Something a little softer...
Secret Santa
"Before we draw names for our secret Santa, let me explain how things will go this year. In keeping with our yearly tradition, you will buy a Christmas gift for whoever's name you draw. This year we are adding a little twist to keep things interesting."
In the immaculately clean kitchen, groans could be heard from all twelve employees.
The Busy Bean was a small family owned coffee shop that had been in business for nine years. It had employees from teenagers who worked part time, to adults who had been there since the doors had opened seven years ago, and everything in between. It was a good combination of ages, interests, and talents, that somehow turned the employees into a type of family. Only one employee who worked at the Busy Bean had been there less than two years. The newest addition to their family was a twenty something young woman named Olivia. Today was her first day.
It was two weeks before Christmas and the owners, Mark and Camila were winding down the monthly meeting with their employees. The conversation had just turned to the company Christmas party. The annual festive party was Camila's baby, and she went all out for the people who were so loyal to she and Mark.
"Come on now. Don't look at it negatively. Look at it as a fun challenge. A way to get to know your coworkers a little better." She smiled kindly at Olivia, knowing she would feel the most out of her element being the new girl on the block. "Since this is Olivia's first Christmas party with us, I'd like for us to go around the room and introduce ourselves. Maybe tell one thing about ourselves too? It will help her to put a face with the name she draws.
I'll start. My name is Camila and I like Mark." She grinned at her employees and winked at her husband.
"That was so cute it was borderline sickening" a short man with a deep voice chimed in. "I'm James and I'm the manager. Welcome aboard."
Olivia smiled and wished she had some paper to write all of this down on. She was terrible with names.
A girl around Olivia's age spoke next. "I'm Quinn and I'm a barista, which is the most fun job here. It's nice to meet you Olivia, and it's nice to have another girl around."
She seemed nice. Olivia would never in a million years remember her name.
"Right?!" The redhead and Quinn gave each other a high five. "I'm Abby and I'm the baker. Muffins, cupcakes, and breads are my specialties. I also make a fierce daiquiri, so let me know if that's something that might interest you when you're not at work."
Strawberry daiquiris were red just like Abby's hair. Her name would be a little easier to remember.
"My name is Jerry and I wipe tables or sweep floors or whatever else needs doing. I only work on nights and weekends because I'm still in high school."
He seemed sweet.
"Hey, Olivia. I'm Patrick and I'm a cashier. I'm a local who is on Christmas break from college."
Was everyone who worked here this nice, she wondered.
"Hi. I'm Fitz."
Olivia practically stopped breathing at the sound of his voice. It was deep and mesmerizing. Just like his looks. Fitz was super tall and had a head full of sandy brown curls. Add all of that to the fact that he was staring at her like she was a meal he wanted to devour, and Olivia found her heart was beating out of her chest.
"I do a little bit of everything here. I'm a cashier slash dishwasher slash door greeter slash barista slash whatever needs doing on any given night." Fitz gave her a sort of lopsided grin once he was finished with his spiel and Olivia smiled back. She had a feeling she would have no trouble at all remembering his name.
She listened intently to the other employees' introductions and then Camila asked her to introduce herself to everyone. She hated speaking in front of other people. Swallowing hard, she said, "Hello. My name is obviously Olivia. I just moved here from Chicago for a change of scenery. I worked at one of those big chain coffee stores so this seemed like it might be a good place for me. I hope it is. It's very nice to meet you all, but please bear with me. I am terrible with names, so it'll take me a little while to remember who is who."
"I'm sure you'll fit in with the rest of us just fine." Camila told her. "Now. As I mentioned, there is a small twist to our regular secret Santa. This year you are only allowed to give...snow globes."
"Snow globes?" Quinn asked with a crinkled nose.
"You mean those little things with the fake snow inside that you shake up?" James asked.
"Exactly!" Camila replied. "But you have to find the snow globe that fits the person whose name you drew. It could be a hobby or where they are from or their favorite color. Some of you know a great many things about each other because you have worked together for years. And some of you are new and know nothing at all about the rest of us."
"This is going to be easy for everyone except Olivia, I'm afraid." James said sympathetically.
"Don't be so sure." Camila told him. "Sometimes, fresh eyes see more clearly."
Even though Olivia knew that phrase to be true, she was with James. She was definitely at a disadvantage here. Once she drew her name, Olivia decided to learn as much as humanly possible about that person and pray she got the gift right.
