Georgia

The world was alight with magic. A fresh snow was falling, blanketing the streets, dusting the tops of lampposts and parked cars. It softened the holiday music that drifted out of open shop doors as shoppers rushed about. Even rosy-cheeked shoppers seemed to be affected, as they offered well-wishes instead of curses if they bumped into each other. Everything in the city felt different, as if it knew this Christmas was destined to be something special.

Poor Georgia Greene, head down as she pushed through the crowd, didn't have time to notice any of it. She had more important things to do.

She did not look at the charity Santa manning his donation box, ringing his bell. She did not catch the tempting scents of baked goods and roasted chestnuts being sold on every street corner. She did not see the bright lights strung across every roof and post, twinkling in the snow.

Her gaze was focused on the entrance to the shiny office building up ahead. She went to jump into the rotating door, but bumped into a couple just stepping out. They had been too busy staring into each other's eyes to realize they were standing directly in the way of the door. She dodged around them with a huff, too out of breath to apologize. That was for the best, especially since the words that wanted to come out of her mouth were anything but season's greetings. 

Instead, she jogged across the lobby and threw herself into the first available elevator. As its shiny silver doors slid shut, she released a sigh. 

She had made it.

The elevator began to crawl upwards, giving Georgia a moment to catch her breath. She looked into the elevator's mirror wall and grimaced at the sight of herself. Her mad dash across the city had left her more than a little dishevelled. Several strands of dark hair had slipped out of her usually immaculate bun, and dark circles had started to form beneath her clear hazel eyes. 

Georgia frowned at her reflection. Even if she had completed her almost impossible task and made it back to the office in record time, that was no excuse for her appearance. Her boss would find any reason to criticize her—including for what he called looking 'sloppy.'

Studying herself in the mirror, she straightened her posture and smoothed the wrinkles in her black pencil skirt before tucking the stray hairs back into her bun. She reached into her purse to pull out her tube of emergency concealer, gently dotting it on and tapping it into place. Next came the lipstick as she smoothed on a fresh coat of sharp, cherry red.

By the time the elevator reached the very top floor, she was back to looking perfect, just as was expected of all employees of BEAUMONT HOTEL GROUP. The elevator doors slid open, and she stepped out, her sleek heeled boots clicking as she walked over the polished marble floor. There was no sign of the harried woman who had run through the lobby only moments before.

As it was less than a week before Christmas, the office was in a state of high activity. Assistants and interns were rushing about with files and messages and cups of coffee. Even with the impending holidays, work at Beaumont was never done. In fact, most of them would be working right up until Christmas day. If she hadn't booked her vacation time off months ago—only a few months after last Christmas—Georgia knew she'd be right beside them. As it was, she'd soon be free. 

She navigated through the labyrinth of the open office, heading to her desk in the corner.

"There you are."

Hugo had been waiting for her. He was tall and lean, with a thick head of silver hair and a well-trimmed but just-as-thick white beard. In his deep burgundy suit and silver-framed glasses, he almost looked like an estranged brother of St. Nick—the one who left the North Pole and family business behind to come to the city and reinvent himself as a ruthless entrepreneur.

As she got close, he held out his hand expectantly.

Georgia pulled out the stack of contracts from her bag and dropped them into his waiting hand As he flipped through the pages, she stepped back to wait for his assessment. Reading them over, his brow furrowed. Georgia tried not to let her lip tremble at the look of disapproval coming over his face.

"It's all there," she said, trying to reassure him as much as herself. "I got all the signatures."

"So it seems," he agreed. He closed the file and snapped his fingers. Her fellow executive assistant Dante appeared to whisk the papers away. He clucked his tongue with disgust. "Thank you, Georgia, for your help clearing up Riley's mess."

Georgia's eyes flicked over to the desk next to hers. That had been Riley's desk—had, being the word. When his mistake in the contract had been discovered earlier that date, throwing the development of Hugo's newest hotel in Aspen into question, all hell had broken loose. Georgia had been sent to get the corrected contracts re-signed before all the involved executives disappeared on their holiday vacations. And Riley had been fired on the spot—yes, fired, and yes, less than a week before Christmas.

Hugo did not tolerate mistakes.

Her gaze snapped back to Hugo's cold steel eyes. He was staring her down.

"Not a problem," Georgia said, flashing him the quickest of smiles. Hugo wasn't a big fan of smiling either. "Is there anything else you need from me?" 

She held her breath, hoping that he'd say no. If he said no, then she would be free...

Hugo shook his head. He began to turn to head into his office. "No, not at this moment. You can return to your desk and finish the rest of your work."

Georgia chewed on her lip, wondering if she should say anything. 

She had been dutiful to get ahead of her schedule this week. She had anticipated that something would go wrong, and she had been right but since she'd prepared...

"Actually, I'm all done," she said. "I'm all done."

Hugo froze and then slowly looked back at her. "Is that so?"

"Yes, I put in some extra hours earlier this week," Georgia said, feeling her face going hot. Suddenly the neck of her blouse felt more than a little tight. "So, I was going to leave a little early."

