friends attending an office holiday party together. She wouldn’t have agreed if she’d known how much Scottie wanted it to be a date…or would she?
The driver’s side door opened, and Willow got out.
And just like that, “cool” went out the window. Scottie could barely breathe, much less appear calm and collected as she took Willow in.
Willow had left her wool coat unbuttoned on the drive over, so Scottie could see what she wore beneath.
Scottie thought Willow looked beautiful in her everyday office attire—pencil skirts, pastel-toned blouses, and unassuming cardigans—but nothing had prepared her for the sight of Willow in an emerald-green cocktail dress.
Its ?50s-inspired style was perfect for Willow, elegant without being flashy.
The sweetheart neckline was office-party-appropriate yet sexy, revealing the graceful curve of her collarbone.
The snug-fitting bodice hugged her slim waist. From there, the full skirt flared out and ended mid-calf, giving just a hint of her long legs.
Her shiny brown hair fell softly onto her shoulders. Either the cool air or excitement painted her cheeks pink.
Before Scottie could make her mouth—or her brain—work, Willow said: “Sorry I’m late. It took me a few minutes to coax the heater into working without making weird whale noises.”
“Totally worth the wait,” Scottie said before she could stop herself. “You look amazing.”
The color of Willow’s cheeks deepened. “Thank you. From what little I can see, you clean up pretty well yourself.”
Scottie unbuttoned her coat and opened it with a dramatic flair, as if she were doing a striptease.
Despite the cool air, her body warmed as Willow’s gaze trailed down her suit.
“You probably can’t tell in this light, but the suit isn’t black; it’s a dark green, so we’re matching.” Shit. She was babbling. Scottie snapped her mouth shut.
“Oh, I can tell,” Willow murmured. “I like the tie.”
“I thought I’d lean into the holiday spirit.” Scottie smoothed her fingers over the little red Santa hats and the tiny silver snowflakes on her green tie.
Willow’s gaze seemed to track the movement of Scottie’s fingers. “Good choice.”
They stood next to the car for several moments, looking at each other.
Finally, Willow cleared her throat. “We should get going. Do you want to drive?” She held up the keys.
Scottie nodded, glad for the distraction that focusing on traffic would provide. “Absolutely.” She took the keys.
Both of them were careful not to let their fingers brush. But it didn’t matter. The space between them felt charged with electricity anyway, making Scottie’s skin prickle.
She escorted Willow around the car and opened the passenger door for her.
“Thank you.” Willow gracefully climbed inside and tucked her dress in as she sat.
“My pleasure,” Scottie replied, meaning it.
It felt special to be the one who got to open doors for Willow—as if this really were a date.
She closed the door, careful not to catch the hem.
Once she was settled behind the wheel and had put on her seat belt, she glanced over to make sure Willow was buckled in too.
Willow looked over and gave her a small smile—a little nervous but genuine. Her dress shimmered in the dashboard light, making the green flecks in her hazel eyes stand out.
Scottie’s breath caught again. God, if she kept spending time with Willow, she really needed a firewall around her heart.
Despite her best intentions not to get involved with anyone after her big breakup, she was starting to become smitten with Willow—and she wasn’t sure there was anything she could do to stop it.
~ ~ ~
The lobby of the Rosebud Hotel looked like the set of a Hallmark holiday movie.
A massive Christmas tree stretched nearly to the chandelier on the ceiling. A garland dotted with pine cones and red berries ran along the length of the reception desk, and a pair of nutcracker statues flanked the elevators.
Willow’s heels clicked on the polished marble as she followed Scottie to the coat check.
Scottie helped her out of her coat, then handed it to the attendant, along with her own.
While Scottie was busy pocketing the claim ticket, Willow took the opportunity to look her over in better light.
The dark-green suit jacket was tailored close at the waist, giving her an athletic silhouette.
Her black leather dress shoes were polished to a shine, reflecting the fairy lights running along the edge of the coat check counter.
She looked effortlessly dapper, yet the tie with the tiny Santa hats added a bit of her typical playfulness and her goofy charm.