"Snow globes seem kinda cheesy, in my opinion." Abby said.
"They are generally under five dollars each." Camila informed him.
"Snow globes have to be your best idea yet!" Abbyy told her enthusiastically.
"I thought you'd see it my way." Camila chuckled. "Let's draw names. Now remember, it's supposed to be a secret. It's more fun that way, so don't tell whose name you have. Unless you get your own name. If that happens, you'll have to draw again."
Small rectangular pieces of folded paper were put inside a dry coffee pot and Camila swirled it around, jostling the papers inside. She went to each employee and watched them pluck a tiny piece of paper from inside the coffee pot, lean close to see which name was written down, and then go to the next person to repeat the process all over again.
Olivia was the last one to choose, which meant there was no choice. There was one name inside that was left for her to get. She wasn't feeling very excited but reached inside and grasped it between her thumb and index finger. She didn't look at it immediately but instead slid it into her pocket.
"Okay. If you are on the schedule for this morning, let's get started. If you're not, you are free to go home."
"I don't have to be here until three, but can I stay for a cup of coffee? Pretty please, beautiful?" Fitz asked and then kissed Camila's cheek.
"Of course you can, smooth talker."
"Abs? You got any of that banana nut bread left? It was amazing!" He was pouring on the praise, and while it was true, Fitz really wanted to get to know Olivia a little better.
"Where's my kiss?" Abby asked sarcastically.
Shit. Fitz knew Abby had somehow picked up on the fact that he had a vibe going for Olivia. Leave it to her to exploit it and make him look like an ass. Abby was like a sister, but even sisters need to be kissed by somebody. He grinned at the redhead before pulling her into his arms and dipping her low. He gave her a loud smacking kiss before pulling her back to her feet.
"Wow. I'll have to make banana nut bread more often." Abby told him as she wiggled her eyebrows.
Olivia was riveted to her chair, intently watching the scene between Fitz and Abby her play out. Surely the two of them were dating. They were very comfortable with each other and seemed to have fun together too. She smiled as she watched him eat a piece of the bread in one huge bite and Abby smack him for it. Maybe the three of them could be friends? Daiquiris with the two of them might be something to look forward to?
"Earth to Olivia."
Her chin was in the palm of her hand, which was propped up on the counter as she daydreamed about having a drink with her co-workers. She became startled out of it when she heard her name and started to topple off her seat. She saw the red tiled floor coming at her fast, but instead, landed against a warm body.
Looking up she saw two blue eyes that were as shocked as she was. "Are you okay?" Fitz asked.
Olivia climbed out of his arms and got to her feet. "Embarrassed beyond belief, but I'm okay. Thank you for catching me."
He shrugged. "No problem."
Fitz saw Abby's raised eyebrow and he cocked his head to the side and shot her an annoyed look. "I gotta get going. I had all my Christmas shopping done until this morning. Save a piece of that bread for when I get here at three. See ya later, Abs. Bye, Liv."
"Ummm, bye Fitz." Olivia squeaked out.
Camila breezed into the kitchen at that moment. "Are you ready to get started, Olivia?"
"Yes, ma'am. What would you like for me to do first?" she asked.
"You can start off by stocking the display case. We sell a lot of pastries in the morning rush, so anything Abby makes fresh in the morning goes closest to the glass where the customers look in. Anything left over from the previous day will go closest to the back of the case. And do you know why that is?"
Olivia thought about it for a minute before the answer hit her. "Because the older product is closer to the person who will get it out for the customer."
"Very good. We use what is called FIFO. First in first out. It keeps our items fresh and keeps waste to a minimum." Camila explained.
"That makes a lot of sense. Is there a specific order in which the foods are put into the display case? Or can I get creative with that?" Olivia asked. She hoped Camila would allow her a teeny bit of freedom even though she was new.
Camila could sense Olivia's excitement and wasn't about to snuff it out. "How about this. You do it however you want to today and we'll see how it goes. If it works out well, that might be your thing every morning. You never know."
Olivia grinned at her new boss. "Thank you! I won't let you down. I promise."
"Wow." Abby said grinning.
"I know. I got a tad too excited about that just now." Olivia chuckled.
"A tad?" the redhead asked.
"Maybe a little more than a tad. I like trying new things and I'm eager to prove myself around here."
"It's gonna be a long day. You might want to fuel up before you get started." Abby suggested.
