Holly Garland on Santa's Lap [COMPLETE]

Chapter 34 : Happy ending

As usual, Tony walks in first to make sure everything's clear before stepping aside to let us into my little brownstone. Once we're in, Nick looks around carefully. It's his first time here, and I can't help wondering if he likes it. It's nothing like his fancy, luxurious apartment—but honestly, I'd take mine over his any day.

"It's cozy," he says, and I let out a small sigh of relief. "It suits you."

"Thanks. Want some coffee?" I offer, feeling a bit awkward.

"Yeah, I'm down for some!" Tony pipes up, even though no one asked him.

"I don't want coffee, and neither does Tony," Nick declares, shooting Tony a look that dares him to disagree.

"Uh, yeah. No coffee for me," Tony backtracks, trying to play it cool. "Totally forgot—it keeps me up at night..."

"I think we need some grown-up talk," I jump in, giving Tony an out before Nick can rip into him again. "How about you head up to your room?"

"But it's not even midnight!" he protests like I just crushed his dreams. "I'll just watch TV, and you won't even know I'm here, I swear. You two can do your thing—I'll even cover my ears if you start yelling or, you know, doing other stuff like—"

"To your room, Tony!" Nick and I shout in unison.

"Okay, fine! I'm going," he grumbles. "But let me just say, if someone rings that stupid doorbell in the middle of the night, don't expect me to get it!"

I smile as he keeps complaining all the way up the stairs. If anyone does show up unexpectedly, he'll be the first one down here.

"So," I say, turning to Nick. "You wanna tell me what's really going on at Paxton Software? Feels like something big happened."

"Well, the embezzlement story leaked. The press got wind of it, and the market got a little shaken. We had to fly to Georgia at the last minute for damage control—it was a long, brutal day."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. It was bound to happen eventually. Everything's under control now, except in New York. It's chaos without you at the office. You're gone for two weeks, and everything falls apart—especially after the whole mess with Chatham. The clients are nervous, the staff's on edge... Without the captain, the ship's sinking. You have to come back. They need you. Carolyn's been trying to reach you all afternoon, begging you not to quit and to come back."

Hearing that stings. This time, the guilt hits hard. If I hadn't been so stubborn...

"I'm really sorry," I apologize again. "I thought it was you harassing me, and I—"

"Oh, I called you a bunch of times too," he interrupts, hands up. "Guilty as charged. I'd sneak away whenever I could to call and manage things remotely with Carolyn. I still can't believe you seriously thought we wanted to fire you! Tell me you're not quitting."

"I told your dad earlier I'd accept his offer and be back at the office tomorrow. But what about you? What happens to you?"

"Well, I'll stick around for a few weeks to help get everything back on track. After that, I'll have the option to go back to my old gig in LA. They still haven't found a permanent replacement, so it's still being run by a temp...

What?! He's going back to California?!

"But..." I protest, alarmed, before he cut me off, coming closer to me.

"Or," he says, looking me straight in the eyes, "I could take over any other branch in the country. Seattle, for example..."

Washington state? That's across the country!"