Your Christmas Love Read online

  Your Christmas Love

  Layla Hagen

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  ***

  Your Christmas Love

  Copyright © 2019 Layla Hagen

  Cover: Uplifting Designs

  Your Christmas Love

  Copyright ©2019 Layla Hagen

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Sienna

  “I’ve got the list with gifts ready,” I said into the phone, surveying the spreadsheet I’d labeled Christmas presents.

  “Wow. You’re way ahead of me, girl. I’m still working on it,” Pippa said. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t start shopping already.”

  “I agree.”

  Buying gifts was my second favorite part of the holiday season. My absolute favorite was hanging up Christmas ornaments. My office was proof of that.

  “See you at six thirty?”

  “Perfect.”

  Some might think that starting to shop so early for presents was overdoing it, but there were a lot of people in the Bennett clan, and buying the perfect present for each took time and dedication. Pippa Bennett-Callahan was my favorite aunt, and my partner in crime when it came to shopping.

  “Your boss is arriving today?” she asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks. I’ll need all the luck I can get.”

  I sighed after hanging up. My boss had been working out of the Seattle office until now, but he was officially moving to San Francisco today. We’d only communicated through phone calls and emails until now.

  Everyone was in a frenzy this morning, waiting for him to show up.

  “Think the boss from hell will be late?” my colleague Mara asked, poking her head in my office.

  “Don’t call him that,” I said on a smile.

  “Why? Everyone else is.”

  “True. But I don’t think he’ll be late. Not his style.”

  He was impatient and demanding, but he was also brilliant. Winston Statham was a genius. He took over the chain of department stores from his parents at only thirty years old. He was just five years my senior. I’d learned more in the months I worked with him than in two years at my previous job.

  I’d joined Statham Stores one year ago as a branding junior. My superior had to unexpectedly go on maternity leave early, and Winston decided I was equipped to take over her duties until she returned.

  Since then, I’d been working with him to revamp our online store.

  My dynamic with Winston was interesting, to say the least. When we weren’t sparring over details, we were productive, building on each other’s ideas. Would working face-to-face impact our dynamic?

  I’d find out sooner rather than later.

  I looked around my office, smiling. I’d already hung Christmas ornaments everywhere. Sure, it was still early in the year, but I’d barely held back until Halloween. After, I unleashed myself on the office.

  I jumped when I heard a familiar voice by the elevators and hurried out to the corridor. My palms were sweaty. My mouth was dry. I was determined to make a good impression. I spotted Winston immediately, because everyone was gathered around him.

  Currently, I was looking at the back of him: charcoal black hair, impressive height and build. He was speaking with several of my coworkers. When he turned around, my breath caught. I’d never even seen a picture of him.

  Thank heavens he’d never wanted to do any video conference calls, because those mesmerizing green eyes would have messed up my focus. Everything about him just spelled sexy and manly. He stood out in the crowd, and not just because his suit was tailored and molded around his fit body to perfection.

  Everyone was introducing themselves. I waited until he was right in front of me to say, “Sienna Hensley.”

  “Nice to finally meet you in person.” His eyes widened in surprise. I couldn’t ignore the way my stomach flipped during the few seconds we made eye contact.

  After he greeted everyone who’d gathered in the lobby, we all went into the meeting room. Winston had asked me to prepare it so he could address the team upon his arrival.

  There were too many of us for all to sit, so I stood by the door. I just couldn’t get over how damn attractive he was. Those eyes, the way he walked... even the way he ran his fingers through his black hair was sexy.

  “Good morning, everyone. Thank you for gathering here. As you know, I’ve been working out of the Seattle office until now, but San Francisco is home. Besides, this is our flagship store. It’s the place to be. Let’s make this Christmas season our best one yet. I’m confident we can reach a new record in sales on Black Friday and during this quarter in general if we put our minds to it.”

  He looked around the room as if expecting everyone to nod in agreement, but was only met with skeptical expressions.

  Way to make an entrance, Winston.

  Only last Friday, half of my colleagues were betting that he wanted us to gather so he could get to know the team better, that in person he wasn’t really the boss from hell he seemed from his emails.

  Winston’s parents had retired before I joined Statham Stores, but my colleagues said that they were warm and friendly. Winston’s leadership style was different. He went on to talk about more specific sales goals and ways to reach them.

  Well, that speech didn’t help anyone warm up to him.

