You Had Me At Christmas: A Holiday Anthology (26 page)

“You don’t know if you don’t ask.”

“Well, yes, but . . .” In the space between her words, he could hear her deciding to say yes to his plan.

“I’ll up the ante.” He pushed his hands across the table, palms up, maybe offering her the trip of a lifetime, maybe trying to get her to place her hands in his. He wasn’t sure. “If the guy punishes your grade for skipping out at the very end, I’ll pay for one of your classes. In Salt Lake City. Here. Wherever you want. That will give you some safety net, at least.”

“I’ll be leaving Babe in a lurch.” Her pitch rose with the last of her objections, and he knew he’d gotten her.

He closed his fists. “She seems to have real affection for you. Do you think she’ll be angry?”

“No,” Selina said, her
O
long and drawn out.

“Do you want to ask her?”

The more Marc pushed for her to say yes to the idea, the more he wanted it. Not just because he liked to succeed—though he acknowledged that was part of it—but because Selina’s company on this trip was one of those ideas that got better the more he thought about it.

Her objections made sense. She might be crazy. He might be crazy. They might end the trip hating each other. But her presence would stop him from thinking about encryption and random session keys and message fragmentation. And he couldn’t start a new life if he was mulling over the old one.

At least he didn’t think he could. No one seemed to know what to tell a twenty-five-year-old who had succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams but was too young to retire.
Go volunteer with Doctors Without Borders
was all anyone ever suggested, as if they’d never met him at all. He’d been looking for an equivalent Tech Geeks Without Borders, but nothing he’d found had caught his attention.

“I want to talk with her,” she finally said. “I should talk with
someone
before I say yes, absolutely. I’d rather talk to her in person, though. This is too complicated to talk about over the phone.”

“That’s understandable. If you think she’s home, we can head over now.”

Marc had never had a “real job,” and Selina and Babe’s bond impressed him. Maybe he was even a little jealous. Working in his underwear in the middle of the night, a pile of orange peels next to him on the desk wasn’t a real job in any way his parents understood it.

Once he’d dropped out of college, he’d attached himself to projects he’d found on various technology postings—some aboveboard, some not. The people he’d worked with had been acquaintances, and he had a good network, but he’d never been close with any of them. Except Curtis. He and Curtis had come up with the idea for the encrypted texts, and Marc had thought they were friends, not just geek buddies.

“I’m going to assume Babe will think this is as great of an idea as I do.” If he reached out, success—and Selina coming with him—was close enough he might be able to grab ahold of it and kiss it. “Should we find your mom to tell her, too?”

Hesitation pulled at the corners of her eyes. Crap. Saying that had been a bad tack when he was trying to convince her to come.

“Yes,” she said and then gnawed on her lip. “But I don’t want to tell her in person. She’s guaranteed to think this is a bad idea.”

“Afraid she’ll talk you out of it?” Marc was convinced this idea was great and was certain Babe would see reason, but he didn’t believe Selina’s mom could even find reason in an empty, well-lit room. Otherwise, she’d have done something to protect her daughter from that awful man she’d married.

“I’m afraid she’ll try—or Gary will—and we’ll fight.”

Right. One of the breadwinners was thinking of driving away in the bread truck, and her stepfather seemed like the type who would respond with abuse toward the nearest woman handy rather than getting his own job. “Should she talk you out of it?”

He wanted Selina to come with him. The trip would be better with her in the car. But he didn’t want to be a dick and force her into anything.

Selina gave a vigorous shake of her head. “No. Maybe going with you is a bad idea, but staying here is a bad idea, too. I’ll talk to Babe about it, but . . .” She paused, then nodded, apparently at the thoughts in her own head. “But I think I’m coming.”

Being the best of two bad ideas pricked his ego, but quibbling or objecting wouldn’t help him win Selina’s company.

She waved a hand between them, seeming to dismiss any more objections she wasn’t sharing. “I’ll call my mom from the road. Babe has a detached garage that I can leave my car in. And if I decide to stay in Salt Lake City at the end of the week, I trust her to sell it for me and send me the money.”

“Do you need to go home to pack?” Decision made, Marc’s mind moved to the practicalities of this trip.

“No.” She looked sheepish for a moment. “When I left last night, I took a backpack I’d already had packed in case I never wanted to go back. And I’ve had a suitcase in my car for weeks. Gary has been getting more, uh, persistent, and I wanted to be prepared.”

That he was
persistent
might be the biggest understatement Marc had ever heard to describe what he didn’t want to imagine had been happening in Selina’s home.

“Well then,” he said, clapping his hands together, “of all the diners in all the towns in all the world, I’m glad I walked in to yours.”

“You’re cute,” she said with a sweet smile, which made his chest swell. If he could keep her smiling with cheesy jokes, they would be A-okay.

He picked up a piece of onion, eager to finish his food and get to Babe’s house. His stir-fry had gotten cold, but it tasted better than any food he’d eaten in the last couple of days, including Babe’s wonderful pancakes.

*

“Selina,” Babe said,
her neutral voice a sure indication that she was worried, “let’s go into the kitchen and pack you some food for the car trip.”

Selina dutifully stood and followed Babe out of the living room. They hadn’t even crossed the threshold into the other room when she whipped her body around. “What are you thinking?” her boss and friend hissed.