"What do you recommend?" She was dying to try the banana nut bread and see if it was as good as Fitz raved.
"I'm the baker so naturally I recommend everything. Fitz really loves my banana nut bread. You should try a slice."
Score! Olivia nonchalantly picked up a slice and took a bite. It tasted like heaven and the noises that came from her throat let Abby know exactly how she felt about it. "This is fantastic! It's magical bread."
"I've gotten a few compliments on it, but no one has ever used the word magical." Abby chuckled.
"We need to highlight this in the case today. Am I allowed to ask you to make a little more than you usually do?"
"Probably not, but I'll do it anyways."
"Oh! Don't so anything that will get you into..."
"Relax, Olivia. If your idea goes over well, you'll get all the credit. But if it doesn't, you take all the blame. Are you ready to roll the dice with this idea of yours?"
Olivia thought about the ramifications if her idea failed, and then thought about how amazing the banana nut bread was that she just ate. It was no contest. "Let's do this. If I'm going to get into trouble on my very first day, let's do it up big."
"What did you have in mind?" Abby asked with a wicked grin. "
Is it possible to make mini loaves?"
"I...think so." Abby turned around and began rifling through the lower cabinets while muttering to herself. "We used to have mini loaf pans somewhere in here." A hand was raised excitedly as she exclaimed, "found em!"
"Great! If you would make a little extra bread but make half of it slices like you normally do and the other half mini loaves, that would help perfect my plan."
"Is that all?" Abby asked.
"Could you decorate the loaves with white icing swept over it all pretty and wrap them in plastic wrap so people can see them?" Olivia asked with an exaggerated smile.
"Jeez, is that all?"
"I think that's enough for day one. Don't you"
"Go fill the display case before more ideas float into your head. I'll be busy baking."
"If this works like I think it will, you will get the bulk of the praise for your baking skills." Olivia told her before disappearing through the door that lead to the store.
Everything was in the display case with the exception of the banana nut bread. Abby had several loaves done and they were cooling while Olivia scrambled around doing little things that needed to be done before the doors were opened to the public. The smell of banana nut bread filled the air.
"Olivia? Where are the slices of banana nut bread? They are the only thing missing from the case." Camila asked.
"Ummm, I decided to try something...different." Olivia replied confidently.
"Such as?"
"I know I'm new here, but am I allowed to ask you to trust me?"
Camila had a feeling about Olivia from the moment she interviewed her. She had some good ideas. That reason alone had Camila telling Olivia, "Just once. Unless it works."
Olivia looked at the display case through the eyes of the customer. Everything was in its place except the mini loaves. There is still something missing though. It was the Christmas season, but the case had no decorations. A thought flashed through her mind, and a grin covered her face moments before she made a mad dash out the front door and ran towards her car. Opening the back door, she saw the white plastic store bag sitting on the seat. She grabbed it and went back into the coffee shop.
When she was back inside, Olivia pulled out the box of red and silver bulbs she intended to decorate her tree at home with. Being very careful to not touch the food, she placed the pretty decorations on shelves until it reflected the holiday season they were in.
"Five minutes until the doors open!" Mark called out.
Olivia quickly reached into the bag and pulled out the can of spray snow she had bought to put on the inside of her windows at home. Living in the south meant the chance of a white Christmas was slim to none. Adding the spray snow gave Olivia the illusion that it had snowed, and that was enough for her. She lightly sprayed thee of the corners on the outside of the case.
"Oooh, that's real pretty, Olivia. And it's sure to draw attention to the case too. Smart girl." Camila praised. "But what is going into that gaping hole in the center of my display case?"
"These are." Abby replied. She had about a dozen mini loaves decorated to perfection and wrapped in plastic wrap. She handed them to Olivia, who began placing them in the shape of a Christmas tree.
"Olivia, you are an absolute genius!" Camila praised.
"I thought we could take a piece of the bread and cut it into bite size pieces. We let the customers try it and let them decide if its worth buying a loaf or not. My idea was the decorating, but it wouldn't have meant anything if Abby hadn't been so gifted with her baking skills. These are really gorgeous, Abby." Olivia added.
"The proof will be in the sales. Let's see if your idea really was a good one."
"Are you ladies ready for me to open the doors?" Mark asked.
The three women looked at each other and shrugged. "There's only one way to find out."
