Unbeknownst to Mindy, while she was having her sleepover soap opera drama with Danny, Morgan and Peter were using her phone to text Cliff. That resulted in Cliff hitting it off with Heather, Josh's ex, who'd recently moved into her building.
A few more random incidents occurred in the following weeks. including the practice being accused of racism and Peter going with her to Josh's wedding , which they ending up ruining. Mindy taking the blame after Peter slept with Josh's sex addict wife. Danny's brother also came into the town, and after arguing about their absent father wanting to be back in their lives, the two made up.
Before they knew it the Christmas season was once again upon them. After learning from Cliff, as they rode together on the subway , that he and Heather might be on the outs. Mindy devised a plan to steal him away, involving four steps and a office Christmas party. She was determined to make her plan work, but, what she didn't expect though was another defining moment with Danny.
"Exciting news everybody, this Friday, Schulman & associates will be having a Christmas party for the entire building ." Mindy announced.
"The entire building?" Danny said, he thought last years Christmas party was a disaster. Throw in a party for the entire building, god knows what would happen.
"Yeah. This building is full of rando's who we should get to know better. The notary republic on five , maybe those cool lawyers across the hallway." Mindy said trying to be subtle with the last part.
" Ok, is this a ploy so you can hang out with Cliff?"
"What, what are you saying are you having a stroke, what are you , what does that even mean?" Mindy said pretending not to notice the implication in Danny's pronunciation of the name 'Cliff"
" Oh ,and we can exchange our final secret santa gifts!" Betsy said excited
"Oh, that reminds me, I'm your secret santa." Danny said before handing her a small bundle made of white fibers.
"Medical gauze , come on."
"Yeah, I don't believe in spending money on stupid things."
"Really, so I assume you got that shirt for free ...whaat. And with that classic Danny dig, its settled. We're gonna have a party, you and I have to go get food." Mindy said to the group, then addresses Danny
"Ok." Danny said, not knowing what else to say.
Morgan then brought up that the party should be gluten free out of courtesy to Tamara who has Celiac's disease. This lead to Peter asking that the party also be alcohol free, because he realized his alcohol abuse was the root of all his problems.
"So are you making a ginger bread house this year?" Mindy asked Danny as they walked toward the elevator.
"Nah, I got a lot going on . Work , my bank just sent me a new credit card so...I have that to activate."
" You are such a horrible liar . I bet you already imported sugar stain glass from Germany."
"Oh please , German sugar glass ! Its notoriously brittle and cloudy . OK, I'll tell you this, I am making a structure and I'll give you a hint. Its the house of a man that's very important to this country." Danny said making sure no one else was around, before half whispering the last part.
"Justin Timberlake's childhood home in Nashville!" Mindy said excited.
"What?" Before Danny or Mindy can say anything else , the elevator opens to reveal Brendan Deslaurier and Maria Menounos.
" Hello Mindy, Danny." Brendan said greeting the two doctors.
"Hello." Mindy and Danny both said before walking into the elevator.
" Have you met my new girlfriend, Maria Menounos." Brendan asked once the elevator door closed .
" Oh,I'm a big fan of your journalism." Danny said.
"You're my hair idol I...are you two dating?" Mindy said going from being star struck to being confused .
"Yeah." Maria Menounos said with a big smile.
"Why? You could have almost anybody." Mindy said shocked. She knew Maria Menounos had done a commercial with them a few months back, but did not expect for the two of them to be dating.
"Excuse me ?" Brendan said clearly offended.
"I have never been with such a soulful person." Maria Menounos said looking adoringly at Brendan.
"This is our first Christmas together and we've just been sharing and celebrating . Oh my gosh Mindy , whats wrong with me. Here I am flaunting our blooming love and you with your engagement breakup. I'm just sorry. " Brendan said, his arm linked with his new girlfriend's.
" Hey listen pal shes fine ok, shes been going out with a lot of guys since that guy, probably too many guys, but a lot." Danny said feeling the need to defend Mindy.
