Corporate Christmas Read online

Then the giggles stopped and the tired set in—and then the mad was back.

  She'd killed herself to get the contract that she'd shredded—and that, too, made her mad. She was going to have to cut her trip short so she could get back in time, reprint the contract, and redline it again before anyone knew she'd never gotten it back to the client. Perhaps she could do that from her mother's house. She brought her laptop after all, because even mad to the point that she considered never returning, she was a professional who, up until that afternoon, loved her job. Her laptop went everywhere because she never knew when the opportunity to win over a new client might happen.

  It had worked that way with Pop! Cosmetics, the new client she'd brought to the firm. Gloria Vandenberg was a young, up-and-coming fashion icon who had been compared to Coco Chanel. At only twenty-five, she had taken her inheritance from the Vandenberg Furniture Company and started Pop! Cosmetics. Hollywood elite were her spokespeople on social media. Having grown up in the upper crust society, she had some influential friends.

  By chance, Chloe had met Gloria at a wine tasting event four months earlier for another client. Wasn't it lucky that William was much too busy to attend, so he'd sent Chloe. She and Gloria had hit it off with small talk, and that had moved into their love of romance novels, Hallmark movies, and sushi. A week later they were having dinner together at another event, and a week after that Gloria officially launched her up-and-coming empire.

  Now that she was set to be in the major retailers, she wanted to get her name out beyond the teenagers and twenty-something women who watched social media. It was time to go big, but with a firm that was small enough to let her be part of everything. Mason Arts, Inc was exactly the kind of advertising firm Gloria was looking for, and Chloe Richardson was just the kind of woman she wanted to work with.

  Chloe's father had taught her to keep it all personable, even when negotiating million-dollar deals. Above all else, people wanted personable.

  It was easy for her to be herself around Gloria, even though Gloria was larger than life. She figured her dad was right. Chloe being herself was just what Gloria needed in her own life, and it was paying off.

  So how come it paid off to pick up a million-dollar account, but it wasn't enough to secure the Account Manager position? Why had they brought in that Jason guy? What were his qualifications? Why did he get the job? And why didn't they even consider her for it?

  She slapped the steering wheel. This man vs woman crap should be over by the twenty-first century. Equal pay for equal work and titles that go with it. The whole thing made her want to scream—and so she did. In the confines of her aging Subaru, she screamed.

  Tears pooled in her eyes and so she screamed again. She screamed until it became laughter and the tears were secondary to the giggles that came next.

  Screw the Mason family if they couldn't see what they had. Chloe Richardson was an up-and-comer too. Maybe she would talk to Gloria about a position inside Pop! Cosmetics.

  The thought appealed to her more than she could have imagined. Maybe it was time to leave one side of advertising and move to another.

  What if she were the one calling the shots from the other side of the table? What if she told Jason how she wanted things to work, and not taking direction from him?

  As she passed the sign that told her she'd made it all the way to the quaint little town of Aubrey Heights, Chloe's mad was gone. Opportunity rang in her ears and fueled warmth in her blood.

  Now with dry eyes, and an easy rhythm in her heart, she took a moment to slow her drive down Main Street and take in the visual glory of the twinkling lights in the bare trees. Christmas was always celebrated in Aubrey Heights in a special way. It always snowed on Christmas Eve, and from the Friday after Thanksgiving, Santa would walk the streets and greet everyone.

  Tourists poured into the small community to visit their unique shops and restaurants. It was a drive from any major metropolitan area, but it was worth it.

  People wanted to feel the magic of Christmas, and that's what they got when they visited.

  There had been many times when Chloe wondered why she'd left the safe comforts of Aubrey Heights for the big city. Even now, when she was considering approaching Gloria Vandenberg about a job, which no doubt would steal all of her free time, she wondered why she didn't just move back and soak in the small town atmosphere permanently.

  Then she remembered, nothing big happened in Aubrey Heights except Christmas magic, and that only came once a year.

  Fine, she'd accept that, and she'd absorb all the magic she could while she was there for the weekend. She could use a dose of Christmas and the joy that it seemed to bring to the masses.

  No one could steal her joy unless she let them—and she'd let them for far too long. It was time for a change.

  As she pulled up in front of the house where she'd been raised, she parked the car and sat for a moment in the wintry silence.

  Who knew all she needed was a long drive to change her life? Now to sleep on it and see if she would feel the same way in the morning when she wasn't so tired, and so emotionally frazzled.

  The porch light turned on and she saw her mother open the door and wave.

  She was home, and for at least a day, she'd be loved, protected, and encouraged by the people who meant the most to her. That was all she needed.

  Chapter 3

  The city still buzzed outside Jason's apartment window as he looked over the reports he'd managed to talk William Mason into giving him so that he could familiarize himself more with the company.

  He'd taken a leap of faith when he accepted the position of Account Manager with the firm, but in meeting some of the staff and Byron Mason himself, he sure hadn't felt welcome. So why had William hired him?

  The company was rumored to be picking up some sizable accounts. He'd heard that Gloria Vandenberg was considering signing with them, with a starting million-dollar advertising budget. To a company the size of Mason Arts, Inc, that was a big deal.

