Boycotts and Barflies (17 page)

“Sorry I got you in trouble, Grace.” His laughter made her stomach do a happy

flip.

“I’ll live. I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She was a sad at the thought of not

talking to him any longer, which Michael picked up on immediately.

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“How about if I wake you up in the morning? What time would you like your

wake-up call?” he asked cheerfully.

“I have to run errands all day, so how about nine-thirty, if that’s not too early

for you.”

“That will be fine. I’ll talk to you in the morning, Grace.”

“Bye, Michael. Thanks again for the flowers.”

“Just look at them and think of me. Goodbye.”

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Chapter 11

Somewhere around two in the morning, it hit. The vomiting and fever caused  Grace’s body to shake violently for the next few hours. She was crawling back into bed for the fifth time after dashing to the bathroom that morning, when her phone rang. It was Michael.

He was very sweet and concerned when she told him she was sick. He even wanted to come over and take care of her, but considering she actually looked worse than she felt, Grace decided against it. Instead, she told him to call later for an update. Meg and Bianca came in and checked on her before they left for work and took the stack of papers from Grace’s dresser that they were going to drop off at the university for her.

Armed with a box of tissues, a glass  of Sprite, and some toast on her nightstand,  Grace spent the day sprawled out on her bed, praying for her illness to pass quickly and thanking God that for once she was punctual and had graded her students’ finals the previous week. She could think of nothing worse than grading papers while she was sick.

Grace spent the next two days in bed, sick as a dog. At one point she thought she might not recover and was convinced that she had contracted Ebola or some other rare and horrible virus intent on her destruction. Every day at lunchtime, Michael called the  deli down the street and had them deliver two different kinds of soup to her apartment. He also called three times a day just to check on her even though she still refused to allow him to come visit. If she was asleep, Megwould give him the update then wake her up so she could say a quick hello. Hearing his voice always made Grace smile so Meg wasn’t about to argue.

When the sun rose Wednesday morning, Grace woke up feeling better than she had in days. She managed to sleep through the night without incident and even felt hungry when she finally climbed out of bed. She shuffled into the kitchen where she was met by the smiling faces of Bianca and Meg.

“She lives!” Meg squealed.

“How do you feel today?” Bianca asked, smiling  as Grace reached for the box of cereal on the table. “You actually look human.”

“I’m starving. I feel like I haven’t eaten in days. So what have I missed while I  was incapacitated? I don’t suppose either of you has lost our little bet yet?”  Grace asked, hoping both would confess and she could call Michael. Now that  she wasn’t throwing up, she missed him terribly. But when they both grinned  and shook their heads no, she mumbled her frustrations with a mouth full of  cereal.

“Sorry to disappoint you. The bet is still on, and those shoes are calling my  name.” Meg twirled her spoon around her coffee mug.

“What day is it anyway?” Grace had lost all sense of time.

“Wednesday. Two weeks and five days until New Year’s … but who’s  counting?” Bianca sighed and glanced  over at the calendar. She was beginning  to crack; Grace could see it on her face.

“We have to go to Seattle today for that hotel remodel and actually have to  spend the night, possibly two. We have to finalize the interior finishes with the  client and approve some of the paint samples so they can get started this  weekend,” Meg said sadly. “Sorry we’re bailing on you, but I’m glad you’re at  least feeling better.”

“That’s fine, I’ll just hang out around here today and maybe go shopping  tomorrow for your Christmas presents, that way you might be surprised this  year.” Meg was so nosey, it was impossible to keep anything from her.

They gathered their suitcases by the door as Grace finished her breakfast.

She was rinsing out her bowl and putting it in the dishwasher when Meg sat  down on one of the stools at the counter and sighed.

“I really don’t want to go on this trip right now.”

“Ryan withdrawal?” Grace teased. Meg smirked and nodded her head.

“It’s already been two days since I’ve seen him and now two more. This sucks.”  She pouted, putting her head down on the counter top.

