Her Secret Santa Read online

  Ian stepped back in obvious shock.

  “You’re quitting.”

  “I think that’s just what I said. Let me rewind the tape.” She feigned listening to a handheld tape recorder and nodded. “Yes, that’s what I said. I quit.”

  “Why? Is it because—”

  “Because you and I fucked? No. Don’t flatter yourself.”

  “I didn’t…” He sighed. “I’m not flattering myself. I know you weren’t thrilled with how I handled the situation.”

  “You dumped me after one night and said you couldn’t date an inferior.”

  “I didn’t say that. I said I was your superior and therefore could not date you. You remember that part about me being your boss?”

  “Only for two more weeks.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I got a new job. A better job.”

  “Better? Better than here?”

  She almost rolled her eyes.

  “Yes, Ian, believe it or not, some people, like, oh…women, for example, might not consider working with nothing but men the ideal workplace scenario. I like the guys. We get along okay. But I like women. I would like to have some in my life. I would also like to have a job where I don’t weld all day and then go home and weld some more for my other life. You can’t blame me for that.”

  “I don’t, no. You’ve stuck it out here longer than anyone thought you would.”

  “I had to fight tooth and nail to earn the respect of the crew. I’m a little tired of fighting to be treated like a human being. You can’t blame me for that, either.”

  “No.” Ian nodded. “So…where are you going?”

  “You know Clover Greene? Runs the nursery down the highway?”

  “Yeah, Clover’s great. I bought my weed whacker from her.”

  “I’m her new assistant manager. The pay is the same what I make here but the hours will be better, the work not as backbreaking. I don’t like going home too tired to sculpt. I’ve been putting my art career on the backburner too long. I don’t want to do that anymore. Something had to give,” she said.

  “Your art’s important to you,” he said. “I appreciate that. I hate to lose you. We’re not going to find another welder as good as you.”

  “You will. But you won’t find one as fun as me.”

  “You put truck nuts on my bumper to punish me for telling you we couldn’t keep sleeping together.”

  “So? It was just a prank.”

  “You didn’t hang them on my bumper. You welded them on my bumper. Giant. Metal. Testicles.”

  “Your truck needed a new bumper, anyway, and you know it.”

  “Flash…” She could tell he wanted to say something but wouldn’t let himself say it. Well, she knew how he felt. She’d wanted to say something for six months now. If only she could weld her mouth shut.

  “You’re welcome,” she said.

  “Wait, I didn’t thank you for anything.”

  “I assumed you were going to thank me for leaving. I know I’ve been a…” She paused, searched for the right word. “A complicated employee. I know you’ll be more comfortable at work with me gone.”

  “I’d rather be uncomfortable and have you here.”

  “I’d rather work for a woman I respect.”

  “Than work for a man you can’t?” he asked, meeting her eyes. His jaw was clenched again, tight. She’d hurt him.

  “I respect you,” she said as softly as he’d said her real name. “I do. What I mean to say is…I’d rather work for a woman I don’t have feelings for than a man I do. I shouldn’t have made it about respect. I do respect you. I don’t like you very much, but I respect you.”

  “I came on your back.”

  “I wanted you to come on my back. How would us having very good sex make me lose respect for you? I’m not a man. I don’t lose respect for someone just because he has the bad taste to sleep with me. I consider it one of your finer moments actually. I respect you more for fucking me.”

  “I think about it sometimes. That night.”

  His eyes met hers for a tense moment before glancing away again.

  Flash placed her hand on Ian’s chest, over his heart.

  “Welcome to the club,” she said. She patted his chest and dropped her hand to her side. “I’m gonna go before I do or say something stupid. I’ve been known to do that. Examples include the truck nuts incident and that time I welded your desk drawers shut.”

  “Wait. You what?” He ran around to his desk. Every one of the desk drawers opened.

  “Made you look,” she said.

  Ian hung his head, slammed the top drawer shut so that all his pens and pencils rattled.

  “You’re evil,” he said.

  “Just giving you a hard time,” she said. “Gotta go, boss. I mean, ex-boss. Have a nice life.”

  She hopped off his desk and headed for his office door.

  “What are your plans now?” he asked.

  “Dinner at Skyway,” she said. “Clover says they have truffle fries.”

  “No, I mean, you know we don’t have any work scheduled until January 5. Your two weeks’ notice is kind of meaningless considering you didn’t have to work this month, anyway. Are you starting with Clover next week?”

  “Clover’s is closed until March, and she doesn’t need me to start until January. I’m going to enjoy the rest of the month off. It’s December, remember? Baking Christmas cookies, decorating Christmas cookies, eating Christmas cookies, lather, rinse, repeat. Basically eat cookies all month is what I’m doing. And sculpting. You?”

  “No cookies. Work,” he said. “I bought a new house. A new old house.”

  “Cool. Where at?”

  “Government Camp. An old ski chalet.”

  “Govy? You must like snow.”

  “Love snow. We have two feet up there already. Great view from my new kitchen.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  “It’s a fixer-upper. I’m spending all month fixing and upping.”

  “A ‘fixer-upper’ ski chalet is still a chalet, Bossman. It’s like saying you bought a ‘low-end’ Rolex or a ‘used’ private plane.”

  “Fine. You win. I’m a spoiled brat, and I always will be. I didn’t earn what I have, but I’m trying to be worthy of it, okay? Which is why I didn’t want to keep sleeping with you, because when someone gives you power over someone else, you don’t abuse it. And whether you like it or not, I had power over you. More than you know.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing,” he said quickly. “I’m only saying I have the power to hire and fire. I shouldn’t sleep with someone I can fire. I did it for you.”

  “Well, thank you very much for dumping me. It was very chivalrous. Good luck remodeling your chalet this December. You have to weld anything?”

  “A couple things.”

  “Clean your metal. Acetone’s good. If you don’t have any in the house, you can borrow my fingernail polish remover.”

  She gave him one last little look, maybe the last one she’d ever give him, and left his office. She kept her head up and her shoulders straight as she marched down the generic beige hall on generic gray carpets to the parking lot. Everyone was gone. No surprise there. Last day of work before the holidays, and everybody had shipped out the second they could.

  The only car left in the parking lot was Ian’s new black Subaru, which she was pretty sure he bought because he couldn’t look at his old car without picturing the truck nuts she’d welded to the bumper. She headed to her red `98 Ford Ranger, which had seen better days, trying to convince herself she was happy about leaving. And she was. She was excited about her new job. Clover Greene was about the kindest, friendliest woman she’d ever met, and she had a quirky green-haired teenage girl working for her as an office assistant—her kind of people. The nursery itself was like a well-manicured Garden of Eden. Everywhere she looked Flash saw inspiration for her metal foliage sculptures. Great people, safe place for w