Olga smiled a little. At least he sounded like he was in good spirits and he was at work. Deciding to take that as a good sign, she wrapped her banana peel in a napkin and tossed it in the garbage on her way out of the cafeteria and up to her first real challenge since she crossed the pond -- facing the powers that be and showing them that she'd been worth the cost of bringing her over.
She realized her hands were shaking and wished she had a stiff drink to steady her nerves. So much was riding on this. Yes, she could get her old job back since no one blamed her for the tragedy. No one but her, that is. But she didn't want to go back to Texas. It was a huge state but not quite big enough to hold her guilt.
*****
Gabe went in to work at the radio station on Monday feeling pretty good. He'd almost forgotten the altercation with his father. Almost. It wasn't that hard to put it out of his mind since the discussion was typical of every conversation they'd had since he was old enough to talk and express his own opinion. He didn't even know why his parents decided to have children. If they wanted to control something, they could've stuck with the dogs.
Getting Olga out of his mind was harder. She somehow had gotten under his skin in the little bit of time he'd known her. He didn't get it since he'd kept his heart closed since Julie walked out. How did this American woman weasel her way in so fast?
He stopped at the break room on his way to the control booth to grab a cup of coffee. The stuff was so nasty it would grow hair if left in the cup long enough but Gabe didn't intend to let that happen. He needed the caffeine hit and needed it badly. He poured the liquid into the cup and tilted to his lips.
"Morning, Gabe. How're you doing? Hell of a thing on the telly last night."
"I'm okay. You're not going to fire me, are you?"
Gabe's boss clapped him on the back. "No such luck. Your notoriety just pulls in more numbers." The man laughed. "Unless you did it, of course, then I'm afraid I'd have to let you go since I don't think I could get the prison system to let me set up a studio in the canteen."
"Mr. Hamilton, that's not funny."
"I know. I only wanted to make you feel better. I can't believe they think you may have something to do with anything so terrible. You're a hero who saves lives, not a monster who takes them."
"I don't know about the hero part, but I do know why the media wants to tear me down. It's a byproduct of our society. There's a hankering for people to fall once they've been put on a pedestal, even if they didn't want to be up there in the first place."
"Sorry about that, old man. I know you'd rather still be fighting fires."
"Actually, no, I wouldn't. I love this job. My first memories are of music and to actually have a career where I can spin records is ideal for me."
"Glad to hear it, mate, because I believe it's time for Angela to come off duty and you're up. Go make history."
Gabe laughed. "How about I just go make some people happy?"
"That works."
Gabe headed down the hallway to the control booth, determined to get both his father and Olga Quinn out of his head for good.
Chapter Eleven
"Pour in liquor and draw out the secret."
Indian Proverb
Feeling so good she thought she might fly to the moon on her own without the necessity for a space ship, Olga left work at five thirty. She didn't want to go home and be alone so she tried to call Gina. No answer. Maybe she was still mad from the morning's conversation, or the lack of conversation, that is.
Olga wanted to skip down the street. She hadn't realized how much she'd lost confidence in herself and her scientific skills until she had to stand in front of some of the smartest people in Great Britain and explain her additions to the shuttle design. Her knees knocked and she knew that the people in the room had to be able to hear the sound.
Surprisingly, the innovations she'd come up with went over well and everyone was enthusiastic about them. Too bad no one wanted to celebrate at dinner.
Olga got almost to her tube station to catch the train back to her flat, but backtracked to the closest grocery and went in. She'd made up her mind about what to do that night.
She went down the liquor aisle and picked up some Green Goblin cider. Determined to face Gabriel after the scene from the evening before, she decided to go with a gift in hand and, since that was what he'd served her, she knew he'd like it. Let's hope he likes what I have to say.
Cider in hand, she got on the Jubilee line of the tube to Gabe's side of the Thames. The closer the train moved toward Waterloo Station, the more her nerves threatened to overtake her. She couldn't decide whether to go home and ingest all the cider herself or continue on to Gabe's place and possible humiliation.
When the train pulled into the station, she made her decision. Just a few blocks' walk and she'd have an answer. What the heck, I may as well put myself out there. What's the worst that could happen?
She juggled the cardboard container of bottles as she made her way up the stairs to the exit. Good thing it was a short walk to Gabe's flat. She didn't know how long she could carry the things. Who knew four glass containers could get so heavy so fast?
Olga climbed the stairs to the walkway to the correct door. She moved the package to one arm and knocked. She stood for a few minutes and knocked again.
Giving up on an answer, she put the bottles down and dug around in her handbag for a pen and her notepad. She'd have to leave a note. Darn. That was not the way she wanted to play this.
She looked up from her purse when the door opened. She almost dropped it at the sight in front of her. She knew her tongue was probably hanging out of her mouth. Good thing the man in front of her couldn't see her reaction. A hysterical giggle bubbled to the surface and she tried to recover before it burst out of her mouth.
