Hollidae's Gift: A Hemingway Industries Novel

By Donna Mercer

When one door closes, the elevator door opens ... and gets stuck!

Leaving a thriving medical profession was the last thing Bradley Coopersmith IV wanted. However, as fate would have it, all good things must come to an end.

After dealing with a devastating incident that ended his medical career, he is ready to take on a new adventure. Little did he know that he would get more than he bargained for and perhaps meet the woman of his dreams.

Hollidae isn’t the settling down kind of girl. She loves to play the field. Ending her year with a random fling is her way of unwinding. But some random things were meant to be permanent fixtures.

Come this Christmas, she might just find herself unwrapping more than the presents under the tree.

Can two people who are opposites make it work? If you love taboo romances, you will love this office romance where two unlikely people are about to taste the holidays magic.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Donna Mercer
• Release date: Dec 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463580837

Donna Mercer

Hi Everyone and thank you for stopping by my page. A little bit about myself. I have been married for over 20 years which is totally amazing to members of my family who had a bet on my wedding day that it would not last beyond two years. Suckers!! I have two kids that have made it to the age of 18. Yeah me!! I have been writing all of my life, but have never shared any of my writing with anyone beyond my family. I wrote my first romance novel when I was in junior high school and gave it to my English teacher to read. She told me to stick with something I know. Ever since then I have kept my writing to myself. What changed? When my oldest was going to graduate from high school one of the things I did was to write a letter to her future self. I just wrote what I felt, but it was so liked by her teacher that she stated that I should become a writer. I decided to stop hiding my desire to write and to just go for it. So congrats on joining this adventure with me I am glad you are along for the ride.

Book preview

Donna R. Mercer

Hollidae’s Gift

First published by Sassy Writer Publishing 2019

Copyright © 2019 by Donna R. Mercer

All rights reserved. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this book is prohibited. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval system or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author. This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publications use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and didn’t purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

First edition

ISBN: 9780463580837

Cover art by Infinity Book Covers

Typesetting by Infinity Book Covers

Editing by Crystol Wiedeman

Editing by Phoenix Pen

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Also Available from Donna R. Mercer

CHAPTER ONE

"You know, this could be considered a form of stalking."

Bradley Jarrett Coopersmith, the fourth ignored the comment made by his cousin as he stared out of the window of his new office at one of his employees.

He could not help it that his eyes were drawn to her every time she crossed the floor of the cubicle farm that made up the accounting department. She was magnificent.

Her dark brown skin glowed; her smile lit up the room. Her long, black hair was done up in a ponytail, and it bounced with life as she strode across the room back to her cubicle. She sparkled with a vibrance Brad hadn’t seen in a long while. He was drawn to it; who wouldn’t be in a corporate world full of so much ‘sameness?’ Everything about her embodied the good cheer that made up the Christmas season including her name—Hollidae Reynolds. Even the red and green Christmas sweater, covered in reindeer wearing Santa hats, with jingle bells hanging from the hat, couldn’t detract from her beauty. Her entry for the ugly Christmas sweater contest, the accounting department held today, was more adorable than ugly.

Her loud, life-affirming laugh sounded out across the finance department, bringing a faint smile to Brad’s lips. This was the sound that first attracted his attention to her all those weeks ago when he first heard it. It penetrated his cocoon of despair that had been following him for far too long. It was caused by too many changes happening all at once.

It would be a challenge for anyone, realizing their life would be forever changed, their hopes and dreams…gone in a flash. It overwhelmed him. He wanted to hide, to wallow in his self-pity and mourn his loss. Yet, walking in, that bright, loud laugh pulled him back into the world of the living. The slight burst of happiness in his world called to him, so much so, that every time he entered Hemingway Industries, he sought her out.

He never realized something was missing from his life until he perked up at the loud, boisterous laugh. Brad found himself smiling. His feet moving in the direction of that loud, joyful noise. In the shadows, he basked in her warmth. Soaking it up. Letting her heal him from afar.

He watched the woman he now knew as Hollidae Reynolds. How she glowed with life. From that point forward, the sound of her laughter drew him to her whenever it rang out around the department, which he quickly discovered was often.

As a matter of fact, it could be considered sexual harassment, Roman Fitzgerald Hemingway, the third commented as he came to stand next to the glass wall that made up part of Brad’s office.

Strangers, people who weren’t intimately acquainted with their family, often didn’t realize the two men were related. They were a study, in contrast, Brad with his blond, surfer looks and blue eyes, and Hemi with his dark, brooding looks. Opposite in looks, yet similar in personalities, they went way back. As Hemi was fond of informing people, he was the reason Brad didn’t grow up to be an uptight, sissy boy. Something he was in true danger of happening since Brad was surrounded by a gaggle of sisters.

Hemi took credit for teaching Brad the things that made him a man. Like, how to make the perfect spitball and shoot it across the room without getting caught, when they were little boys The best pick-up lines to use to get girls when he was a teenager. How to hotwire a golf cart, and drive it wildly across the country club, without getting caught by either of their fathers.

Hemi, the bad influence every boy needed in his life.

It’s only sexual harassment if I say anything inappropriate to her. Brad turned away from the wall and looked around his new office, absently flexing the fingers of his left hand, while working out the stiffness that was now a part of his life. It was a large office. Larger than his old one at the hospital. The walls hung with artwork instead of his various degrees and medical licenses.

Now that was something he was going to have to get used to seeing. A big change. His plans never included entering the corporate world, but life has a way of making decisions no one could ever prepare for. The only thing remotely resembling his doctor’s office was the desk with the computer on it. Though this computer was definitely higher-tech than the one he used during his medical practice.

Right, and you haven’t talked to a female that wasn’t in the medical field, or part of the family since you and Chloe broke up.

Brad ignored that statement. There was no point in answering something they both knew was true.

Chloe March, his fiancée, pledged her undying love for him, then left as soon as it became obvious his career as a hotshot surgeon was over. Instead of saying she would love him until the end of time, what she should have said was ‘she would love him as long as he was known as the up and coming surgeon with the magical hands.’ As soon as that title disappeared, so did Chloe—off to find someone worthy of her desire to be the trophy wife in the spotlight.

Are you sure you want to be on this level? Brad shook his head. Hemi was on the verge of entering ‘mother hen’ mode.

He gave an exasperated sigh turning his attention back to his cousin. Hemi, we’ve had this conversation several times. I work better when I’m close to the people I’m supervising. It’s my leadership style, and the last thing I need is for you to hover over me.

Alright then, you get settled into your office today. Tomorrow, Dad is going to make the announcement at the company’s Christmas Party, and then, you will have to stop your unofficial stalking of your subordinates.

Hemi ducked out the door before the pen