  Mason Arts had made their name in the industry by working with the local community. Of course, the local community was millions of people. There was plenty of revenue to go around. They were one of the financial leaders in smaller agencies, which was what appealed to Jason.

  He'd worked for the big agencies. He'd landed and worked multi-million-dollar deals. Cars, hotels, insurance, and of course Vandenberg Furniture all had been sold through his management. He knew why William Mason wanted him to be part of Mason Arts, but he felt as though he had nothing to offer.

  William had told him he wanted to double the size of the agency as his father aged out of working, but after having had dinner with the man and his wife, Jason didn't get the feeling that Byron Mason was on the same page with his son.

  He'd built his empire, and he didn't have any thoughts on retiring or making it so big it was unmanageable. They did millions in revenue a year, and by the looks of the reports, Chloe Richardson was responsible for bringing in most of those clients.

  Sitting back in his chair behind the old desk that once was his father's, he tossed the papers he'd been studying onto the pile he'd been going through. So, why had the Masons not offered her the Account Manager position? Or had she passed it over? Certainly she was an asset to the company. A tug on the corner of his lips made him realize he was thinking about her in a different way too.

  She was cute, he thought. Yeah, cute with her dark hair pulled back in a tail, and in a tailored business suit, sitting at her desk sipping her coffee. Her bitter coffee, he corrected his thought when he thought about the face she made as she choked on it as he made his presence known.

  Jason chuckled as he looked at the clock. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning, and funny enough, he wondered what Chloe Richardson was doing at two o'clock on a Saturday morning. Was she going over reports, too? It wouldn't surprise him, especially if she was working on landing the Pop! Cosmetics account.

  Leaning in toward his desk, he shuffled through the papers unt
il he found a sheet of notes he'd taken while sitting with William. He'd collected the phone numbers of his team, including Chloe Richardson’s.

  Maybe he'd call her just to say hi. Wouldn't that surprise her?

  He chuckled again. Then again, it might not go over well if she wasn't a night owl.

  Jason turned off his desk lamp and stood. Giving in to the much needed stretch, he let out a groan. He needed to learn to go to bed earlier. He took the time to make it to the gym and even plan out his meals on Sunday, so why couldn't he seem to get to bed at a reasonable hour?

  For some reason, he took Chloe's phone number with him. He'd resigned to not call her, but he took it anyway. Intraoffice relationships were forbidden in his mind, especially between management and their team. But it never meant he couldn't enjoy working with her and striking up a friendship.

  Oh, she might just be a horrible woman, and he was just lonely. That thought humored him, too, as he walked through his living room and turned off the lamp on the side table. Why was he even thinking about her? There were four other people that made up that team, but she was the only one he’d met. She'd be the only one on Monday morning that could call him by name.

  Then again, she might think of another name for him. She had seemed rather surprised when he said he was the new Account Manager.

  Chloe's mother poured each of them a cup of tea, even though Chloe had told her to go to bed. It wasn't like her to simply open the door to her daughter and say, "I'll see you in the morning." Eveline Richardson was attentive. Besides, she knew her daughter well enough that if she missed Thanksgiving dinner, there was a reason, and if she'd driven all night long, there was a reason.

  Her mother sat down at the table across from her and stirred milk into her cup, and then added sugar.

  Chloe watched, and appreciated the process it as much as her mother staying up hours past her bedtime to be a comfort to Chloe. She also knew that her mother would never ask her what was troubling her, or tsk at anything Chloe might say. They could sit there for an hour, and conversation would only start when Chloe couldn't handle it any longer and spilled whatever was on her mind. It was like a drug, and Chloe was all in. She knew the rules, and she knew the results. And just like that, Chloe cracked before her mother's sugar was even dissolved in her cup.

  "Before I left, I met the new Account Manager," Chloe said as her mother tapped a spoon to the side of her cup and then laid it to rest on the saucer.

  "Account Manager. What do they do?"

  "They manage the accounts for the firm. They are well versed in what the client needs and have earned the position by bringing in some of the biggest accounts, therefore their best interest is in overseeing them with a staff."

  Her mother nodded as she lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip. "Who is this new manager?"

  "Some guy named Jason," she spat out his name. "The point is, I met the guy who was hired when they passed me over for the promotion."

  Now her mother's eyes rose to meet hers as she sipped her tea again. This time, she set the cup back on the saucer and reached for Chloe's hand. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry to hear that. Why did they do that?"

  "I don't know. I was right in the middle of finalizing a million-dollar contract—a million-dollar contract," she repeated. "He came in, dropped his name and new position, and was whisked away to dinner with the president and his family."

  "They didn't give you reason?"

  She shook her head and then took a sip of her own tea to calm herself. "I didn't get a chance to ask yet. It all went so quickly. All I know is I've been killing myself for that firm since I was an intern. I've brought in millions of dollars in revenue in those years, and now I'm landing one of their biggest clients. So what do they do? They hire someone else to manage it."

  Her mother sat with a thoughtful look. "Maybe it's a sign. You know when a door closes, and a window opens. This is your window. You'll bring in the client, and there will be a bigger promotion for you, or a new opportunity."

