Amber has 24 days to figure out who her secret Santa is, along with office parties and Christmas shopping and the busy hustle of a small town girl trapped in New York City, how will she ever find time for a secret as big as Christmas.
Cover By: Br...
I buttoned up my blue dress shirt before putting the tie around my neck. I was getting ready for work and honestly, I was excited to go. I thought about last night watching Amber through the window of the soup kitchen. The smile on her face when the red-headed girl I had asked rushed over to her to give her the present. I couldn't help but smile as I thought back to how it had made me feel to see her so happy.
I checked my watch only to realize I was a little late. Rushing to finish up my final touches I headed out the door. I couldn't wait to get to work, to see if she was wearing the necklace I had given her. I felt like if she was that would be a good sign.
My heart was pounding in my chest when I entered the office. I looked over all the cubicles to see Miranda and Amber were leaning together looking at what looked to be a puppy on Miranda's computer. My heart jumped when I caught a glimpse of the black dress Amber had worn today. It hugged her curves in all the right places and honestly I wanted nothing more than to run over and kiss her. She was stunning, her long brown hair falling around her shoulders in loose curls. The same curls she styled her hair in every day. I would never grow tired of looking at them.
I took a seat in my own cubicle before deciding I needed to get myself a drink from the vending machine. I rushed through the office in the direction of the break room. Pulling my wallet out of my pocket I pulled out my I.D. card that provided us with free drinks. I decided to just go with a grape Powerade.
When I turned around to head back to my cubicle I was greeted by a smiling Amber. My face grew warm and I wanted to smack myself for standing there staring at her.
"Good morning." She smiled. My knees felt weak. I wanted to collapse on the floor but I was terrified I'd fall forward and bash into her. The thought of touching her even if it was in a falling motion made the whole situation worse.
"Morning." I managed to mumble out, my hand shooting up to mess with my freshly done hair. "Would you like something?" I asked her just trying to fill in the silence.
"Uhh, yeah. A water." She said pointing the machine I was blocking. I quickly looked back before swiveling my body to get out of her way.
"Let me get that for you." I smiled. Turning back to the machine I placed my card in once more before hitting the water button. The drink dispensed but I didn't move. I tried to take a few deep breaths before bending down to grab the water. "Here you go," I said in a much calmer tone. I made a mental note to bash my head against a cement wall later on my walk home.
"Thank you." She smiled taking the water from my hand. As she did so something shiny caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Laying there delicately on her chest was the necklace I had given her. My heart began to race once more. She had actually worn it.
"You look really good by the way." I paused for a moment as the words came out of my mouth. Crap! I should have never said that. I mean it wasn't incorrect but now she was going to for sure know that it was me sending her the notes. I could feel the sweat beginning to bead on the top of my head.
"Thank you, I really wasn't sure about this dress. So I appreciate that." She smiled once more before walking away. I was finally able to breathe once she had left the break room. I stumbled backward resting myself against the drink machine. I had never been that weird around her before, maybe it was the nerves of knowing she would soon know how I felt. What happened if she didn't feel the same way back and I was left working in this office with the knowledge that she read all those notes and was still not interested in me.
I again wanted to smack myself in the face because that was such a horrible thing to think. She shouldn't just love me because of the notes and I shouldn't expect her to. But I couldn't help but think there was some hope she would be willing to go out with me. She had worn the necklace that in her eyes she had gotten from a complete stranger. My heart began to beat again. I tried to calm myself once more before heading back to my desk.
It was easier to breathe when I was able to dive into my work not having to worry about what Amber was doing, even though my eyes and thoughts wandered. I wanted to know if she was still looking at puppies with Miranda or if they had started answering some of their emails. I knew I needed to focus on my very own emails so I tried my best to do that until my lunch break.
When everyone else had left the office to go get food I quickly picked up the phone. It was time to implement the next step in my plan. I dialed the number for the closest floral shop to her house.
"Hi, I'd like to make an order for a dozen bouquets of roses. Red ones please." I had hoped they would still have some, but I knew my chances were slim.
"You are in luck sir, we actually have the perfect amount as they were ordered for a wedding that was canceled. Would you like to order them?" My heart sank at the thought of taking the flowers but I knew it was what I needed to do.
"Yes, ma'am." I quickly gave the lady on the phone the information for where to deliver the flowers. She asked me if I would like to add a card myself or have them add one for me. I told her I would do it myself.
"Okay, and what will the name on the order be?" Her voice was soft and pleasant to listen to.