" Shh That's not...too many, the right amount."
"A lot ." Danny emphasized, wanting Brendan to know Mindy wasn't wallowing in self pity.
"The normal amount." Mindy defended.
"Not really." Danny said thinking about all the men Mindy had dated after Casey.
" Really, no, no, hush, hush. The point is I'm doing fantastic. " Mindy said, she knew Danny was trying to help, but he was making it worse.
"Shes doing great." Danny chimed in.
"Mindy you don't have to shine it on in front of me ,I'm a friend . Holidays are always hardest on the lonely . Suicide rates do go up, as we all know. " Brendan said in that condescending tone of his.
"Sorry." Maria Menounos said looking at Mindy with pity. The elevator doors opened and Brendan and Maria Menounos got out .
"Bye Maria." Danny said.
"I'm actually dating someone too, , hes a handsome lawyer that works in this building ." Mindy yelled out after them,not wanting Brendan to have the last word. He'd already been so condescending in the elevator, she had to show him she was happy too. Even if that happiness was based off a lie.
" Oh, well that's, that's great." Brendan said stopping and facing the open elevator
" And its better than great its greeaat!" Mindy said her head still sticking outside of the elevator.
" Well if he works in the building , I look forward to meeting him at the party." Brendan said.
"Great." Mindy said, then refused to let Danny get off the elevator, she'd rather they go back up and come back down then have another exchange with Brendan and Maria Menounos.
"Why'd you tell Deslaurier you were dating a lawyer in the building?" Danny asked as they walked.
" Because he was rubbing dating Menounos in my face, mehnousnoos,muhnousnoos,ugh I hate him . Besides who knows , maybe at the end of the party I will be dating someone."
" I knew it, I knew it! Building wide Christmas party, all the sexy mood lighting you installed in phlebotomy ."
"Well you know ,soft lighting is good for urine samples too."
" No, no, no. This is a Christmas party sex trap so you can get to Cliff."
"Is that so wrong Danny? Is it so wrong for an unmarried twenty-three year old woman to throw a party so she can meet a man."
"You're a little nut job, and its not gonna work."
"Thank you for saying I'm little and it will work. And I'll tell you why, because I have a foul proof, four point, man catching party plan."
" Oh boy."
"Want to hear about it?"
"Not really, but..."
"You're gonna."
"I know." Danny said with a smirk.
Mindy then went on to explain the plan step by step. Step 1 included throwing the greatest party anyone had ever seen, and when the guy, ie Cliff , got there she would ignore him. Instead she'd be giving her undivided attention to the coolest guy in the room. Step 2 involved her singing a sexy version of santa baby that would be "both titillating and festive".
"Santa baby, nah, that's disgusting it sexualizes Santa." Danny said giving his opinion of that part of the plan. Mindy ignored him and moved on to step 3.
"Step 3, pretend you're overheated, say you need some air. Make him follow you to a private location. Step 4, finally alone in a romantic setting , he and I share a perfect first kiss."
"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard." Danny said.
"You're wrong . You'll see tomorrow night when I'm tonguing Cliff in the courtyard . Come on."
"Alright ."
It was the night of the party and Mindy was in her office, she summoned Danny there. He walked over, knocking before poking his head through the slightly opened the door.
"What the hell was so important , what are you doing?"
"Come here, help me fill my bra up with wine."
" Ok, no further questions." Danny said entering the room ,closing the door ,then walking toward Mindy.
"Open this. I bought a bra that holds two bottles full of wine." Mindy explained.
" I thought this thing was supposed to be sober, for Peter."
"Peter doesn't have to know about it! My man catching plan is not gonna work without some booze Danny. Plus there's also an added benefit."
" Whats that?"
" Pour."
" Pour, ok. Here you go." Danny said. As the wine flows down the funnel, Mindy's boobs grow in size.
" You should wear that everyday." Danny said rapt with her growing chest."
"Ok, that's enough, that's enough."
" Ok, sorry..." Danny said stopping his pouring, then putting the wine bottle down, all while not being able to take his eyes off of Mindy's chest.
