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As much as I want to put a stop to it, it’s only fair; I agreed that she could put up the decorations on the first of the month. I just didn’t think it was going to come so soon.

Plus, according to her research and presentation, the decorations improve team morale. On average, decorated offices have higher retention, and people even put in more hours on a daily basis, more likely to stay the extra ten minutes to finish a task if there are cheery twinkle lights hanging above them.

I don’t understand it, but in the years since she started decorating, I’ve kept track during this month. Her research turned out to be right. People do stay longer, now that we have a large fake tree in the main concourse.

Picking my way carefully through the Christmas wreckage, I’m forced to take some of it in. The tiny menorahs set on various tables throughout the room, other paraphernalia from various religions I’ve never heard of, carefully and tastefully included, along with little color-coded, educational squares. You can’t claim our office manager isn’t intentional with this stuff.

It feels better in my office with the door shut. At least this room is still blissfully uncluttered and unglittered.

And it doesn’t hurt that I’m still riding the high of Chris’s newfound interest in me. He even emailed me early this morning and asked me to send over those questions about the Moreno Toys operations.

A good sign.

I just have to make sure I keep up the act. Maybe I should even do a little more digging into him and his family online, compile a list of family-related questions to ask the next time I see him.

When I settle in at my desk, the office manager appears outside the window that shows me the rest of the office, climbing up the ladder in her red dress and hanging tinsel outside the glass. I want to argue that, in a way, putting it up there is kind of like decorating my space.

But I don’t.

Instead, I watch her as she works, realizing the expression on her face isn’t one I’ve seen before. Cami manages many of our large accounts—a fact that I’ve brought up with our strategy team before.

“It can’t be wise to have all our eggs in one basket,” I argued. “Move some of those accounts to other managers.”

The next week, the team came back and reported that all but one client claimed they would immediately go to a new software at a different company if they weren’t allowed to work with Cami anymore. A fact that she apparently knew and never even tried to leverage into a raise or promotion.

Cami is a hardworking woman. It’s something I admire about her. The decorations thing is the one area that I don’t understand, but it makes her happy.

That is, it usually makes her happy.

Today, as she hangs the tinsel, there’s a decided frown tugging at the corner of her lips. I watch her as she finishes the job, moves around the room, dutifully hanging each decoration.

Before I can even consider doing something about it—would I ask her if she’s okay? It’s not something I’ve ever done before—the phone on my desk starts to ring.

“Mr. Dunne,” the secretary, Molly, says breathlessly, an undeniable note of glee in her voice. “It’s Mr. Moreno! Should I patch him through?”

She asks the question like I’d be an idiot to say no.

And I would. This is the first time he’s called me through the office phone. Maybe that means this is the first time he’s really been considering me as a serious candidate for the acquisition.

“Yes, of course,” I say, unable to keep the smile off my own face.

Cami forgotten, I spin around, take a deep breath, and wait for Chris’s booming, always-joyful voice to come over the line.

“Patrick! How are you doing?”

“Great, Chris, it’s good to hear from you.”

“Happy holidays! Can’t believe they snuck up on us so fast.”

My gaze flicks to the department store that threw up inside my company, just outside my office window. “They sure did.”

“Well, I was talking to Gloria about you coming for dinner, and she thought of something even better!”

“Oh, really?” Is it selling me the company right now, before the end of the year?

“Yes! You were so excited about the Finland trip, and we’re sure you and the fiancée could use a little time away from home. The other family that was supposed to come along had something come up—poor Beverly—but now we’ve got a luxury lodge out there that will just sit empty. You should come with us! It might give us some time to talk shop, and Mary really thinks we have a shot at seeing the northern lights this year.”

I’ve barely processed this information before the words are out of my mouth, “Of course, I’d love to come!”