Dear Santa, I Can Explain!

by Kayt Miller

  “That’s not true. You don’t have…”

  “I’ve got everything I need to take it to the press. So, stop harassing my girlfriend and me, or you’ll be in the middle of a shit storm.” I watch her face as it reddens. A tear appears in the corner of her left eye. “Don’t even bother, Christine. Tears from you mean nothing. This is your last warning. If you test me again, I’ll make the call.”

  “Fine. But, you should know. You’re a pathetic asshole.”

  And you’re a conniving bitch. “Well aware. Well aware.”

  Chapter 46

  Lexie

  “Oh, Cy. It was the most amazing night. Ken was so charming and sweet. I think you’d really like him. After the whole embarrassing scene with Gabriel, Ken swooped in and saved the day.” I carefully pull Sheila’s green dress off and hang it on a padded hanger. It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen. I thought my green dress from Maybelle’s was gorgeous, but it’s nothing compared to this. It’s not just vintage Balenciaga. It’s the real deal––like Sheila bought it in the 1950s.

  Her dress has a deep green underdress in crepe with a sweetheart neckline and an A-line skirt that starts at the natural waist. That part of the dress is very simple. It’s the tulle overlay that is the amazing part. The sheer green bodice covers the under dress all the way up to my neck and extends out into cap sleeves. Both the collar and sleeve are adorned with tiny embroidered flowers of the same deep green.

  There are two layers of tulle on the skirt that makes it flowy and ethereal. The same embroidered flowers are on the inner layer of tulle, and deep green three-dimensional flowers are tacked all over the skirt. It’s gorgeous, sophisticated and playful at the same time. The other part that amazed me about the dress was how perfectly it fit. Sheila and I are the same size and height. Heck, even her shoes fit. I wore the matching green satin pumps that she must have worn.

  In the end, Ken was pleased as punch to have me wearing her dress. I promised I’d get it cleaned and returned to him as soon as possible. And I will. When we have dinner next month. “He’s taking me to his favorite restaurant, Cy.” Cy squawks. “I told him I didn’t like super fancy food.” I walk over to his cage and whisper, “I’m so excited that I made such a wonderful friend tonight, Cy. I think you’d really like him and he’s like you.”

  With the dress hanging on my door so I can look at it for a while longer, I wash my face and prepare for bed. Tomorrow is Sunday, and it’s sure to be a hectic day. Hungry, I know there’s nothing in my fridge, so I splurge and order Thai food from the restaurant around the corner. They will deliver, no matter the time of night. Calling my order of Pad Thai, I wrap myself up in my quilt and wait for my food. Dozing on the sofa, I almost miss the knock. I quickly jump up grabbing the cash to pay for my food. I can taste the yummy goodness already.

  “Just a second.” I unlock the deadbolt and unlatch the chain. I accidentally drop my loose change onto the floor. Reaching down to pick it up, I’m momentarily distracted. While bending down, I see patent leather covered feet and the cuffs of black dress slacks. My eyes follow them up until I see his face. Standing up quickly, I snap, “Gabriel? What the heck are you doing here?”

  Chapter 47

  Gabriel

  Well, I’m not going to lie. I’m surprised by her reaction to my visit. “I came by to make sure you made it home safely.”

  “As you can see. Yes. I’m home safe and sound.” She covers her mouth and mutters, “No thanks to you.”

  “Yes, well, I certainly deserved that. I also wanted to apologize.”

  “For what, exactly?”

  “Well, had I known you were a good friend to Kenneth Griffin, I wouldn’t have gotten so upset.”

  Sighing, she leans on her door. “Well, I became ‘good friends’ with Ken after you had your little tantrum at the party.” She’s now got her hands on her hips. “He found me getting ill in the bushes.”

  “So, you don’t know Kenneth?”

  “Well, I met him the morning of the interview from hell; but only briefly. He recognized me after your tantrum.”

  “It wasn’t a tantrum.”

  “Uh, yeah, that’s exactly what it was.”

