The start of December called for a large conference meeting. The final one of the year. After this, Kimbra didn't have to worry about meetings or parties until late May.

No more awkward social events or having to fake a smile. Just a long vacation and then back to science.

But today she'd have to endure dozens of handshakes and fake smiles. Suck up to a few wealthy morons who thought they knew better than her.

Only for today.

In better news, St. Canard had been hit by an unusually severe ice storm last night. Most of the citizens of St. Canard despised it.

But Kimbra was overjoyed by it.

Inches of white powder had to be plowed by the city's large equipment. Kids ran through it at a nearby park, hurling balls of snow at one another. Adults grumbled as they trekked through it on their way to work. That was about as exciting as it got around here.

Well, except for watching Bud almost slip on the ice patches that were scattered across the sidewalk. The city did a poor job of preparing for the winter storm. They didn't have enough ice melt for all the sidewalks, so various areas were still frozen over. Kimbra walked closely by the salesman's side, making sure he didn't slip and ended up injuring himself. She'd never hear the end of it if he did.

Her steps had to be much quicker than his to keep up with his long legs. She'd sneak a glance his way every now and then, noting his expression full of misery and frustration.

With a deep breath of the frigid air, Bud eventually sighed as he wrapped his coat tighter around himself. "Oh my god, why do we live here?"

"Weren't you born here?"

The hound jerked, not expecting a response to his complaint, then looked at her. "Yeah, I was."

"Are you not used to the cold yet?"

There was an infuriating pause.

"No."

"St. Canard always has rough winters, you should be used to this."

"We also have scorching summers, but you aren't used to that yet now are you?"

A fair point.

" Hey , I am built for below freezing temperatures. It's in my DNA."

"And I'm built for nice sunny days," he gave Kimbra a sidelong look. "Not this crap."

"I'm sure you'll just freeze yourself to death then." Her voice was thick with sarcasm. Bud didn't respond, so Kimbra kept talking. "You'll be fine. We're almost there. It's not my fault we had to park so far away."

Bud had actually parked close to the conference hall, but they had time to spare, so Kimbra picked him up, and they had a quick coffee together. By the time they got back, all the parking was filled. She had to park a few blocks down, earning a few grumbles from the hound.

A grunt. "I can see my breath, that can't be normal." Bud declared with disgust.

"Bud, it's normal."

"Oh god, why is it so cold?"

"Do you really need an explanation?"

"I just want this season to be over with." His jaw clamped shut, frustrated over having to push through the snow-covered sidewalk, in the bitter cold.

"It'll be warm inside the conference building, you big baby."

"Not warm enough."

"I have an idea then."

Bud raised a brow. She could tell he had no idea where she was going with this. "What?"

"I'll just press my warm fluffy body against yours."

Part of Kimbra was kidding, the other part semi serious. Samoyed dogs had thick, fluffy coats. They were basically made for the cold and to keep others warm. It was their nature. Whenever a guest at the Wulfe house mentioned being chilly, all the siblings would rush over to pile on them.

"W…what?" He asked again, though she knew he'd heard her.

"I'm fluffy. I have a double coat. I can keep you warm."

"That's…unnecessary…"

She thought maybe he was flushing a little. Maybe not. It was hard to tell, considering the bitter cold.

"Are you sure? It's what I was made for."

"Well, I mean…if you're offering." Bud slowly replied with a grin as he tried to figure out what Kimbra's angle was.

The Samoyed only smiled and continued walking. Maybe she'd stay in tonight. Which she did that every night, but with the snow, she could at least pretend she was back home. Have a moment of peace and joy before diving back into the project.

"Would you actually?" He asked, partly joking and partly curious.

"If you were freezing to death, then yes."

"Kimbra?"

"Yes?"

"I'm freezing to death."

A smile, but she couldn't meet his eyes. "No you aren't."

The city noise echoed off the buildings as they walked through the crowd.

"It's cold out here," Bud complained again. Then he took a deep breath. "I should move."

She risked another look at him. "You don't know what cold is."

"Are you going to go on about how Alaska is colder, and you're an expert on the cold?"

"Yes."

"Save it for another day, princess."

Kimbra wanted to shove him in a pile of snow. "Don't call me princess." She just might do it if he called her that again.

