coupon’s good for a kiss? What are we, twelve?”
“I thought it was a cute idea,” I grumble, my cheeks burning at the thought that a kiss was exactly the sort of thing I had in mind. I like the idea of letting him know I’m interested through these gifts.
“Maybe a decade ago. But Todd is a man.”
“Okay, fine,” I concede, pretending like I’m not totally offended by her judgment. “Then how do I both impress him and let him know I’m interested?”
“The waffle maker and hot sauce and earbud ideas. Things that show you’ve been paying attention. He’ll get the hint,” she says.
“Will he? Guys aren’t always that observant, Brit. I’ve been sending off all the vibes for months and I’m still getting nothing back.”
“Trust me,” she says.
Famous last words, am I right?
Thank goodness for the quick shipping that comes with online ordering, because on Monday morning, I have a wrapped mini waffle maker that put me out twelve bucks plus a little bag of waffle mix. I wrapped it last night and even included a little bow, and I decided to just go for it as I typed out a label to fix onto the gift: To Todd, my Secret Santa Crush.
When I say I decided to “just go for it,” what I really mean is that I printed the label and didn’t use it. But I have it in case I want to use it later in the week.
I chickened out. Instead, I just wrote Todd on the first gift.
I stealthily drop it on the front desk when I walk into the office, and Myrna, the receptionist, will make sure he gets it. When I walk into my office, I can’t help my wide smile.
My blinds are already open. Letting light stream in from the window is the first thing I do every morning when I walk in.
A venti Starbucks cup sits on top of a wrapped box on my desk. As I get closer, I also see a bit of red and green glittery confetti in the shape of Christmas trees, and I read the label on the cup.
Venti nonfat white mocha extra whip.
Yeah, I get it. Brittany always makes fun of me for getting extra whipped cream with a nonfat drink, but I feel like they cancel each other out.
I can’t help my wide smile, and I also can’t help but wonder if Brittany lied about who she got. Who else would know my particular Starbucks order? I didn’t write it on my card.
In fact, I scribbled some nonsense on my card.
I like fluffy socks, popcorn, and glitter.
I dislike banana-flavored food, horses, and turtlenecks.
To be clear, I love bananas. But fake banana flavoring? Not my thing. And you’d dislike horses too if you were thrown off one when you were a child. Okay, that’s dramatic. I fell off, but still. I’m not a fan.
See? Nowhere in that list do we find my Starbucks order.
I take a sip and practically melt back into my chair. I don’t care who my Secret Santa is. I just love whoever it is. Even if it’s Karen.
I go for the present next because I’m a child who can’t wait through reading a card to see what’s inside the gift. I tear the neat Christmas paper from the box and rip the cardboard to get inside faster, and I pull out a pair of the softest, fluffiest hot pink socks I’ve ever seen. I want to slip off my heels and walk around the office in them for the rest of the day, to be honest.
But I feel like Belinda would have a thing or two to say about that.
I finally go for the card.
As Christmas comes closer you’ll find out who
is your Secret Santa and has a thing for you
I roll my eyes.
Yep. It’s definitely Brittany. I just don’t know how she managed to get me to believe her lie that she drew Karen. She’s usually easier to see through than that.
Even if I wanted to believe it could be someone like Todd, I know it isn’t for one very obvious reason: he’s a loud and proud Dunkin drinker. He’d never be caught dead picking up a drink for me from my preferred coffee vendor.
I don’t get time to dwell on it because we have a standing team meeting on Monday mornings. I haven’t even powered up my computer yet to check my email, but I don’t want to be late. It’ll be the first meeting Belinda is running, so I’m