  “In any case,” I continue. “If I’d known that Kenneth wanted you to wear green I…”

  “Hello? Are you listening to me? No. Of course not. You only hear yourself. You only care about yourself. This whole thing is about you, Gabriel. The reason you’re here is because you now think Ken and I are best buds and you want something.”

  “That’s not true. I came to give you this. You left it in the car.” I bend down and pick up the large box I had leaning outside her door.

  She gasps. “I’m not taking that!”

  “What? Why not? You need a coat.”

  “It’s fur!” she squeaks.

  “And?”

  “Real fur. Made from tiny, helpless creatures that never see the light of day before they’re murdered and skinned just so someone can have a hideous coat.”

  “Lexie. You’re overreacting. It’s Mink and Sable. They’re treated humanely.”

  “Oh, yeah. Did you check?”

  “Well, no, but…”

  “Gabriel, I get it. You live an extravagant life. You’re used to people wearing furs and stuff. You thought you were giving me something that would appeal to someone like me and you wanted to get me a coat because you hate my parka. Thank you, really, but no thank you. I’d never, ever, ever wear that coat. I’d freeze to death before I’d wear a fur. So, please, give it to someone else, like Katya. I could see her wearing fur.” Muttering under her breath she adds, “Heck, I could also see her wearing the scalps of those weaker than herself.”

  “What is it with you and Katya. What do you have against her? Are you jealous? Because you’ve no reason to be. I feel nothing for her.”

  “Wow. You really are something, Gabriel.”

  “Thank you, I…”

  Before I can finish, a short man pokes his head around me and into her open door. “Delivery?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” She hands him the money in her hand in exchange for the bag of delicious smelling food. “Well, my food is here. Thank you for stopping by. Goodbye, Gabriel.”

  Before I can argue or even defend myself, the door is shut, no it’s slammed in my face. “I…” I stop speaking aloud. It’s no use. She can’t hear me now. Goodbye, Gabriel? Why does it feel like I’m never going to see her again? That’s not what I want. As a matter of fact, that’s the furthest possible thing from my mind. Shit. I’m sorry, Lexie…. for everything.

  Chapter 48

  Gabriel

  I spent all of Sunday thinking about Lexie and me. About the things, we’d done together, about her smile and her tinkling little laugh. I know I made some mistakes with her this past week. I’ve just never been with anyone like her before. Someone real in every sense of the word.

  By the end of the long weekend, I’d come to a few conclusions; made some decisions. The main one being that this fake thing with Lexie and I needed to end. I don’t want anything long-term right now, and it’s not fair to keep her hanging on like that. And since I’ve resolved the issue with Christine, continuing the relationship with Lexie isn’t necessary; therefore, it makes complete sense that we end it.

  Monday morning, leaning against the back wall of the elevator as it climbs to my floor, I take in gulps of air. Why I’m nervous, I’ve no idea. I took the liberty of sending her pink roses this morning to ease the pain of our breakup. I know they’ll confuse her but she’s bright, she’ll figure things out.

  When the ding of the elevator signals its arrival, I bend down grabbing the box holding that fucking fur coat and pull myself up to a standing. I’ll have Katya send it back to the store. Even if they only give me store credit, I’ll be fine because I never want to see that thing again.

  I push my shoulders back and march confidently out of the elevator. I turn to look at Lexie’s desk, and the first thing I see are
three vases, each holding a dozen roses. One of them contains pink roses, mine. Another is red, and the third dozen, all yellow. “What the hell?” I march over to the reception desk and push the red and yellow roses over to the side. “Lexie? What are all these?”

  I blink down at a young brunette manning the phones. I’ve got shoes older than this girl. “You’re not Lexie?”

  “No, sir. I’m Sam. I’m the temp. May I help you?”

  I ignore her asinine question. “The temp? Since when?”

  “Since this morning, sir. Is there someone I can call for you? Who are you here to see?”

  “Lexie. Where is she?”

  “Gone, sir.”

  “Gone?”

  “Yes. Gone.”

  Fuck! I yank the white envelope out of the red and tear it open. “Fucking Brodie.” Ripping open the tiny envelope from the yellow roses I stop and read.