Before the clock hit noon, the banana nut bread was gone. Everyone raved about the mini loaves and those who tried it for the first time absolutely loved it! Any praise that was given to Olivia, she pointed to Abby for her natural talent. When Abby realized that Olivia wasn't interested in keeping praise that wasn't hers alone, it made her like Olivia that much more.
By the time two thirty rolled around, Olivia was exhausted but blissfully so. She felt such a sense of accomplishment she hadn't felt in a long time. Enjoying a quiet moment, she was sitting at a table near the door when Fitz walked in the coffee shop. As much as Olivia thought the front of him looked good, she was enjoying watching him walk towards the counter and greet the customers there. Everyone seemed to know him, and it made her assume that he had been born and raised in the small town.
He gazed into the display case and Olivia watched as his eyebrows sunk in confusion. It was then that she remembered him asking Abby to save him a piece of banana nut bread. She didn't want to be the one to tell him that he wouldn't be getting any today. She sipped her coffee quietly and watched for his reaction.
"ABS! Where is my banana nut bread?"
When Abby didn't answer him, Fitz disappeared into the kitchen. He came out a minute later with Abby in tow. She was grinning widely as she pointed to Olivia. Fitz, however, was not grinning, and strode in her direction alone.
"Hey! Abby said you sold all of the banana nut bread this morning?" He sat down in a chair across from her and waited for an explanation.
"Yea? And?" she replied defensively. It had been a long day already and Olivia was exhausted. She was in no mood for rudeness. She mentally prepared herself for a fight.
"And, wow. Congratulations."
"I...what?"
"That has never happened here before. We've come close to selling out of something by the end of a shift a few times, but never before one was over. That's great."
"Thank you."
"Are you gonna share with me what you did that was so special?" he asked with a grin.
"No." she told him and took a sip of her coffee. That wiped the grin from his handsome face.
"But I wanna know."
She shot him a sympathetic look. "First of all, I don't know that Camila will let me do it again."
"She will" Fitz interrupted.
"And second of all, I guess you'll just have to wait until you work a morning shift with me to find out." She sipped her coffee in silence, letting him think about that and hoped he didn't think she was being a bitch. She was terrible at flirting, even though that really wasn't what she was doing because she suspected he was with Abby.
Fitz leaned closer to her with that lopsided smile in place. "Looks like you'll get your wish tomorrow morning, Liv."
"It's Olivia. No one calls me Liv." she politely corrected him.
"Well, I'm not everyone. And I like it, so that's what I'll call you."
He leaned back in his chair with his eyes still on her. "Fitz, this isn't an after school special where you take pity on the new girl and feel like we have to become besties or something." Olivia told him.
"I already feel a lot of things for you Liv. But pity isn't one of them. Next time save me a piece of bread. If you think you can manage it."
He was such an asshole! Olivia wondered why she thought he was attractive? Getting to her feet, she answered, "I'm not promising you anything."
She headed into the kitchen to put some space between them. She just had to get through the next ten minutes and then she could go home. Fitz was so infuriating with his cocky attitude. And now she had to work with him tomorrow. Great.
"Fitz? Why are you in my kitchen?" Abby asked with a grin.
Olivia turned around to see that he had followed her into the kitchen. He couldn't take a hint either apparently. Fantastic.
"I was in the middle of a conversation with Liv when she decided to carry it in here." he explained with a grin.
Fully faced him now. "Nooooo, we were done talking. I'm about to go home anyways. Enjoy your banana nut bread free shift."
"Oooooh! Suck it, Fitz." Abby chuckled.
"Olivia, you feel like making daiquiris with me at my place tonight?"
"That sounds amazing!" Olivia gushed.
"Give me your number and I'll text you my address." Olivia called out her number and Fitz committed it to memory. "Let's get together, say...around six o' clock?" Abby suggested.
"Perfect. That will give me enough time to take a bath and eat something." Olivia didn't see Fitz flexing his jaw at the thought of her in a bathtub.
"Great. I'll text you as soon as I'm done cleaning up in here."
"I'll walk you out." Fitz offered.
Olivia rolled her eyes but said nothing.
Once they were outside, he asked, "have you gotten any ideas what sort of snow globe you're going to buy for the person whose name you drew earlier?"