Mindy then rejoined the party and waited for Cliffs arrival. Cliff walked in and Mindy proceeded with the steps of her man trapping plan. Step one goes well. After, she finds Danny in the hot pipe room, where he is working on a gingerbread house, red reading glasses on his face.
"Wait a minute, whoa, whoa can you knock first please!"
"I'm not gonna knock to the hot pipe room."
"Alright, what step of the man trap are you on? Hit him over the head with a rolling pin, pull down his pants ." Danny said with a smirk.
"Ha, ha, ha, you know I don't own any cooking stuff, so jokes on you . For your information I'm on step 2 . Whoa, is that what I think it is?" Mindy said spotting the gingerbread house.
" Ok, look, close your eyes, stop it, you'll see it at the unveiling with everyone else . I'll give you a hint, its located in Virgina."
"Mount Rushmore?"
" The Massachusetts public school system has really let you down."
"I'm sorry, I'm a good looking doctor , I think it did fine."
"Ok."
" And you know what, I wish you had put this much effort in your secret santa presents."
" Oh right that reminds me...I got you this." Danny said holding out a stapler to her.
" I refuse to accept that gift. I got Peter a replica of the Dukes of Hazard car, and I barely like him. That's what a secret santa does."
"Fine."
" Hurry up, sexy routine is next." Mindy said before walking out of the hot pipe room. while Danny resumed working on his ginger bread house
When its time for step 2, Cliff is no where to be found. To make matters worse Maria Menounos hijacked her performance, taking over Mindy's sexy rendition of Santa baby. Right when Mindy had been encouraged to still sing the song, despite Cliff not being there . When she'd texted Cliff to find out where he'd gone, he'd texted back that he had left to talk to Heather. After Maria Menounos' stage stealing performance, a disappointed Mindy, went into her office to finish off her boob wine.
Which is why Danny found her sitting on the ground, next the two empty wine bottles, she was sucking on the tube connected to the now empty bra.
" Min? Are you sad about Cliff?" Danny asked, seeing Mindy barefoot and on the ground, as he entered the room.
"Sad , is when the cab driver thought I was Jaden Smith. I'm heartbroken."
" Well so what , the guy left, you weren't even dating , whats the big deal? " Danny said. He couldn't understand why she always seemed to set her sight on jerks.
"The big deal is that I threw a party with the sole purpose of getting a guy, who is still technically in a relationship, to kiss me. And then he left. I'm the most pathetic loser."
" I think I might have something that might cheer you up. From your secret Santa."
"No Danny. Look you said you didn't wanna spend money on a secret Santa, I shouldn't have expected a gift."
"Sometimes..the best gifts don't cost anything."
"I guess . If you're like a poor mouse in a Christmas special."
" Ok, here we go." Danny said, then hit play on the mp3 player, which started to play 'Aaliyah's Try again'
"When you first started working here , you used to play this non-stop . It was the first thing about you. that really annoyed me."
Danny said, then proceeded to dance to the song. He was nervous at first, but as he saw shock, then delight appear on her face, he started to smile too . Toward the end, he reached his hand out gently lifted her chin up, before pulling his hand away. As soon as his amazing dance begin it ended, and his nervousness returned.
" I know its stupid, so uh. Anyway, I can get you a gift card, or write a personal check. Don't worry about it, just don't tell Morgan, or Jeremy about it, ok?" Danny said, as he turned off the music and walked around the room. He didn't notice Mindy get up off the floor, blinking back tears as she walked over to him, standing a few inches apart.
"What are you talking about ? I loved it." Mindy said .
"You liked it?" Danny said, looking at her and seeing in her face, that she meant it.
Mindy responded to his question by nodding yes, before wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. He found his arms wrapping around her as well, and he couldn't help but relish the moment of having her so close in his arms. She pulled away from the hug, his arms still around her waist, and it was like they were back in the break room. They held each others gaze just as intensely as before, if not more so, and just as they both moved instinctively to lean in closer, the door burst open by Peter, followed by a rambling Jeremy and then Morgan.