  Dearest Lexie.

  Thank you for putting up with me all evening. I thoroughly enjoyed your company. I look forward to our dinner next month. I promise. Nothing ‘fancy’. Yours, Ken Griffin.

  Whoa, Lexie really knows who to befriend. But, I suspect Ken is like Pamela for her. She’s got no idea the kind of money Ken Griffin has and she probably doesn’t care. That makes her special and endearing to people like Ken and Pam. I quickly pull the card out of mine as well. I don’t want anyone else reading her Dear Lexie card. I march past Sam as she yells at me to ‘Stop! Sir!’.

  I spin back to face Sam. “Sam. I’m Gabriel Parker. I’m the boss. Are we good now?”

  “Oh, shoot. Yes, sir.”

  “Great.” As I pass Katya’s desk I make a mental note. She’s late. As usual. I toss the box on top of her desk. I’ll tell her where to send the coat later. When I get into my office, I pick up my phone and dial Cammy’s extension.

  “Yes, boss?”

  “Where is she?”

  “Who?”

  “You know damn well who I’m talking about. Where is she?”

  “Gone.”

  “Gone where?”

  “Away.”

  “Jesus. If you don’t spit it out, you’re fired.”

  “Wow, testy.” Sighing, she finally tells me. “She went home.”

  “Where’s home?”

  “Iowa.”

  I wait and hope she takes my silence as annoyance because that’s precisely what that means. When she says nothing more. “Where in Iowa?”

  “Northeastern Iowa.”

  “Fucking hell, Cammy. Tell me where she went.”

  “Home.”

  “Ahhhh,” I yell. “I hate my fucking life.”

  “Jesus, calm down. She went home. She had a thing.”

  “A thing.”

  “Yeah, a family thing.”

  “Are you going to tell me where she lives or do I need to contact human resources.”

  “Human resources. I promised her I wouldn’t tell you.”

  I breathe in and out to gather myself. “Tell me this. Is she coming back?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know if she’s coming back to Chicago?”

  “Oh, she’s coming back to Chicago.”

  I let out a sigh of relief until Cammy adds, “I just don’t think she’s coming back to P&A.”

  “She has to. She needs to give notice.”

  “Uh, well, not necessarily. Not if she’s already got a new job lined up.”

  “Does she? Does she have another job lined up?”

  “Possibly.”

  “With whom? Which firm?”

  “Gabriel. She swore me to secrecy.”

  “Just tell me who offered a job out from under me?”

  “Kenneth Griffin.”

  “Fuck. As what? His personal assistant?”

  “You know she’s got a marketing degree, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s all I’m saying. She’s going to kill me as it is.”

  I start to speak when I hear a scream from the outer office. I watch in horror as Katya strolls into my office wearing the fur coat. “Oh, Gabriel. It’s gorgeous. A little big for me but thank you so much. You’re so generous.”

  What the hell? “Uh, Katya?”

  “Gabriel?” asks Cammy. When I don’t answer, she tries again. “Gabriel?”

  “I’ve gotta go.” I hang up the phone and watch as Katya struts around my office in the seven-thousand-dollar mink coat with sable trim.

  “Katya?”

  “I read your note. Finally! I had a feeling you felt the same. Why did you tease me by dating that lazy cow, Lexie? I heard you fired her, thank God.”

  “Lazy cow?”

  She plops her bottom down onto one of my side chairs. “Yes. She did nothing. I was always giving her work to do to keep her from just sitting on her fat ass all day.”

  “Her fat ass all day?”

  “Yes. She was a terrible employee, Gabriel. Ooh, and her taste. Disgusting. From her old clothes from the 70s to that hideous Christmas party she organized. What was with those twinkling lights and those stupid paper snowflakes?”

  I liked her clothes. Wait? What?

  “She made those all by hand,” says Cammy from my doorway.

  “She did?”

  “She did. She used her own money to buy the materials. She cut each piece out one by one, so they were unique, like real snowflakes. Then she attached them all together, so they were three-dimensional. She also created the signature cocktail at the party, she moved all of the furniture by herself and hung every light, streamer, and decoration from the ceiling on the morning of the party by herself.”

