The New Year's Wish (9 page)

ELEVEN

O
LIVIA'S HEAD SPUN.
The hammering of her heart drowned out everything around her. She couldn't catch her breath. Garrett held her pressed tightly against him as her fingers traced their way up the smooth muscles of his back. She had to pull away, but her body betrayed her, and instead she leaned in closer to the kiss. If that was even possible.

A noise invaded her fantasy, and Garrett pulled back. Gracie turned over on the love seat, mumbling in her sleep. Olivia watched as the gentle crackle of the fire crept back into her awareness.

“Olivia, I . . .” He shook his head. “I'm sorry . . . I . . . I shouldn't have . . .” He gestured back and forth between them.

She grinned at him. “What are you talking about? It's about time you did.”

His mouth fell open, and she laughed.

“Truthfully, if you didn't make a move soon, I would have done it.”

Garrett laughed and shoved a hand back through his hair. “So, what do we do now?”

“Well . . .” She leaned forward, narrowing the gap between them. “For starters, you could do
that
again.” She waved a hand between the space separating them, lifted an eyebrow, and held her breath.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He reached for her, and her heart rate accelerated. The fluttering in her stomach increased as he gripped her arms and dragged her against him. She looked into eyes dark with desire, and heat rushed through her. He leaned closer, brought his lips to hers, and nipped her bottom lip. Then he pulled back, leaving a fraction of an inch between them. “Do you know how long I've been waiting to catch that lip between
my
teeth?”

Her breath came in shallow gasps, and he leaned in to kiss her again. Her heart hammered frantically in her chest, pounded through her ears.
Wait a minute.

Barney lurched to his feet, barking furiously at the front door, and Gracie sat up. Maybe it wasn't her heart pounding so loudly.

The sound came again.
Bang bang bang.

Garrett stared at her a moment longer, his eyes filled with promises that sent a chill tingling up her spine. He finally turned away and headed for the door.

“Livvie?” Gracie rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

“Hey, sweetie. Did you sleep well?”

Gracie jumped off the love seat and ran to Olivia. She threw her arms around her. “Did Daddy tell you we went ice-skating and saw the big Christmas tree? I went on his shoulders and—Barney.” She squealed and ran to meet Barney as he barreled into the living room followed by a crowd of family, friends, and a few strangers—well, at least strangers to Olivia. Garrett seemed to know them.

“Hey, Liv.” Jimmy pulled her into an embrace and kissed her on the cheek.

“Hi, Jimmy.”

Laura was next, cradling the baby in one arm and hugging Olivia with the other.

Sheer chaos overwhelmed Olivia as all the kids tore through the room with Barney. Garrett put his arm around her shoulders, grounding her.

She leaned close to whisper in his ear. “What's going on?”

“You'll see.” He squeezed her close and then let her go to fend for herself.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Jimmy held her coat up, and she slid one arm in and then the other.

“Where are we going?” She looked more closely at the assembled crowd. She recognized Garrett's siblings and their wives and children from Thanksgiving and her Christmas Eve drop-in. Garrett's mother stopped for a hug on her way into the living room. A few people she knew from the office were there, as well as a few people she didn't know.

Jimmy winked. “Well, that venue isn't going to set itself up now, is it?”

Olivia sucked in a breath. Her heart stopped. Tears prickled at the backs of her eyes.

Jimmy continued as if she weren't completely overwhelmed with emotion. “Garrett said it's two stories, right?” He continued without waiting for confirmation. “We figured we'd set up the buffet table and the seating on the first floor and the dance floor and bar on the second.” He ushered her toward the door. “We even had an idea of what to do with the bookshelves. Hank and his crew are going to move them all to the back corner and build a temporary wall in front of them. This way, no one will see them, and we don't even have to empty them. That'll make the cleanup much easier.”

Olivia looked back. Garrett was shrugging into his jacket.

“Don't worry.” Jimmy pulled her attention back to him. “Laura and Mom are going to stay with the kids and Barney tonight so we can pull an all-nighter. Most of us have to work tomorrow, so the kids can go with all of you to decorate then.”

The world spun out of control around her. They'd thought of everything. One tear spilled over, followed by another. Garrett slipped his hand into hers and squeezed. She leaned her head against his shoulder and the world righted itself.

