“Is everything okay?” Amy asked.
“Have you ever tried to break up with someone you weren’t actually dating?”
Amy did a double-take. “What?”
“The woman I usually bring to these parties, Celeste. I think I need to break up with her, but we aren’t actually dating.”
“Then what are you breaking off? Friendship?”
He shook his head. “I guess I’m breaking up with the possibility of being more than friends. I’ve been hoping for a while, but I’m finally admitting to myself that she isn’t interested.”
“That stinks.” Amy was an enthusiastic listener. She reminded him of his daughter-in-law. She was about the same age and of a very similarly energetic disposition. “And you’re sure she’s not interested at all?”
“She’s my best friend, but every time I even hint at anything more, she—”
“Panics.”
He was going to say “rejects me” but “panics” actually seemed like a more accurate description. “She certainly changes the subject fast enough.”
“My husband tried for three years to move things from friends to something more. He tried everything from being the friendliest friend in the world to asking me out every chance he got. Neither approach worked.”
That sounded horribly familiar. “So what did work in the end?”
She held up a finger and dug in to her purse. She pulled out her cellphone. “I think you should ask him.”
Mike had only interacted with Amy’s husband on rare occasions. He hardly knew the guy. “Are you sure?”
Amy nodded, the phone already to her ear. “Hi, honey. Can you do me a favor?” A quick smile and she continued. “Mike Durham, from IT, is here at my table and I want you to tell him how much of a disaster our courtship was at first.” She laughed. “No, I’m serious. There’s this woman he is basically desperately in love with and he can’t get himself out of the friend zone.” She made a sound of acknowledgement. “So will you?”
This was embarrassing.
Amy held her phone out and smiled as if she was offering him a very welcome gift rather than forcing him to have an awkward conversation with her husband.
“Hi,” he said.
“Is this as weird for you as it is for me?” Mr. Amy asked.
“Yes.”
Mr. Amy— Mike was having a very personal conversation with someone whose name he didn’t even know— laughed in commiseration. “I don’t really have any good advice. I got out of ‘the friend zone,’ as Amy calls it, by getting out of the friendship. I called it quits.”
“You gave up the entire thing?” Mike didn’t like that suggestion. He’d been backing away a little, giving himself some space to breathe. But ending their friendship entirely was a more drastic step than he was ready to take.
“I told her that I loved her and wanted her to be happy. I told her I respected her decision not to be anything more than friends, but that being her friend would never be enough for me.”
“You told her straight out?” Mike had only ever beaten around that bush.
“She wasn’t getting the message any other way. I told her to call if she ever needed anything and that I’d see her around. And then I walked out of her life.”
Mike couldn’t imagine doing that. Just thinking about it turned his stomach to lead. “For good?”
“That was the plan. Not a plan like, ‘Hey, if I turn my back on her maybe she’ll come crawling back.’ I just couldn’t do it anymore. The plan was— I don’t know how to explain it.”
Mike did. “Self-preservation.”
“Right. But after a while, she started missing me and realizing there was more between us than just a casual friendship. I’d run into her once in a while and she’d start to realize it more. Then, one day, she came to me and said she’d like to start again. So we did. And now we’re married with a kid who likes to throw up on me.”
“Every man’s dream.” Mike liked Mr. Amy.
“Chances are I got lucky that she came back. But, even if she hadn’t, I had to get out of there. It was killing me.”
Mike knew that feeling. “How soon did you jump to that idea?” Mike had only been trying his methods for seven years, after all. An entire decade wasn’t too long to wait. He rolled his eyes at how ridiculous he sounded.
“Not until everything else failed. Pretending I only wanted to be friends was Plan A. Actually asking her out a bunch of times was Plan B.”
Mike hadn’t moved to Plan B yet. “And walking away was Plan C?”
“More like Plan L or M.”
Maybe it was time for Mike to be a little more upfront about his feelings. He could try asking her out, try showing her his interest in her went past hanging out over coffee and YouTube concerts.
And he probably should also formulate a Plan C, D, E…
Chapter Five
By the next afternoon, Mike had decided he was never going to attend another work party as long as he lived. Amy had come by his desk three times that day to give him pitying looks and ask if he meant to break things off with Celeste. He must have been crazy to have told her about his problems.
He thought about that on his drive home. He hadn’t talked about this with either of his sons; it just wasn’t the kind of thing that came up between them. They talked mostly about their jobs, upcoming trips and purchases. He also fielded a lot of questions from them about home repairs. But never his love life. Probably because they knew he didn’t have one.
Maybe that’s why I can’t sort all of this out. I don’t know anyone who has any idea how to navigate these waters.
He reached home still trying to convince himself to ask Celeste on an actual date. How clear did he have to be that it was a date? Could he just say, “Do you want to go to dinner?” and hope she figured it out?
No. This was supposed to be him taking the direct approach so she would know where he stood and he could find out what possibilities she was willing to consider.