Olivia's nose crinkled. She had forgotten all about that. "I never even looked to see who it was that I drew." Reaching into her pocket, she felt the little slip of paper between her fingers and pulled it out. She turned her back on Fitz and unfolded it to see a first name neatly written in the center. FITZ She rolled her eyes so hard Olivia feared they would stay up there. Was the universe pissed off at her or what? Damn it! She didn't want his name. She didn't want anything to do with him! And now she had to spend money on him? Huffing out a breath of white, she folded the tiny paper and put it back into her pocket before fixing a smile on her face and turning around to face him once more. He was smiling down at her.
"Well?" he asked.
"Well, what?"
"Who do you have?"
"I can't tell you. It's supposed to be a secret."
"Come on, Liv. Just tell me who it is." he chuckled.
"No. Now goodbye, Fitz. I'll see you tomorrow morning bright and early." She got into her car and started it up. Olivia didn't even wait long enough for it to heat up. She just drove away.
Fitz watched her leave with a grin in place. He had already spoken to every other employee with the exception of Camila and Mark. But they bought gifts for everyone and didn't participate in exchanging names. He knew who had who, and he knew Olivia had his name. He pulled the little piece of paper from his own jeans pocket and for the millionth time today read Olivia's name on it. He put it back in his pocket and looked up to see her red tail lights disappear from sight. "You'll see me a lot sooner than in the morning, Liv."
"Gimme the car keys. I'm freezing." Abby demanded. "You'd better get inside. Mark is looking for you."
"No kiss goodbye?" Fitz joked as he tossed the keys in her direction.
"Get real. Did you leave the heat on at home?" she asked.
"Of course. I even cranked it up to seventy two just for you."
"You're such a good roommate." Abby said, patting his cheek as if she were his grandmother.
"Don't wreck my car on the way home."
"Yea, yea" she replied with sass. "See you a little after seven. Patrick is bringing you home, right?"
"Yea, but he said he's not leaving until he's had a drink so make plenty."
"Fine, but then he's leaving. I'm going to do my best matchmaking work and get you and Olivia together."
"Abbyyyyyyy" Fitz whined.
"Shut up. You practically love her already. She just needs a little push in that direction. If she doesn't get pissed off when she realizes that we are roommates, there' a chance."
"She has my name, you know."
Confusion bloomed across Abby's face until she realized what he was talking about. A mischievous grin replaced it. "Reeeeeeally? I can work with that."
Fitz chuckled at her. "Leave her alone, Abs. She needs to come to the realization that I am amazing all by herself."
"Yeaaaaa, ok. Go do your job and I'll do mine."
"Seriously, Abs. I don't want you to do anything. If it's meant to be it's meant to be. If it's not, that's okay too."
The redhead kissed her friend's cheek and slid into the car. "You're such a romantic. Go inside before you get sick."
"I mean it. Don't do anything."
"I won't. But this one could be meant to be. There are plenty of sparks flying between the two of you whenever you're around each other." She didn't give him a chance to respond and just drove off.
Fitz grinned as he watched Abby leave, and then he dashed inside the coffee shop to get to work.
Olivia slammed the front door of her small apartment, dropped her keys onto the kitchen counter, and began to pace. It wasn't long before she was talking to herself as she did so. It was more ranting than it was talking.
"What the hell is his problem? Why does he feel so compelled to act like a complete ass hat all the time? And he's pompous too! God!" She made a strangled sound and threw her hands in the air as frustration seeped through her bones.
Going to the cabinet where her few food items were store, she opened the wooden door and took inventory of what she had. She needed to eat something if she was going to Abby's and have a couple of daiquiris. A can of tuna, a box of macaroni and cheese, a half box of club crackers, a couple of granola bars, and some oatmeal.
Popcorn it is.
Two hours later Olivia had calmed down quite a bit. The bath she took helped tremendously. Knowing it would just be she and Abby, Olivia had pulled on a pair of jeans and an old Chicago hoodie. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail It was nothing fancy, and that was fine with her. The popcorn did little to take the edge off her hunger, but she vowed to eat something with more substance when she got back home later on. Maybe the two of them would order a pizza? Abby had sent her the address and she was on her way.
Olivia was looking forward to having some girl time in a relaxed atmosphere. Hanging out with Abby at her place would be a nice distraction from...
No! She wasn't going to even think about him for the rest of the night. The voice on her phone told her that she had arrived at her destination, and Olivia pulled into the driveway. Olivia ended the directions from the navigation app and sent a quick text to Abby telling her she was here. The redhead was outside a moment later waving her arms wildly.
"I went ahead and made them so you could dive right in once you got here." Abby told her.
