Uninhibited (Unlikely Lovers) (34 page)

A
fter several minutes of fruitless searching, she glanced up, noting that Stephen had already gathered up her papers and had them all sorted and filed. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried. “I’m beginning to think there’s a black hole under there. You’re sure this is where it went?”

“Oh,
yeah. I saw it slide right under.” He blew out a breath. “When I think of all the times I’ve brought files in here, and today of all days... Oh, hell, who am I kidding? I’ve got nothing better to do. Give me the damn thing. You go on home.”

“Maybe if we wrapped a rubber band around the end of the wire, it would get a better grip on the paper.”

“Great idea! I’ll be right back.”

The rubber band idea helped some
. Unfortunately, her subsequent attempts only yielded a pen, two paper clips, and an empty correction tape dispenser. She considered leaving a note for Mitch to tell him to clean under there once in a while, but figured it might piss him off enough to retaliate by putting sticky stuff on her chair. 

A
dmitting defeat at last, she sat up and dusted off her skirt and sweater.

“
Thanks for trying,” Stephen said as he helped her to stand. “Too bad nobody saw us in the floor together. The guys might’ve thought I was actually getting some action.” His half-hearted chuckle sounded more like a sob. “Maybe I should give up and invent a girlfriend.”

“No need for that,”
she said. “You’re too damn cute to go unclaimed for long. I’m surprised none of the guys have, you know, converted, because of you.”

“
Don’t I wish.” He held out his arms. “C’mere and give me a hug, Em. I need something
to keep me warm this Christmas.”

Enfolding him in her arms, she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.
“Merry Christmas, Stephen. May all your dreams come true.”

“Thanks, Emily. Same to you.” His quick peck on her cheek was followed up with
another, firmer smooch. “That one’s for your boyfriend. You be sure and tell him how lucky he is.”

“Don’t you be kissing my boyfriend
,” she chided. “Although, come to think of it, I could probably share him with several people and still have plenty left for me. He’s pretty amazing. I think I might be the lucky one.”

He smiled wistfully. “Must be nice.
You be sure and love him extra hard for me tonight, okay?”

“I will,”
she promised. “Actually, it’s hard not to. He’s pretty lovable.”

Alan might not
admit it himself, but in Emily’s opinion he was the most lovable man imaginable. She would have to make a point of telling him so—starting tonight. After a while, he might actually start believing it.

She
wished Stephen a good night and left after that, going down to the front lobby rather later than usual.

Peter
, the guard at the desk signed her out. “Merry Christmas, Emily.”

“The same to you. Oh, a
nd Mitch, too,” she added. “Never met him, but I gave him a present this year. Don’t even know if he liked it or not.”

“It’d be hard to tel
l with him,” Peter said. “He’s not real talkative.”

Peter
buzzed the door open and she stepped out into the parking lot. The frigid wind ripped right through her coat, and she shivered as she wrapped it more tightly around herself. A guy who cleaned office buildings at night wouldn’t need to be quiet, she reflected. Mitch could whistle or sing, or even scream profanities. He could deliver a stand-up monologue all night long and no one would hear him but the dust mites.

What a lonely job.

She considered leaving him notes—nice ones, rather than admonitions to clean under the filing cabinets—or goodies to let him know he wasn’t completely alone and to make sure he knew how much everyone appreciated him for not putting sticky stuff on their chairs or leaving the toilets unscrubbed.

Peter
was probably just as lonely. She couldn’t imagine being stuck in an empty building monitoring the security cameras on Christmas Eve. Hopefully, he had a wife and a houseful of kids waiting for him to play Santa in the morning rather than going home to an empty apartment.

Like I used to do.

Her thoughts drifted to the desperate painter she’d seen on that miserable, rainy day a few weeks back. How was he spending Christmas Eve? Wherever he was, she hoped he wasn’t alone and was at least warm and dry and had something to eat. Those were such simple, basic human needs—the sort of things most people never understood the importance of until they were gone. She still regretted not giving him more. Especially since getting a second chance to help him was highly unlikely.

Not like the second chance she’d
had with Alan. Although she would have celebrated with her family on Christmas Day—whether they were quarreling or not—without him, Christmas Eve would have simply been another night spent alone.
With
him, it promised to be an enchanting and memorable evening, and she was looking forward to meeting his family. But loneliness seemed to take on a life of its own during the holidays, and Christmas Eve was the worst—at least, that was how it had always seemed to her.

S
he longed to run back up to the office and tell Stephen to forget that damned piece of paper and come home with her. She wished she could find the painter and invite him, too, along with Peter and Mitch. She and Alan could have a nice dinner together with them—drinking hot chocolate, singing carols, and listening for reindeer on the roof.

Of course,
she had no idea where the painter was, and Stephen was the only one she truly knew regretted being alone. The thoughts of the other two were mere supposition. For all she knew, they might’ve volunteered to work the holiday because they hated Christmas. Still, she wished she could’ve at least made the offer.

As
she unlocked her cold car and got inside, it began to snow, falling softly at first, and then harder, with thick, swirling flakes that threatened to obliterate the glow from the street lamps.

“And not only
Stephen,” she whispered to the sky. “May
all
their dreams come true. Every last one of them.”    

She
should have let that painter paint at least one room in her house, whether it needed it or not. True, the cash she’d given him might’ve kept hunger at bay for a few days, but what he needed was a job, not a handout. Self-respect was as important to a man as a full stomach or an empty dick.

