by Dahlia Rose
“I need her number, Jeff.” Casey had made him the first call in search of finding Ileana and righting the wrong he had made.
“It’s about damn time,” Jeff had grumbled. “You didn’t even ask her for the number, jeez, kid.”
After getting off the phone with Jeff, Casey had called Ileana’s number, only to find it disconnected. The second step was to go to her apartment, and again, Jeff had the information Casey sought. He once again was chewed out before he could get one iota of information. He took the tongue-lashing, knowing it was the truth and he deserved it for messing up. The trip to Brooklyn took forever until he pulled up in front of Ileana’s building and rang the buzzer. There was no answer. He pressed it again and again but to no avail.
“Hey, buddy, you looking for someone?” Casey turned to see a chubby man with a stubbly beard stood behind him.
“Uh, yeah, the girl from five C, Ileana . . . .”
“Yeah, the looker. She moved out about a week ago.”
“She moved out? Do you know where she went?’ Casey asked.
“I’m the super here not to keep tabs on everyone,” the man snapped. “All I know, she was behind on her rent. She got kicked out of the joint.”
Casey turned and left without a word before he punched the mouthy superintendent of the building. The information stunned Casey. She knew she had no money when she left. But still she threw everything back at him and still spent the weekend knowing she would be evicted when she got home. The anger he had turned toward himself for the fool he had been. He had to find her now and make amends. He would find her and beg her to come home with him and ask her not to stop loving him. He got back into the car and directed his driver to go to Jeff’s office building. On the way there, he came upon a plan that made him laugh. All he needed was to pull a few strings, and if Ileana was in New York City, she would know he was looking for her.
* * * *
New Year’s Eve and Ileana sat on her friend Beth’s sofa and watched the people clamor in Times Square. They swarmed with excitement to see the ball drop and usher in two thousand ten. She wanted nothing to do with celebrating. She only wanted to curl up on the chair she now slept in until she could get back on her feet, and cry herself to sleep. Dressed in long fleece pajamas and thick socks, she watched the TV as it showed Dick Clark’s face as he spoke and then showed the celebration as it went on live from other states. She should be happy, but instead, she was moping and eating chocolate cookies straight from the box.
“We should really go out.”
“Too cold,” Ileana said around a mouthful of cookie.
“It’s a night of new beginnings. We should go and be among the masses.” Beth gave her a nudge with her shoulder.
“Beth, I’m homeless. If you hadn’t given me your couch to sleep on, I’d be among the masses in Central Park looking for a box to sleep in.”
“Okay. If you say anything that depressing for the rest of the night, we need more than cookies, more like tequila.” Beth snorted. “It’s not the homeless part that gets you. It’s the Casey thing that still hurts, and you know it.”
“Whatever. I’m over him.” Ileana stuffed another cookie in her mouth.
“Gimme those cookies before you gain twenty pounds just sitting on my couch.”
Beth made a grab for the bag, and Ileana held them away. She glared at her friend. “Listen, short stuff. These will not deceive or lie to me, so leave me and my cookies alone.”
“Honey, I just want you to get over this guy and be the Ileana I know and love.” Beth pulled her into a hug.
“I know, but this has been a hell of a year.” Ileana sighed as tears pricked her eyes. “I need a little time to get over this one.”
Dick Clark’s voice took their attention back to the TV. “We have a special guest with us tonight who wants to send out a plea to that special someone if she is watching.”
“Great another drunk guy proposing to his girl on New Year’s Eve,” Beth muttered and rolled her eyes.
“Someone should go warn them it’s a mistake or at least bop her on the head before she says yes,” Ileana commented and sent them both into a fit of giggles.
It wasn’t some drunk guy who popped up on the big screen in the center of Times Square. It was Casey, dressed in a thick turtleneck and a coat against the very cold chill of the night and with an entreaty in his eyes.
“Oh my God, it’s Casey,” Ileana whispered.
“No way!” Beth exclaimed and sat forward in her seat and grabbed the cookies. “This is going to be so good.”
Casey took the microphone handed to him and began to speak. “On Christmas Day, I made a mistake that cost me the best woman I have ever met. The woman I fell in love with but was too scared to admit it. Now I can’t find her anywhere. So this was my last hope to be seen nationwide hoping she sees this and hears my plea. Ileana, I love you. God, I love you so much! I am a dumb ox, a stupid fool, and every other thing you can think of to call me. I’ll listen to them all if you just come home.”
“Don’t forget son of an onion.” A hand grabbed the microphone and Jeff’s face popped up on the screen. “Ileana, he is an ass. Don’t hold it against him.”
Ileana laughed in delight.
“Shut up, Jeff,” Casey grumbled and snatched the microphone back.
He stopped and took a breath. Ileana still held hers as she watched. “Baby, I made a mistake from the time you showed up on my doorstep. You showed me how to live again how to laugh and not to be alone. The monsters are gone, and all I see now is how much I need you. Ileana, no gift mattered in my life more than this. Come home, my love, because all I ever wanted for Christmas was you.” After he spoke, the crowd cheered. “I’ll be waiting here all night if I have to for you to be here with me. There’s a cop car on Chambers Street
waiting. They’ll bring you to me. Come home, Ileana. I love you and just . . . come home.”
His face stayed on the screen while the crowd went wild. She looked into his eyes, and even though he was on TV, she could see he meant every word he said.
“What are you going to do?” Beth was practically bouncing on the cushions with excitement.
“I think I’d better go to him.’ Ileana beamed as the heaviness from her heart lifted.
“You’d better. If not, I’d go in your place.” Beth laughed. “Let’s go get dressed and head out of here. We have an hour before the ball drops, and I’m not missing this for the world!”
As they threw on clothes, Ileana felt herself soaring to new heights of happiness. They rushed out the door hailing cabs as they ran down the street until one finally stopped. She had someone waiting for her, and she wouldn’t be late.
By the time the cabbie got to Time Square, the throngs of people seemed to be bursting out of the police barrier. Just like he said a police car was waiting to take them to Casey.
When they got into the car, one of the officers commented, “You must be something special to have this kind of thing happen just for you.”
“I didn’t know I was.” Ileana grinned as the sirens were put on and they sped away. It was three minutes before midnight when they were led though the crowd. For every step they took, the crowd pushed them back two even though they had a police escort. Finally, the tower in Times Square where every New Year’s Eve celebration was filmed came into view. She could see Casey waiting nervously at the bottom looking in every direction hoping to see her.
“Casey!” she called out over the noisy crowd. He didn’t hear her, and she kept calling his name until she was so close she could reach out and touch the sleeve of his coat. “Casey!”
He turned, and joy lit up his face as he pulled her into his arms and seared her lips with a kiss. The crowd roared its approval when their image came up on the screen. To them, it was a kiss that made New Year’s just a little bit more special. But to Ileana, it was a kiss that began her life with the man she loved. No words were needed when he looked into her eyes. She saw all she needed to
see and nodded her forgiveness. They would mend old wounds together, love, and live life to the fullest. They both had scars that needed healing, and time would wipe away all wounds.
The End
About the Author
Dahlia Rose is the best-selling author of contemporary and paranormal romance with a hint of Caribbean spice. She was born and raised on a Caribbean island and now currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her five kids, who she affectionately nicknamed “The Children of the Corn,” and her biggest supporter and longtime love. She has a love of erotica, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and the things that go bump in the night. Books and writing are her biggest passions, and she hopes to open your imagination to the unknown between the pages of her books.