Peter wanted her 'boob wine', and Jeremy had destroyed Danny's Monticello gingerbread house by eating most of it. After Jeremy's pep talk to Peter about pursuing women while sober, Mindy was able to make them leave . With them gone , she figured it wouldn't hurt to take a chance and try to salvage her moment with Danny.
" Hey, I was gonna get a breath of fresh air." Mindy said turning to Danny.
"Yeah, I'm gonna stay. I gotta , I gotta, clean up this mess ." Danny said referring to the destroyed ginger bread house .
" Ok."
Mindy said with a weak smile ,after hiding a quick flash of disappointment, before walking away. Danny thought about saying something as she walked away, but quickly changed his mind. He knew the implications of him following her outside, they'd talked about it earlier. Part of him wanted to follow her, but the other didn't want their first kiss to come from a man trap thought up for someone else. Mindy was drunk and vulnerable, if they were going to kiss, he'd want it to not come as a second choice, he couldn't be her rebound.
A part of him regretted his choice later, as he watched Mindy get her planned out kiss with Cliff outside in the courtyard. Mindy had proven him wrong, her plan had indeed worked. That didn't make Danny feel any better about it, but as long as she was happy, that's all that mattered.
So Mindy started dating Cliff , they went through the usual firsts of a relationship. Since it was winter Cliff decided he wanted to take Mindy on a romantic weekend getaway to go skiing. When he mentioned a hot tub, Mindy became subconscious about her body.
After a failed enlistment of Morgan as her personal trainer, she convinced Danny to train her at his gym. After their workout, Mindy decided to check out the steam room, which she didn't realize was co-ed. She ended up seeing Danny naked and him seeing her, she also sprained her foot. Later Danny managed to again see her naked ,an incident that involved an owl. She then earned some insights about her body from him.
"Yeah, whoa."
"OH, hello." Mindy said bursting into Danny's office, knocking on his door."
"You hear that sound."
"Yeah, I did."
"That is the sound of a knock Danny."
"I know what it is."
"That is what we do in civilized society , when we want to enter a room."
"Whoa Mindy is that you, I didn't recognize you with all your clothes on." Danny said with a smirk.
"That's my hilarious line from wiener night, get an original zing for once in your life . Did you write it down." Mindy said spotting a paper on his desk.
"No." Danny said denying it.
"Look just because you have like 0% body fat and only eat three meals a day and barely ever snack. Doesn't mean you have the right to tell me whats wrong with my body."
"I am your personal trainer,Body by Dan!"
"More like body by fired, cause you're fired !"
"What!"
"Oh yeah, and for the record there is nothing you can criticize about this situation that I haven't already heard from every mean girl for my entire life !"
"What situation, I'm not..ok, you're right I shouldn't have mentioned it."
"I know that I could lose fifteen pounds, I know that I don't have this perfect skinny hot body like all the girls that you date . I know that one of my boobs is crazily bigger than the other...don't look! I know that I have upper knee fat ,and I know that I have a scar on my back that looks like a swastika. You don't think that, that's never come up every single time I've dated a Jewish guy."
"You have one!"
"A Jewish guy in my life?"
"No, a swastika?"
"Yes, the latter!"
"I didn't even notice that."
"Maybe you could get cataract surgery old man!"
"My eyes are fine . Look, ok , alright I get it, you're subconscious , but you have no reason to be. All I was gonna say was don't suck in your stomach so much , it makes you , it make you look nervous and frankly a little constipated ." Danny said sincerely.
"And get a boob job." Mindy chimed in.
"No, that's not what I was gonna say."
"And get rid of the cellulite on your legs."
"No."
"And have blue eyes."
"No, I don't want that."
"Oh."
"You're a woman and that's good, look like a woman."
"Ok."
Danny went on to say that, that was just his honest opinion as her trainer. Mindy thanked him, and after a couple of other unwanted comments she left the room.