Chapter 3
Eunice
I PACED THE length of the small rug at the foot of the bed, my thumb hovering over Derek’s name on my screen.
Just text him, I told myself. Just ask him if he wants to get dinner.
I’d spent most of the day sitting with the legal team, watching Derek and Laura go back and forth with the Percivals. I didn’t understand half of the legal jargon they were throwing around, but I understood body language. The meeting had been brutal.
Derek’s pen wouldn’t stop clicking. His shoulders were rigid. All day, he’d looked like a wire pulled so tight it was ready to snap.
He needed to unwind. He needed a soft place to land, someone who didn’t expect him to perform, someone who could simply exist alongside him. I wanted to be that for him. His home.
I stopped pacing and typed: Hey. You looked stressed today. Dinner?
No, stressed sounded like I was criticizing him.
I backspaced. Hey. Tough day. I know a place that has beer.
No, that sounded too casual, like I was asking a coworker.
I bit my lip, staring at the cursor blinking on the blank screen. I just needed him to know I was here. That I saw him. That he didn’t have to be a high-powered lawyer with me.
I was just about to type a simple hungry? when the phone buzzed in my hand, startling me, I nearly dropped it. A text notification popped up.
Hey.
I stared at the screen, my brow furrowing. It was from Dom.
The tiny hairs on my arms stood up. How did he get my number? I replayed our meeting in the coffee shop… I definitely hadn’t given him my number. Did he pull it from the employee directory? Was that even allowed for IT guys?
It was odd. A little... intrusive.
But before I could dwell on why this intense guy was texting me, my phone buzzed again.
Derek: Team’s going to the pub for dinner. Come along. I want to talk to you. Meet me downstairs in ten?
The breath left my lungs in a rush. Talk to me? A squeal erupted from my throat. I scrambled backward, grabbing the pillow from the bed and pressing my face into it to muffle the sound.
He wants to talk.
I was right. Coming to this magical town was the right decision. Santa was real, wishes could come true, and mine was happening right now.
I rushed to the mirror, checking my reflection. My hair had gone flat from lying on the bed. Not to worry, I had ten minutes to fix it.
“Okay,” I whispered to my reflection, my cheeks already pink with excitement. “Calm down. Let him lead the conversation. Don’t seem desperate.”
I typed back quickly: See you.
*****
The pub was too warm, almost stifling after the cold walk. Snow melted in my hair, droplets sliding down to my jacket. I took in the worn wooden tables and tarnished brass fixtures. The soft amber lighting made everything look golden and intimate.
Derek and I claimed this corner table five minutes ago. Just the two of us... getting here ahead of everyone else. Exactly as he planned.
But he hadn’t looked up from his phone once since we sat down.
His thumb moved in quick succession—tap, scroll, tap again.
Between his brows was a deep furrow, and he looked more exhausted than I’d seen him all day.
The case was eating him alive, and I heard how much pressure Jack and Owen put on their associates.
I wanted to reach out and smooth the line between his eyebrows. I wanted to tell him it was okay to put the phone down for five minutes, that he didn’t have to prove anything to me. But I didn’t want to overstep.
“Derek?” I said softly, leaning forward so I wouldn’t startle him. “Is everything okay with the case?”
“Hmm?” He glanced up, eyes scanning the place before landing on me. His thumb was still twitching.
I offered a small, encouraging smile. “If there’s anything I can do to help, you just have to say the word. I’ll make sure they’re prepped for tomorrow.“
Derek sighed, a long, weary sound, and set the phone down. Just barely. His fingers still hovered like he might snatch it back any second.
“The case is fine. You’re very helpful, Eunice. Thank you.” His voice had leveled out, calmer than the version I’d watched all day. “Sorry. Got distracted there for a minute.”
“No, it’s fine. I understand.”
“Actually, I’m glad we have a chance to talk.” He picked up a coaster, turning it over in his hands. “I want to clear something up. Make sure we’re on the same page.”
My heart did a joyful little dance. Clear something up. He wanted to define us. He wanted to stop the guessing game and just… be honest about how we felt.
“Okay,” I breathed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I tried to look supportive and understanding. The perfect partner who could handle a man with ambition. “I’m listening.”
“You know I think you’re great, right? You’re sweet, you work hard.” He studied the coaster like it held secrets. “But I’m worried you might be reading too much into things. That night, we had drinks.”
My smile faltered. “What about it?”
“We had a few drinks after a long day. Things happen. It’s biology.
But you’re acting like…” He paused, his voice taking on that gentle tone people use when they’re about to deliver terrible news.