He pulled his car into the garage and, rather than go in to his own house, went straight to Celeste’s. He needed to issue his invitation before she ate and before he ran out of courage.
She opened the door and, before he could even say hi, she started talking. “I was just about to call you. Are you free tonight?”
That depended on how you looked at it. He was free. He was hoping by the end of their initial conversation that he wouldn’t be and that she wouldn’t be either. “What did you have in mind?”
She grinned as she closed the door behind him. “I can check another thing off my holiday bucket list.”
He hadn’t thought about their competition in a few days. “Really?”
“Really. And by next week I should be able to check off another.”
Ask her. You’re going to lose your nerve.
“Home Alone in the theater was one of my bucket-list things,” Celeste explained, crossing to her living room coffee table. She held up a DVD of Home Alone, then pointed to a digital projector on the table as well. “Joey, our IT guy at the office, lent it to me. He said you would know how to connect it to my computer.”
“I can do that.” Ask her. “But I haven’t had dinner yet. Maybe we could go have something to eat first.” Not too awkward; good.
“Sure. What are you in the mood for?”
That was easier than he’d expected. “Just about anything. What about you?”
She grabbed her purse off the counter, her brows pulled low in thought. “What about Curry MacMurray? I haven’t been there in ages.”
He liked Indian food, and, despite the kind of ridiculous name, Curry MacMurray had great food. “Perfect.”
“My car or yours?” Celeste asked.
She did realize this was a date, didn’t she? “Everything’s on me tonight. The driving, the meal, the complimentary projector set-up.”
She laughed lightly and walked with him toward the door. “You are in a very generous mood.”
Generous? She real
ly doesn’t know this is a date. He needed to clear that up, or what was the point? “My mother always told me that if I was the one doing the asking then I was the one paying for the date.”
She didn’t look surprised by his use of the word “date.” What did that mean? He didn’t ask, and she didn’t say anything more on the topic. They talked about inconsequential things all the way to Curry MacMurray. He had hoped she wouldn’t object to going on an actual date with him, but he hadn’t expected it to be this easy.
Over aloo gobi and korma, they updated each other on their work projects and kids. It was exactly like a very laid-back date and precisely like every meal he’d ever had with her. There was never any real discomfort between them, even when the situation could easily have been horribly awkward. And it was a date— a date she realized was a date— and still wasn’t uncomfortable.
“So how was your evening with Amy?” Celeste asked as she tore off a piece of naan.
“Evening with—? You mean the work party?”
She nodded. “You said you were there with Amy.”
He hadn’t been with Amy. “Amy and I were just both there alone. Her husband was home with their sick baby.”
Celeste’s eyes pulled wide. “She’s married? With a baby?”
Why did she sound so happy about that? “I even talked to her husband on the phone for a few minutes. So, I’m pretty sure Amy isn’t making it all up.”
“I didn’t think she was.” Celeste seemed to be biting back a smile. “So you weren’t there with Amy, you were just both there by yourselves.”
He nodded. “I would have taken you, but you said you were swearing off the usual Christmas things. And, while the party isn’t specifically a Christmas one, it is an end-of-the-year celebration, which seemed too close to the same thing.”
“Ah.” Still that barely concealed smile hovered below the surface. “I ended up watching A Christmas Carol and putting up a Christmas tree last night, so I think my boycott of the Christmas season is officially over.”
“But the bucket list competition lives on?” He hoped she didn’t mean to abandon that. He enjoyed spending the time with her.
“Of course.”
He took a quick sip of water; the korma was a little spicier than he usually ordered it. “If we include the in-home screening of Home Alone, then this date can be dinner and a movie. Mom would have wholeheartedly approved of that.”
Celeste laughed. “Except I am the one providing the movie part of it. I imagine that would have earned you a tssk or two.”
That settled it. Two mentions of a date and she went right along with both of them. This was a date. He kept himself from shooting his fist up in triumph. They were finally on a date!
His phone buzzed in the exact moment Celeste’s chimed. They shot each other quizzical looks as they both pulled their phones out. It was Kristina.
Econ guy is getting weirder. Title IX office & campus police are looking into it. Wish you guys were here.
“The title IX office.” Celeste said, her gaze sliding over the screen. “So the school considers this an issue of the safety of women on campus. I’m glad they’re taking this seriously.”
“She seems calm.” Mike read back over the text. “Worried,” he amended, “but calm. That’s a good sign.”
Celeste typed into her phone. A moment later, his phone buzzed as her text came to him as well. Getting weird in what way?
Far quicker than either Mike or Celeste could have managed it, Kristina texted back. Showing up in a lot of places. Asking me out every time he sees me even though I told him to stop. I think he might be stalking me.
Mike was instantly on full alert. You told Title XI and the police all this?
Yup.
“Oh, Mike. I wish we were closer.”
“So do I.” He typed a response to Kristina. You aren’t going out alone, right?
My roommates won’t let me. Few of the guys in my complex are walking me to campus and back.
Celeste’s text popped up next. Good.