Wow. Just wow. Gabriel Swicord may look nice in a tee shirt and jeans, and he may look handsome in a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to expose his toned forearms, but he was absolutely stunning in a pair of sweats and no shirt with a towel rolled across his shoulders. He still wore the sunglasses she'd always seen him in. She thought that was odd since he was home alone but didn't want to ask him about them.
Olga was struck dumb at the sight. He was gorgeous.
"Hello?" Gabriel said. "What are you doing here, Olga? Did you forget something yesterday?"
"You could say that." She picked up the four-pack of cider.
Gabe stepped back and indicated the entrance to his flat. "Then come on in and get it and then be on your way."
She went past him to the living room and set the ciders down on the table.
"What was that?" He leaned toward the table and seemed to be looking at what she put there.
"It's a four-pack of Green Goblin cider. I wanted to bring--"
"What? What did you want to bring, Olga? I thought you said you forgot something." Gabe wiped the sweat off his chest and flat stomach with the small towel.
Dear God, his chest. What had he been doing to get so sweaty? And what did he just say?
"What's wrong with you? You're standing there mute."
"Sorry. What did you ask me?" She shook her head to clear it.
"Which time?" His sigh sounded exasperated.
"I'm sorry. I'm confused. I don't know what you want to know."
"Let me spell it out for you since you seem to have lost your senses. I want to know why you came here. Why you lied at my front door right now and said you forgot something. Why you brought cider to my flat. Now, do you think you can answer all of the above or even any of the above?"
"Oh. Yeah. I can."
Gabe leaned on one shoulder against the wall next to the television armoire. "Okay, then. Which one?"
"All of them. I lied at your front door so I could get in since it didn't seem to me that you were happy I was here. I brought cider as a peace offering. I came here to tell you that I'm sorry about yesterday and that I want to start over with a clean slate with you."
He tos
sed the towel to the floor. "Why?"
"Because I like you. I think you're a nice guy and I've been beating myself up ever since I left here yesterday."
"Thanks for taking the time to come and apologize. It means a lot to me." He turned back toward the entry hall. "I'm in the middle of my workout now, so if you'll excuse me, I'll show you out."
"Gabe," she called out to him, embarrassed at the way her voice cracked.
He faced her. "Olga?'
Tears fell down her face. She rubbed her cheeks with the heels of her hands and her purse strap slid off her shoulder.
"Are you all right?" Gabe strode toward her and put his right hand on her waist. "I can hear you sniffling. What's the matter?"
"You're being so cold and distant. I came here to try to start over with our friendship and you're blowing me off. I don't understand."
"Come, sit down a minute." He took her by the elbow and led her over to the couch. "Tell me what has you so upset?"
"I thought you'd understand and we'd be like we were before, like it was at the museum. You know, friendly and nice. I thought an apology would be enough. I've never had anyone not accept a heartfelt apology from me before." She sobbed and put her head in her hands. "This must be some British thing. In Texas, if you tell someone you're sorry, things get better. I've never been thrown out of anybody's house as many times as I've been thrown out of yours."
Gabe patted Olga on the back as she cried. Finally, when she stopped, he said, "I'm sorry for that. I've been hurt by people many times since my injury and I probably over-react when I think it's going to happen again. I keep putting up walls to stop these things occurring."
He placed his index finger under her chin and lifted her face to eye level with his. "Let's both say we're sorry and start over. I'm sorry for the way I treated you and for causing you this pain. From here on in, we have a clean slate. Okay?"
She nodded. "Okay. It's a deal."
"Now, I really was in the middle of a workout. Do you want to come upstairs with me while I finish or maybe watch some telly? Then, when I'm done, maybe we can grab some dinner?"
"That would be great."
"Which one?"
"Both, all."
"I mean, do you want to watch a program on the telly or do you want to come upstairs while I finish my workout?" Gabe laughed.
"I'll come upstairs. If I leave you alone, you may change your mind about the whole thing."
Gabe ran his hand across the side of her face and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Nope. You won't get rid of me so easily again."
"Come on, then. Let's go upstairs." He stood and grabbed her hand
Chapter Twelve
"The eyes are the mirror of the soul"
Philippine Proverb
Up the stairs straight ahead was one room and to the left were two other rooms. Gabe and led Olga to the left and the one facing the inner courtyard of the complex of flats. When she stepped over the threshold, she gasped. "Wow. A dance studio? I didn't know you were a dancer."
"I'm not anymore. I still like it as a workout but I don't consider myself a dancer per se."
"Show me how you use dancing as an exercise program. That may be something I could do even though I have no rhythm." She leaned on the wall and encouraged him. "Come on. Let's see what ya got."
Gabe turned on the MP3 player on a small table in the corner. Classical music came from the speaker that the player was situated on. Gabe moved in time to the beat and soon lost himself in the song. He moved all around the space and forgot he even had an audience.
At the final jeté, Gabriel landed lightly on his feet in front of the mirror. Clapping startled him out of the trance he always went into when he moved to music.
"That was wonderful. I loved it. You're good enough to be a professional. Have you ever thought about a career in the ballet?"
"Yeah. I thought about it." A barked laugh escaped his lips.
