Keepin' The Faith

by Beth Rinyu

  His eyes narrowed at the sight of Dean and me before directing his angry glare at me.

  “Are those reports done?” he barked.

  “Check your email,” I replied nonchalantly.

  “What about the spreadsheets? I need them by—”

  “Email.” I raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Do you need anything else before I head to lunch?”

  His shoulders slouched, and he looked down at the ground in defeat with a shake of his head. Was I fooling myself to think I sensed a hint of jealously in his demeanor? Yes, I was. He was under pressure and this was how he always behaved whenever tension would loom over him. So, I’d play the role of the good assistant by bringing him back lunch and offering my assistance to alleviate some of that pressure.

  I stuck my head in Gabe’s office when I returned from lunch. “Hey, I got you some of that soup you like.”

  He looked back at his computer screen and raked his hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated breath, and I knew that was my cue to leave.

  “I’ll just leave this here.” I placed the bag on his desk and began to exit.

  “Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” he rattled off with sarcasm just as I was about to cross the threshold. That was it. I had it. He could be rude and domineering with everyone else who worked here, but I wouldn’t allow it to happen with me. I slammed his office door shut, taking both of us a little by surprise.

  “What the hell is your problem?” I demanded as I charged at his desk.

  “No problem. I’m just trying to get shit done. Sorry if I don’t have time to go out for lunch and fool around, I have a deadline to meet.”

  I wasn’t sure what was more evident, his smugness or my anger. “Excuse me? Is there a problem with my work? I do believe everything you requested from me was done. Was it not up to your standards?”

  “It’s fine. Just forget it.” He stood up and walked over to one of the filing cabinets, looking through the drawer and acting as if I wasn’t even in the room.

  “No. I’m not going to just forget it. I’m tired of forgetting!” I snapped. He raised his head, never taking his eyes from me as I inched closer. I was in dangerous territory. Close enough to touch him. Close enough to smell his cologne that still drenched my bed sheets. And close enough to stretch my neck and feel those full pouty lips on mine. “What did I do to piss you off so badly?”

  “Everything. The way you laugh. Your smile.”

  I shook my head and scowled in confusion. Flecks of gold shot through his beautiful hazel eyes. My stomach danced and my heart hammered through my chest.

  “I’m the one who can’t forget what if felt like to be with you the other night. I can’t forget how your lips tasted or how it felt to have my hands all over your body.”

  I moved in even closer, stood on my tippy-toes, and whispered in his ear, “Then don’t.”

  He swallowed hard and in one split second his lips were all over me. My insides awoke once again when he lifted me off the ground, and I wrapped my legs around him. All the guilt and all the anxiety I’d been feeling the other night was gone. I was perfectly fine with what was about to happen. I wanted him and he wanted me. And as his hand slid up my shirt and under my bra, I was reminded that I needed to thank Dean the next time I spoke to him. Something about seeing me with him caused Gabe to finally break down his wall ever so slightly. He didn’t need to know the reason I was having lunch with Dean was because he needed someone to talk to about his recent breakup…with his boyfriend.

  ***

  It was Valentine’s Day, and I was finding myself feeling a little down. I wanted heart-shaped chocolates or even just a card from someone special. Since the person whom I wanted to be my someone special didn’t view me in the same way, I planned on spending my day with the person who meant the most to me instead—Joey.

  In the weeks that passed, Gabe and I had mastered the art of maintaining a professional working relationship by keeping it on the down-low that we had slept together…four times—not that I was counting or anything. But there was no doubt that when we were within a ten-foot radius of each other, the sexual tension was off the charts. I hated that I would constantly daydream about his lips all over my body and his hands working their magic everywhere they touched. I hated it even more that I had to hide it from Natalia while making a consciousness effort to not slip it to Chad. Sylvia was my one safety. She was the only person whom I could spill my guts to without worry of anyone else finding out. It was hard for me to keep my feelings for Gabe at bay, and each time I was with him, I was finding the attraction I had for him went beyond just a physical one.

  Joey was now on a new quest to become a professional ice skater. I was game to embracing her new obsession. She had been down over Cole, who was totally nonexistent in her life, and I saw anything that would take her mind from it as a good thing.

  So our Valentine’s date was going to be spending the afternoon ice skating. My heart skipped when I looked down at my ringing cell phone to see that it was Gabe calling.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I answered as I dug through my closet for my coat.

  “I...umm…just wanted to wish you a happy Valentine’s Day.”

  I had to take a seat on my bed when I felt my knees begin to weaken.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too,” I managed through my smile.

  “Do you have any plans for today?”

  “I have a date.” I bit my lip and had a good internal laugh over the silence on the other end of the phone. “With an adorable five-year-old girl.”

  He finally broke the quietness with a laugh himself.

  “We’re going ice skating. Want to come?” I joked, knowing that was probably the last thing he felt like doing on his weekend.

  “Umm…sure.”

  I was dumbfounded. Clearly, I didn’t hear him right.

  “I love ice skating.”

  Okay, maybe I did. “Oh wow…who knew! So you really want to come?”

