by Rita Sawyer
As promised she called Nicolette as she pulled up in front of her building. She left her stuff in her car and walked the six blocks to the gallery. A black town car pulled up just as she reached the door. The driver got out and opened the back door. Dressed all in red from her boots to her leather jacket Nicolette emerged from the car. She smiled at the driver and he tipped his hat.
“New man?” Rosie asked not recognizing this one.
“I was visiting Nana and she insisted her driver drop me off. I think she was aiming to do a little matchmaking.”
“He is cute.” Rosie might be hooked on Dade, but she could appreciate a little eye candy.
“I’m looking for something… more.” She opened the door and they both entered the gallery.
They exchanged cheery hellos with Monica and Francine the attendants. Nicolette led the way upstairs to her private office. It was also her work space. She walked over to an easel covered with a white sheet. Nicolette tugged it off and stood back letting Rosie get the full view. Rosie moved from right to left just a few feet getting different angles. Three little girls were tossing a ball and another was jumping in the spray from a sprinkler.
“Wow. It’s stunning.” Rosie stepped closer, and had to remind herself not to touch the canvas. “You really did go in a new direction. Where did you find the models?”
Nicolette picked up a small picture from beside the painting and handed it to her. Rosie read the info on the back and gasped. She looked back to the easel with awe. She knew her friend was a good artist, but she always found new ways to amaze her.
“That’s you and your sisters. It’s so… personal and beautiful. You always avoid anything like that so no one will find out that you’re N.B. Harriet.”
“I know, but I wanted to give it a try. If I ever decide to come out of the closet I can give this to my parents.”
“You can give it to them anyway, just tell them you had it commissioned.” Rosie would handle it all, because her parents deserved to have this.
“Maybe. Now tell me why you look so pale. Have you been holed up with Dade and not getting any sunshine?”
The damn tears she’d willed away earlier flooded her eyes, so she quickly turned away. “I’ve been getting plenty of sun. I just put on a little too much powder.”
Nicolette grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the desk and practically shoved her into the chair. “You only put too much powder on when you’ve been crying. What happened? Did he get angry because you were coming to spend the night with us? Should I call and give him a piece of my mind?”
“No. Listen I’m going to tell you everything.” From the way Nicolette pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly Rosie knew that she didn’t believe her. “Really I am. I just wanted to wait until Sophia and Tiffany were with us too so I only have to go over everything once.”
“Grab your stuff.” Nicolette pulled her cell phone from her pocket.
She called Sophia and Tiffany and told them to get to Rosie’s. Rosie let hurricane Nicolette run her course and did whatever she told her to. As they slowly walked to Rosie’s building Nicolette would pause now and then to look at something in one of the shops along the way. It gave Rosie too much time to think about what she was going to say. It wasn’t like she was going to hold anything back, with them she never did. She was going to tell them everything. Hopefully they would give her some ideas on how to deal with the whole crazy situation. Rosie just needed to decide where to start.
Rosie was relieved when they finally reached her place. They stopped at her car and grabbed her bags. It felt kind of bittersweet to be coming home without Dade. If this is how it felt to leave him for a few days how was it going to feel to leave him forever? She unlocked the door to her loft and let them in. By the time she had her laptop and folders unpacked Nicolette had pulled the cork from a bottle of wine and put it on the counter to breathe. She and Nicolette had just started talking about a few of the ideas Rosie had for the Gallery when Sophia and Tiffany showed up.
Sophia got right down to business. “What’s going on? We weren’t supposed to meet until four?”
“Rosie is having problems with Dade,” Nicolette said as she took Tiffany by the arm and went into the kitchen.
“If you’re having problems I’m guessing things have gotten serious.” Sophia sat down and leaned to the side as Tiffany put large wine glasses on the table.
Nicolette put one in front of her and Rosie and started to pour the deep red wine into all four glasses.
Once Nicolette and Tiffany were seated at the table Rosie said, “I found an envelope hidden in my uncle’s office. His plan was for me and Dade to fall for each other. Dade knew.”
“And he didn’t tell you?” Sophia shook her head. “Big mistake.”
“Did you give him hell?” Tiffany asked.
“Yeah, but now what do I do? I mean he sort of lied to me, but that’s not what’s got me so…” She waved her hands in the air in front of her unable to put how she felt into words.
“Do you love him?” Nicolette asked.
Rosie gave a little shrug of her shoulders. “I have strong feelings for him. I’m just not sure what they are yet.”
“Does he love you?” Sophia asked and Rosie shrugged again. “Has he said it?”
“Not exactly, but even though I was as riled as a wet kitten he asked if he could call me tonight. He said he wouldn’t be able to sleep without talking to me first. I think he might have just been trying to use that charm of his to get out of trouble.”
“There’s only one thing you can do. Nothing.” Nicolette sounded confident, but Rosie had no idea what she meant.
“Nothing?” Tiffany asked saving Rosie from doing it herself.
“Yeah. Nothing. If you’re not sure how you feel about him then do nothing until you are.” Nicolette had a point.
