Holiday Hoax (Windy City Holidates #3)

Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

IAN

“Stella is here,” Derrick says as he stands in the threshold of my office doorway.

I look up and give him a nod of acknowledgement. The past few days have been full of meetings and reports, and to make matters worse, I haven’t had a reason to reach out to Mia. After our night together I was hoping this would just effortlessly slide into being more than a fake relationship.

The sight of my sister is a welcome distraction. I stand as soon as she breezes into my office and walk over to give her a hug. She’s a little thinner than I remember, a fact that I don’t like one bit, but her color is good. Since she was diagnosed with lupus, she’s had several difficult flares as she works with a team of doctors to find the best medication for her. It’s been more challenging than any of us anticipated.

“Stop worrying,” she says as she ends the embrace. “I can practically hear your racing thoughts.”

“I can’t help it.”

“I know.” She pats my chest. “You and your big, soft heart. I’m good, though, promise.” She rolls her eyes. “And you know that if I wasn’t you’d be Nico’s first call.”

She’s right about that. Her husband can’t keep his mouth shut to save his life, which is fine by me. He’s kept me up to date on almost every aspect of her health and care when she couldn’t herself.

It’s a cold day but sunny, so we decide to walk to the restaurant. Soon the Chicago winter will settle in, and days like this will be put on pause. We make small talk as we navigate the city sidewalks until we reach our destination.

Neither of us need to look at the menu, we both have our favorite dishes here. After we order she gives me a soft smile.

“How is everything going with the board? Dad said a few of the members had concerns about the transition.”

I relax back into my seat. “It’ll be fine. Several of them were worried about my relationship status being single for so long. Thinking it showed a lack of ability to commit.”

She scoffs. “That’s the biggest pile of bullshit I’ve ever heard. You’re the most rock solid, committed person in that building. I know it. Dad knows it. They fucking know it.”

“I don’t disagree.”

“Do you think there’s some underlying motivation?”

I’ve been quietly wondering about this, too. I do have some big plans for how to modernize the company, and they’re not exactly popular with the older generation. I wouldn’t just be funneling the money from our company’s growth into their pocketbooks, I’d be reinvesting it into the infrastructure of our company, modernizing it from the ground up.

“Possibly. We’ll see now that I’ve been bringing a date to events.”

Her brows shoot up. “Really? The same woman or a rotating list?”

“The same woman.”

“Do I know her?”

I hesitate before answering. “Yes.”

She opens her mouth to speak, but I quiet her by holding my hand up.

“I’m not going to tell you who just yet.” I drop my hand. “It started as being very casual, but I think it could be more.”

“Is she our age? Did we grow up in the same circles?”

“No to both.”

“Younger?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes narrow. “How much younger?”

“Mid-twenties.”

“At least she was out of diapers when you started college.”

“Shut up.” I toss a straw wrapper at her. “It honestly doesn’t feel like that big of a difference when we’re together.”

She softens. “That’s good. Tell me about her.”

“She works in the arts and comes from a larger family. She’s funny and brilliant and gorgeous. She sees the world through a very different lens than I do. It’s refreshing.”

Stella studies me before speaking. “You really like her, don’t you? I’ve never heard you talk about someone else like that.”

I nod. “She’s special.”

“I hope I get to meet her sooner rather than later.”

The urge to tell her that she already has, that she in fact probably knew her better than me up until we made our arrangement, is so strong. But I manage to contain it.

“I hope so, too. How long are you staying in the city?” I steer the conversation away from Mia.

“The California office is all set up and the new manager has taken over. Nico and I will be back here for the most part from now on.”

“Good. When I get back to the office, I’ll have Derrick reach out to your assistant and get a dinner put on the books for all of us.”

“That sounds great. I actually wanted to ask what you’re doing for Thanksgiving this year?”

“No plans yet. Mom and Dad will be yachting in the Caribbean.”

“Asher and Clara are having us over and extended the invite if you want to join? Maybe even volunteer at the shelter beforehand? I’m sworn to absolute secrecy, but Clara is going to make Nico and Ash wear reindeer costumes because she’s having Santa come to pass out gifts and necessities to the kids and families.”

“How can I say no to seeing that? Count me in.”

Nico and Stella started out as friends with Asher Bennett as the third person in their little trio. He’s one of the most uptight people I’ve ever met, so the chance to see him dressed in any type of buffoonery is something I’d never pass up. His wife has been humbling his uptight ass since the day they met.

After lunch Stella grabs a ride back to her office while I opt to walk again. I pull my phone out and pull up my text thread with Mia.

Dinner tonight?

The light changes, and I slip my phone back in my pocket. It’s not until I’m stepping inside the elevator that I feel my phone vibrate with a notification. I pull it out to see a response from her.

I can do that. What time?

I’ll pick you up at seven

Sounds good, see you then

I tap a finger on Derrick's desk as I pass. “Can you make reservations at Jasper’s for two tonight? Seven thirty?”

“Sure thing.” He drops what he was doing to pick up the phone.

“Also, reach out to Stella’s assistant and find a night for dinner for three.”

“Got it.”

“Thank you.”

I knock on Mia’s door at five minutes to seven. It was a challenge to not show an hour early, I’m so ready to see her again. I wracked my brain for a reason to reach out before today, but she would have seen through anything I could have come up with.

She opens the door and steps to the side for me. “I just need to choose my shoes, and I’ll be ready.”

I follow her down the hallway to her room and lean against the door frame. “Good thing you have options to choose from.”

She smirks over her shoulder at me. “I still think you're crazy for that, by the way. But I love them all too much to give them back.”

“Good. I’m happy to be of service.”

“Who are we dining with tonight?”

“It’s just us.”

She stills and looks over at me. “Oh.”

“Is that a problem?” Unease swirls in my gut.

“No. I’m just surprised.”

“Are you okay with it?”

“Yes.” She smiles, but it lacks the sparkle in her eye that’s usually present. “Of course.”

I decide not to push it. Maybe I really did just catch her off guard. She steers the conversation away from the awkward exchange like a pro.

“Now that I have all these gorgeous new shoes, I’ll have to go out and get a new handbag to go with them.” She gives me a wry grin. “Like I need an excuse to splurge on a purse.”

I give her a smile in return and pull out my phone to text my personal shopper. I didn’t even think about sending a few handbags with the shoes. God knows growing up with Stella I always heard about the importance of a good handbag. At the last minute I add an instruction to get anything that makes sense for her.

The unease from earlier fades away when she slips her hand in mine and links our fingers after locking her door. As always, she smells incredible. Her scent surrounds us in the elevator. Part of me wishes I could cup her cheek and back her into the wall, kissing her senseless until the doors open back up. But I’m not sure how she’d react.

Maybe she thought the other night was a fluke? Just a night of really good but casual sex. The thing about me, though, is that I don’t do casual sex. I fuck with passion and purpose, it’s never casual.

Casual isn’t even in my vocabulary when it comes to Mia. I feel free with her, like I can let down the stoic, calm, business man persona I’ve cultivated my entire life and just be me. The more I think about it, the more I realize that even when I decided to fake date her, I felt more.

She doesn’t seem to have the same feelings though. Or if she does, she’s much better at hiding them. I could back off, maybe I should, but as I look over at her, I know that I won’t. The thought of backing off physically pains me.

She might think this is fake, but I’m going to show her nothing could be more real.