  “Umm...I think I just said I did, didn’t I?”

  We made plans for him to come to my place and we drove together. I was thrilled when he took us to a new outdoor spot I never knew about.

  “This is so awesome. Being outdoors feels more like real ice skating,” I said as we glided around on the ice.

  “As opposed to fake ice skating.” He laughed.

  I playfully smacked him on the arm. “You know what I mean!”

  Once Joey was tired, we sat down for some hot chocolate. It was turning into the perfect Valentine’s Day. I was with my favorite girl and a handsome guy, whom I shouldn’t have been having feelings for, but I was.

  “Joey!” a little girl’s voice called in the distance.

  Joey twisted her entire body and a giant smile stretched across her face.

  “Emily!” She jumped off her chair as the little girl ran over to her and greeted her with a hug. “Mommy, this is my best friend, Emily.”

  Joey had a new best friend every week. I couldn’t keep up with them.

  “Hey, Emily!” I smiled at the adorable redheaded, freckle faced girl.

  “Hello.” She smiled as she and Joey stood together hand in hand.

  Gabe excused himself to answer an incoming call just as the little girl’s parents approached us. My initial assessment of the mother revealed she was a little more laid back than the rest of the hoity-toity parents at that school. At least she seemed to be, judging by the smile cast upon her face. I got the same vibe from the father as well as he let out a lighthearted chuckle at the sight of the girls with their hands clenched together.

  “Hi, I’m Suzanne.”

  I was so thankful that Gabe’s phone rang when it did, otherwise how on earth would I have introduced him to this couple…as my super sexy boss with whom I was having sex? Surely, with that statement, they’d be picking out the flame retardant curtains for the room that was already reserved for me in Hell by those women at that school.

  “Oh hey, I’m Faith.” I wondered i
f the word had gotten out to them about The Cock Ring Incident from months ago.

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” the mother replied. Judging by her down to earth, sweet demeanor, I’d have to guess it hadn’t or maybe she and her husband were into that type of stuff. “I’ve been trying to get your phone number for the past few weeks to get the girls together for a playdate. I was hoping I’d catch you at the Valentine’s Day party at school the other day.”

  Another school event missed because I had to work full-time. “Yeah, I had to work.”

  She nodded. “I hear ya! I was able to take a vacation day or I wouldn’t have been there either.”

  What? She works? Most of the moms at that school spent their days going to the gym, shopping, or doing lunch with other moms like them while gossiping about moms like me. All while their husbands traveled into the city, working dawn to dusk at some six-figure salary job, so they could one-up their friends with the cars they drove and the mini-mansions they lived in.

  “Oh, and I’m being super rude. This is my boyfriend, Dan.” She covered her mouth with her hand and let out a slight giggle. “Oops, I mean fiancé—we just got engaged for Valentine’s Day.”

  She was on my team. A single mom. She knew what it was like to work full-time and carry around mom guilt. She knew what it was like to raise a child on her own. Maybe I wasn’t a dying breed after all. The only difference was, she had found her Prince Charming, but she looked to have about five or so years on me, so maybe there was still hope for me.

  “Mommy, can we have a sleepover? Please?” Emily begged.

  Her mother looked at me as if she were searching for some type of approval. “Dan has to work night shift, so it was just going to be Em and me, watching Disney movies and eating pizza. So if you’re okay with Joey spending the night, we’d love for her to join us.”

  Joey’s face lit up at the sound of the offer. The problem was, she had never slept over at a friend’s house before, and I wasn’t sure how she’d fare. “Oh, Mommy, yes! Please say yes!” Joey pleaded, batting her long eyelashes, making it impossible to say no.

  “Umm…yeah, sure.” I explained to Suzanne that this would be Joey’s very first sleepover, and if I needed to pick her up in the middle of the night, I was perfectly fine with that.

  She gave me her address and we planned to drop Joey off at their house at five.

  “Thank you so much, Mommy!” Joey’s smile was a mile wide as Emily, her mother, and the fiancé went off to do some ice skating.

  “If you feel like you want to come home, you just call me. Okay?” I reassured her.

  “I’m not gonna want to come home, silly!” She called out to Gabe, who was making his way back from his phone call. “Guess what? I’m going to a sleepover at Emily’s house tonight.”

  I couldn’t help but smile over her excitement.

  “Wow, that sounds like fun,” Gabe replied, but I could tell he was a million miles away.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, umm…my dad just called. I’ve got to run to the hospital to see my grandmother.”

  “Oh no, what happened?”

  “They think she may have had a heart attack.”

  I covered my face with my hand. “Oh my god, Gabe. I’m so sorry.”

  “She’s fine. Actually she’s fighting with the doctors to release her, but I just want to run up there to see her real quick.”

  “Oh yeah, for sure.” I wasted no time gathering my things so he could drop Joey and me off and be on his way.

  I arrived home, calling Sylvia the moment I walked through the door. “Hey there!” I exclaimed when she answered. There was some noise in the background, and she was talking a little lower than usual.

  “Hey, love, what’s going on?”

