Jingle This! by Stephanie Rowe Read Free Book Online

determination that was so fierce that it was almost adorable. "The best way I know how to get that is to hang out with my family. So I'm outta here."
    And then she walked out and shut the door behind her.
    If it wasn't for her tears, he'd march right out there and haul her cute little fanny back into the office to work.
    But the fact was, it was obvious Angie was suffering right now. She was super-talented and an asset. So he'd cut her a break. This one time. He knew Roger well enough to know that the guy probably had been pretty merciless in the breakup. Roger didn't spend a whole lot of time worrying about other people, and it was clear Angie had been hit hard.
    For a moment, a surprising sense of empathy for Angie filled him. In that instant, Kyle didn't see her as an employee temptress, or the woman who'd stolen Roger from the company. He simply saw her as a courageous woman struggling to find her equilibrium again.
    He made a decision right then to let her enjoy her holiday party. He'd finish the article. Maybe the old, talented Angie would be back tomorrow.
    She better be, because he had no idea how to help a woman get back on her feet. Sensitive and doting weren't his forte. He wasn't an insensitive, selfish bastard like Roger, but shit, he had no clue what to say to help her.
    But he was surprised to realize that he did want to help her. A lot.
    * * *
    Angie flung her arm around Heidi's shoulders as her friend walked out of the elevator in her parent's condo building. "I'm so glad you could come at the last minute." She'd called Heidi on her way out of the office, and Heidi had immediately agreed to meet her in the foyer, so they could walk in together.
    Heidi grinned and honked her red Rudolph prosthetic nose. "I wouldn't miss the Miller holiday party for anything." She eyed Angie sympathetically. "Are you going to be in trouble for walking out on Kyle? He's not exactly known to be easygoing when it comes to the company."
    Angie frowned. Now that Heidi mentioned it, he had been pretty placid when she'd walked out. Wonder what that was about? "He was probably glad to get rid of me so he could rewrite it."
    Well, that certainly made her feel better. A finance guy could write a better story than she could? She'd sunk to a new low heretofore previously reserved only for people she pitied. Well, she was not going to feel sorry for herself. She was going to have fun with Heidi and her family and grapple her way back to her old self, so that she would sashay back into the office tomorrow and reclaim emotional well-being and her talent. "So where's Quinn?"
    A tiny bit of the sparkle left Heidi's eyes as they hurried down the hallway toward the condo. "He had to work tonight."
    "Again? What's with the hours?"
    "I don't know." Heidi paused outside the end of the hall leading toward Angie's parents' condo. "Do you think it's something I should worry about? I mean, I don't want to marry a guy like Kyle who works 24/7." Then she shifted. "You don't think he's having second thoughts and avoiding me, do you?"
    "No way!" Angie grabbed Heidi's shoulders and shook her lightly. Dammit. She would shoot Quinn if he betrayed Heidi. Their relationship was what inspired Angie to believe in love, despite how hard it seemed to be to find it for herself. "You two are a perfect match. True love forever. It's natural to be getting nervous a month before the wedding. He loves you, you love him, all is good. Right?"
    Heidi relaxed and grinned. "I'm being stupid, aren't I?"
    "No, just human." Angie draped her arm around Heidi as they paused outside the door to the condo. "You saw how Roger dumped me when things got serious, so you're naturally extrapolating Roger's horridness to the entire male gender, and that's totally understandable. Wrong, but understandable. Quinn isn't Roger, so you're fine."
    Heidi raised her eyebrows at Angie. "Wow. I'm impressed. How can you be so mellow? I'd have thought you'd be totally bitter and hateful toward all men