Jingle Bells

Winter wonderland

Apparently, Nina does have some intelligence, for he hasn't heard any of that ear-shattering music since he yelled at her last week. The office is back to normal, although the Christmas candies are still in his mint jar and she insists that all they have is peppermint hot chocolate mix (even though Ethan from the mail room says he saw her stirring the hot cocoa with a candy cane yesterday afternoon).

Still, this much, he can handle. Things are more peaceful, and he's getting a lot more work done. Surprisingly, so is she.

"I finished organizing those employee files for you," Nini announces, walking into his office with the usual click of her heels.

"Then put them away."
Sighing, she does as he says, and he resists the urge to yell at her for quietly, yet absentmindedly humming a Christmas song. Is that 'Winter Wonderland'?

Great, now he recognizes them.

"Why do you hate Christmas, anyway? Did you have some traumatic experience as a child or something?" She blurts out, sounding frustrated.

"Doesn't matter, Nina. Are you finished?"

"I guess."

"Then get out."

She rolls her eyes and walks out of his office without arguing.

He takes a sip of his coffee and is about to start working again when his eye catches the candy still sitting in his mint jar. He notices the corners of a piece of paper sticking up from the bottom, and he reaches in and grabs it. It's a Christmas themed sticky note, decorated with candy canes, mistletoe, gingerbread men, bells, stars, and Christmas trees. On it, he recognizes Nina's slightly messy handwriting in black marker.

I just wanted to get you in the Christmas spirit. Hope this fun candy helped! By the time you're reading this, I'm expecting your halls to be decked with boughs of holly and your chestnuts to be roasting on an open fire. I love working for you and I hope you have a merry Christmas!

He reads the note from Nina with a clenched jaw and a shaking hand. Somehow, this has crossed his imaginary line of how much she can annoy him. Deep down, he knows that she did this before she knew how much he dislikes Christmas, but still, he can't contain his frustration.

He crumbled up the note and throws it in the trash, standing up and walking over to his floor-to-ceiling window, leaning against it, staring at the view of Los Angeles below him.

The houses in the residential areas are decorated with lights and (now flat) blow up decorations. The shopping centers, high rises, and parks are decked out in huge wreaths and other more elegant forms of decorations. He finds it even more annoying. It's December: the trees are dead, people are getting sick, the weather's cold, and he just doesn't understand why everyone is so freaking happy.

He walks away from the window and starts pacing up and down the length of his office, trying to let off some lingering steam. He's brought out of his thoughts by her voice (and right when he thought he had gotten rid of it for a while).

"Mr. Bowen, you have a call," she announces. "It's your mother."

He walks over and picks up his desk phone. "Connect her," he tells her.

She nods and presses a button on her phone (because they have all the latest technology and she is most definitely proud of it).

"Mom?" He says into the phone, shooing Nina out of the room.

"Hi, honey!" His mother gushes.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to remind you that our annual Christmas party is next week, and you still haven't said anything about bringing a plus one."

"Do I need one?"

"Yes, dear. Some very important people will be there, and you having a date will look more impressive. It'll make you look more mature-"

"I am mature."

"You need a date, honey. There's no negotiating this."

He sighs. "Alright, fine. I'll find a date."

"Thank you!"

They say their goodbyes, and he hangs up the phone. Running a hand down his face, he takes a deep breath and presses the button on his desk to page Nina.

"Yes, Mr. Bowen?" She asks politely, walking into his office.

"I need you to be my plus one for my family's Christmas party next Friday."

"You mean... like a date?"she asks, raising her eyebrow.

"That's what we're calling it, yeah."

"Awe, you want me to help you feel the Christmas spirit at the Christmas party?" She asks with a grin.

He rolls his eyes. "No, I just need my mom to get off my back about having a date. And you're my assistant. So, assist me."

"Well, i could never pass up a Christmas party."

"Great. I'll email you the address and details. You'll have to come a bit early so you're there with me to greet the guests. Also, dress like a rich person." He looks her up and down distastefully. "If you know how."

Nina plasters a smile on her face (he knows she's just itching to give him some snarky remark, but she's already walking on thin ice after the holly fiasco last week). Then, she walks out of the office.