Her Little White Lie (BWWM Romance) (7 page)

“Well, you're a free agent, Mikey. Just tell me one thing. The other day when we were making out on your living room floor, were you two on or off.”

“Off. Definitely off. I hadn't seen her in a while. She's so temperamental. I don't know where I am with her sometimes.”

“I know the feeling. Merry Christmas, Mikey.”

I ran down the stairs and he called me back but didn't follow. In the streets I dodged through the crowds and walked as fast as I could all the way home.

10

It was Christmas Eve. I had to work for four hours at the hotel from late morning so I was able to sleep in. And I needed a few hours to lose the dark circles and bags under my eyes from crying myself to sleep. I got up and made a strong coffee and sat on the sofa looking up at my tree. Some of the glitter had fallen onto the carpet and I realized I didn't have a present under it. That would have made it a proper tree. But there was nothing proper about this Christmas. I wished I'd never told a lie about being engaged and needing time off for the holidays with my fiancé's family.

I cringed.

The buzzer for my apartment sounded. I wondered who it could be. My first thought was Mikey.

“Yes?” I answered into the intercom.

“Package for Miss Danvers. Grace Danvers. Needs to be signed for.”

“Come on up.”

I pressed the buzzer. What could it be? I stood with my fingers crossed waiting for the courier to take the elevator up to the fifth floor. I was secretly hoping that Mikey had had a change of heart and that his on off relationship with the blond was off for good.

There was a knock on the door and I still half expected to see Mikey standing behind the courier because he wanted to see my face when I got his present.

“There you go, sign here.” The courier was on his own and he was expecting a tip. I grabbed five dollars from the coffee table, it's all I had. Any spare cash had gone on decorating my tree.

The package was a small, slim cardboard box. I ripped it open to find a silver envelope inside. The envelope was sealed and on the front my name was written and the message: Important. Do not open until Christmas morning.

That was all it said. I took the envelope and placed it under the tree. I had a present, at least, although I had no idea who it was from and what it could be. As it was an envelope it had to be money or a voucher or something. I thought of my brother, Tommy, he did send me a birthday card most years. Maybe he was trying something new for Christmas. Maybe it was something from the hotel. Maybe they were giving bonuses this year. That seemed hard to believe but as I was going in anyway, maybe I'd find out.

To get to the subway, I had to pass Mikey's house. I looked up at what I knew was his bedroom window. The blinds were down, but that was nothing new. I wondered if he was due to work on the site today or was he up there with her? They could have been making love right now. I dug my hands deeper into the pockets of my thick, winter coat and just kept right on walking.

The staff at the hotel were all wearing tinsel around their heads and Daisy, who was on reception with me, kept trying to convince me to join in the so called fun.

“Come on, Grace. It's Christmas. In just a couple hours or so you'll be off for your holiday break. Three days, baby,” she said to me and pumped her fist.

I was so not in the mood to be jolly. I smiled as best as I could at any guests that came by and answered the phone as pleasantly as I could. Knowing Mr. Iglesias had already left the hotel also added to my feeling of loneliness.

After an hour on reception and with the hotel being particularly quiet, I made my excuses to Daisy I slipped away to the staff cafeteria for something to eat. I had skipped breakfast and my stomach was beginning to grumble. I think Daisy was glad to see the back of me.

Alicia, Suzette, Damion and Ramon all happened to be up there too. I tried to duck out of sight as I picked up a pastry and grabbed a cup of coffee, but it was no use.

“Hey, Gracie! Gracie come over and join us,” Alicia waved her arms as though I could miss her.

“Hi guys,” I said, trying to keep the misery out of my voice. It didn't work.

“Okay, who died?” Damion put his arm around my shoulder.

“No one died. Why do you ask?” I looked down into my coffee, trying not to give myself away.

I smiled as wide as I could but something must have shown in my eyes as I looked up at them. They had all stopped for a second and were looking right at me.

“And how's that rich boyfriend of yours? He been playing around?” asked Suzette.

“No it's not that.” I whispered.

“What? He buy you a cheap Christmas present with all that money he got?” Ramon was still eating his lunch but he spoke anyway.

“I don't know what he got for me. I'm not allowed to open it until Christmas Day.” I lied.

“What about his fancy restaurant, that open yet?” Alicia's eyes were lighting up.

“Not yet,” I said.

“Seems like he missed an opportunity,” Damion put in. “Anyone with any business sense would have known to get their restaurant open in time for the holidays. Shit, that don't make no sense.”

“And what you know about business sense, fool?” Alicia rolled her eyes at him.

“One thing I know is,” Damion said. “If I had a girl like our Gracie, she wouldn't be up in here looking so sad. Not at the holidays anyways. I would have bought her a pink Cadillac or some shit like that, something classy, like she deserve.” He pinched his lips together and shook his head up and down, waiting to get an 'Amen' from his congregation.

“Damion, your sweet.” I kissed his cheek. “Mikey isn't one for making a big show of things. He's the strong silent type, you know? I mean, I mostly don't know what goes on in that head of his. But what I know is, he's kind and gentle and sweet and he makes me laugh. He makes me happy, Damion.”

