The Christmas Crush

Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

After Alan’s firing, the atmosphere at Sparkle Cookie headquarters went from frosty to downright glacial. Derick expected daily sales reports from his team to ensure marketing strategies were effective. Every night Elena painted to relieve stress, and every morning she arrived at work more tired and burnt out than the day before. Derick shifted half of Alan’s work to Elena and the other half to Priya with no mention of a pay increase.

“Any luck?” Priya asked in a low voice, stopping by Elena’s desk.

“It’s tight out there. Nothing yet. How about you?” Neither woman would say aloud why they needed luck while inside the Sparkle Cookie building. Both had confessed their intentions to find a new job last night via text.

“Nothing within a hundred-mile radius and nothing in a city I can afford, even if I relocate.”

“He’s on his way up, look busy,” Sarah, Derick’s assistant, yelped, running past the cubicle, a streak of lavender. Poor Sarah had taken to watching for Derick’s car to arrive each morning to give everyone a chance to hide. Priya sprinted back to her desk, nearly spilling her coffee in her haste, and Elena opened yet another spreadsheet. Percentages and pie charts swam before her eyes.

She swore a chill wind blew from the elevator as Derick got off. Unwilling to risk getting caught slacking, she ignored the vibration from her phone alerting her to a text message. At the last possible moment, she noticed flecks of paint on her sweater and began picking them off in earnest. Bits of yellow ochre crumbled to the floor.

“Daily reports in my in-box in ten minutes or less,” Derick told the whole room, not bothering with a hello. Sarah followed behind him, caught his overcoat as he tossed it back.

A sour taste rose in Elena’s mouth; she washed it away with a sip of coffee. Despite getting up early to get ready, she must’ve looked extra pitiful this morning, because Mel the barista had broken the law to give her ten espresso shots.

At the moment, the numbers in Elena’s region looked acceptable. Not fantastic, but nothing bad enough to draw Derick’s wrath either. Crossing her fingers Derick wouldn’t scream at her from his office, she sent the report. The original description for her job classified her role as being responsible for crafting campaigns and social media posts. At best, that work—the inventive work she didn’t loathe—represented a small fraction of her day. She spent most of her time trapped in spreadsheet hell.

How had she gotten so far from her original goals? Years ago, when she summoned all her courage to tell her dad she wouldn’t be going to law school or seeking a position at the family firm, she’d thought she had escaped the worst of the grind. It turned out she’d jumped out of the frying pan and into the scorching fire. This job was meant to be the perfect compromise between her and Dad. What a joke.

Maybe I’d be better off at Voss, Voss the computer screen blurred as her eyes filled with tears. Never let them see you cry. Vosses are bosses.

A strident ring from her office phone made her jump. She grabbed a tissue, wiped her eyes. Derick’s line. Get it together. “Good morning, Derick. How can I help you?”

“Come to my office.” He hung up without explanation.

The same terror that had overwhelmed her when Alan told them he’d been fired hit her. Muscles quivering, she made her way to Derick’s office. He sat like a cruel king at his desk, a thousand-dollar leather chair his throne.

She pushed her hands against her stomach, against the tight knot forming there.

“Voss, you’re the only one I can count on to produce these days.” Relief came on so strongly she almost gasped. Dad’s training kicked in, and she steadied herself before Derick could realize how frightened she’d been a breath ago. On the wall behind his desk, she saw a Phillies pennant among framed district performance awards. Human, he’s only human. Picture him eating peanuts and watching baseball.

“Yes, I have shown you consistent gains. As you can see, the survey results from my trip are favorable.” Don’t let them see you afraid. Dad had drilled it into Elena that women tended to upspeak at the end of their sentences, lowering their perceived credibility. She would not let her voice waver. “And I’ve met the goals from my annual review, with weeks to spare.”

Always press an advantage, always highlight your contributions.

“As you should. I didn’t call you in here to discuss your regular duties, though.” Derick steepled his fingers, leveled his gaze at her. He didn’t offer her a seat, and she wouldn’t take one. She straightened her spine, willed her hands not to fidget. “Social media regarding the Sparkle Cookie New Hope location has improved, just as I instructed you it must. Several people left comments about the wonderful samples given out by a friendly young lady. Apparently, they even came with customized miniature painting of New Hope scenes.”

Uh-oh. Had she violated some company policy by not getting all merchandising approved by Derick? She swallowed, folded her hands so they wouldn’t tremble.

“Clever. Very clever, Elena. Beat them at their own game. Fight small-town mentalities with a taste of their own homemade medicine.” A smile spread on Derick’s face, highlighting his vampire-sharp canine teeth. She blinked, questioned her hearing. Had Derick stooped to admitting she had done something right? That one of her ideas worked? “I’m only going to offer this to you. Don’t mention it to your coworkers. If you get those grand-opening numbers I want, I will authorize a fifty-five-hundred-dollar bonus.”

Stunned, Elena took a step back. A bonus like that could help cover expenses while she looked for new work, even help her afford to move if she had to. Her endless hard work was paying off right when she had all but given up. But Dad would remind her not to gush to Derick, to act like a bonus was the least she deserved. “I’ll look forward to that.”

Derick raised his brows, his surprise at Elena’s cool reserve obvious.

Ever her father’s daughter, she added, “Give me the terms in writing, please.”

“As you wish. Get back to work, Voss.” Elena turned to leave. “And Voss, the next time you visit that dump, I want a full accounting of the strides you’ve made breaking into that market for us.”

A shiver she couldn’t hide shook through her. The next time she planned to be in New Hope was for her date with Lawrence tomorrow night. Derick couldn’t elbow his way into that, couldn’t drain the excitement from her. He could never know.

Because she would not sit across from Lawrence at dinner while secretly trying to ingratiate herself with his customers. No, no matter how personally advantageous, she could not do it. Something deep inside her recoiled from the mere suggestion, an animal retreating from a predator.

“Tell Patel I want to see her now. Her daily report is disappointing.”

Elena assured Derick she’d send Priya in and went to warn her friend. Priya’s soulful eyes filled with tears at the news of Derick’s summons, and she trudged away to face the music.

Back in her cubicle, Elena put her head in her hands. Gave herself a minute to calm the emotions competing inside her. She could manage this; she could survive at work and explore her connection to Lawrence. Right? Down the hall she heard Derick roaring at Priya, not caring if he embarrassed his loyal employee over a small mistake. Had Priya even made a mistake? Sales fluctuated due to a multitude of factors. None of that mattered to Derick. This culture of shame, the fear of her dad finding out she’d failed at work, dominated Elena, made it impossible not to do her best.

Her phone screen lit up with a new notification. A text from Lawrence! She seized it and read his message. Looking forward to seeing you . She held the phone to her chest, joy leaping in her heart, chasing away the darker feelings. A text like that from a different guy might be nothing more than sweet talk, but from Lawrence, she knew it was genuine.

Same here , she typed in response.

If she was careful, she could protect this part of her life from Derick. She could have it all.