The man smirked as they neared the conference building. "You like me calling you that."

"No I don't!"

Liar.

"If you didn't then why are you blushing?"

Kimbra quickly looked away, feeling her face grow warm. "I am not!"

"C'mon princess , we're here." Bud swung open the glass door to the building, and stepped aside. Kimbra rolled her eyes at his hurry of getting into the warm building as she trailed behind him.

A strand of low-hanging tinsel nearly clotheslined him on his way over to the main hall.

A loud snort escaped Kimbra's mouth. In embarrassment, she quickly clasped her mouth with both hands.

Bud turned around and let out a small laugh. "Did you just snort?"

"Shut up. You almost clotheslined yourself, it was funny. I couldn't help it."

"They have the damn things hanging too low." He nonchalantly swatted at one with his hand.

"You're just too tall."

"I'm the perfect height. Women like tall men."

Kimbra placed her hands on her hips and looked around. "Oh yeah, they're just lining up for a piece of you."

They weren't. Mr. Foggy-three.

"Let's just get this over with, so I can get home." Bud led her into the lobby.

The large room was filled with people chatting and laughing. The stage at the front was mostly empty, except for a short man adjusting the microphone. More hideous Christmas decorations hung from the ceiling and walls.

"Ugh, looks like Santa threw up in here." Kimbra made a noise that sounded like a dry heave.

"Not a fan of Christmas?" Bud asked, not really caring and just attempting to make some sort of conversation.

"God no," Kimbra made a face. A small sliver of unease shot through her as they passed by the green and red decor.

Cheesy Christmas music played merrily in the background. It annoyed the scientist even more than the eyesores on the walls. Whoever decorated didn't bother to untangle the slightly ratty tinsel on the walls. The whole place came off as tacky and cheap. Ornaments hung from the garlands on the stage wall. At least they looked somewhat presentable.

An even worse eyesore caught Kimbra's eye almost immediately. His short black hair and dark gray suit. The way he carried himself with a sense of self-importance. The fake smile and forced laughter.

She hadn't expected him to show up.

"We need to leave." Kimbra grabbed onto Bud's arm, a little too tight.

"What? Why? We just got here." The thought of having to go back out in the cold so soon did not appeal to him.

"Dr. Spector is here." She said, and began to scan the room as if looking for a window to climb out of.

If only she could just turn and run away.

It was okay. She could handle it. The world had dealt her worse cards, and she survived that. But she had never expected to see him again. She didn't prepare for this.

A whine escaped her mouth. "Why is he here?"

"Maybe he misses you."

"Stop teasing me." She looked down at the floor, ashamed. "He only wanted to use me to finally take down Dr. Ainsley. There was nothing more to our relationship, if you can even call it that."

She'd taken comfort in knowing she was better than that. That she never resorted to such dishonestly to make it in the science world.

Kimbra shivered in disgust at the thought of seeing Ross Spector again, face to face. They'd eventually run into each other, right? Hiding from him was cowardly. Childish. Immature. She was an adult, dammit. She didn't run from her problems (most of the time).

"I'm going to go talk to him."

"I thought you wanted to get out of here."

Kimbra lapsed into silence; pondered what to say and if she should say anything at all.

"I do, but," she hesitated. "I can't spend the rest of my life hiding from him. It's better to get it over with now than later."

He smiled. "Do you want me to hold your hand?"

"No, shut up. You better be behind me the entire time in case I need you to break his nose."

"I'm not punching your ex-boyfriend."

"What if I need you to defend my honor?"

A snort. "What honor?"

" Bud ."

"I'm not doing it."

" Bud ."

"You need to stop wanting to fight everyone. You're like this tiny angry mean fluff ball. You're terrifying on your own. Furthermore, you don't need me."

" Fine then, I'll punch him." Kimbra strolled across the room, not giving Bud the chance to object.

The tension in the air grew as she crossed into the threshold. Kimbra was stepping into enemy territory. The corners of Spector's mouth lifted the tiniest bit into a smirk once he noticed her.

"Dr. Wulfe."

"Dr. Spector." She didn't bother to mask the animosity in her voice.

Stay calm. Stay collected. You can pull this off.