  "Yeah, well I'm thinking of not going back on Monday. See how they like that. And, I brought in that client, which we haven't finalized the contracts on. I could easily persuade her to go to another firm. In fact," her voice was growing in pitch and volume, "I've even thought about asking Gloria Vandenberg if she'd hire me internally to manage the account from the other side."

  The more she said it aloud, the more she liked the idea.

  "Gloria Vandenberg, like in Vandenberg Furniture?"

  "The granddaughter. She inherited a great sum of money when her grandfather died and they sold off the stores. She took her inheritance and opened Pop! Cosmetics. They compare her to Coco Chanel."

  "I will look for it the next time I go to the store. Admirable of her to do something big and bold."

  "Exactly. I happened to meet her at a function, and now she's considering a million-dollar ad campaign through our company. And I brought that to the table."

  "But they hired this other person?"

  "Yes."

  "Did they promise you the job?"

  "Mom, I was being groomed for the job. I've worked for years for that position."

  "But they didn't say it was yours."

  She thought about it. "It's worked that way since I was an intern. Whenever the position opened up, then the associate that brought in the most accounts and actively managed them at the associate level got the job."

  "Until today?"

  Chloe let out a deflated breath. "Yes, until today."

  "That's a shame, sweetheart. You should talk to them on Monday and tell them about your disappointment. Maybe they didn't even know you wanted the job."

  How could they not have known? She'd talked to Byron about it, but her mother's words echoed in her ears. He hadn't actually said the job was hers.

  And this was the point in the evening where her mother would leave her with her cup of tea and her thoughts, which was exactly what she did.

  Her mother kissed her atop the head. "I'll make waffles in the morning for you. Turkey goes in early, so rest up. You can nap later."

  She watched as her mother walked down the hallway toward her bedroom and disappeared. And just like that, Chloe was alone with her thoughts, which were now completely different. Instead of being mad, she was embarrassed for thinking that they'd simply hand over the promotion to her.

  Chapter 4

  Sub-zero wind chill made Jason's morning ritual run nearly intolerable, but he'd done it and checked it off his to-do list. Now, as he warmed up with a cup of coffee, he watched the Saturday morning news.

  Usually, he'd head into town and spend a few quiet hours in his office, but since he was in the middle of a job change, he didn't really have any work to do. Perhaps he should go through the three boxes he'd carted out of his last office and decide what was even relevant. He supposed he could go in and get organized.

  When his phone rang, he saw his sweet mother's face pop up on the screen, and it instantly brought a smile to his face.

  "Hello, Mother," he said as he answered.

  "You sound chipper."

  "I just got back in from a run. It's frigid out there."

  He heard her sigh, which was a combination of disbelief and slight irritation. "You are going to give yourself a heart attack just like your father did."

  "I'm hoping to avoid the heart attack."

  She laughed now. "Well, while you're freezing in the city, I am sitting poolside with a drink. I guess we have always had a difference of opinion when it comes to lifestyle."

  "We most certainly have." He laughed too.

  His mother lived in Palm Beach, in a retirement community full of people, just like her, who hated snow. The moment his father had died, from that inevitable heart attack, she had packed up her belongings and headed for the sun. Jason, he liked the difference in weather. The frigid cold and the unbearable heat, those were signs of passage when he survived them each year.

  He enjoyed visiting his mother and sitting by the po
ol with a cocktail. But that wasn't his kind of lifestyle. He was a workaholic, and he admitted it. The bustle of the city gave him energy.

  "Are you coming down here for Christmas?" she asked, before he heard her sipping her drink.

  "Well, I start a new job on Monday. I don't know how flexible my holidays are going to be."

  "Jason, we didn't have Thanksgiving together. I didn't make a big deal about it, but I really thought we'd have Christmas together." Her voice carried sadness, which always in turn filled him with guilt.

  "I'll know more after I start on Monday. And, if I have to fly to Florida on Christmas morning, and fly out that night, I will do it."

  He heard the gratified sigh. "That's my boy. Tell me about your new job."

  He told her what he knew of it. Of course, she was impressed by its title. She didn't understand the business of advertising, but she bragged to everyone she knew that her son was part of it. When watching TV with her, she would always ask him if he was in charge of that ad or this ad. Sometimes, he'd just say yes to a grand ad, even if it wasn't his. After all, she didn't understand anyway.

  What he didn't share with her was the doubt he had already about his new job. The look on Chloe Richardson's face still haunted him. Sure, he was as ruthless as they came. He would go after any account to make money, but to have taken somebody's job, that wasn't his style.

  He knew what it was to work hard for a position. He'd done it many times. The thrill of a new job, that always had him too. But he knew Chloe had been with the company since she graduated college. Most of the accounts had her name on them. So why had they hired him?

  Maybe they knew something he didn't know. Perhaps Chloe was planning on moving. Did she have a new job somewhere else? Had she thought someone else was going to get the job and she was disappointed? Perhaps what bothered him even more, was that he didn't know why he cared.

  Chloe had been awakened by the smell of waffles and the sound of conversation coming from the kitchen. She wasn't completely surprised to find her father, mother, aunt, and cousin all in the kitchen when she walked in.