The others had all gone silent, their faces all pressed towards mine, their eyes big and doleful. That's when I noticed that my eyes had glassed over. I blinked several times and started staring into space so the tears wouldn't fall.

The crazy thing was, I shouldn't have been singing my fake boyfriend's praises, not if I was supposed to be breaking up with him after the holidays. This could have been my perfect opportunity to begin my Oscar winning performance of the girl who got dumped at Christmas. But instead I was talking about the real Mikey, the Mikey I loved.

“Anyway, guys, let's not all get sentimental and mushy.” I picked up my pastry and took a large bite out of it. I did my best acting, trying to show that I was fine.

At the end of my shift I put on my coat, hat and scarf and headed for the staff entrance.

“Merry Christmas, Duke,” I said to the security guard.

“Merry Christmas, Grace.”

He picked me up, inches from the floor and spun me around. I couldn't stop the squeal of laughter. He spun me so much I got nauseous.

“Put me down, Duke!” I could hardly catch my breath.

“I been waiting to do that all year,” he said. “You go on and have yourself a wonderful holiday, you hear. Take that sad look off your face.”

“It's gone. Look.” I showed all my teeth in the widest smile I could muster. Even just faking seemed to take some of the sadness away.

I had to tip up high on my toes to kiss Duke on the cheek.

“Say, hi, to your family,” I said, looking back at him over my shoulder as I left the staff entrance.

I turned back to the street and stopped suddenly. Standing there, with his hands deep in the pockets of his thick jacket, was Mikey. His hat was pulled far down over his head and the tip of his nose was pink as though he'd been standing out in the cold for ages.

“Gracie,” he said.

“What are you doing here, Mikey?”

“I needed to see you.”

“You look cold.”

“I am cold. They couldn't tell me exactly what time you finished so I been waiting here an hour. I didn't want to miss you and I figured you might not answer my calls.”

“You figured right.” I began walking and Mikey followed.

“Listen,” he said, catching up to me, “Can we get a drink somewhere, or something? I need to talk to you.”

“There's no need, Mikey. I understand everything.”

“Please, Gracie.”

I took Mikey to the little coffee shop Mr. Iglesias had taken me to the week before when he had his heart attack. I thought about him now and hoped he was nice and settled back home with his only remaining family. I wondered when I'd see him again.

“What can I get you?” Mikey asked.

“Hot chocolate,” I said.

“Make that two,” he said to the waiter.

“Listen, Gracie, I just wanted to explain about the other day. You know, when Delores came round like that.”

“I think the way she looked at you explained it all. What I don't get is why you feel you need to keep things from me? We're supposed to be friends aren't we? Why can't you open up with me a bit more and tell me what's going on in your life. I wouldn't have made such a goddam fool of myself if I'd known about her.”

“I know being open isn't one of my strong points. I'm sorry. It's just that I met Delores months ago. It was just a bit of fun at first and then she started getting all serious.”

“And then you did too, right?”

“Well not as much as she was. She kept giving me ultimatums and when I didn't bite she'd break up with me. Days later she'd come around or call. I told her I didn't want anything heavy. She'd say that was fine and the next minute she'd be walking me down the aisle.”

“But you're spending Christmas with her. That's a serious thing. Well, it will be for her,” I said.

“That's just it. I broke it off with her. For good this time.”

“You're a bastard, Mikey.”

“What d'you mean?”

“It's the freaking holidays and you break up with a girl. I mean, how low can you stoop?”

“Well was it better to string her along and make her think that I was serious about her?”

“I guess not. Okay you're not such a bastard as I thought you were.”

The waiter put our hot chocolates on the table. I put my hands on the cup to warm them. Mikey sipped his straight away and burned his tongue.

“Shit!” he said, poking his tongue out of his mouth and wincing like a baby.

“What am I always telling you?” I said. “Wait until it cools down. Or at least have the sense to blow on it, Mikey.” I shook my head.

It was busy in the coffee shop. Lots of people stopping for a break in their last minute shopping the day before Christmas.

I had no shopping to do. Tomorrow I'd be sitting in my pajamas eating a frozen pizza and watching television.

“You see, that's my problem. I don't have any sense,” Mikey said. “I could kick myself sometimes.”

“Sometimes? Mikey you never wait till it's cooled down.” I smiled at him.

“That's not what I'm talking about. It's something else.”

“What have you done this time, Mikey?”

“It's what I haven't done. I know I'm not very good at saying how I feel. Last week you gave me a perfect opportunity and I just blew it.”

“Last week?”

“Yeah, Grace. You didn't throw yourself at me the other day round at my place. I wanted it as much as you did. The problem was, how much.”

“What do you mean, Mikey?”

“I mean, I like you, Gracie. I mean more than that. I mean, Jesus, I wish I could just say it.”

“Then just say it.” I rested my hand on his so he could stop fidgeting. He put his other hand on top of mine.

“I think I'm falling in love with you,” he said, very quietly.

I sat up and stared at Mikey.

“Since when?”

“Since the day I put that ring on your finger. I don't know why it was, but I started seeing you differently that night.”

“I did too, seeing you differently, I mean.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But we're so dumb. Why didn't we do anything about it?”