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“I’ll call her.” Erica reached for her phone, digging it out of her massive purse.

Sage waited while her assistant explained the situation to her sister. She interrupted Erica long enough to explain she’d be willing to pay double whatever Lisa normally charged.

“Done,” Erica explained, as she dropped her phone back into her bag. “Lisa said she’d be happy to take Ricky for as long as he’s staying with you.”

“That’s wonderful.” With that burden resolved, Sage felt like she could breathe again. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Anything else?”

Sage barely knew where to start. “I have no idea what five-year-olds eat. I understand he likes peanut butter and jelly, which is good, because that’s about the extent of my repertoire when it comes to anything involving the kitchen.”

“I’ll make you a grocery list.” Erica reached for a pad and started writing. After several minutes she tore off a sheet and handed it to Sage.

“You’re a lifesaver,” Sage said, grateful once again for her assistant.

—

It was nearly seven before Sage left the office. Ricky was flying in with Sage’s mother Saturday afternoon, and she wanted to be prepared to welcome him when he arrived. She stopped off at the small grocery store close to the office. It was a convenient distance from her condo as well. The glass doors slid open as if to welcome her. Unaccustomed to using a large cart, she went in search of one.

List in hand, she headed down the vegetable and fruit aisle. Erica had been an answer to prayer. Sage had badly needed her assistant’s reassurances. By the time she’d left the office, Sage was beginning to believe having Ricky stay with her wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Christmas music played in the background; the tune was familiar, although Sage couldn’t name it. For the most part, she basically ignored Christmas until it was time to either fly to Chicago or head to the ski slopes.

As she reached for a bag of mandarin oranges, she spied a one-foot potted Christmas tree. She made a mental note to arrange for a Christmas tree to be delivered and to order decorations online.

She’d ask Erica to suggest where to buy ornaments and whatever else she might need. She’d heard of a church group that decorated Christmas trees with a donation to charity. That might work well for her, since she’d never put up a tree herself. A decorated Christmas tree would be a nice surprise for Ricky. Sage felt it was her job to make sure this Christmas was as festive as she could make it while Ricky was so far from home.

For at least the tenth time that day, Sage reminded herself she could do this. She was organized, efficient, and capable. As Erica reminded her, Sage would learn along the way. And really, with Ricky in daycare for a large portion of the day, she would have him only a few hours before and after work. She could do this.

Erica’s grocery list was a big help. She added milk, cereal, and Oreos, her favorite cookies, plus three frozen pizzas. Every kid loved pizza, right? For good measure, she tossed in a couple candy bars along with the healthier items Erica had recommended. By the time she got to the checkout stand, her basket was nearly full.

“Sage?”

She heard her name and instantly recognized the voice. Ethan Cornwell. He ran the accounting department at Park Marketing. Over the last few months, he’d made his interest clear, and frankly, she was attracted to him, too, although cautious. After being burned by Mark, Sage tended to be reserved when it came to relationships, especially with someone who worked in the same office.

They’d dated a couple times. The first time he asked her out, Ethan casually mentioned he had two tickets to the 5th Avenue Theatre for a showing of Beautiful, the Carole King musical. Because she was a huge fan of musicals, Sage had accepted, unsure what to expect, if anything. To her delight, the evening had been lovely. Afterward they’d gone out for a glass of wine and ended up talking for more than two hours. Sage hadn’t felt this way about a man since her disastrous breakup with Mark, which delighted her and made her wary in equal measure.

That didn’t keep her from joining Ethan for lunch the following workday. It seemed they both chose to take their break at the same time. A small coincidence that didn’t go unnoticed by those in the office.

On their second official date, he’d asked if she wanted to join him at a charity dinner held for young adults graduating out of foster care. Again, Sage had enjoyed herself. At the end of the dinner, they’d both made a contribution. Sage got along great with Ethan, and their friendship had steadily developed until recently. Something had changed and she wasn’t sure what.

Her assumption was that his hesitation had something to do with the recent office scandal. It was well known that dating a colleague was discouraged by Mr. Mowrey, and with good reason. A few weeks back, two account managers had become romantically involved and it hadn’t ended well. One had quit without giving notice, leaving the company at a critical time. It was then that Ethan suggested that perhaps it wasn’t a great idea for them to take their lunch breaks together. Sage didn’t think anything about it, and frankly, she agreed. A lot was at stake. She didn’t want to do anything to make Mr. Mowrey doubt she was worthy of the promotion.

The thing was, Sage liked Ethan and enjoyed his company. Lately, though, it was as if Ethan had lost interest. There was a distance between them that hadn’t been there before. He hadn’t suggested another outing, although he remained friendly and cordial. He went out of his way to greet her and ask her about her day, but no mention of getting together again, which disappointed her. It was just as well, Sage decided, as she needed to focus on gaining the Hudson account and Ethan could easily become a distraction.

With a small shopping basket draped over his arm, his smile warm and friendly, he eyed her full cart. “Looks like you’re shopping for the next month.”

“Yes, sort of. My nephew is coming to stay with me for a few weeks.” She explained the situation and that Ricky would likely be with her all of December.

Ethan’s brows lifted in what looked like surprise. “Are you okay with this?” He knew how important her current project was to her career.

“It isn’t like I have a lot of choice. Normally my parents would fill in for Saffron, only they have an anniversary cruise planned, so it’s up to me.”

“If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”

His offer touched her heart. “Thanks, Ethan. I appreciate that.” She noticed how his gaze wandered to her grocery cart and felt the need to explain. “I’m not much of a cook, so I thought I’d pick up a few items that looked simple enough for me to figure out.” She was tempted to brag that she was a master with the microwave, thinking it might impress him. She found it difficult to look away. The truth was, Sage found Ethan strikingly attractive with his dark hair and deep blue eyes. He stood several inches taller than her five-foot-six frame. Being around Ethan was far too easy.

“I mean it,” he said, “anything you need, let me know. I’ve got several nieces and nephews, plus a mom and sister who go nuts over Christmas.”