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Grace stroked her silky, golden hair. “Maybe we’ll just bump into them when you get back. When are they planning on doing their little performance for us

anyway?” She had been so sick that most of her conversations with Michael

had involved her grunting and answering questions about what she had

managed to eat that day. She hadn’t even thought to ask.

“Apparently they wanted some time to ‘practice’ before impressing us with

their skills. They also wanted to do it on a weeknight when the bar wouldn’t be

too crowded, so Ryan said sometime early next week.”

Grace laughed, still not believing they had talked the guys into doing it.

“Cool. When you two get back, we’ll have to go shopping for something to

wear.”

Meg’s head flew up off the counter and she slammed the palm of her hand to  Grace’s forehead, a look of panic on her face.

“What are you doing?” Grace asked.

“I was just checking to see if you were delirious! You, Grace Park, actually want to go shopping for an outfit? Since when do you care about what you wear?”she asked, raising an accusing eyebrow.

Grace blushed. “Since Michael came along. Happy?” She covered her face, embarrassed that she was tuning into such a girl.

“Tremendously. Bianca, guess who wants to go shopping for a new outfit when we get back?”

Bianca had just walked into the room with her jacket on. “Is she delirious?”she asked, looking at Grace with concern. “Maybe we should stay.”

“No, I think she’s in love,” Meg sang. Grace grabbed a piece of toast from the counter and flung it at her head.

“I hate you both.” Grace sneered and then hugged her friends before they walked out the door.

“We love you, too. Behave while we’re gone,” they said with a wave, closing the

door.

Grace sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, but there was nothing that held her attention. Bored, she walked back into her room to find a book when a small silver object on the nightstand caught her eye —her cell phone. She glanced at the clock; it was 9:15. Michael had been calling her every morning at  9:30 so she decided to take a chance and call him first this morning.

“Grace? Are you all right?” Michael said anxiously when he answered.

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“Never better. How are you today?” A smile crossed her lips at his concern.

“Much better now. You really had me worried, you know.”

Grace heard a small beep through the phone. “Hang on, I have another cal . It’s

Meg.” She clicked over to the other line. “What do you need?” she asked

quickly.

“Hello to you too, Grace,” Meg said in a hurt voice. “Where’s the fire?”

“Sorry, I’m on the other line with Michael.” Crap, here it comes.

Laughter filled Grace’s left ear. “Bianca, you owe me five dollars!  I told you she was going to call him as soon as we left. Behave, young lady. Reread those rules if necessary. I wouldn’t want you to lose.”

Grace didn’t even listen to the rest of her harassment before she clicked back

over to Michael, mumbling “Bitch” under her breath.

“Who’s a bitch? Me?” Michael asked somewhat taken aback.

“Not you. It’s Meg.”

“Why is she a bitch? Aren’t she and Bianca on a business trip?”

“They just left, but they made a small wager and Meg won. That’s what the call

was for.”

“What did  they bet on?”

“They bet on me … if I would call you as soon as they walked out the door.

Meg won because I did.” Grace rolled her eyes and banged her fist against her  head, wondering why she had admitted that to him, but she figured Ryan  probably would have told him later.

“Well, I’m glad you called, too. Did I tell you I’ve missed you?”

Who sounds this sexy at 9:20 in the morning?

“No, or you might have, but I was too busy burning up with fever to remember.  I miss you too,” Grace said shyly. It still surprised her how connected she could  feel to someone she’d only known for a short time.

“So what are your plans for the day?”

“Actually, I was going to hang out here for one more day, stay in my pajamas  and read a book.”

“You know what would go great with a book? Some hot chocolate. There’s this

coffee shop down on Henderson, right by your place, that has the best hot

chocolate. It’s Jack’s favorite. It might be a good way to start your day.”

“I’m still in my pajamas, Michael, and I really need a shower,” she said sadly.

There was no way she could run out looking like death for an ‘accidental’

meeting with him.

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“Not a problem. I happen to know that Jack won’t be able to find his keys for  at  least … fifteen or twenty minutes. He keeps losing them you know,” he joked as  she heard keys jingle in the background.

