The New Year's Wish (3 page)

FOUR

G
ARRETT SNAPPED HIS MOUTH
shut and shoved a hand through his hair.
Permanent position? More likely a one-way ticket to the unemployment line.

“Am I missing something?” Olivia lifted a brow and tilted her head. Worry clouded her eyes, transforming the crystal blue to a stormy gray.

“Huh?”
Smooth, Emerson.

She glanced over her shoulder at the closed door. “I said, am I missing something? Is there some problem with Ms. Harris?”

“No, no. Not at all. She just has a habit of making other people plan her parties and then making their lives miserable.” He studied her composed demeanor, a stark contrast to the chaos that surrounded her last week. Perhaps he had underestimated her. A small flame of hope flared. “Do you really have experience planning an elaborate, elegant event?”

Her eyebrows drew together. “I guess that depends on how you define experience.” A mischievous smile illuminated her eyes, making the blue shimmer.

“That doesn't sound promising.” He couldn't help but smile.

“Yeah, well, why would she ask me to plan a party anyway? I haven't even started working here yet, really. Isn't that kind of weird?”

He shrugged. “Everyone else was smart enough to hide when they saw her coming.” He laughed at the frustration in her scowl when she glared at him.

“Anyway.” She perched on the edge of the seat in front of his desk with her bag in her lap. “What was she talking about, a Halloween party? Tonight?”

“Yes, it's at the Garden Room at eight sharp. Do yourself a favor and don't be late. She'll be watching for you.”

Her gaze locked onto his. For just a moment, a little bit of the insecurity that had attracted him to her last week returned.

He lowered his gaze and started to shuffle papers randomly around his desk, with no idea what he was even looking at. He cleared his throat. “Jill planned tonight's party. Maybe she could give you a few pointers.”

“Sure.”

He looked back to her.

She sat staring at her hands, folded primly on top of her bag.

“So . . . why don't I show you what you'll need to do when you come in each morning?” He massaged the back of his neck, hoping to relieve some of the tension that had settled there. “This is your desk.” He led her to a small desk at the opposite side of the room. He pulled out the chair for her to sit. “First thing each morning, you'll go through all of the messages and sort out what needs immediate attention and what can wait.”

“How will I know what's important?” She placed her bag on the floor beside her and squinted at the screen.

“You'll get to know in time. For now, I'll go through them every day, too, just to make sure nothing gets overlooked.”

Some of the tension left her shoulders, and she visibly relaxed.

Garrett leaned over her shoulder as he pointed out the icon that would allow her to check the incoming e-mail each morning. The scent of lavender and vanilla invaded his senses and enveloped him in her essence. He quickly stood and looked away. What was it about her that called to him on such a deep level? He hadn't been this attracted to a woman since Stephanie walked out and left him with Gracie.

Well, in all fairness, she had offered to take Gracie with her, had said she'd hire the best nanny in the world until she was ready to ship Gracie off to boarding school. He shoved the thoughts away. It was a sore subject. He hadn't wanted Gracie to grow up into the same shallow woman his ex-wife had become. Raised in an unloving home with a tremendous amount of money, she'd never learned how to deal with her problems. When Garrett lost his high-paying job and was forced to move to New York, Stephanie had run off to “find herself” in Paris.

“Oh, shi—ugar.”

He forced his attention away from the past to find a blush creeping up Olivia's cheeks as she stared at the blank computer screen.

“What happened?” He squinted at the screen as if that would bring something into focus.

“I don't know, I was scrolling through the messages and everything just disappeared.”

Garrett glanced over his shoulder to find his desktop displayed on his computer, as usual. “What do you mean, disappeared?”

“It was just gone. One minute it was there, the next . . . nothing.”

“Well, it couldn't have just gone blank. Did you touch anything?”

“I don't think so.” Her lower lip began to quiver, and she bit down.

Great.
He tried to turn the computer back on . . . nothing. He glanced at his watch.
Gracie.
The kindergarten Halloween parade at school was scheduled to start in fifteen minutes. If he didn't hurry, he wasn't going to make it. “All right. Go find Jill and ask her to show you how to request repairs. I have to run out.”

She peered at him from beneath a massive mop of curls. “Sorry.”

He couldn't tear his gaze from her eyes. The urge to tuck her hair back behind her ear overwhelmed him, and he lifted a hand.
Buzzz . . .
He jumped back at the sound of the intercom.

“Garrett?”

He turned away and pressed the button on her desk. “What is it, Jill?” His voice sounded husky to his ears, and he cleared his throat.

“Ms. Harris wants to speak with you. She's on line two.”

Garrett glanced at his watch. He was already late. “Tell her I ran out. I'll call her as soon as I return.” He turned back to Olivia and rubbed a hand over his face.
What is wrong with me? I'm acting like a teenager with his first crush.
He stared at her a moment longer.
What is it about her?

“Anyway, I have to run out. Jill will take care of this.”

She pushed the chair back from the desk, and it stopped short.

“What the . . . ?” She looked down . . . and froze. When she peered back at him, her face had turned nearly purple. “Umm . . . oops.” She reached down and untangled a cord from beneath the wheel. She lifted the computer plug and smiled.

Though he tried to contain it, the laughter broke through. He shook his head as he headed for the door. “I'll be back in about an hour.” He pulled the door open but paused and looked back over his shoulder. “Don't touch anything.”

The warmth of her laughter followed him into the hallway.

“COME ON, GRACIE.
I told you we'll bake cookies tomorrow. I can't take you today.”

His five-year-old daughter lowered her gaze as she walked with her tiny hand in his. “That's okay, Daddy.”

