you are. I read a story about you a few years back. You . . .” She stopped abruptly.
“Yes?” I said.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m mistaken.”
She quickly packaged up my purchase and handed me the bag. “Thank you for shopping. Have a good day.”
“Happy holidays,” I said dully, then quickly left the store.
Nicholas met me as I was walking out. “Sorry that took so long,” he said. “That guy was inept with a cash register.” He looked at me closely. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not feeling well,” I said. “Can we go?”
“Of course.” He glanced over at the store, then took my hand. “Come on. It’s too crowded here anyway.”
CHAPTER
Fifteen
Dan came to see me today. He’s about as welcome as a January utility bill.
Elise Dutton’s Diary
The next Monday was calmer than usual since we didn’t have any tours out that week. The holidays were our slowest time of the year, and most of our efforts then went toward preparing and marketing the next year’s tours.
A little before noon I looked up to see Dan standing in the doorway of my office. “Flowers,” he said. “Where’d you get those?”
“What do you want?” I asked.
He stepped into my office. “You weren’t at Thanksgiving dinner.”
“I told your parents I wouldn’t be there.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“What do you want, Dan?”
“I came to see what’s up. Why you didn’t come.”
“I was busy.”
“On Thanksgiving?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“What, you had work?”
“I had another invitation to dinner,” I said, annoyed by his persistence. “I always thought it was weird anyway, going to dinner with you and Kayla.”
“An invitation from who?”
“A friend.”
“A friend,” he said suspiciously. “Male or female?”
“I don’t need to report to you.”
“A man, huh?” He walked closer to my desk. “Tell you what—I’ll take you to lunch, and you can tell me about this guy. I’ll pay.” He made the offer sound remarkably magnanimous, and, for him, it was.
“I already have lunch plans,” I said.
“Since when do you have lunch plans?”
“Since when do you care?” I said. “Where’s Kayla? Why don’t you take her to lunch?”
“I need to talk to you about her,” he said. “Who are you lunching with?”
“A friend,” I said.
“The Thanksgiving guy?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“What’s Thanksgiving guy’s name?”
“Nicholas,” Nicholas said, walking into my office.
Dan turned around. The look on his face was priceless, a mix of surprise and fear.
“Hi, Elise,” Nicholas said. He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.
Dan glanced back and forth between us, still not sure how to react.
“This is Dan,” I said. “My ex-husband.”
Nicholas looked at him coolly. “Dan.”
“Whassup,” Dan said. I knew Dan well enough to know that he was intimidated. Subconsciously, he threw his chest out a little.
Nicholas turned back to me. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” I took his hand. “I’ll talk to you later,” I said to Dan.
“Yeah, whatever,” Dan said.
Nicholas and I walked out of my office, leaving Dan standing there alone. I should have known that he’d never leave my new relationship alone.
CHAPTER
Sixteen
Dan’s the kid in the sandbox who always wants the toy someone else has.
Elise Dutton’s Diary
Dan was waiting on the landing outside my apartment when I got home from work.
“Whassup?” he said as I approached. “I was just in the area, thought I’d stop by.”
“What were you doing in the area?” I asked. I unlocked the door and walked in.
“I came to see you.” He followed me inside, took off his coat, and threw it, then himself, on my couch. “So how was your date?”
“What date?”
“The one I caught you on. With what’s-his-name.”
“You didn’t catch me,” I said. “And don’t act childish. You know his name.”
“Dick?”
I didn’t answer.
“Dickolaus.”
I
“Yes?” I said.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m mistaken.”
She quickly packaged up my purchase and handed me the bag. “Thank you for shopping. Have a good day.”
“Happy holidays,” I said dully, then quickly left the store.
Nicholas met me as I was walking out. “Sorry that took so long,” he said. “That guy was inept with a cash register.” He looked at me closely. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not feeling well,” I said. “Can we go?”
“Of course.” He glanced over at the store, then took my hand. “Come on. It’s too crowded here anyway.”
CHAPTER
Fifteen
Dan came to see me today. He’s about as welcome as a January utility bill.
Elise Dutton’s Diary
The next Monday was calmer than usual since we didn’t have any tours out that week. The holidays were our slowest time of the year, and most of our efforts then went toward preparing and marketing the next year’s tours.
A little before noon I looked up to see Dan standing in the doorway of my office. “Flowers,” he said. “Where’d you get those?”
“What do you want?” I asked.
He stepped into my office. “You weren’t at Thanksgiving dinner.”
“I told your parents I wouldn’t be there.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“What do you want, Dan?”
“I came to see what’s up. Why you didn’t come.”
“I was busy.”
“On Thanksgiving?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“What, you had work?”
“I had another invitation to dinner,” I said, annoyed by his persistence. “I always thought it was weird anyway, going to dinner with you and Kayla.”
“An invitation from who?”
“A friend.”
“A friend,” he said suspiciously. “Male or female?”
“I don’t need to report to you.”
“A man, huh?” He walked closer to my desk. “Tell you what—I’ll take you to lunch, and you can tell me about this guy. I’ll pay.” He made the offer sound remarkably magnanimous, and, for him, it was.
“I already have lunch plans,” I said.
“Since when do you have lunch plans?”
“Since when do you care?” I said. “Where’s Kayla? Why don’t you take her to lunch?”
“I need to talk to you about her,” he said. “Who are you lunching with?”
“A friend,” I said.
“The Thanksgiving guy?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“What’s Thanksgiving guy’s name?”
“Nicholas,” Nicholas said, walking into my office.
Dan turned around. The look on his face was priceless, a mix of surprise and fear.
“Hi, Elise,” Nicholas said. He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.
Dan glanced back and forth between us, still not sure how to react.
“This is Dan,” I said. “My ex-husband.”
Nicholas looked at him coolly. “Dan.”
“Whassup,” Dan said. I knew Dan well enough to know that he was intimidated. Subconsciously, he threw his chest out a little.
Nicholas turned back to me. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” I took his hand. “I’ll talk to you later,” I said to Dan.
“Yeah, whatever,” Dan said.
Nicholas and I walked out of my office, leaving Dan standing there alone. I should have known that he’d never leave my new relationship alone.
CHAPTER
Sixteen
Dan’s the kid in the sandbox who always wants the toy someone else has.
Elise Dutton’s Diary
Dan was waiting on the landing outside my apartment when I got home from work.
“Whassup?” he said as I approached. “I was just in the area, thought I’d stop by.”
“What were you doing in the area?” I asked. I unlocked the door and walked in.
“I came to see you.” He followed me inside, took off his coat, and threw it, then himself, on my couch. “So how was your date?”
“What date?”
“The one I caught you on. With what’s-his-name.”
“You didn’t catch me,” I said. “And don’t act childish. You know his name.”
“Dick?”
I didn’t answer.
“Dickolaus.”
I
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