“You’re reading way too much into some friendly conversation.
That’s actually concerning. Do you do this often? Mistake kindness?”
I blinked. The noise of the pub seemed to drop away, leaving only a high-pitched ringing. I was still smiling, my face frozen in that expression of support, but my brain had stalled.
“Concerning?” I repeated, the word tasting like ash.
“Look, I was being nice to you because you seemed lonely. That’s what decent guys do.” His voice was patient, like he were explaining something obvious to someone slow. “But I’m starting to think you misunderstood what that meant.”
It felt like the floor had disappeared from under my chair. “But you said—you told me I was different. That you’d been thinking about me.”
“Did I say that? I don’t remember saying anything like that.” He frowned, genuine confusion creasing his features. “Are you sure you didn’t just want me to say that?”
My ribs suddenly felt too small for my lungs. Every breath hurt. “I’m not making it up, Derek. You said we have spark.”
“Eunice.” That soft, reasonable tone—the one that made you feel like you were losing your mind. Shouting would’ve left a cleaner wound. “I think you might be confusing what you wanted to hear with what actually happened.”
I stared at him. My left contact lens was scratching my eye, blurring him slightly. I wondered if I blinked hard enough he’d disappear.
“Look, this trip is my entire future. It’s my one shot to prove to Jack Rutherford I’m more than just a favor.
You think he will promote the guy who is messing around with the support staff on a business trip?
No, he promotes the guy who understands optics.
Doing this,”—he waved a hand at me, at us sitting at the same table—“makes me look unprofessional.”
“Unprofessional,” I echoed.
“You’re a sweet girl, really. But you have to understand.
I’m a lawyer, and you’re just an admin assistant.
I thought that was obvious. I mean, what did you think was going to happen here?
” He said it like I was a gum on his shoe.
Like he were doing me a favor, opening my eyes, protecting me from my own pathetic delusions.
I looked down at my hands. I packed the lace lingerie. I shaved my legs. I spent time fixing my hair before coming here so I’d look pretty. And to him, I was just an image problem.
“You didn’t need to come along,” he added. “The office could’ve handled the documents. How did they convince you to come?”
“I…” My voice shook, and I hated it. I wanted to be as cool and detached as he was. I gripped the edge of the table, the wood biting into my palms. “HR asked who wanted to help. I put my hand up because—”
Because I wanted to be with you.
The truth was a stone in my throat. I couldn’t say it. It was pathetic.
“Because I thought it’d be a good experience,” I lied, my voice barely a whisper.
“Makes sense.” Derek nodded. “But please don’t make it weird. Just keep it professional, all right? Dial it back.”
Something inside me was cracking, splintering. My chest tightened, crushing inward until I couldn’t pull in a full breath. I stood abruptly, chair legs screeching against the wooden floor, which made nearby diners turn to stare.
“I need air,” I managed, the words barely audible.
“Sure thing.” Derek was already picking up his phone again, thumb swiping across the screen. “The rest of the team should be here soon anyway.”
He didn’t watch me go.
I turned and walked blindly toward the back; my vision was blurring. My knees threatened to buckle with each step, but I soldiered on. I needed a restroom. I needed a dark corner.
A dark figure stepped into my path. Too close, too sudden.
I jerked back instinctively, but there was nowhere to move.
For a second, I couldn’t make sense of anything—just fabric, heat, and an obstruction right in front of me, blocking every way forward.
Hands closed around my arms, steadying me, and that was when I realized I was staring at someone’s chest.
I blinked once, twice, trying to pull the pieces into focus. Slowly, my gaze traveled upward until it reached a familiar face.
Dom.
He was standing there, close enough that I could see my reflection in those blue eyes. His presence felt like a barrier between me and the rest of the world, something steady when everything else was spinning out of control.
“You okay?”
I forced a smile, but it felt like broken glass was cutting my face. “Fine. So, everyone’s here?”
He didn’t answer. He was studying me, taking in the red blotches I knew were staining my cheeks and the tears I was fighting so hard to hold back.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.” I tried to pull away, but he wasn’t letting go. “Really, it’s nothing.”
I let my eyes drop to the floor, then to the side, anywhere but his face. If I looked at him—at this stranger—and saw whatever expression he was wearing, I might not handle it. I might actually break right here in front of someone who didn’t even know me.
“Come,” he said, his voice leaving no room for argument.
And then he was moving, one hand still on my arm, the other on the small of my back, stirring me toward the side exit, away from the warmth that had become suffocating… out into the snow and the cold and the blessed darkness.