"Couldn't you still do it? I mean, really, as long as you knew where everything was on stage, you could maneuver around the props and other dancers, couldn't you?"
Gabe picked up a towel from the bottom shelf of the same table where the MP3 player sat. He wiped the sweat off his chest. "I need to grab a shower and then we'll go out for something to eat."
"But what about my question about dancing?"
"Forget it. Bad idea." He walked past her and into the hall.
Olga trailed behind him. "I'll wait downstairs for you to shower. What kind of food were you thinking we'd get?"
"I like anything. Sushi?"
"Sounds good to me."
Gabe heard her move down the stairs. He entered his bedroom, grabbed his clothes from his closet that the woman he paid to do his laundry kept in strict order so he'd know what he was putting on, and went down to the only bathroom in the flat. It was one of the only things that bugged him about his home. The lack of facilities upstairs was sometimes a pain.
He showered in a hurry so he could get back to Olga. He muttered to himself under his breath as he lathered the soap into his hair. "Why the hell did I let her see me in the studio? I vowed to never let anyone in there again. What's wrong with me?"
He toweled off and dressed. He opened the door and called down the hall to the living room. "Ready to go?"
"Sure. Let's move. I'm starving." Olga came over and put her arm through his. "Where to?"
"There's a great place right around the corner."
When they were seated and had placed their orders, Olga leaned across and took Gabe's hands that he'd folded on the tabletop. "Tell me about the dancing. You had to have taken classes for years. You're so good. I've long been a fan of ballet and you're better than many of the men I've seen on stage."
"I did take lessons for many years. I started because mum would take my older sister three times a week and I would mimic the dancers. When I was five, one of the ballet mistresses noticed me and told my mother that she needed to sign me up since I had a gift. Mum decided that would be perfect because then she'd have three hours, three days a week, to do what she wanted to do."
"Surely your mother didn't see it that way."
"Yeah, she did. She had many affairs over the years. Believe me, I know. Of course, when you're married to the controlling man that is my father, I think that gives you a legitimate excuse to be unfaithful."
"You don't mean that."
"Sure I do. The man is a menace. My mum used to be a nice lady. At least, I think I remember her as nice." He pushed his hair back out of his face.
"Hey, not to change the subject, but do you always do your dance workout with your glasses on?"
"What made that come to mind?"
"When you moved your hair out of your face, it reminded me that you left on the dark glasses even while you were sweating up a storm. That had to be uncomfortable. The glasses slipping down your nose, I mean."
"Don't be silly. Lots of people dance who wear glasses. Regular old glasses that they need to see with."
"I have a feeling that you left yours on because you had an audience. Am I right?" Olga let go of his hands and the waiter placed their plates on the table.
"You're right. I left them on because you were there." Gabe picked up his fork.
"What's behind there that you're hiding? I know you were injured in a fire, but what's so awful that you're afraid of someone seeing?"
"I really don't know how it looks, obviously. I know how it feels. The scar tissue, that is."
"Will you let me see it?"
"I don't think so." He smiled. "I don't know why you'd want to, anyway. I've heard it's pretty hideous."
"Who told you such a thing?"
"Never mind." He shook his head and dug into his eel. "Let's eat."
After a few minutes of silent chewing. Olga said, "I don't see how we're going to manage it, Gabe. I really don't know how well it's going to work with the dark glasses."
He swallowed the bite he was chewing and took a swig of his tea. "What are you talking
about? Manage what?"
"I'm curious how we're going to manage making love with you with those glasses on. I mean, really, how can I be expected to--"
He choked on the next sip of his drink. "What?"
He heard the smile in her voice as she said, "It's not a rhetorical question. I really don't think it would be good if I couldn't run my hands through your hair without being afraid of knocking the glasses off, and if there's one thing I've wanted to do since the minute I met you it's to get my hands on all that hair on your head since I like a man who needs a haircut."
"You're serious?" Is she kidding or does she really mean it? Dear God, did the woman just proposition me?
"Of course I'm serious, I really like a man with some scruff."
Gabe stood and jerked his wallet out of his back pocket. He dug out some bills and tossed them on the table. He reached out to place a hand on Olga's shoulder.
"I take it we're leaving?" Olga put her hand on his and tapped twice
"You betcha and you better not be teasing me."
She pushed her chair back and got up. She reached behind him and swatted his rear. "No teasing. This time, I won't be going home until time to get ready for work tomorrow."
"Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"You didn't ask."
He grabbed her hand and she led the way out of the sushi restaurant and back down the block to his flat.
*****
Olga waited while Gabe unlocked his front door. She was surprised at how his hand shook. Maybe he was as nervous as she was. She'd never been so bold in her life. What came over her in that restaurant? It was like something had possessed her. He looked so sexy sitting there eating his dinner that she couldn't help herself.
As soon as the door was open, Gabe grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his flat. He didn't stop to remove the key from the lock. He pushed her up against the wall and kissed the side of her neck. He rained kisses on the carotid artery and she knew her heart rate was so fast that he couldn't help but feel it through her shirt.
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