A FLOOD OF HAPPINESS
washed through Olivia as she surveyed her and Garrett's handiwork several days later. With the party in full swing, she finally started to relax. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Gracie was on the dance floor with most of the other kids. Garrett was talking to a man she didn't know, but his smile told her he was happy.

Olivia surveyed the room as she waited her turn at the bar. Streamers and flowers adorned every available surface, and colorful cloths covered tables dotted by festive centerpieces. She was glad she'd decided against the more formal black, white, and silver she'd been contemplating. Colorful was more fun, especially with all of the kids in attendance.

When she'd originally thought about a New Year's Eve party for the Harrises, she'd envisioned a stuffy, formal affair, reminiscent of her father's parties, where everyone sat around properly and tried to connect with anyone they thought might further their career. But once it was completely up to her and she wasn't worried about impressing Ms. Harris, she decided to go out with a bang.

She smoothed down her dress and stepped up to the bar. “Hi, can I have a bottle of water, please?” The bartender handed her a bottle. “Thank you.” She thought about dragging Garrett onto the dance floor as she turned away from the bar.

“Olivia.”

She jumped, startled by the firmness and the close proximity of the voice. Olivia cringed as she stopped short to keep from running into the other woman. “Uh . . . Ms. Harris. Hi.”

“You know, you really shouldn't have gone behind my back and planned this party.”

“No, ma'am.” A shiver ran down her back.

“Especially if you'd planned to use my credit card.” Ms. Harris lifted an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side.

Olivia winced. “No, ma'am. I mean . . . yes, ma'am. I . . . uh . . . I mean . . . uh . . .”

Ms. Harris pursed her lips and examined Olivia as if she were a bug under a microscope. Olivia prayed fervently she wasn't about to get squashed.

“But, then again, I've always appreciated employees who show initiative and ambition.” She smiled, and Olivia almost dropped her water. “If Garrett would like to keep you on as his assistant, I'd like you to return to work at Harris and Harris. Marty actually gave her notice the other day; she's decided to stay home with her baby indefinitely, so the position is permanent at this point.”

“I . . . thank you, Ms. Harris.” Did she want to return to work with Garrett? Absolutely. She looked around at the party she'd planned and a sense of pride crept in. For the first time in her life, she'd accomplished something, seen something through to the end. She liked the feeling.

Ms. Harris extended a hand, and Olivia took it. “Wonderful party, dear. I hope to see you at work next week.” She moved off into the crowd, working the room like a pro.

Gracie grabbed Olivia's hand. “I'm having so much fun, Livvie. Thank you.” A radiant smile flushed her cheeks. “Too bad Barney couldn't come.”

“He'll be okay. He's tuckered out from playing with you guys all week. I think he's probably taking a nap.”

“Well . . .” A mischievous grin lit her eyes as she looked around before leaning closer to whisper conspiratorially. “I didn't want him to miss out on
everything
, so I saved him some.” She opened the small bag that hung from her wrist and matched her dress.

Olivia peeked in. It was filled to the brim with hors d'oeuvres. Laughter bubbled up and joy filled her. She brushed a hand over Gracie's hair just before Gracie skipped happily through the crowd.

Olivia scanned the crowd in search of Garrett. Her gaze caught Jill's and held as the other woman stared at her and started pushing her way through the crowd.

Great. Just what I need.

She plastered a phony smile on her face and waited for Jill to reach her.

“Hi, Olivia.” Jill smiled, and Olivia waited for whatever scathing comment would follow. “Great party.”

Confusion caused her to hesitate for just an instant. “Thank you.”

“Listen, I know we didn't get off on the best foot, but . . . well . . . I just wanted to say I'm sorry.” Jill shrugged. “Rumor has it you're coming back, and I was hoping we could forget the past and be friends.”

Olivia's smile was genuine this time. “Sure, Jill. I'd like that.”

“There you are, honey.” A tall man Olivia didn't know put his arm around Jill's shoulders. Jill blushed. “Max, this is Olivia. Olivia, Max.”

“Nice to meet you, Olivia.” Max lifted her hand to his lips before turning back to Jill. “Do you want to dance, babe?”

