“Come here and give me some love, big guy.”
“Big guy?” I pull away from the door and look at it like it’s offended me. “Who the fuck is ‘big guy’?” I look up and down the hall like it’s going to give me answers. “I’m the only big guy in her life.”
Clenching my fists at my sides, I know that busting in there right now is not part of the plan. Me being here isn’t part of the plan, and I need to go. Her work starts tomorrow, and so does mine. I plan on being at every single appointment she has, starting bright and early.
One thing is for sure: If there’s a man in her life, he’d better start packing his bags. She’s officially off my payroll as of today, and there’s nothing standing between me and the woman that’s mine.
Three
STAR
“Wow” is all I can say to the web consultant on the other end of the line. She called me late last night and offered me a web domain after she’d received some alert when I’d gotten my business license.
I was sure she was going to sell me all kinds of crazy stuff when she started talking about making me a website and stuff for it. I’d gone along with it at first because it was so cheap, but I was sure that not much would come from it. I’ve never been so wrong. The website hadn’t been up long, and my phone has been ringing off the hook with bookings. I’m not sure how I’ll ever keep up, especially after seeing a few bidding wars on dates. It still feels too good to be true, but I’m rolling with it. Maybe my luck is really taking a turn and Nick Rudolph might have done me a favor.
“At this rate you might need to hire some extra hands. You know, I built a website for a temp agency, and I could give you their information. I’m sure they’ve got plenty of seasonal hires that you could use. People are always looking for extra money during the holidays.”
“Are you looking for a job?” I tease.
“That can be arranged,” she says without missing a beat. Everything has been falling into my lap since I walked out of the NR building. It’s strange, but maybe that place was full of bad luck or something.
“Are you serious?”
“How about I email you about it later, but you’re going to need to do something soon. You’re already turning down jobs and bookings for next year.”
“You truly are an angel.”
“I suppose my mom gave me that name for a reason.” She laughs through the line. “I’ll let you go for now. You’ve got a job to get to.”
“Bye,” I say before she ends the call. “This is all so crazy, Snowball.” I pet his fuzzy head, making him purr loudly. He’s the one person I can always count on being at my side. Even if he’s snoozing away most of the time. He let me cry all over him last night, which is true love. After I give him a kiss on the head, I rush over to get ready for my first tree.
I spent the morning buying everything that I needed for this afternoon job. It’s a small miracle that I got my severance from the company all paid to me at once, along with a crazy Christmas bonus I’m not sure I was supposed to get. I debated calling and double-checking, and I might still do it if the guilt keeps weighing on me.
I could use it for now and replace it in my account after I get paid for this job today. The extra money made it so I could go and buy everything I needed for this first gigantic tree. With all the work rolling in, I actually might end up okay. It would be crazy to think I could possibly pull this off as a full-time gig, but only if I grow. It would give me all year to come up with ideas too. That way not all the trees are too much alike, and I want everyone’s to be special to them.
I thought about having them pay for the decorations first, but I could do a small markup since I’m the one who tracked everything down and searched for coupons and such. I sent my first client three ideas, but they told me to choose whichever I thought would look best. They attached pictures of the room the tree is in so I could get a feel. It’s actually in a restaurant, which is different but fun.
“Too much?” I ask Snowball when I’m done getting dressed. I went with a festive sweater and black leggings so it will be easy to move around and get up on a ladder. He actually opens his eyes, so I take that as a plus. “Hold down the fort and stay out of the tree.” I tap my finger on the end of his wet nose before I’m out the door and on the way.