Page 3 of Santa Baby Maybe
Don’t think about it. Don’t remember. If you don’t remember it, it didn’t happen.
Hokay, delusional denial was at an all-time high. But I didn’t care. I was rattled. I had a very good reason to be, and if that made me chickenshit of the universe, I didn’t care. I was out of there.
The press of people between him and me was making it difficult for him to reach me. I took advantage of the clusters of people, weaving my way through those with drinks in their hands, all seemingly having an enjoyable evening.
It had been a mistake coming here. Before I knew. Before I was certain. Before I had a plan.
Everything had been so badly timed. Three hours ago my only goal had been to march into the party in the sexiest dress I’d ever bought myself. I was more of an artsy-chick than a sexy-chick type. But my friend Sophie, who ran the shipping department, and I had decided to get seriously dolled up. Each with our own reasons, I suspected.
I’d gone with sex on a hanger for this event, and the plan had been to flirt with Greg in accounting. Because Greg flirted with everyone and W.B. would see how completely unaffected I was by him.
Even if it was a lie.
I smiled and waved as I ducked and moved around people who were coming into the party even as I made my way out into the lobby.
The elevator doors dinged and a group of people got off. I smiled and nodded as people moved past me, until finally the elevator was empty and I stepped inside. I hit the button to go down, but at the last second a suit-covered arm moved in between the closing doors. The arm was followed by the man, and of course, of course, it was him!
“Joy, please, we need to talk,” W.B. said seriously.
Lifting my chin I struggled for composure. “Do you have ideas for a new ornament?”
“This isn’t about Christmas ornaments.”
“Or issues with my next quarterly budget?”
He scowled at me.
“Because I said…”
“I know what you said,” he clipped. “I know whatIsaid. I just think…maybe I was wrong to agree to your terms.”
I considered what he’d said. My eyebrows lifted. “Wait. Are you admitting to me you were wrong about something? Who are you? And what have you done with W.B.?”
Another scowl. “Look, I think we should talk.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t. Because I wasn’t calm, cool, or collected. I couldn’t pull my shit together because there were about a thousand thoughts rattling in my head right now. I couldn’t have a conversation about what had happened. Either about what happened on Thanksgiving or before what happened on Thanksgiving. And I couldn’t be in an elevator with W.B. Darling right now. I didn’t have that kind of verbal self-control.
“How about tomorrow?” I suggested.
“I don’t want to let this linger,” he said, stuffing his hands into pockets, his eyes now firmly on the tips of his shoes. I couldn’t help remembering how thick his dark blond hair was, how it felt when I’d run my fingers through it.
“I can’t,” I said.
Utterly frustrated, I knew I had to get off this elevator now. Like, right now. Instead of hitting the lobby button again, I hit the Door Open button. Only again nothing happened. Or had that been the Door Close button? I always struggled with what those arrows were telling me.
“Hold on,” he said. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” I asked and then listened. Yes, it was like a collective muffled groan. Like everyone in the lobby outside the party entrance was suddenly disappointed at once.
Then a voice cut over the groaning.“Don’t worry, everyone it’s probably just a temporary outage because of the snow. We should have the power back on shortly.”
No power. No power to make the elevator go down or the doors open. I glanced up, realizing that the light inside had changed, and instead of the normal overhead light fixture illumination there was the dull red of an emergency light shining down on us.
I closed my eyes. “This can’t be happening,” I whispered. Saying the mantra over and over like a prayer.
“It appears we’re stuck,” W.B. said, stating the obvious. “I know it’s not ideal but at least this gives us a chance to talk.”
I looked over at him, at his serious expression, his chiseled jaw, his freak-of-nature blue eyes, and did the thing I promised myself I couldn’t do. Not until I was sure. But I was me and holding back just wasn’t in my nature.
“I might be pregnant!”
