me.
Suddenly my office door swung open, and the girls came running in. They were red-cheeked and runny-nosed from the cold, and their hair was matted from their hats.
“Daddy!” Winnie said excitedly. “I got to drive the sleigh!”
“Me too,” said Felicity, taking off her glasses to wipe the fog off them. “The horses’ names were Scout and Cinnamon!”
“Frannie says we can make real hot chocolate in her apartment if it’s okay with you,” Millie bubbled. “So can we?”
I checked my watch. It was going on five and getting close to dinner time, but I still had some things to finish up. “That’s fine. But come back down when you’re done. We need to get going soon, although I have no idea how we’re going to get home.”
“Do you need a ride?” Frannie asked from the doorway. She’d changed clothes, and her long hair was in two gold-streaked braids over her shoulders. They made her look even younger than she was, and my heart sank even lower. She had no idea what she did to me.
“I might,” I admitted. “I called the towing company, but they haven’t gotten back to me yet. But I hate to put you out again.”
“It’s no big deal,” she said, but there was still none of the warmth in her face that had been there yesterday. “I can take you. Come on, girls.” She gathered them up and steered them into the hallway. “Let’s go make our chocolate.”
“Frannie, wait.”
She looked back at me, her expression blank. “Yes?”
But what could I say with the kids right there within earshot?
I’m sorry, I mouthed.
She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I don’t mean about the ride home.”
“I know what you mean.” Then she disappeared, pulling the door shut behind her.
Cursing, I flopped back into my chair.
Two knocks on my door, and then it opened.
For a second, I thought maybe it would be Frannie, but it was DeSantis.
“Oh. Hey,” I said despondently.
He laughed. “Not the warmest welcome I’ve ever received.”
I sighed and rubbed my face with my hands. “Sorry. I’m having a shit day. What can I do for you?”
“I was going to ask if this was an okay time to talk about H.R. needs for spring, but it can wait.”
“No, it’s fine. Sit down.”
DeSantis shook his head. “Let’s talk tomorrow. Why don’t you take off for today?”
“I can’t even do that.” Suddenly I looked up at him. “Hey, can I ask you for a favor?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Could you drive me and the kids home? Whenever you’re ready to go is fine.”
He nodded. “Ready whenever you are.”
“And if it’s not too much trouble, could we try giving my car a jump? It’s in my garage, so we’d have to get it out.”
“No problem.”
“Thanks. Give me about twenty minutes to round everybody up.”
“I’ll be in my office.”
I picked up my phone and texted Frannie. Thanks for the offer, but no need to drive us back. DeSantis can take us.
OK.
I glared at my screen and typed another message.
I’ll come get the kids in fifteen minutes.
OK.
I sat there stewing for a moment, then set my phone aside and tried to answer some emails. But only about three minutes had gone by when I gave up on concentration, slammed my laptop shut, and marched out of my office.
What the fuck did she want from me? I’d apologized. I’d asked her if she was mad. If she had something to say, why didn’t she say it?
She was being immature and ridiculous, and I was going to tell her so.
Frannie
We’d barely gotten up to my suite when he texted me that I didn’t have to drive him home.
Good, I thought. The less I had to see him, the better.
All day long, I’d done my best to pretend nothing had happened, but it was useless. He was all I could think about. And I didn’t know how to act around him now—there was this weird tension between us that hadn’t existed before. He didn’t seem too comfortable around me, either. I’d never seen him as grouchy and mad as he’d been by the time we’d left the house.
I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but I couldn’t. Every moment in his presence was torture for me. All I wanted was to get to the end of this day so I could curl up in a ball on my couch and have a good ugly cry. I’d thought being with him that way would be a dream come true, but this felt like a nightmare.
When the hot chocolate was done,