All I Want For Christmas Is You (7 page)

He went inside, took off his coat, and left it on one of the chairs in the hallway. He walked into the study and poured himself a brandy. He waited for Casey to come out of his bat cave–game room. It was where he went to hide from the world.
When he
does, he is going to hear it from me
. It was about time someone set the boy straight.

Chapter Six

Walking slowly up the stairs from his game room in the basement, Casey could tell she wasn’t in the house anymore. It felt bigger, emptier without her presence, and he had pushed her away. He shook his head. It was done. As he passed by the stairs that lead to the second floor, he could almost see her running naked down the stairs with a big grin on her face, beautiful and free.
Free.
Now some other man would try to woo her and fix what he had broken, and the thought made his blood boil in anger. He would live with those thoughts the rest of his life. Who was touching her, who was making her smile because he let her go? He walked into his study to find Jeff sitting there. It was no surprise. He had sent her here. It was obvious that she would call him to find a way to leave.

“How long have you been sitting there?” Casey asked the older man who was like his father.

“Oh, about you’re a self-destructive ox hours and a dumb son of an onion minutes.”

Jeff’s nonchalant answer made him grit his teeth. “In layman’s terms?” Casey poured himself a drink from the bar.

“About two and a half hours.”

“So you came and took your girl home?” Casey sat heavily in one of the leather chairs and took a drink.

“My girl is at home hosting a party without me. I came here and sent your girl home crying in my Hummer,” Jeff pointed out.

“You should’ve never sent her here, Jeff. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that I was doing a friend some good. I was thinking that after I promised your parents I’d look after you, I shouldn’t sit by and watch you wither away from the world and die.”

Casey laughed sarcastically. “Well, look at the bang-up job you did.”

“Oh, this isn’t me, Casey. This is you.” Jeff pointed a finger at him. “I sent a perfectly wonderful girl up here, and you pushed her away.”

“An escort.”

“So what she if she fell on hard times? You should know me better to know. I had her thoroughly checked out before she even stepped foot in my office.”

Jeff glared at Casey, who felt immediate remorse. Jeff was the closest thing he had to a father, and to question his integrity was pushing it too far. “Look, I’m sorry she’s hurt, okay, but it wouldn’t have worked,” Casey said sadly.

“Why the hell not?” Jeff’s voice rose. “Didn’t you get along? Did she snore or what?”

“I love her, Jeff,” Casey said. “She’d end up leaving, or worse, we’d have gotten together and she’d be nothing like I thought her to be.”

Jeff looked at Casey in amazement. “Are you kidding me? Listen to me, because I swear that header you took off that mountain scrambled your brains instead of your body. This girl came here, and when she left, she cared enough about you that she cried.”

“She said she loved me,” Casey explained.

“Oh heaven forbid, the great Casey is loved!” Jeff bellowed. “You can’t go through life expecting everyone to be just like Marissa. The girl was a gold-digging bitch. Everyone saw it but you until it was too late. Get over it!”

“It’s too late now. Ileana will never speak to me again.” After the things he said to her, Casey couldn’t even fathom a way to talk to her again, let alone to ask her forgiveness.

“Sometimes I want to just go upside your head, boy,” Jeff grumbled as he began walking out of the room. “There is an infinite amount of ways you could find her and make up for being a dumbass.”

“Where’re you going?”

“Upstairs to bed. My driver left with the love of your life in the back crying. He’ll be back to pick me up in the morning.”

“Rub salt in the wound, why don’t you?”

“Thanks, I think I will. I know what you’re going to say. Pick any room to sleep in. Why? Because you live in a mansion alone, by your choice it seems. Night, Casey.” Jeff ambled out of the room leaving Casey to his own thoughts.

He shook his head sadly knowing the mistake had been made and could never be fixed. Jeff hadn’t seen the look in her eyes when he hurt her. Ileana was gone, and he had no one to blame but himself. He went to the room where she left everything he had ever given her in the last few days neatly piled onto the bed. At the very end sat the stone she had given him. He must have left it downstairs. Under it was a sheet of stationery folded carefully. When he opened it and read the words, his heart died just a little more.

Casey,

I gave this to you as a gift with love. Maybe it will be able to chase away the monsters that plague you. I hope someday your nightmare will be over, and you can find peace in something other than loneliness. Be well.

Ileana

* * * *

One week had passed since Ileana left. Jeff followed suit the morning after their confrontation, and Casey was once again alone. Christmas was long gone, and New Year’s festivities were about to take place.

“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

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.