Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
The wink she gives me is salacious, and it makes my skin crawl. Joy and I are silent as Donna walks out of the office, grabbing a coffee off Joy’s desk on her way out into the snow while wearing stilettos.
“Those are the wrong shoes for this kind of weather,” I say, and I hear Joy snort. When I look over, she slaps a hand over her mouth.
“Sorry,” she mumbles.
“It’s okay.” There’s a beat of silence that passes between us, and I want to tell her all the things that I’m thinking. Instead, I put my foot directly into my mouth. “It’s not like you’d wear anything like that.”
The sparkle in Joy’s eyes dims just a fraction as she glances down at her sensible shoes. They’re actually perfect for the snow and are so cute on her feet. But instead of saying that, it sounds like I’ve somehow insulted her.
“Wait, I said that wrong.”
“It’s all right,” she rushes to say as she tries to leave my office. “The phone call was just an excuse, but you do have that conference call in a few moments. Let me go check and make sure I have the time right.”
She babbles on so fast I don’t have a chance to apologize or make it right. How do I keep screwing things up with Joy? Probably because I’m awkward as fuck around her. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and instead of playing it cool and showing her how much I like her, I keep somehow insulting her and pushing a wedge between us.
Just great.
Chapter Three
JOY
I love these shoes. I had to save up for them because I knew, moving to Troping, I would need winter boots. I also knew that I’d need some that would go with professional office wear. They came from a bargain website, and there’s a small mark on the heel, but they’re thick, and the bottoms are made for the snow. As I look at them now, I wonder if they’re ugly. I loved them the second I saw them and was sure they were perfect. I should ask Tinsel what she thinks of them, but she’s kind of a tomboy. I’ll have to ask Frostie or Carol instead.
“Who cares?” I mutter under my breath.
The reason it bothers me so much is because it brings back memories from my hometown and high school. I always got picked on for something, and when I came to Troping, I wanted to break away from that whole frumpy image everyone stamped on me. There were even a few that called me the forever virgin.
After a moment of debate I decide not to wear the boots to the Winter Wonderland Dance. I hadn’t even planned to go, but now I’ll have to find a dress or something. I bet North will think it’s ugly too, and Donna will stand out like a star on top of a Christmas tree. Why doesn’t he go with her? I guess no one's shoes are good enough for him. North’s are always shiny and perfect, which should be impossible because he walks outside in the snow. But that’s North; his suits are always impeccable along with the rest of him. It’s annoying and lovely to stare at. My fingers often itch to mess with his hair so it’s not so perfectly in place.
Whatever. I’ll wear what I want. Even as I think the words, I text Carol and ask if she thinks she might have a dress for me. She owns the only dress shop in town and makes beautiful pieces. I should get a really good one and then bill North for it. It is a business thing so why not? It’s not as if we’re going on a date. It’s completely professional because it’s laughable to think of the two of us on a date.
I’m so full of it because I know I won’t bill him. I’ll do what I’ve been doing since he made fun of my boots, which is to avoid him. It was easy when he had the conference call but now he keeps calling me into his office to ask me random questions that he should know the answer to. He’s being odd and I wonder if it has to do with Donna.
I thought when I interrupted them I was saving him, but what if I was wrong? Then again, he dodged her invite to the dance so now I don’t know. That man is hard to understand at times. One second he’s this straight-laced, by-the-book man, and other times he’ll say something sweet that catches me so off guard I think I misheard him.
“Yo!” Tinsel shouts as she bursts through the front doors of City Hall in her sheriff's uniform.
“Hey.” I give her a real smile because she can always manage to make me laugh. I haven't got a clue how she and North are brother and sister because they’re nothing alike. She even went out of her way to annoy her brother by hooking up with his best friend. Okay, not hooking up—they’re engaged. Still, it’s fun to watch her ruffle his feathers. No, one does it better than her, and part of me wishes I could get to him too.