Garrett clenched his teeth and struggled for control. He hated disappointing her, but sometimes he just couldn't be there for her the way he wanted to be. “I'm sorry, sugar. I have to work today, and Katie is away this weekend.” And of course, school let out early on the day the babysitter was out of town. What did they need early dismissal drills for anyway?

She shrugged. “I know. It's okay.”

He led her into the elevator. “Do you want to push the button?”

Although she didn't respond, she did reach up and press the number three. He watched the numbers light up in silence.
Ding.
The doors opened, and she dragged her feet as she trudged down the hallway behind him.

“Do you want to come play in my office for a bit? I'll put a game up on the computer.”

She shrugged again and then slumped in a chair in the corner of the reception area. “I'll just play here for now.”

He raked a hand through his hair in frustration. “You need to stop sulking, Gracie. I've had enough. I spend as much time as I can with you, but you have to understand there are times I just can't do what you want.”

When she glanced at him from beneath her blond bangs, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Great.
He turned and walked into his office, repressing the urge to slam the door behind him. What was he supposed to do? He had a meeting this afternoon that he couldn't miss. Ms. Harris had already been waiting more than an hour for him to call her back, and she did
not
like to be kept waiting. He had to attend that stupid Halloween party tonight. And now Gracie was mad because he didn't have time to take her trick-or-treating, and his regular sitter was away. What else could go wrong today? He sighed. He hated disappointing Gracie.

“Olivia, could you get Ms. . . .”
Where is she?
Her desk sat empty, except for a picture of a big . . . really big . . . black dog.

“Do you need something, Garrett?” Jill looked up from the stack of folders she'd been shuffling through on his desk.

“Uh . . .” He looked back toward the door. He couldn't leave Gracie out there upset, no matter what Ms. Harris' problem was. She'd just have to wait. “No, not yet, Jill. Thank you. I have to talk to Gracie first. She's upset I couldn't take her trick-or-treating.”

Jill shrugged. “She'll get over it. Kids are surprisingly resilient.” She shot him a flirtatious smile. “Can I do something for you now?”

“That's okay. Maybe later.” He headed back toward the door, but when he pulled it open, he stopped short. Olivia had squatted in front of Gracie's chair, bringing herself to eye level with the little girl. Gracie still sulked, but curiosity tinged her expression as well.

“What's the matter, honey? Why do you look so sad?”

Gracie sniffed. A pang of guilt stabbed him in the gut. He'd made her cry.

“It's just . . .” She hesitated. “All my friends get to go trick-or-treating.” The words blurted out in a rush. “I want to go, too, but Daddy can't take me.”

“Where is Daddy?”

“Working.” She gestured toward Garrett's office without looking up. “In there.”

“Is Garrett your daddy?”

Gracie nodded.

“Well, I know he has a very important meeting this afternoon, and he has to be at a work party tonight.”

Gracie's lip quivered.

“But . . . that doesn't mean you shouldn't get to go trick-or-treating.”

“Really?” Gracie swiped at her eyes.

Olivia stood and reached out a hand. “Sure. I'm Olivia. I'm your dad's personal assistant.”

Gracie shook her hand.

“My job is to help him out when he needs it. So, how about if I take you trick-or-treating?” A huge grin lit Gracie's face. “There are a lot of offices in this building, you know. We could go to all of them. I bet you'll get a ton of candy.”

“But . . .”

“What?” Olivia encouraged her.

Gracie shrugged. “I don't have a costume.”

“Hmmm . . . well, then. I guess we'll just have to make one.”

Gracie's laughter warmed Garrett's heart. He studied Olivia as she and Gracie chatted about different costume ideas and realized what was so special about her. She was, no doubt, beautiful, but it wasn't only on the outside. Her warmth and compassion were reflected in those big blue eyes every time she looked at him.

Olivia dug through her enormous pocketbook and pulled out a brush and a few other things and spread them out on the chair beside Gracie. Gracie turned happily and knelt on the chair facing the wall as Olivia began running a brush gently through her hair.

He slowly eased the door shut and headed toward his desk with a smile. A few minutes later he lifted the receiver to his ear but paused at a knock on the door. Olivia poked her head in. “Sorry to interrupt—”

Gracie burst through the door from beneath her arm. “Trick or treat!” She jumped up and down, vibrating with excitement. Her hair was wrapped in a bun, and a pair of way-too-big glasses slid down her nose. She shoved them back up. She held a clipboard in one hand and a paper bag in the other.

Garrett dug through his desk. He looked up. Olivia leaned against his desk with her back to him. Her hands were behind her back, and a chocolate bar waved discreetly back and forth.

He took it, went around the desk, and dropped it into Gracie's bag. Then he scooped her up in a giant bear hug. “You look great. I love you, sugar.”

“Love you, too, Daddy.” She squeezed him with all her might, the clipboard and bag hanging over his back. He glanced up at Olivia and mouthed,
thank you
.

She smiled.

Gracie squirmed her way out of his arms and headed for the door. “Are you coming, Livvie?”

“Yup, right behind you.”

Gracie's squeal of delight pulled his attention from Olivia. She ran toward Olivia's desk and picked up the picture Garrett had noticed earlier. “Who's this?” She traced her finger around the outline of the large dog.

“That . . . is Barney.”

“Is he yours?”

She smiled, joy lighting her eyes. “He sure is.”

“Can I meet him one day?”

“Sure. Maybe you can come over and play with him sometime, if you'd like.” She glanced at Garrett, and he shrugged. That was a really big dog.