“Well, then, that does sound like a great way to start my day. I have to hang up  now. That hot chocolate is calling my name.” Before  she even hung up, Grace  was on her feet and rummaging through her dresser looking for something to

wear.

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“Bye, Grace.”

“Bye, Michael.”

She threw the phone onto her bed and giggled with excitement. What the

hell is wrong with me? Grace turned on the shower  and stripped out of her  clothes, jumping in before the water had heated up all the way. As the cool  stream turned hot on her skin, Meg’s words kept ringing in her ears: “I think  she’s in love.” The more she thought about it, the more her heart pounded. Was she falling in love with Michael? Was that even possible? The answers were yes  and yes, but there was no way she was going to admit that to herself right now. Of course the nagging voice in the back of her head had a question of its

own. But was falling for Michael really a good idea?

Refusing to allow her inner demons to ruin her day, she buried the voice deep

in her head and smiled, thinking about seeing Michael again, feeling his arms

around her …

Shoes, boycott, bragging rights!

Adequately flustered, Grace went back to the job at hand. She scrubbed the

shampoo into her hair and rinsed it out as quickly as she could. With a towel

tightly wrapped around her head, she flew into her room and grabbed some

underwear, jeans, a bra, and a long sleeved T-shirt.  When she was dressed,

Grace glanced over at the clock. She still had five more minutes before she

needed to walk out the door.

At the speed of light, she dried her hair and tried to quickly put on some makeup so she didn’t look deathly pale. Her hair wasn’t cooperating so she threw it up in a ponytail and grabbed the Seahawks hat Meg had bought her at the football game, tucking it on top of her head. I think I read somewhere

guys think girls in hats are sexy.

She scooped up her keys, jumped into the car, and made it to the coffee shop in

record time. When she arrived, Grace went directly to the line, not daring 130

to scan the room for Michael. She ordered a large hot chocolate and made her  way over to a couch nearby. There  was a newspaper on the coffee table in front  of her, so she started flipping through it, checking the holiday ads for gift ideas,  when she felt the couch shift beside her.

“Hello, sicko! Nice hat,” Jack’s voice boomed from her left. Instinctively, she  turned to the right and was rewarded with the smile that she had been craving  for the last two days.

“Hello, beautiful,” Michael said as he sat down, his body so close, their thighs  brushed against one another’s. Grace felt her cheeks turn pink when she  couldn’t stop the goofy grin that appeared on her face.

“Hi,” she said breathlessly. God, have I missed him.

“Hi, Jack. I wore the hat just for you,” Grace teased. She felt Michael’s arm wrap  around her shoulders and pull her closer to him. Her heart began to ra ce out of  control.

“Funny running into you here,” Jack said, glancing over at Michael who just  rolled his eyes.

“I was in the mood for some hot chocolate and heard this place had the best.”  Grace batted her long eyelashes innocently. Michael gave her shoul der a little  squeeze which made her body melt into him even more.

“Yeah, sure.” Jack shook his head and tucked his sunglasses into his coat  pocket. “Crap, I forgot my phone in the car. I’m going to go grab it; I’ll be right  back. Don’t eat my muffin.” Jack pointed a finger at Michael in warning. “What’s wrong with him?” Grace asked as she watched Jack scamper out the  door.

“I have no idea. I honestly wasn’t paying any attention to a word he said. For  some reason I was … distracted.” The silky tone of his vo ice was hard enough  to resist, but then, he started stroking the back of her neck, which sent her  head spinning.

“Michael,” Grace whispered as she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his  fingers running down her neck and along her shoulders ever so slowly. “Sorry. I’ll behave. I just missed you, that’s all,” he chuckled quietly.

“I really missed you too. But if  you keep doing that … ” Grace didn’t dare finish  the sentence. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and breathed  deeply, perfectly content for the first time in days.

y

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Outside, Jack stood in front of the coffee shop and pulled his phone from his pocket, quickly dialing.