"What brings you here?"

"I stepped in for Dr. Ainsley."

It wasn't entirely by choice. The reptile made an excuse, as always. It was either he didn't feel well or he had plans. Kimbra still wasn't sure why he insisted she be the one to step in for him. He had a whole administration better suited for the task. It infuriated them that their boss chose her instead of them.

"Oh, aren't you the cutest little thing?" Spector taunted in a mockingly sweet tone. The tone changed in an instant-cold, flat. "You over here, thinking you know anything about the science world. Cute…cute, that idiotic old man entrusts you with anything."

Kimbra didn't speak. What could she say, after all? That he was wrong? Because he wasn't. She knew the words that rolled off his tongue were the truth.

Because she heard them countless times in her own mind.

"Why don't you leave science to real men, and go do whatever it is you assistants are doing these days." Spector added, implying that Kimbra has little personal merit.

Kimbra let out a single, bitter laugh. "I'm probably more of a scientist than you'll ever be, Mr. I-Like-To-Steal-Other-People's-Projects." She said, crossing her arms, she faced him with narrowed eyes.

But Dr. Spector continued on. "I see you're still keeping the girl around." He looked in Bud's direction with a smile.

Kimbra forgot he stood behind her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Bud frowned, feeling overprotective of Kimbra.

Just punch him.

But Spector ignored him and focused back on the purple-haired canine. "Didn't assume you were the type to skip out on someone. Frankly, it broke my heart."

Liar.

"I didn't know you were capable of feelings." Kimbra said, trying to fight off the anger that was building inside her.

She had to keep her composure. Spector wanted her to lash out. He wanted to know that he got under her skin. She would rather not give him that sort of satisfaction. He'd know then that he won.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of," an emotion flickered through those dark eyes of his.

Resentment? Anger? Kimbra almost missed it, barely catching it as she shot back a reply. "Is that a threat, Dr. Spector?"

He smiled. "Just consider it a warning ." The scientist emphasized the last word.

"You don't scare me." She said, hating how her voice betrayed her.

He ignored that statement. As if he knew it wasn't true.

"What a waste, for such a pretty face." The rodent said as he gently skimmed his thumb across her cheek. "Sometimes, I really wonder why that water salesman keeps you around. No one else will ever want you."

Immediately, her eyes went to the ground. Kimbra didn't know what to say. She was afraid anything that came out of her mouth would sound like a choked up cry, and humiliate herself even more.

"I really didn't even want you. I was merely using you to get closer to outdoing Ainsley," his eyes drifted down her body and back up to her face. "Not that I'm complaining about that night we spent together."

Ew. Gross.

His eyes moved over to Bud, but he was still speaking to Kimbra. "You're clearly a threat to that poor man's reputation."

A throat cleared, reminding them that they were not alone. "I think you should walk away, Dr. Spector."

"You could be working with a more reputable tech company, Mr. Flud. SpecCorp is always accepting new investors and sponsors." Spector gave Bud a knowing smile which slowly hardened.

It was a simple enough offer.

Bud could have accepted it. He was a shallow, selfish man. Accepting the offer wouldn't have been out of character for him.

But he looked at Kimbra, and something made him decline it.

He couldn't betray her like that.

"I think I'll stick with EcoTech, thanks anyway." Bud had never wanted to hit another being so much in his entire life. He had to stifle a snort of bitter laughter.

"Very well then," The man smiled. And then he was gone.

Someone to be avoided, definitely.

Kimbra was fuming, absolutely fuming. She felt her blood pressure rising. Spector had no right to talk to her that way.

He embarrassed her.

Really, what did it matter? Your work shows what kind of scientist you are. You'll prove them all wrong soon enough.

"Are you okay?" Bud asked, placing his hand on Kimbra's lower back as he leaned down to her.

She shook her head. "I don't really want to be here."

"We can head back home if you want."

"No, I'll stay." She paused to look at him. "Leaving just means he won."

"Not really."

"It does! He'll know that he hurt my feelings, or he ran me out of here! And then he'll know I care about what he says."

"Do you care what Spector thinks or says?"

No? Yes? Kind of? I don't know.