  I turn to Katya. “I thought you did all that.”

  “Gabriel, darling. Like I’d design something that childish. Winter Wonderland? Please.”

  “I thought it was beautiful,” says Cammy as she approaches my desk.

  “I did too.”

  “Who ordered the sweaters?”

  “Oh, I did that. They were perfect, right?”

  “Except, she ordered Lexie’s without asking her the size or color she wanted.”

  “So, you ordered her that tiny pink sweater?”

  Katya scoffs. “She’s huge. They didn’t have her size, so I just went with it.”

  “Katya, you’re fired. Leave the mink when you go.”

  “Gabriel?” Katya squeaks. “You’re teasing, right, honey?”

  “No. See human resources on your way out. They’ve got a nice severance package. If you leave now and don’t cause a fuss, I’ll let you have that.”

  “But, you can’t. What cause?”

  “Internet porn.”

  I watch Katya’s face turn from beige to fuchsia in seconds. “How did you find out?”

  “Oh, security informed me about your little indiscretion a few weeks ago.”

  “But, it’s not illegal.”

  “It’s in the employee handbook. No watching porn on our servers.”

  She jumps up, “But you were having sex in the office.”

  “No. We were not.” I arch my brow. “So, it was you who sent that email?”

  “No.”

  Cammy nods. “Yes, she did. I checked with Shannon in IT. It came from Katya’s computer.”

  “Anyone could have…”

  “Katya, you’ve ten minutes to clear out your desk and get to H.R. or the severance package is off the table. Your time starts now.” I watch her run out the door. “And leave the coat!”

  I turn back to Cammy. “What else did I miss about Lexie?”

  Chapter 49

  Lexie

  The drive home took forever. Well, it seemed like it took forever because I spent six hours thinking about my life. My life before Chicago and my life after. My life before was filled with love and laughter thanks to my mom and dad. Before her accident, my dad was jovial and kind. He doted on mom and me. We knew we were the most important thing in his life.

  But, the night mom died, that all changed. My dad left. Not physic
ally. No, he’s still on the farm. He doesn’t work it anymore. He leases out his land and his equipment to other farmers now. His heart broke that night so it makes sense that he could no longer do the work that he and mom shared together.

  But, what replaced the job was alcohol. Dad wasn’t much of a drinker before it happened, but afterward, the only way he could get himself out of bed was to grab a beer. Beer changed to whiskey after about a month.

  That’s when I decided it’d be best if I moved. I had planned to move to Chicago as soon as I finished college, but I stuck around mainly because I loved farm life. Plus, many of my high school friends were still around. We used to hang out at the small-town bar, Von Tuck’s. We’d have BBQ’s at mom and dad’s in the summer. In the winter we’d snowmobile, and the rest of the time we’d farm.

  I loved it. Until she died. Then I think I was a little like my dad. My zest for the farm life went with her. When I told him I was moving, he hugged me and wished me well. Honestly, I think he was relieved. He spent most of the day in bed and at night, in front of the television with a remote in one hand and a bottle in the other.

  Since I’ve been gone, I’ve spoken to dad about once a month. He sounds a little bit better. He’s no longer drunk when he calls me, so that’s good. I hope it means he’s getting his life back together a little bit. This week is going to be hard on him. Hell. On both of us.

  As for my life after? What’s to say? It’s a hot, damn mess. I’ll have to sort all of it out when I get back. Until then, my focus is on home and family.

  Chapter 50

  Gabriel

  I pull up to the building at nine thirty in the evening. There are cars lined up and down the main street, but I find a spot only a block away. Stepping out of my car, I adjust my suit coat and button up the front. A gust of wind whips down the street tousles my hair. I need a haircut.

  Checking to make sure I’ve got my wallet, I stride to the front door. Loud music and raucous voices can be heard from the sidewalk. It must be quite a nice celebration. I still don’t know what she’s celebrating. A class reunion? An anniversary? Cammy wouldn’t tell me and I’m not sure why. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.