“Hello?” he heard her sexy voice say.

“Hey, babe. It’s me.”

“Do you miss me already?” she purred into the phone. God, this girl drives me crazy. She’d totally be worth losing $200 over, but she really wants those damn shoes. Focus, man.

“No, I mean yes, I miss you, but that’s not why I’m calling. Michael and I went to  grab some coffee before our meeting and guess who we ran into? Your girl,  Grace.”

Bianca squealed into the phone. “Did she kiss him yet?” she asked eagerly.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Well, if she didn’t lose the bet or use her free kiss, why are you calling me?”

she asked somewhat annoyed.

“Because you should see the two of them, he can’t stop touching her. Like now,  he’s got his arm around her on the couch and he’s running his fingers down the  back of her neck. She is totally staring at him, too!” Jack peered into the

window of the shop, praying Michael wouldn’t catch him spying.

“Jack says Michael and Grace are having trouble keeping their hands to  themselves,” Jack heard Bianca explaining to Meg. “We might be able to give  them a little push and get them out of the contest! Then it’d be just you and me,  girl!” Jack could hear what sounded like a high-five slap over the phone.

“I’m back.  Listen, Meg and I are going to work on this. We have an idea. You just  keep an eye on the love birds, and if they violate any of the rules, you call us,  OK?” Jack could hear the excitement in Bianca’s voice.

“Will do. So, what are you wearing?” he asked pl ayfully, trying to catch her off  guard.

Apparently, it worked.

“I’m in the car with Meg,” she hissed into the phone.

“So what?”

“I’m wearing a shirt and pants, you idiot,” she barely whispered.

“I mean under your clothes. What are you wearing?” Jack heard  her gasp at the

question and started laughing.

“Damn it, Jack. I need to go. Shut up, Meg, I am not blushing. I’ll call you later,

Jack.”

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“Bye, babe.” He hid the phone in his pocket, and with a big grin on his face,

walked back into the coffee shop to check on the love birds. The sooner we get

them to lose, the sooner I get to see Bianca in that red number she was

talking about, he thought as he opened the door.

y

Ten minutes later, Grace was still curled up comfortably next to Michael and

wished she could stay with him all day, but she knew he and Jack had a

meeting about some properties for their bar. Michael glanced at his watch and  then towards the door.

“Where  the hell is Jack?”

She sat up and looked out the window behind them to see Jack closing his cell  phone. “It looks like he made a call. Here he comes.” She pointed toward the  door and in walked Jack, grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary.

“If you  two are done hanging all over each other, we need to get going, Mike.”  Jack smirked, drawing a glare from his friend.

Michael leaned closer and said, “I’ll call you later,” and then kissed Grace’s  cheek. It was a small and innocent kiss, but it made every  cell in her body crave  more. Her mind was lost in a delicious daydream as she mumbled something  incoherently that sounded like “uh -hum.” Michael chuckled with masculine  satisfaction at the effect he had on her.

She watched them leave the coffee shop, but it wasn’t until they drove away  that she felt the cramp in her hand from where she had been clutching the  leather cushion of the couch since Michael’s lips had touched her cheek. Grace  took a deep breath to clear her head, and walked out to her car unable to think  of anything but Michael.

The rest of her afternoon was spent at home, doing one of her least favorite but  most needed chores: cleaning the apartment. She put on her best bumming- around-the -house pajamas and dug into the mountains of laundry and stacks

of dishes that had piled up while she was sick. Meg and Bianca definitely  weren’t known for their housekeeping skills.

The girls had called in the afternoon to let Grace know they arrived safely in  Seattle and gave her the name and number of the hotel  where they were  staying, in case of an emergency. After she talked to them, Susan called to talk  her ear 133

off for the next hour that, as usual, felt like ten. She did her usual fast talking,  which made it so difficult to  fold and sort laundry while on the phone because  Grace actually had to pay attention to what her mother was saying. She let  Susan know she would be coming up the Saturday before Christmas and that  Bianca was coming with her. Meg planned to fly home and vis it her parents  back East, but Bianca’s family would be on a cruise to the Caribbean, which she  decided to pass on this year. Susan blabbered about getting the guest room  ready for her.