Jill started to walk away, arm-in-arm with Max, but turned back for just a second to wink at Olivia.

Olivia laughed out loud.
Ah well, I guess our friendly competition is over.
She glanced at her watch.
Whoa.
Only fifteen minutes till midnight.

Olivia looked around the room. It seemed as if everyone had worked their way up to the top level by now. She imagined the thrill that would rocket through the room as the clock struck twelve. The band would play. The crowd would count down amid cheers and whoops. As they rang in the New Year, a blizzard of confetti would rain down from the nets hanging in the ceiling.

Too bad she was going to miss it.

TWELVE

G
ARRETT LOOKED AT THE
clock and excused himself from his conversation with Charlotte. He had to find Gracie and Olivia. He pushed through the crowd in search of them. He spotted Olivia by the exit. Her eyes met his. She caught her lip between her teeth and peered suggestively from beneath her lashes. Then she crooked a finger for him to follow her and disappeared through the doorway with a deliberate sway of her hips. Garrett followed.

When he walked through the doorway into the corridor, Olivia was crouched in front of Gracie, and they were both giggling wildly. A burst of love shot straight through his heart.

“Come on, Daddy. Livvie's got a surprise for us.”

“Oh, she does, does she?” He looked at Olivia, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “It's almost midnight. You're going to miss the countdown.”

“No, I'm not.” She grinned. “Come here.”

He approached her cautiously, unsure what to expect.

“Squat down.”

He lifted an eyebrow, and she smiled sweetly. She helped Gracie climb onto his shoulders.

She looked at her watch. “Come on. We have to hurry.” She grabbed Garrett's hand and pulled him toward the stairway. He followed her down while Gracie bounced up and down, her excitement growing more and more with each step.

“Where's the surprise, Livvie?”

“It's right here.” She shoved the door open and held it for Garrett to duck through. They moved out into the bedlam that was Times Square. Olivia had to raise her voice to be heard over the anticipation buzzing through the crowd. “It's not the same unless you see it from here.”

A police officer gestured to her and she headed down the sidewalk toward him. He led them into a roped-off area.

“Thanks, Tom. Happy New Year.”

“You, too, Olivia.” He moved away into the crowd.

Garrett guided Olivia in front of him and pulled her back against his chest. The wind tugged at her hair, but the chill didn't reach him in the crowd. Olivia reached up to hold Gracie's hand. “Ready, Gracie?” She had to yell to be heard by now.

A low rumble surged through the crowd. Amid the noise, the lights, and the music, a lively hum radiated from the crowd of onlookers eagerly awaiting the new year. Olivia was right. There really was nothing like this. The undercurrent of expectation rippled through everyone, increasing as midnight neared.

Olivia squeezed his arm as all eyes turned skyward to the sparkling crystal ball.
Ten . . .
The ball started to descend.
Nine . . . eight . . .
Gracie screamed the numbers.
Seven . . . six . . .
Garrett sucked in a breath.
Five . . . four . . . three . . .
He didn't dare blink.
Two . . . one.
The ball came to a stop, and the people went wild.

“Happy New Year!” The crowd erupted. Cheers, howls, and screams. Gracie and Olivia screeched right along with them. Garrett lowered Gracie into his arms to hug her. “Happy New Year, sugar.”

“Happy New Year, Daddy.” She squeezed his neck harder. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby girl.” She might be growing up fast, but in this moment, she was still his baby.

Olivia turned to him and threw her arms around them. “Happy New Year, guys.”

“Happy New Year, Livvie.” Gracie wiggled out of his grasp and dropped to the ground. She hugged Olivia tightly. “You're the greatest, Livvie. Thank you so much. This was the best New Year's ever.”

“You're the greatest, too, Gracie. I'm so happy you're enjoying yourself.” She dropped a kiss on the top of Gracie's head and held her pressed against her legs when she lifted her gaze to meet Garrett's.

Confetti poured from the sky, music blared, and people still screamed. It was perfect. “Happy New Year, Olivia.”

She lifted her gaze to his. “Happy New Year”—her face was suddenly suffused in a mischievous grin—“boss.”

He pulled her against him and bent down to ring the new year in with a good, long kiss.