Selina glanced over her shoulder to where Marc sat on the floral couch under the painting of a craggy mountain, an icy lake, and the clear blue sky of a perfect Idaho summer day. He had to know that they were talking about him, and he could probably guess that Babe was questioning Selina’s judgment. But he wasn’t fidgeting and didn’t otherwise seem nervous. He was just leaning against the back of the couch, his ankle resting on his knee, looking for all the world like a man at complete ease with himself and his situation.

Confident, which of course he had every right to be. Programming his app had probably been hard, but all the work had paid off. Marc had what Selina wanted: the knowledge that effort toward a goal brought results. Not more treading water.

She wasn’t sure where leaving for a spontaneous road trip with a stranger fell in her plans, but it got her out of this town. And that was an accomplishment in and of itself.

She turned back to face Babe’s concerned eyes. “Marc will take me to Salt Lake, and I’ll have a place to live for at least a week while I look for work. This isn’t how I’d planned to get out of Idaho, but it would be stupid to turn down the opportunity.”

Babe blinked several times. “You know nothing about this man. He might be a rapist. Or a murderer. Or worse.”

What could be worse than a rapist or a murder? Selina didn’t ask. She didn’t want to know how Babe would answer.

“Maybe,” she said, instead. “But he’s who he says he is. I’ve read the news articles, and they’re credible sources, too. And I need to be out of town the next time Gary gets drunk enough to forget that he’s supposed to be my stepfather.”

As she said the words, her palms got clammy and fear pounded in her ears. She’d been afraid of Gary before, but last night was the first time she’d felt honest-to-God terrified. Admitting it to herself didn’t calm her body down, but it made her feel better about her decision to run off with Marc. Yes, he was a stranger, and maybe he would snore or his farts would be unbearable, but never once had her gut flickered with fear, especially not for her safety.

Babe cocked her head, her eyes searching Selina’s face. “Okay. I know you
need
to be out of that house, and you
want
to be out of this town. Do you have money?”

Selina smiled with relief. “Yes. Some,” she corrected. “I have enough. What’s in my savings account right now should pay for rent for a couple months if I don’t get a job right away.” She was trying not to hang all her hopes on a job at the gallery. Practicality had to trump dreams. “I’ll be okay.”

Babe’s lips thinned. She didn’t look as though she thought this was a good idea, but at least she wasn’t arguing anymore. “Okay, then. You have my support. I’m not sure this is a good idea, but you’re clearly convinced it’s not a bad one and that’s good enough for me. You’ve always been a sensible girl. One of my oldest friends lives in Salt Lake, too. If you need help, give her a call.”

Selina’s heart leaped and bounded with joy before leaning in to Babe and giving her a big hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Selina hadn’t realized how much Babe’s approval and encouragement mattered until she was pressed against the woman’s soft bosom and wrapped in her tight embrace. Happy tears welled up in her eyes, quickly dampening Babe’s shirt.

“Are you crying?” Babe asked. She was sniffling, as well.

“Yes, but I’ll be okay. I’ll miss you. I’ll miss the diner.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Babe patted her on the back. “Now let’s really get some snacks packed for your trip.”

They stayed in each other’s arms for several long moments, though, with Babe rubbing her hand along Selina’s back. Even though her boss’s hair was damp from an earlier shower, Selina could smell the diner grease under the sharp odor of Irish Spring soap. She took a deep breath, trying to memorize the scent, the feel of Babe’s arms, and the sound of her breathing. There wasn’t much about this place that she would miss, but Babe represented all of it.

*

Selina’s suitcase was
heavier than Marc had expected. Having misjudged its weight, he’d had to tug several times to get it out of the trunk. A light snow was starting to fall as he moved his own luggage around in the back of his SUV to make room for Selina’s luggage. One flake hit the bull’s-eye, slipping down the neck of his jacket and melting between his shoulder blades.

When he turned, Selina was standing behind him, the collar of her coat turned up to protect her neck and her hands clasped in front of her chest. The glow of the streetlight fell in a halo on her head, making her hair look almost white. Snowflakes danced about her, and she looked like a winter angel. Not a fairy, who tricked and played games, but someone who would provide steady comfort at the precise moment he needed it.

Standing next to Selina, Babe didn’t look nearly as serene. Selina was looking at him, but Babe was staring at Selina with a mixture of love and worry in her eyes. There were tearstains on both women’s cheeks.

Marc slammed the trunk of the SUV, the noise echoing in the cold night air and adding a new finality to their decision. When he turned back, the women were walking toward him. He took a step toward her, which she matched with a large step toward him.

If they could continue to meet each other halfway, they would be okay. No, they’d be better than okay. They would be great. He gave her a reassuring smile, which she returned before turning back to give Babe a hug.

“Bye, my dear,” the older woman said, pressing her face into Selina’s hair. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll drive down to get you if you need me to.”

“I won’t need,” Selina reassured her, which also made Marc feel better. “But I appreciate the offer. Thank you . . . for everything.”

Babe patted Selina’s face. Tears had returned to both their eyes. Fortunately, Selina’s face showed no signs of doubt. If he’d seen any regret on her face, he might have told her that they couldn’t do this. But she smiled at him as she pulled away from her friend.

He opened the passenger door for her, and she stepped up, putting her hand on the handle on the inside of the door. “I’ll text to let you know our progress. And send you pictures.”