Then Kristina. Except they’re going home for Christmas in a couple of days. I’m pretty much the only one staying here.
Was the creepy guy staying as well? Mike didn’t like the idea. Maybe you should come home.
Celeste looked up at him. “I really hope she does.”
Kristina’s answer came through in the next moment. I’ll lose my job.
That was probably true. Kristina worked in retail, where the Christmas season was mandatory.
We could probably find you a job here, Celeste answered.
Feels like creepy stalker guys wins. Kristina was in a tough spot. She didn’t want this guy to decide what she did and where she went— he shouldn’t get to decide that— but she also needed to look out for herself while the authorities tried to get things under control.
But how could those needs be balanced without sacrificing her safety?
“Could you get some time off?” Mike asked Celeste.
She met his eye. “Probably.”
“I think we need to go see Kristina,” he said. “We can grab a couple of hotel rooms near campus, and have her come stay with us while her roommates and makeshift bodyguards are gone. She won’t be alone, and we won’t feel so helpless.”
She reached across the table and took his hand. “Really?”
“Really.” He flagged down the waiter and asked for their check.
A few minutes later, they were in the car driving back home. Celeste was on the phone with Kristina, telling her their plans, which they were figuring out as they went.
Mike had been worried about whether or not Celeste would go on an official date with him. That seemed unimportant now. Kristina was in trouble. He loved her and Celeste both, and he would do whatever he needed to do to help either one of them.
The exact definition of his relationship with Celeste could wait.
Chapter Six
“I wanted this Christmas to be different,” Celeste said, watching the snow-covered scenery fly past the passenger-side window. “This isn’t quite what I had in mind.”
“You also wanted to go back to Christmases when you were younger. Spending the season near a university campus ought to do that.”
She smiled weakly at his attempt at humor. They were both concerned about Kristina. The eight-hour drive to be with her had given them ample opportunity to worry even more.
“She sounded more like herself when I called her from the rest stop a few hours ago.” Celeste was reminding herself just as much as she was telling him. “I don’t think she’s as worried as we are.”
Mike nodded, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. “We might get there and find out we are overreacting, but I’d rather know that for sure.”
“So would I.” She turned in her seat enough to look at him rather than her window. What would she have done without Mike? He’d been her rock through all of this, just as he had in other difficult times over the past years. He’d even found a hotel with suites: a living room and kitchen with a bedroom on either side. They could comfortably stay there until all was well with Kristina again.
“Thank you again for doing this,” she said.
“For protecting my little girl?” He tossed her a smile. “There was never any question.”
“But I’m sure you meant to spend some time during the holidays with your boys. They aren’t too far from home.” Unlike her kids, who all had moved hours and hours away.
“Brad and Connor think of Kristina as a little sister. When I told them why I was going to be gone, they were not only supportive, but offered to come pound the creep themselves.”
Celeste adjusted the heating vent so it blew more directly on her. “I hope this turns out to be nothing more than a young man who doesn’t understand social cues.”
“So do I.” His tone was tight, as was his mouth. Mike sounded like he’d enjoy doing a little pounding himself.
“Maybe we can find an Indian food place near the hotel and try
our dinner date again.” She normally would have objected to his use of the word date, but having spent the night before their trip to Curry MacMurray writhing in jealousy over Amy from accounting— jealousy which turned out to be entirely unwarranted— she’d instead been excited to hear him call their dinner exactly that.
“Date?” He shot her a quick confused glance.
Nervousness clutched her heart. “That’s what you called it.” Could he hear the uncertainty in her voice? She’d been avoiding anything resembling a relationship with Mike for so long, but now, having crossed that line, even in such a small way, felt like huge a risk.
“Yes, but I also came to your house dressed in Hammer pants, so my judgment is questionable at best. I only questioned the word because I wanted to make certain you thought of it that way too, that I didn’t misunderstand.”
“Ah.”
He glanced at her for the briefest of moments. “Was it? A date, I mean? We’ve never called any of our time together an actual date.”
“Would it be so bad if it was?” She hoped not.
He shook his head. “Not bad at all.”
“I should probably warn you,” she said. “I have the world’s worst dating track record. Every attempt ends in disaster.”
He shrugged. “And I have no track record. I can count on one hand the number of dates I’ve been on in the past twenty years.”
“What could possibly go wrong?” she said with a smile.
Mike pulled the car into the parking lot of Kristina’s apartment complex. They found only one visitor parking spot; school wouldn’t officially be out for a couple of days. The sidewalks had been shoveled but needed to be salted. Celeste walked carefully up toward Kristina’s door with Mike close on her heels.
A patch of ice caught her off guard. As her foot slid out from under her, Mike reached out and steadied her. He always did seem to be there when she needed him. That was something a woman didn’t always find out about a man until it was too late.
A young woman, probably right around Kristina’s age, opened the door when Celeste knocked. “Hey, Kris!” she called back into the apartment. “Your mom and dad are here.”
Under the Mistletoe Collection Page 17
