Page 47 of A Christmas Adventure

"Come on, go now so you have time to unpack and rest. Call me when you get there, okay?"

"And tomorrow?" Violeta puts on a good girl face.

"Tomorrow too, and the day after, and the next," Olga whispers, kissing her ear. From there, she moves to her lips, and they lose themselves in a nostalgic kiss that lasts until their jaws ache.

Olga stays on the street until Violeta's car becomes so small in the distance that she can no longer see it. Then she hesitates between going to her house or entering Maite's, but opts for the latter because she's so desolate that she doesn't want to be alone.

As soon as she steps inside, she breaks down, and Maite hugs her, aware that she has been keeping it together since she woke up.

"It's okay," her friend whispers, "you'll see each other very soon, you'll see."

"And what if she decides to stay there, Maite? I don't want a long-distance relationship."

Although Violeta has tried, Olga has managed to make her leave without having that conversation. Because she knows that if she tells her what she thinks, Violeta's decision might be based solely on her unease about not having Olga, and she doesn't want to be responsible for her abandoning her life for something they don't even know will go beyond what they've had.

"I can't help you with that, Olga. It's something you two have to work out between yourselves."

"I know," she says and buries her head on her shoulder again.

Chapter 26

"Are you sure about what you're going to do?" Teresa asks while they eat.

Violeta has shared all the details of her story with Olga, including her feelings and the emptiness inside her since she said goodbye at her mother's house yesterday.

"It's only been a day since I last saw her, but it feels like years."

"I understand that, Violeta, and I support you, but it's a big decision. What if you end up getting tired of working at the bakery? Remember, you said you hated it as a teenager."

"As a teenager, I wanted to try other things and not have my life limited to staying in the village helping my parents at the bakery. I've studied the career I wanted and had the chance to practice it."

"In this crappy place," Teresa laughs, pointing at the building. "I don't blame you for wanting to leave."

"These days at the bakery have been wonderful, Tere. And when I won the Three Kings' cake contest," Violetapauses with a proud smile, "I know it's a small prize that doesn't mean much, but I felt more proud than when we finish a project here. Besides, although I haven't told my mom, I enjoyed preparing the recipe so much, especially while thinking about how to change it and add my personal touch."

"Damn, are you going to turn into a pastry chef now?"

They both laugh, amused.

"Well, let's go back. Hernán will see me in his office now."

"Poor idiot, he's not expecting the bombshell you're about to drop," Teresa gloats. "I just hope they don't pair me with an incompetent partner. Then I might lose it and have to ask your mom for a job," she jokes.

"Come in, Violeta. How was your vacation?" her boss asks when she arrives at the office.

She sits down and doesn't even answer, knowing he doesn't care and is just being polite.

"I'm here to request voluntary termination."

Hernán looks at her with wide eyes, genuinely surprised.

"Termination? You're leaving?" he asks stupidly.

"Yes."

For the next ten minutes, her boss bombards her with questions, asking if she's going to the competition because he can't believe Violeta wants to leave the company to sell buns at her family's bakery. As she begins to explain that she's tired of not feeling valued in the company, HernánCarro opens a drawer, takes out a blank sheet, writes something on it, signs it, and extends it to Violeta.

"15% salary increase and I'll make you section head," he says suddenly. "There you have it in writing and signed by me. If you agree to stay, I'll talk to Human Resources tomorrow to apply the increase to your paycheck immediately."