Of course, Susan had to ask about the boycott and see if they had finished their  “pretend lesbian phase.” Grace told her no, they were still experimenting and

through some cosmic stroke of luck, Susan actually believed her. She was so  gullible sometimes. To wrap up the call, Grace had to endure the list of all the  guests who  would be parading through their home over the holidays. Most of  the names she didn’t recognize, so she simply grunted in agreement when  actually, she was searching for the mate to the sock in her hand as she finished  folding her laundry.

At five o’clock, she laid down on the couch to watch some mindless television  and relax as her busy day finally caught up with her. She had just settled into a  show on the deadliest snakes of Australia, when she was startled by a knock on  the door. She sprang up from her seat and hurried over to answer it.

“Who is it?” Grace asked when she didn’t recognize the guy on the other side. “Pizza!” he called out.

“I didn’t order any pizza,” she said as she peeked out from behind the door to  find a delivery guy from Mama Rosa’s staring her in the face.

“Whoever called told me to tell you it was paid for, so take it.” He thrust the box  at her before she could protest then waved his hands as she searched the  pocket of her pajamas for a tip. “That’s been taken care of too. Enjoy your pi zza,  miss.”

Still confused, Grace took the box into the kitchen and set it on the counter. She peeked inside to see what kind it was and started laughing. Inside was an extra-large pepperoni and sausage pizza, which she absolutely hated, but the pepperonis were arranged into a big “M” shape. She was still laughing when she picked up the phone.

“Hello, beautiful.” Even though it was how he always answered the phone when she called, her heart would still flutter at the sound of his voice.

“Why do I have an extra large pizza with a big pepperoni ‘M’ on it?” Grace asked accusingly.

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“I have no idea. Why do I have a pizza with ‘the works’ in my hand from Mama  Rosa’s when we both know I hate pizzas with everything?” he laughed.

“Meg,” Grace hissed into the phone.

“What? Why do you think she did this?”

“Oh, I don’t know for a fact that she did, but think about it. You get my favorite  pizza, and I assume this is your favorite pizza, and of course the big

‘M’ makes me call you and—” Suddenly everything started making sense in  Grace’s mind. “Sh - she’s trying to knock us out of the bet. That little sneak! I bet  Bianca’s in on this one, too.”

Michael laughed. “OK, fine. She’s trying to be sneaky. What am I going to do with this pizza in the meantime?”

“Bring you, the pizza, Ryan, and Jack over, and we’ll have a little party, on Meg and Bianca.”

“I’ll call the guys and we’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“See you then.” Grace hung up and then quickly dialed Meg’s cell, which went  straight to voice mail.

“You little rat. You and Bianca are both dead for this pizza stunt. Just so you  know, I invited Michael, Jack, and Ryan over to eat so there will be  no date or  romance. Ha! And while they’re here, I’m going to let the boys snoop through  your bedrooms, so hopefully you’ve hidden any juicy items safely away. Tell  Bianca that I know she was in on this too and I will get my revenge.” Grace  snapped the phone shut and laughed, imagining their faces when they listened  to her message.

Grace’s excitement changed to panic when she caught her reflection in her  flannel pants and T-shirt. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t be  welcoming guests in her current state of dress, but she was still recovering  from being sick and wasn’t getting dolled up in four minutes flat for anybody.  She did run to the bathroom to do what she could—put on more deodorant,  brushed her teeth, and combed her hair out of courtesy to her  guests—but that  was her limit.

Trying to calm her nerves, Grace decided to do the one thing that was always able to distract her: she sat down and played a video game. Bianca was actually the secret fanatic and the one who turned her on to the brainless ad diction, but  Grace was a fast study and was soon able to keep up with her. As she was about to finish the sewer- zombie level, she heard a ruckus at the door.