"Leave... early?" Hugo said, like the words were utterly foreign to him.

"I told you," Georgia said, her voice hitching ever so slightly. She cleared her throat to regain her composure. "I mentioned it right before I went out. And this morning. And yesterday. And I sent that email a week ago, and that other one on—"

Hugo grimaced at her, and Georgia shut her mouth. It didn't matter what actually happened, in Hugo's office, only what he believed mattered. 

But to her surprise, Hugo smiled—actually smiled. "You know, I'm actually impressed."

Georgia could only blink at him. Had Hugo actually paid her a compliment? It was like her brain had shut down, unable to comprehend the information. 

Hugo giving someone a compliment? This doesn't make any sense...

"Getting the complete set of signatures," Hugo said, eyeing her carefully, "and finishing your work early? Well done." He clapped his hands, the heavy rings on his fingers clinking together.

Georgia continued to stare, not sure how to respond. Her coworkers seemed to feel the same. They had all stopped working and were all silently watching the interaction like they expected Hugo to turn on her. Georgia feared the same. 

Was this all some kind of joke?

But Hugo hated jokes, too.

"In fact," Hugo said. "I'm so impressed, I have something else for you. A special project."

Georgia's heart sank.

"I wish I could," she said. "But, I-I've got to leave." 

She knew it was foolish to argue with Hugo, but she had to try. She had plans.

But of course, Hugo's icy eyes sharpened to points.

"I've got a six hour drive ahead of me," she explained. It was already past four which could hardly be considered 'early' anymore. In a perfect world, she would've already been long gone. "I booked the vacation time, and HR approved it—"

"I don't give a damn what HR approved. If you want to have a job when you get back from that vacation," Hugo said, his cold eyes narrowing, "then you will care what I approve."

Georgia shrank under his hard glare. She shot another look at what had once been Riley's desk. Hugo did not make these sorts of threats lightly.

"Yes, sir," Georgia said quietly, her face burning with shame. She clenched her hands into fists at her sides. Her nails dug into her palms. She wished she could tell him exactly where to shove that job, but she needed it. And it wasn't just for rent, though her tiny closet of an apartment cost her a pretty penny. BEAUMONT HOTEL GROUP was one of the most prestigious hotel companies in the world. A reference from Hugo could open a lot of doors...

Including, maybe, the door to Georgia's own inn.

That was the dream, at least.

Hugo snapped his fingers, and again, Dante appeared by his side, now holding out a new folder. Hugo plucked it from his hands. "This is the proposal for this new hotel idea I have," he explained. "I'd like you to start looking at listings for land where we could build. Or perhaps a large enough building we could gut and make our own." He dropped the thick folder on her desk.

"Yes, sir," Georgia said, picking up the folder. She opened it, glancing over the pages. It appeared to be some kind of spa retreat, and Hugo wanted it to be somewhere private and remote—almost rustic. "When should I have my recommendations ready?"

"The presentation is on the afternoon of the 26th," Hugo said. "So, have a selection of properties ready for the morning of that day."

The 26th?! Right after Christmas?

Inside, Georgia was screaming, but she fought to keep her face straight. Not only was that the day after Christmas, but it was also the last day of her vacation. To live up to Hugo's expectations, she would have to spend her entire vacation reading through the files and preparing potential listings. She eyed the folder in front of her, weighing the amount of work she had to do. She repressed a sigh. "Do you know of any properties that would be worth considering?"

"That's what I'm paying you for," Hugo said with a dismissive wave. "Is it not?"

"Yes, sir," Georgia said, gritting her teeth as she tucked the folder under her arm. She was already regretting the days off she'd taken. She should've known better than to think that she'd be able to take a vacation...

Her heart sank even lower. If she cared about Christmas, she'd be even sadder, but that's not what made her heart heavy. She didn't care much for the holiday, if she was being honest. But what made her so sad was that she had finally taken time off to spend a few days with her beloved sister. It had been years since they had spent Christmas together. 

Her sister had recently moved back to their hometown and was now pregnant with her first child, and she had asked Georgia to spend the holidays with her and her husband. Even if the holiday itself didn't matter that much to Georgia, she had at least looked forward to spending some uninterrupted quality time with her sister...

So much for that.

She watched Hugo disappear into his office before she turned her attention back to her desk. She sat down with a sigh, determined to focus on the work, so she didn't have to think about how all her plans had been thrown into disarray...

"You should be grateful."

Georgia looked up. Dante was still there, standing at the edge of her desk and staring daggers at her.

She glared back. "And why is that?"

"Do you see any of us getting a project like this?" Dante said, sneering like it should be obvious.

Georgia glanced around the maze of nearby desks occupied by Hugo's small army of assistants. They had frantically returned to their work, trying to finish off their day so they could escape into the holiday wonderland outside.

"No?" Georgia said tentatively.

"Exactly," Dante said. "This is an amazing opportunity, Georgia. You should be grateful. So act like it." And with that, he stalked away, back to Hugo's office.

"Lucky me," Georgia grumbled, turning back to her desk and opening her laptop.

🎄

Do you go home for Christmas?