  “Okay, everyone. Let’s get to work,” he finished. Everyone practically darted out of the room. I was about to join them when Winston’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

  “Ms. Hensley, let’s go to my office. I want to talk to you alone.”

  He pinned me with his gaze, watching me intently. I was a little breathless.

  “Sure.”

  “Is all the documentation for the Christmas program ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Bring it with you. I want us to review it together.”

  “Can we do it in about an hour? The sales team has a surprise for you. They’re waiting for you down in the store.”
>
  The Statham Department Store in San Francisco was so huge that there was plenty of space for our offices on the upper level.

  He cocked a brow. “I don’t have that on my schedule.”

  “Well, no. It’s a surprise.”

  “I don’t have time right now.”

  “I’ll let them know and then be right with you.”

  “Okay. And for the record, don’t let anyone plan any more surprises. There’s no time for that.”

  Ouch. Everyone had been so anxious for his arrival. It was practically a company-wide event. So many employees had stayed with Statham Stores for decades because they were loyal to the family, because they loved and respected his parents, and him by extension. They wanted to meet him.

  How could someone so good-looking be so grouchy? I had to suck in a breath and steel myself when Winston walked past me. Damn, damn, damn. The closer he came, the more handsome he seemed, even though his expression was serious. Did the boss even know how to smile?

  I was making it my mission to find out.

  Chapter Two

  Winston

  The second I entered my office, I realized that I should have structured my opening speech differently. I should have spent more time preparing it, but if there was one thing I didn’t have, it was time. I’d never been under so much pressure, and if the numbers didn’t improve, I’d have to close this store.

  I refused to even consider that possibility. I would come through for my parents, who trusted me, but also for every single employee working in this store. Their livelihoods depended on it. Statham Stores owned twelve department stores around the United States and eight in Europe, but I refused to close even one—especially this one. I had so many great memories of this place.

  I practically grew up on these floors, watching Mom and Dad run it. They’d shared this very office space. Back then, there were two desks in opposite corners. Now they’d been replaced with a long one for me.

  Someone knocked at the door.

  “It’s Sienna.”

  “Come in.”

  I took a deep breath. It didn’t help much. She was so beautiful, I just couldn’t look away from her. Her light brown hair reached the middle of her back. Warm brown eyes complemented her bronze skin tone perfectly.

  “I have the Christmas program here. The sales team would still like to meet you, whenever you have time, and personally, I think it’s a good idea.”

  I didn’t have time for pleasantries, but I’d already made that clear. If she insisted, it meant she disagreed. I’d call her out on it, but one of the reasons I chose to promote her instead of hiring a replacement for the branding VP was precisely because she never held back.

  Sure, that led to some verbal sparring, but also very creative and productive solutions for the website redesign. Modernizing Statham Stores wasn’t an easy task, but Sienna hadn’t shied away from any challenge.

  We sat side by side at the long desk. She’d brought the printed version of the Christmas program. It covered everything from pricing strategy to Christmas-themed events. At this point, I’d be screwed if she quit. She was indispensable for what I had in mind to save the store.

  I refused to be attracted to her. And yet, I could barely keep myself from moving closer to her.

  “Did our usual band for Christmas Eve confirm?”

  “Yes, but we’re also holding auditions for a second band. It’s good to bring in some new blood.”

  “I agree.”

  I loved that she took initiative. Damn, this wasn’t helping curb that attraction; quite the contrary.

  “I’ve put Post-its on pages seven and twelve. I think we need to change a few details. I think we should move the Meet Santa session to Saturday rather than Sunday. Parents get too anxious if the line is too long, because they have to go to work the next day.”

  “That’s a great idea. Go ahead and change it.”

  “Perfect.”

  The woman wasn’t only smart, she also had more empathy than anyone I’d ever worked with. She easily put herself in others’ shoes. It was perhaps because she wasn’t always thinking about profit maximization but customer satisfaction that her suggestions were so spot-on.

  “Ms. Hensley, I also called you in here because I have a new project in mind.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “This store... it needs a rebranding. We’ve kept the original structure and branding for far too long. There’s a fine line between respecting the history of this place and losing revenue. The new merchandising systems we’ve implemented in the other stores are more productive, but given that this is our flagship store, we need to go about it differently. Deeper. On a structural level.”

  “I’ve got you. Okay. I definitely think there’s room for improvement. We could focus on that in the New Year.”

  “I want us to have a concept ready in eight weeks.”

  “Christmas is in seven weeks.”