“Or until you’re sure how he feels about you,” Sophia added.
“Living with Dade for another eight weeks and not falling back into the easy routine we have is going to be really hard.” So hard Rosie wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold out.
“Yeah, giving up all that hot sex is going to be really rough. I guess you’ll need to make a decision and damn quick if you don’t want to spend what time you two have left at odds. There is an upside to this course of action. If it’s going to be hard on you just think how hard it’ll be for Dade. And I’m sure if you decide that you want to keep him that you could come up with a few ways to make it even harder.” Nicolette winked at her and Rosie groaned.
“If he loves you, and isn’t just trying to fulfill your uncle’s last wish, he won’t be able to hold out very long.” Tiffany could be right.
“We’re not saying ignore him completely, but it might not hurt to cool things down until one of you figures out how you feel,” Sophia explained. “You were probably thinking you were going to rush home in the morning. Well you’re wrong. You have forty-eight hours and you’re spending them with us.”
Nicolette added, “I’d say you’re not allowed to even think about him, but since we all know you’d do it anyway use the time to think about what it is that you like about Dade.”
“It might help you figure out what your feelings for him are before you make him confess his.” Tiffany picked up one of the folders and started flipping through the documents a sign that she was ready to get to work.
Rosie still had one lingering question. “Should I answer if Dade does call tonight?”
Her friends all looked at each other, but no one answered. Of course they would leave this choice up to her.
* * * *
A couple of hours after Rosie left Dade was feeling a little better, well his body was. The aches and pains were dull reminders that he’d made a careless mistake. One he’d like to say he would ever make again, but he wasn’t going to lie to himself. Just like he wasn’t going to lie to himself and pretend everything was going to be okay with Rosie. He’d messed up and knew better than to ex
pect her to forgive him right away.
She was right to feel like he’d broken her trust. He could’ve, and should have been honest with her right from the start. His excuse was lame. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t wanted to add any more pressure to what she was already under. Rosie might not have let things go the way they had if she’d had all the information he did. Or maybe she would have. Hell she might’ve taken it even further. There was no way to know what might have been. It didn’t matter because Dade couldn’t change things. All he could do now was try and make up for it somehow.
On the positive side everything he’d told her about himself and everything else was one hundred percent true. Whether or not she believed it would be up to her. And he hadn’t lied, he’d just left out something. Something that possibly could’ve been inconsequential if it hadn’t come out the way it did. Dade had to wonder if Grest hadn’t told her that Dade had known about Teddy’s plot would she have told him. Of course she would. The real question was how long would it have taken.
The phone rang and Dade groaned a little as he stretched to pick it up off the coffee table. “Hello.”
“Hey,” Nick said. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a jackass. Actually more like I’ve been kicked around by a couple.” He laughed, mostly because it was true.
“Well, I have some good news that should make you feel better.” Nick’s cheerfulness sure in hell didn’t.
“I’ll take any I can get.” With the way his luck was going Dade wasn’t kidding.
“The pups passed their physicals. They’re in perfect shape and have had their first set of shots.”
“Great.” Dade hadn’t really been worried, but it was still good to know they were healthy.
“Yeah, the thing is I was hoping you could wait to pick them up until Monday. Maybe while the boys are at school. You know give them the weekend to say goodbye and not be here when they leave.”
Dade totally understood where his buddy was coming from. “You sure you’re not just feeling sorry for me and giving me the weekend to recuperate?”
“Well, there is that, but no this is for the boys. Still dude you took a really hard hit. You kind of bounced as you rolled.” Nick’s concern was sort of negated by his laughter.
“That explains how I got bruises on both sides of my ass.” Dade joked not wanting Nick to start worrying about him later.
“You’re damn lucky all you got was bruises.”
“I know.” Dade had been thinking that since he’d flipped the ATV and Nick and Lyle had helped him to his feet.
“Good thing you’ve finally got a woman to take care of you.” His buddy would pick now to bring her up.
“Nah, she’s out of town for the night.” Unless she decided not to come back at all, which after the way she tore out of there she just might.
“Too bad, but I’m guessing it’s no big loss.” Nick couldn’t know how wrong he was, and Dade wasn’t going to tell him. “I mean it’s not like you’re up for anything more than lounging around tonight.”
“True. Hopefully by the time she gets home tomorrow I’ll be ready for something more.” Like groveling at her feet.
If she was still mad he’d be taking a risk of her stabbing him with the heel of her shoe. He’d get a better feel for the situation when he talked to her tonight.
“Good luck.” Nick laughed.
“Thanks.” Dade knew he was going to need it, and he hoped his luck would change before tomorrow. “I’ll give you a call Monday before I head over.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Dade finished the call and tossed the phone beside him on the couch. His gaze landed on the damn letter Teddy had left him. He was going to have to read it sooner or later. He wasn’t ready yet. It was only seven o’clock, which was too early to call Rosie, so he picked up the remote looking for a distraction. After going through over a hundred channels three times he pressed the button shutting the entire system off.