Smil
ing to herself, she drove onward through the falling snow, thinking about the type of man would put more emphasis on the latter.

An
d I’m in love with one of them.

No doubt about it, t
his would be a Christmas to remember.

Chapter 24

Emily hadn’t been home long when Janice called. “What are you bringing for dinner tomorrow? I’m about to lose my mind. How in the hell does Mom do this?”

“
As I recall, she tends to lose her mind too. Maybe you should call her for pointers on how to run around like a chicken with your head cut off.”

“Very funny
,” Janice snapped. “I’m trying to do this right, and you’re making jokes.”

“
You need to lighten up, Sis. I mean, if the Grinch couldn’t stop Christmas from coming, you probably can’t do it, either. I’d come over and help you, but I’ve got plans for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.”

“Plans? Since when do you have plans?”

“Since I got a new boyfriend. And get this: He’s going to make something for us to bring to your house tomorrow. Pretty cool, huh? I’ve never had a boyfriend who could cook before, and Dane was kitchen disaster waiting to happen.”

“You’re bringing him
here
?”

“Well, yeah. We’re going to his parents’ house tonight and to see his cousins tomorrow. Seems only fair to include him in our party.”

“But you couldn’t possibly have known him for more than a couple of weeks,” Janice protested. “Last time we talked, you were too damned depressed to do much of anything, let alone date anyone.”

“Yeah, well, I’m better now. And I found the most awesome guy
ever.”

“Oh, God. An awesome dude? Don’t know if I can stand it.”

“Okay, so awesome is an overused word. He’s funny and sexy and absolutely adorable.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love.”

“I have, actually. And I’m pretty sure he loves me.”

“Hasn’t said it yet,
though, has he?” Janice’s snarky tone made her question sound more like a statement.

“Well, no. You know how guys are. They have a tendency to
show how they feel rather than tell you.”

“I take it he’s
shown
you with his dick.”

“Yep. Every chance he gets.
Look, don’t go all man-hater on me. I really like this one. He’s perfect for me.”

Janice sighed. “I have to admit, I’ve never heard you say that about any of your other boyfriends—or
Dane, for that matter.”

“That’s because they weren’t
perfect. This one is.”

“Okay. If you say so. What is this paragon among men bringing for dinner?”

“Tofu salad—and I know you’ll say it sounds terrible, but it’s really good. Imagine that.
Me
liking tofu.”

“If he can get you to eat healthier, I’m sure Mom will approve. Where’d you meet him?”

Emily chuckled. “At Bennie’s Ice Cream Emporium.”

“What
’d he do, bar the door to keep you from going inside?”

“No. He bought me this awesome hot fudge quadruple chocolate sundae that I was too depressed to eat.”

“
Do
tell.”

“Think you could tone down the sarcasm a little?
I know it doesn’t sound like the makings of a lasting relationship, but he’s really sweet.”

“He could be the sweetest guy on the planet, but you
know the trouble Ned and I have had lately. I’m not sure a stranger—”

“Actually, having a stranger around might be just the thing to keep you two from ripping each other’s throats out.”

“Maybe.” Janice didn’t sound convinced. “Did he cure your depression?”

“
Sort of. We talked for a while and I still felt like crap, but I started improving after that. I lost his phone number and about went nuts trying to find him. Turns out he lives across the hall from Todd—and you’d better believe I ripped our little brother a new one for not introducing us sooner.”

Janice hesitated a moment before asking,
“And he’s bringing tofu salad, you said?”

“Yeah… What’s the matter? Doesn’t that fit in with
the rest of your menu?”

The ensuing silence was enough to make Emily wonder if her phone had gone dead.

“Where does he work?” Janice finally asked.

“He’s the manager at Farmer’s Foods. Why?”

Janice’s swift inhale was clearly audible, mainly because she choked on it. “Alan John?”

“You
know him?”

“I know
of
him,” her sister amended. “And I’ve seen him before. He’s...he’s…”

“He’s what
? Too cute for me?”

“Oh, God
, no—aside from the fact that I never thought he was all that cute. Jesus, Em, he’s been through more women than—”

“
Casanova? Yeah. I know. I only wish I’d gotten a piece of him before now. How come everyone seems to know him but me?”

Janice
forced out a laugh. “Maybe because you’ve never gone shopping for anything healthy in your life?”

“
Guess I should’ve listened to Mom. She’s been bugging me to shop at that store for ages.”

For the space of
perhaps three heartbeats, Janice didn’t say a thing. “I’m sure it wasn’t so you’d meet that creepy little horn dog! You remember my friend Carol? The one who works at the community shelter? She lived with him for a few months, and he practically drove her insane. After she left him, she stayed here for a while to recover.”

The connection finally clicked. “Oh,
so it was
that
Carol! I knew she stayed with you, but I had no idea why. She’s the one who went to the restroom and never came back, right?”

“He
told
you about that?”

“He’s told me lots of things. The surprising thing is that
you
haven’t slept with him.”

Janice blew out a snort. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t touch that nasty pervert with a ten-foot pole.”

“Alan is not a nasty pervert! Look, Janice, if you’d rather we didn’t come over tomorrow, that’s fine. I’d just as soon wait until Mom and Dad come home anyway.”

Emily
expected to hear her sister’s angry retort, but got another prolonged, deafening silence instead.