"You are amazing." Olivia told her before settling herself down on the sofa. "Gimme!"
"Here ya go." Abby sat down beside her and they clinked glasses and took big sips. Olivia tipped her glass up until it was empty. Abby grinned and followed suit, and then filled her glass again.
Looking around, Olivia said, "I really like your place. It's small like mine, but you've made it very cute and cozy."
"Thanks. I'd love to take the credit, but I can't because my roommate is the neat freak."
"Oh, you have a roommate?"
"Yea. Sometimes I wish I lived alone and could be a slob in peace. But who can afford that?" Olivia chuckled.
"A roommate can be fun though. It's better than being alone sometimes. To have someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on would be nice."
The two girls enjoyed their drinks and chatted as if they had known each other for years. When their stomachs started talking, pizzas were ordered. "Are they going to deliver it?" Olivia asked.
"Nah, I texted my roommate to bring them home. Should be here in fifteen minutes."
"Good, because I'm starving."
"Do you want another drink?"
"Sure, but first I need to use your restroom. Where is it?" Olivia asked, getting to her feet. She swayed slightly, feeling the effects of the alcohol.
"Down the hall, last door on the left." Abby instructed.
Olivia walked down the hall, taking in the sights as she went. She saw pictures of Abby and several of her co-workers hanging on the walls. There was more than one of her and Fitz, and Olivia stopped to inspect each photo. In one he was sitting on her lap in the kitchen at the coffee shop and Abby had given him bunny ears using her index and middle fingers behind his head. In another, Fitz had his hands over her mouth and Abby appeared to be laughing while prying his hands off. They were a cute couple she decided.
After finding the bathroom, she relieved her bladder and washed her hands. She was surprised to find a hand towel hanging up on the wall peg after Abby's admission of being a slob. She dried her hands and made her way back to the living room.
Abby handed her another drink and asked, "so, whose name did you draw at work?"
Olivia shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. She didn't really want to talk about the secret Santa and wanted to talk about the person whose name she had drawn even less. She crinkled her nose and replied, "I thought it was supposed to be a secret and we weren't supposed to tell whose name we had drawn?"
The redhead waved her hand in front of her face dismissively and said, "no one follows that rule."
"Oh. Who did you get?" Olivia asked, hoping to change the subject.
"I got Patrick. He's a nice guy. Quiet too. I'm pretty sure he has a crush on me."
"How does Fitz fell about that?" Olivia wanted to know.
Abby chuckled with a shrug. "He thinks it's cute. He knows it's a harmless infatuation."
"So he's not territorial?" Olivia promised herself that she was asking to be polite and not because she was nosey.
"Who? Fitz?" Abby asked with a doubting look. "Why in the hell would he be territorial?"
"I'm sure he wouldn't like his girlfriend having an admirer, knowing it was someone she worked with."
"Girlfriend?!" Abby choked on her drink and began to cough. Olivia pounded her on the back a few times until Abby got it under control and the two of them dissolved into laughter. "You think that I'm dating..."
The door opened and the two females looked in that direction to see two pizza boxes followed by none other than Fitz. He looked over at the two girls and grinned. Olivia was here! And she looked super cute sitting on his sofa. He had made Patrick drive as fast as humanly possible so he could spend a little more time with Liv.
Abby pointed up at Fitz, who was being super obvious with the way he was staring at Olivia and asked, "you think that I'm dating HIM?"
"Pizzas here!" Fitz called out.
Olivia shot him a glare. She had come over here to get away from him and let all thoughts of him disappear from her mind. With her glare still in place, Olivia got to her feet and asked, "what are you doing here?"
"I live here." he stated simply and set the pizza on the table.
Olivia looked from Fitz to Abby and back to Fitz again. "You're Abby's roommate?"
He nodded.
"You're the neat freak?"
Fitz flicked his eyes over to Abby. He gave her a playful grin. "You told her you're a slob?"
Abby went to stand in front of him wearing a grin of her own. She was feeling a little tipsy by now. "I did. We are practically best friends already."
"You two bonded fast." Patrick jumped in. "Where's my drink, Abs?"
"Inaminute." She pointed a finger at her roommate. He needed to know something important. "Olivia thinks that you and me are dating. Can you believe that shit?"
"Someone's tipsy." Fitz chuckled, ignoring the question. "Come on, Patrick. I'll pour you a drink."
"I'm going home." Olivia muttered.