"I'm just so frustrated I keep having to work my ass off and every man here gets to take the easy road. Gets more recognition than I do. Because for every two steps I take, I'm pulled three steps back. I'm just sick of the sexism and everyone not taking me seriously."

"Maybe C.O.R.E will change that."

"Maybe." She echoed dully.

Soon, the conference started. Everyone would be stepping up to make their speeches and talk about their work. Watching from the back of the crowd, Kimbra watched Dr. Spector go on about his company and their purpose. The smooth voice resonated through the speakers. She was dumb for trusting him and his lies.

How deceiving appearances could be. Luckily, she'd learned from that mistake.

The crowd hung on every word that came out of the rodent's mouth. A needle of envy pricked Kimbra's heart. No one ever listened to her like that. People usually ignored her or fell asleep. She wished she was taken seriously. That people respected her the way they did Ainsley or Spector.

As Ross left the stage, Bud shot Kimbra a smile before heading up to give his presentation.

It was important to him.

He started strong, speaking passionately on how he got to where he is today. How he worked hard for years and pushed through humiliation and disgrace. It felt inspiring, well…maybe if you took out the context that it's a water bottling factory that contributed to pollution. Or the fact Bud Flud is a sleazy capitalist who'd rather trade in your life for a quick profit.

Other than that, she did listen. She understood most of what Bud was saying, as boring as it was. Because she knew where he was coming from. It felt comforting. Bud ended the speech as strong as he started, and walked off the stage.

The lobby filled with a few people exiting the conference as the other presenters would appear in another hour. Kimbra was more than happy to get out of there. Away from the awful decorations and annoying music that pierced her sensitive ears.

Stepping out into the hallway, Kimbra noticed Bud's presence and gave a small wave. They met near the entrance of the building, off to the side.

His confident and proud stature from earlier remained. "How'd I do?"

"Do you want my honest opinion?"

"I mean, I'm not paying you for it."

"You did amazing." She placed her hand in his, the businessman helped her out of the hall and down the steps with grace. "Thank you."

Kimbra tried not to notice the warmth of his fingers brushing hers as they reached the bottom.

"My pleasure." And Bud released her hand.

Kimbra wished he held on to it.

The CEO briefly looked up, held her gaze for a second, then smiled. "Kimbra, you're incredible."

And for a brief second, she knew he meant it. Sure, she knew it came from a place of pity. That he only said it because of what Spector had said. But Bud was her best friend. He said it because he cared, and that was enough for her.

"I… no." Kimbra refused to accept such a compliment. "But thanks."

"No, really you are, you've done so much more than any of these morons here. And you don't even get half the recognition." Bud whispered against her ear, and she shivered.

"I'm still not going to praise your company, Mr. Flud."

Bud laughed. "I'll call you later," he placed his arm around her waist, giving her a small squeeze.

"Wait, are you leaving?" She still had to give Ainsley's speech in an hour.

"Yeah."

"Do you have to leave? I mean, do you have to leave like…right now?"

"I have a meeting with my research department." Bud glanced at his watch, grimacing at the time. "I'm late enough."

"Oh," the expression on her face flashed disappointment. Like she didn't want him to leave so soon.

"I'll see you in a few days?"

"Oh yeah," she fidgeted with the silver bracelet on her wrist. "We have one of the final C.O.R.E meetings you can attend if you'd like."

"I'll be there. Bye Kim." Bud turned around, beginning to walk where his car was parked across the street.

He didn't make it very far.

Kimbra reached out and touched his arm, just enough to turn him back. "Thank you...for what you said. It means a lot." The sincerity in her eyes as she thanked him was so pure, he wanted to melt.

A nervous smile crossed his face.

"You're welcome."

Almost seven months ago, Bud Flud had a plan, and it wasn't to fall in love. It had been to find a way to save his company from the brink of bankruptcy. Move on from that and dive back into another advertising campaign. Possibly partner with the Trillium Winery. He had so many plans before he had met Kimbra Wulfe.

But now it wasn't what he really wanted to do.

So, his plan became more complicated. He wanted to hold off on everything. Finish the project. Admit his feelings for her and pray that she felt the same way.

He wouldn't even need to think twice about it.

The water bottle salesman felt a sudden pang of longing, deep in his chest.

He wanted her to know that he loved her.