Page 4 of Her Holiday Arrangement

Riley froze mid-cable-wrap. “Is that… an insult?”

Elizabeth’s lips twitched,almosta smile. “An observation.”

“Oh.” Riley straightened up, brushing at her sweater like that would somehow reassemble her dignity. “Well, thanks, I guess. I get that a lot.”

They stood in silence for a moment, the city humming softly beneath them. Outside the window, snow had started falling again, thin flakes drifting lazily past the high-rise glass. Inside, the only movement was the slow swirl of amber liquidin Elizabeth’s glass and the slight, nervous shifting of Riley’s weight from one foot to the other.

Eventually, Elizabeth spoke. “I need a solution. Not a Hallmark cliché.”

Riley scratched the back of her neck. “Sure, sure. Totally. Solutions. Got it.”

Riley scratched the back of her neck, chewing at her bottom lip before offering, with forced brightness, “Well, unless you want to pay me to pretend to be your girlfriend, I’m fresh out of ideas.”

The words hung between them. Elizabeth could tell it was meant as a joke, the kind Riley often used to fill uncomfortable silence, tossed out carelessly like a deflection. Normally, Elizabeth would have responded with a dry laugh or a cutting remark, anything to puncture the tension. Instead, she found herself going very still.

No sip of scotch.

No clever retort.

Just… silence.

Riley looked up.

Elizabeth was watching her, eyes narrowed slightly. Not cold, exactly. Not even amused.

Calculating.

Riley blinked. “Wait. What?”

Elizabeth stepped forward, slowly, her drink now forgotten on the marble counter. She came close enough that Riley could smell the subtle perfume she wore, bergamot and winter spice and something expensive Riley couldn’t name.

“How much?” Elizabeth asked, voice low.

Riley stared at her. “I-I’m sorry. What?”

“To pretend to be my girlfriend,” Elizabeth clarified, folding her arms across her chest. “In Vermont. For Christmas. What would that cost me?”

“Wait, hold on. That was, I mean, I was kidding. You know that, right?”

Elizabeth’s head tilted slightly. “Were you?”

“Yes!” Riley exclaimed. “I mean, unless you’re actually serious? But you can’t be serious. Because that’s, crazy. Like,lifetime-movie-holiday-specialcrazy.”

Elizabeth didn’t blink. “Is it?”

“Yes!” Riley said again. “You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend. For yourfamily.OverChristmas.That’s not a casual thing.”

“I’m not a casual woman,” Elizabeth replied.

“Clearly!”

Elizabeth raised a brow. “So. A number.”

Riley threw her hands up. “Why me?”

Elizabeth looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Because I trust you not to rob me blind, because you’re already used to managing my life, and because,” she paused, “you’re charming when you’re not flinging coffee cups across the floor.”

Riley’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. “That sounds dangerously close to a compliment.”