When Scottie turned toward her, Willow quickly tore her gaze away.
A sign saying Kudos Entertainment holiday party guided them toward the ballroom the company had rented.
Scottie paused at its double doors that stood open. “Ready to brave the party?”
“No,” Willow said honestly.
Scottie gave her an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be your emotional support IT tech.” She crooked her arm in a gesture that was equally playful and chivalrous. “Shall we?”
Willow slipped her hand onto the bend of Scottie’s arm.
The contact sent a subtle buzz through her body, but she knew it had nothing to do with static.
The fabric of Scottie’s suit jacket was smooth beneath her fingers, and the warmth of Scottie’s skin filtered through.
She took a deep breath and followed Scottie in.
The sound of the party hit her first. A live band that took up one side of the stage played a jazzy version of “Let It Snow.” Animated conversations, laughter, and the clinking of glasses reverberated through the large space.
Round tables draped with white linen and folded red napkins took up most of the room, each with a centerpiece of holly and flickering LED candles. Strings of fairy lights trailed down the ballroom’s columns, looking like falling snow.
A buffet stretched along one wall, and a dessert station with a chocolate fountain had been set up in the corner. The open bar next to it was a hive of activity. The scent of pine mixed with roasted herbs and spiced cider.
When Scottie and Willow entered, several of their colleagues paused their conversations and looked over.
Willow gripped Scottie’s arm more tightly. “Did I mention I hate parties? Everyone’s staring!”
Scottie leaned closer. “If they’re staring, it’s only because you look stunning,” she whispered, her breath warm on Willow’s ear.
Heat rose to Willow’s cheeks.
Most of their colleagues were staring at Scottie, though, probably because she was wearing a suit and tie.
Willow held her head up high. She admired Scottie for walking into a company event, where their CEO, COO, and all the VPs would be present, in a suit, totally at ease with who she was and not caring what anyone else thought.
A waiter walked past with a tray of champagne flutes, and Scottie snagged two glasses. “Or did you want something from the bar?”
“Champagne is fine, thanks.” Willow took the glass Scottie held out.
Scottie clinked her glass to Willow’s. “To you—for making it through your first quarter at Kudos and the busiest time of year.”
Especially without ruining every single electronic device in Operations. She did deserve some champagne for that. Willow took a sip.
Scottie pointed across the room to a quiet spot near one wall. “Think we can claim it before anyone else does?”
“Ooh, let’s try.”
As they made their way toward it, people greeted Scottie with warm smiles.
Scottie introduced Willow to anyone she didn’t already know, but she didn’t pause long enough for them to be sucked into small talk.
Finally, they reached their quiet spot, and Willow relaxed as they people-watched.
After a while, they went to the buffet. Scottie piled her plate high with a little bit of everything, while Willow took a tiny quiche and a fig jam crostini, mostly so she’d have something to do with her hands.
Scottie eyed her plate. “You’d better load up. Mr. Haggerty likes to give a presentation of every company event throughout the year. We’ll be here for a while.”
Willow added some mashed potatoes, prime rib, and roasted veggies to her plate. “Does this look like I’ll survive the night?”
Scottie chuckled. “Your chances just went up.”
They found a table at the back of the room. Scottie pulled out a chair for her and waited for Willow to sit before taking a seat too.
The attention warmed Willow to the core. Was Scottie this chivalrous with all her female friends, or was she treating the office party as a date?
Just as Willow reached for her cutlery, footsteps approached their table. “Willow! Scottie!” A familiar voice cut through the background noise.
When Willow looked up, Barb was making her way toward them, beaming broadly, her husband in tow.
They stood to hug her.
“It’s great to see you.” Willow gave her former colleague a tight squeeze. “How’s retirement treating you?”
“Blissfully! I get to sleep in every day!”
“And by ‘sleep in,’ she means getting up at seven,” George threw in.
They all laughed.
Barb hugged Scottie too, then moved back a step to take them both in. “Aww, you two look so cute together!”
Together? Did she assume they were a couple, just because they were both wearing green?
Neither of them corrected her, though.