  “I’m well versed in the art of counting, Ms. Hensley,” I said dryly.

  Her eyes became fiery. “Then you’ll probably also know that I’ve booked two weeks of vacation starting the twenty-second.”

  “I don’t remember approving that.”

  “It’s still with HR.” Her voice was less certain. “I promised my brother I’d visit him in London. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

  We had that in common. I didn’t like to let the people I love down either.

  “The concept needs to be ready before the thirty-first of the year, Ms. Hensley. I’m sure we can come to an agreement. We can incorporate it in our current workload.”

  On top of our current workload was what I actually meant, and she knew it. Finishing the concept would mean late evenings at the office, possibly even working weekends... all before Christmas. I practically saw that fire in her eyes intensify.

  She opened her mouth, then pressed her lips together as if deciding she shouldn’t voice her thoughts. That was a first, but perhaps I’d finally pushed her too far.

  “Yes, I’m sure we’ll find a solution.” Her tone was colder than before. Judging by my reaction to her, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. One of us needed to keep a cool head. And that someone wouldn’t be me.

  Chapter Three

  Sienna

  At six o’clock I left the Statham building, hurrying to meet Pippa. I’d just rounded the corner to where I’d parked when a guy I hoped I wouldn’t see again unhitched himself from the building wall, watching me. My ex, Trevor.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “You’ve been ignoring my calls and messages.”

  “That didn’t clue you in that I never want to speak to you again?”

  “Don’t be difficult,” Trevor said at the same time I heard Winston’s voice to my right.

  “Is everything okay?” He was holding a takeout bag, looking between me and Trevor.

  I nodded, pulling myself to my full height. Just what I needed. To be humiliated in front of my boss.

  “I want to talk to you alone,” Trevor said.

  “There’s nothing to talk about.” I crossed my arms over my chest. I really wished Winston would leave. I didn’t want him to see this.

  “That’s not true.”

  “You wanted distance, remember? I broke up with you. End of story. There’s nothing to talk about. I don’t want to see you again. I moved on.”

  I still had a scar the size of a football in my heart from the whole experience, but no one needed to know that. He’d called me suffocating and demanding.

  “Thought maybe you didn’t see my messages.”

  “I did. Not interested.”

  What did he think? That I’d be available for a booty call?

  “You hear her,” Winston said. His voice was calm... too calm.

  “Stay out of this,” Trevor said.

  “You show up here again, and I’ll get a restraining order.”

  That caught Trevor’s attention. I blinked. Had Winston really said t
hat?

  “Who do you think you are?” spat Trevor.

  “Someone who doesn’t tolerate men like you.”

  “Trevor, go away. Don’t call me, don’t show up at my workplace.”

  “We have unfinished business,” Trevor insisted.

  “You wanted out. With me, out is out. There’s no unfinished business here.”

  Trevor took a step forward. I didn’t move, but Winston did, taking a half of a step in front of me, shielding me with his big, strong body.

  “Leave!” His voice still sounded lethally calm, even though a vein was pulsing in his temple.

  Trevor looked between the two of us for a few seconds before backing off and turning on his heels.

  “I’ll walk you to your car,” Winston said.

  “Thanks. I didn’t park far away.”

  He walked behind me. I could feel the heat of his body with every single step. When I reached the car, I opened my door slowly, turning to him. Damn. I’d miscalculated the distance. Winston was so close that his warm exhales breezed against my cheek.

  “Has he shown up here before?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “I want you to tell me if he does again. Or if he bothers you at all.”

  “Why? You’re really going to get a restraining order?”

  “That, or I’ll kick his ass.”

  I cocked a brow. Somehow, with those crisp suits, I couldn’t see it.

  “You doubt I can?” he asked in a challenging tone.

  “Can’t really see you getting your hands dirty, no.” I was only half teasing.

  But as Winston’s mouth curled up into a seductive smile and he rested his hand on the roof of the car, just next to my arm, I realized I’d pegged him all wrong.

  “I can get very dirty if the situation requires it.”

  Oh yeah, very, very wrong. I’d thought he was cold and distant. Tonight, I’d seen this other side of him. He was passionate, possibly hot-headed too, he just kept it all under a tight leash. But right now, it was simmering at the surface. Holy hell. It was right there, in the glint in his eyes and the unmistakable double entendre in his words.

  “I doubt Trevor will show up again. He’s not used to working for anything, just likes... easy prey. I’m guessing he thought I’d fall at his feet. Thanks for tonight.”