  “Guess who I just spent my Valentine’s afternoon with?”

  “George Clooney.”

  “Nope. My boss.”

  “Did you, now?” Her voice rose with excitement. “And?”

  “We had a great time, and then he dropped me off so he could go visit his grandmother in the hospital.”

  “Oh.” All of the excitement waned from her voice.

  “What’s the matter? Do you think that was just a lame excuse to get rid of me?”

  “Huh? No...no. Not at all. I think he sounds like a nice boy for wanting to visit his grandma.”

  I breathed in relief. “I was actually going to work up the nerve to invite him over for dinner. Joey is going to her friend’s house for a sleepover, so I have the whole house to myself.”

  “Well, did you ask him?”

  “No…I couldn’t once I found out about his grandmother. He seemed really upset by the news.”

  “Aww. Poor dear.”

  “So, do you want to be my valentine tonight? I’ll bring the wine, and we can watch the black and white movie marathon that’s going to be on.”

  “Oh…well.”

  I heard faint beeps in the background.

  “Where are you anyway?” I asked.

  She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m actually at my man friend’s house.”

  “Your man friend?”

  She had never told me about anyone of the opposite sex she was friendly with.

  “Yes, we met at bingo a few weeks ago and all his parts still work with a little assistance from the V pill. So I’m spending my Valentine’s Day with him.”

  Wow! Even my senior citizen friend was going to have a hotter Valentine’s night than me. “Oh my goodness, you go girl! Would you like me to bring you some products to heat things up?” I teased.

  “Oh, sweetie, we don’t need any products!” A muffled voice could be heard in the background. “Listen, I have to run. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She hung up before I could even say goodbye. Guess when you get to that age, you’ve got to strike when the iron’s hot, or in their case when the dick is hard!

  Chapter 29

  Gabe

  “Gabriel, sweetheart,” my grandmother’s voice was sickening sweet when I walked into her hospital room just as she was hanging up her phone.

  “Grandma, don’t you see the big sign right there that says no cell phones?”

  She waved her hand in a dismissing manner.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked.

  “I’m absolutely fine! Leave it to your father to overact to a little heartburn.”

  “Well, Grandma, he is a cardiologist.”

  “Yeah, and I was a sex therapist, but I don’t tell him how to lead his sex life,” she shouted just as the nurse came in to check on her IV.

  I closed my eyes and threw my head back on the chair.

  “I don’t need any more of that poison you’re pumping into me,” she snapped at the nurse.

  “This is just more fluids to rehydrate you, Mrs. Schwartz,” the nurse explained.

  “The only fluids I need right now is a bottle of Merlot.” She was impossible. “Speaking of sex lives. What’s going on with yours, Gabriel?” she blurted out.

  As if having this conversation with your grandmother wasn’t uncomfortable enough, having it in front of the nurse was even worse. The nurse choked back a laugh, checked my grandmother’s IV one last time, and scurried out of the room.

  “Honestly, Grandma! Can you just tone it down a little?”

  “What?” She held her hands in the air. “Are you not having sex?”

  I shook my head and looked up at the ceiling. “That’s none of your business.”

  “Mmm...hmm. What about Faith?”

  “What about her?” My voice rose in defense, hoping Faith hadn’t told her anything about us.

  “I don’t know. Today’s Valentine’s Day, and I just got off the phone with her. She’s spending tonight all by herself.”

  “That’s a shame.” I tried my best to play if off.

  “Why don’t you call her and invite her to dinner?”

  I rolled my eyes, trying to show disinterest in her request, and was luckily save
d by my father, who entered the room.

  “My suspicions were correct. It was a very mild heart attack. You were lucky this time.” The concern in my father’s voice was evident.

  “Lucky? You call this lucky?” She raised her arm and looked up at her IV. “If I’m gonna be attached to a pole, I want to at least have men throwing money at me.” She let out a loud, boisterous laugh, which led into a coughing spell.

  “You have got to stop smoking, Mom!” my father scolded.

  “Ah, leave me alone. It’s my one and only pleasure left in life.”

  “Well, that one and only pleasure is gonna end up killing you.”

  “Then at least I’ll die a happy woman,” she argued.

  My dad scratched his head and let out an exhausting breath.

  “Can you get me the papers so I can bust out of this joint?”

  “You’re not going anywhere tonight. You’re staying here where you can be monitored,” my father reprimanded.

  “Monitored, smontiored.” She began to rip the tape from the IV port in her arm.

  “Mom! This isn’t a game!” My father’s frustration grew.

  “Grandma, can you just do as he says and spend the night?” I intervened.

  She raised an eyebrow at me, appearing to be deep in thought. “I’ll make a deal with you, Gabriel, dear.”

  I rolled my eyes, just imagining what this was going to be.

  “You invite that beautiful young lady whom we were just speaking of to dinner tonight, and I’ll follow your dad’s rules and spend the night here.”

  I didn’t want to tell her she was getting the raw end of the deal. I already planned on calling Faith and asking her to dinner as soon as I got out of here. “Whatever.” I played along as if I were doing her a favor.