"How many drinks have you two had?" Fitz asked.
"Two." Olivia grinned.
"If Abby is tipsy then you are tipsy too."
"Don't tell me how I feel! You don't know anythingaboutme!"
"I know you weigh about eighty pounds, and I know you are slurring your words, and I also know that you are in no condition to drive. You can either plan on sleeping here tonight or start drinking coffee and then drive yourself home once your buzz wears off."
"You're not my mother! You can't tell me what to do!"
"Maybe not, but those are your two choices. It's my house. My rules."
"You could be my dad though." Olivia said laughing. She went on to mimic him followed by more laughing. "My house. My rules."
"Which is it gonna be, Liv?" he asked.
"Just let me think for a minute." She shot back.
"It's not that difficult of a decision. Stay or go."
"Shut up for a second!"
"Coffee or alcohol?"
He was annoying the shit out of her. She couldn't think clearly, and his stupid voice wasn't helping. That question was the last straw. She reared her arm back and threw the half full glass towards him. "I need to lay down!" she announced to the room and stumbled towards a bedroom to look for a bed.
The glass she had thrown hadn't gone anywhere near Fitz but landed against a wall before shattering and dropping to the floor. It was obvious that she meant for it to hit him. The apartment was quiet as everyone stared at Olivia and watched her open the closet in the hall, grumble, and try another door.
Finally! She found a bedroom and dropped like a stone on top of the bed inside. She was asleep within seconds.
Her eyes opened a few minutes later, and Olivia saw big blue eyes looking back at her. Startled, she moved backwards trying to get away from the two headed person. Before she toppled to the floor, a large hand was on her back, pulling her back onto the bed. "Be still." he told her.
Olivia pulled the blanket up to her chin before putting a hand to her temple. "My head is killing me. What are you doing in my house?"
"You're in my house. In my bed to be more specific. But unlike you, I'm not complaining."
She squinted at him, trying to think of how she ended up in Fitz's bed. "I don't remember..."
"You don't remember throwing your glass full of daiquiri mix at my head?" he asked with a smile.
Thinking made her head hurt more, so she didn't try. "I wouldn't do that. What time is it?"
"I was being kind of an asshole, that's why." Fitz glanced at his watch. "And it five a.m."
"That can't be right. I just laid down five minutes ago!" She scrambled to get out of bed. "I have to get to work."
"Relax. We don't have to be there until five thirty. I'm sure your head is still a little fuzzy, so you can ride with me." he offered with a smile.
"I can't drive with my head spinning like this." she huffed. "I guess I'll have to take you up on that offer. This day is going to be a long one."
"Great." Fitz got to his feet and began searching for a shirt.
Olivia blinked several times, but her eyes were drawn to the shirtless wonder in the same room. His upper half was muscular and well defined. She watched him move around the little room until he turned around and started pulling a shirt over his head. Fitz had a great body.
Damn it! No, no, no, no! She turned around and got to her own feet. She was still fully dressed, which she was thankful for. Even her shoes were still on. That made getting ready for work easier. Except..."Shit. I need a coffee house shirt and we don't have time to go to my place to get one."
"I'd offer you one of mine, but you'd be swimming in it. You can wear one of Abby's. The two of you are tiny. Come on. You get changed and I'll make coffee." he offered.
"Thank you. And I'm sorry for throwing my glass at you last night." Olivia told him.
"No problem, Liv. You can't throw for shit. But after you get dressed, you can clean up your mess." He gave her a lopsided smile and left the room.
Olivia started to feel more like herself by the time the doors opened. It was another successful shift at the coffee shop and they sold out of blueberry muffins. Camila praised Olivia for her natural talent at marketing and promised to let her be in charge of the display case every morning.
After the shift ended Fitz and Abby drove her back to their apartment where she thanked them, got into her car, and went home. After she showered and got ready, Olivia went into town to look for a snow globe for Fitz. She was ready to get the gift out of the way so she wouldn't have to think about it anymore. She found the perfect snow globe as well as something cute for Abby too and a small token of thanks for Camila and Mark too.
It had been two weeks since Olivia had spent the night at Abby and Fitz's place. She had kept her head down and tried to stay away from Fitz in order to avoid any weirdness. Whenever they were scheduled to work the same shifts, Olivia was polite to him, but never engaged him in conversation about anything other than work. She only saw Abby at work as well, but she apologized for her behavior that night and the two of them had moved past it without incident.