As he got to his feet he snatched the letter off the table. He stuck it in his back pocket as he headed for the kitchen. Maybe a snack would get his mind of Rosie for at least a couple of minutes.
The cookie jar on the counter was full of a variety of Rosie’s homemade cookies. There was a strawberry crème cake under the glass dome cake holder right beside it. Dade went for the fridge instead. He scanned the shelves and this time his groan had nothing to do with his accident. Each shelf was loaded with plastic containers full of leftovers, or things Rosie had prepared in advance to be tossed in the oven at any moment. Everything had labels that were facing front. Did she have to be so damned organized? It made him feel like a slacker.
He grabbed a beer and slammed the door. Rosie was everywhere in the house even when she wasn’t there. He went back to the living room, but paused in the archway. The small plush pillows and the comfy blanket on the couch were new additions thanks to her. He turned for the stairs planning on hiding in the solace of his room. Yet when he reached the top of the steps he turned to her bedroom.
The door was open so he walked in. He wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have gone in if the door had been closed. Again he was taken by her space. He’d expected pinks, ruffles, and lots of frills. Instead she had used cream and rust colors through the room. Her bed wasn’t made, but he knew that was her way. Right before she went to bed she would make it. It might be quirky, but she had said she couldn’t get comfortable if the sheets weren’t straight.
Dade walked over and picked up a picture of her and her friends. He sat on the edge of the bed and took a sip of his beer staring at the photo. The four of them were wearing similar red dresses that ended at their knees, which was as far as the picture went. Dade didn’t need it to go any lower to know Rosie was wearing a pair of those fucking shoes.
It was the only way she could be almost as tall as her friends. They were each holding some kind of award. Dade didn’t know what they were for, but after seeing how hard they had worked over the past few months he had no doubt that they had earned them. He took another sip from the bottle and dropped the frame on the bed beside him. This room like the rest of the house screamed Rosie was here.
Dade decided in that moment that if they didn’t end up together he would leave and let her have the house. Even if she only used it as a vacation home she belonged in it. He wasn’t going to live there and be reminded of her every moment of the day. He glanced over at the slightly open door of her closet. It was like a beacon calling to him. Unable to resist he put his bottle on the nightstand and walked over to it. He nudged the door open wider with his foot.
He knew it was big, but it turned out to be huge. He walked in and stood in the middle. He turned in a slow circle taking a long look at her stuff. Like the fridge and study it was completely organized. Everything had its place, including her shoes, all seventeen pairs of them. He ran his finger along the upper shelf that had dozens of boxes lined up on it. Dade was tempted to pull one down and peek inside. It would be an invasion of her privacy and he was in enough trouble as it was. So Dade did the right thing and got the hell out of there.
He stopped by the bed and pick up the picture and his beer. Dade put the frame back the dresser instead of leaving as he planned he reached for a much smaller frame. He guessed it was three by five inches, and the other was at least eight by ten inches. He hadn’t noticed this one earlier. It was a picture of him and Rosie, a recent one maybe two weeks ago. He didn’t remember her snapping the picture, but he remembered what they been doing as if it just happened.
They were sitting on the couch watching a movie. She was texting with Sophia and kept laughing. He asked why and she wouldn’t tell him, so he tried to take the phone. They ended up in a wrestling match for it, which turned into something else all together. Sometime during their playful struggle she must have snapped the picture. At least she’d have a memento of their time together, if she didn’t throw it away.
He took the photograph with him to his office. Careful not to da
mage it in any way he took it from the frame and put it in his scanner. He dug through the drawer beside it and found a sheet of photo paper. A few minutes later he had the picture printed and tucked in his top desk drawer. He went back down the hall to her room and put the original back in its spot on her dresser. Not caring anymore what time it was he dialed her cell phone number and waited for her to answer.
“Hello.” The voice on the other end was unfamiliar, and he supposed he was lucky it was female.
“Hi, is Rosie there?”
“Is that whose phone this is?” The person laughed and shouted, “Rosie there’s a really hot sounding guy on the phone asking for you.”
Dade heard lots of laughter. And it seemed like her phone was passed from person to person before it finally reached her.
“Hello.” She sounded breathless, but cheery.
“It’s me.” He waited to see if she’d recognize his voice, and if she’d hang up on him.
“Hi.” She giggled then in a soft tone close to a whisper she said, “I wasn’t expecting you to call until later.”
“I figured that. I know you probably can’t talk right now, but I wanted to hear your voice.” Not knowing what to say next he took a deep breath. “The house is empty without you.”
“You’re sitting around the house alone on a Friday night?” She sounded surprised.
She wouldn’t be if he told her what happened, but he wasn’t doing that. Playing on her sympathy wasn’t the way he wanted to get her back. She’d find out soon enough. Besides even if he wasn’t hurt he wouldn’t have gone out tonight.
“After the way you left I didn’t feel like going out.” It was true.
“Dade.” He didn’t like the tone of her voice when she said his name like that.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to make you mad again. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I’ve thought about what you said and you were right I should’ve told you what Teddy was up to. I’ll let you get back to your friends.”