On Christmas Eve the coffee shop closed early, and the staff trickled in one by one at five o'clock for the Christmas party. Olivia had been off that day, so she spent her afternoon cleaning her apartment, wrapping her few gifts, and getting ready for the party. She arrived a few minutes before five and happily greeted everyone when they got there.
After everyone was there and had exchanged pleasantries and enjoyed a cup of coffee and some sweet treats, Camila addressed her crowd. "Okay, settle down everyone. We're going to exchange gifts now so you all can get back home. It's freezing out there and with the rain earlier, I don't want anyone hitting black ice on their way home."
Most of the gifts were exchanged amid laughter, a few explanations for the snow globes, and friendly hugs. It was Olivia's turn. She nervously got to her feet and went to the gift table to retrieve the small red and green bag she had brought with her. Everyone watched as she made her way back to the group and went to stand in front of Fitz.
"You had my name?" he asked, taking the offered bag.
"Don't act surprised. A little bird told me that you know whose name everyone had." She grinned over at Patrick, and watched Fitz do the same before taking her seat.
Fitz pulled the Christmasy tissue paper from the bag and reached a hand inside the bag and pulled out the snow globe. He watched the snow gently fall inside the globe until his eyes landed on what was in the center of the globe. He stared at it for a moment before a grin split his face. And then he began to laugh. Loudly.
Olivia watched his expression change several times and wondered what was going through his mind. Like the expressions on his face, Olivia's thoughts changed just as quickly. Did Fitz think she was an idiot for what she chosen? Did he think she had bad taste/ Did he not understand the humor in the gift? She wished he would say something.
Fitz gave her a grin and said, "thank you" and nothing more.
Olivia wanted to know what all the laughter was all about! She planned how to get him alone long enough to ask him after the gifts were opened. If she could just...
"Fitz? You're up! Who did you have?" Camila called out.
Olivia was still trying to figure out exactly what she would say to him once she got him alone when Fitz was suddenly standing in front of her holding a sparkly gold bag. Confusion bloomed across her face as she looked up at him. "You had my name?"
"I did." he said still grinning. He leaned a little closer to her and said, "open it."
Pulling back the shredded, shiny, gold paper, Olivia pulled out the snow globe and turned it around to see the face of it. It was then that she understood his laughter when he opened her gift. Fit had bought her the exact same snow globe. In the center sat a daquiri glass much like the one Olivia had thrown at him a few weeks ago. She looked in his direction and began laughing, which caused him to laugh too.
"What are we missing?" Abby demanded.
Olivia pulled her snow globe to her chest and said, "nothing. Thank you, Fitz. It's perfect."
The party was winding down, and the first person was putting on their coat, about to head for home. The trickle effect was immediate and everyone else began putting on their coats to leave too. Hugs were given, thank yous were exchanged, and Merry Christmases were spoken. Olivia and Fitz were the last of the employees to leave.
Outside, they walked slowly to their cars, talking as they went. It was cold outside, but not terribly so. "Do you want to go for a walk before we go home?" Fitz asked.
"Where's Abby?"
"She rode home with Patrick." Fitz told her.
She shrugged. "Sure."
The two of them walked side by side until they came to a two seater swing hanging from a large tree not far from the coffee shop. Grinning, they went to sit down on it. Fitz moved the swing using his feet while Olivia's dangled in the air. Feeling bold she told him, "thank you for the gift. It really was perfect."
He smiled at her. "you're just saying that because you bought the same one."
"What can we say? We have good taste." she told him smiling back.
He moved a little closer to her and grabbed the rope near her hand. "You've been avoiding me lately. What's that all about?"
She looked him intently in the eye. "I didn't want there to be any weirdness between us."
"There isn't any weirdness between us right now." he said in almost a whisper.
"I noticed that." Olivia breathed out. She reached up and touched his cheek. Fitz, wanting to be closer to her, straddled the long rectangular swing seat and Olivia followed suit. They were sitting face to face, barely breathing. Both of their hearts were hammering in their chests. Olivia licked her lips and started to lean towards him.
"It's snowing!" Fitz exclaimed.
Olivia opened her eyes and looked around. A wonder filled smile covered her face. 'Look at that! It's beautiful!"
"You're beautiful." Fitz mumbled before cupping her cheek and leaning towards her connecting their lips. It was a soft kiss full of promise and wonder.