by B J Phillips
“Hmm, I’d bet you ten bucks that Andi’s spending at least part of Christmas with her, since they’re so close. Especially Christmas Day. What do you think?” Shawn said.
“Are you thinking I should call Elise and wish her a Merry Christmas and see if she says anything about Andi?” Kelly looked pointedly at Shawn. When Shawn grinned, Kelly did, too. “Well, I should have, anyway, so there’s nothing strange about that. Good idea, there, Shawn. In fact, that’s a great idea.”
“Sometimes I have a good one.”
“Yeah, once in a while. I should shove off, then.” Kelly stood up and whistled for Piper, who lazily began stretching. “I’ll give Elise a call this evening,” Kelly said. “Thanks again for inviting me over for dinner. You made my Christmas much nicer.”
“And you made ours perfect. Thanks for coming.” Carrie hugged Kelly. “You know we love you.”
“Yeah, and I love you guys, too.” Kelly reached for the door, Piper fast on her heels. “You know, this time two years ago you were barely engaged. Now here you are an old married couple.” She laughed. “Merry Christmas you two. Here’s to many more wonderful Christmases together.”
Kelly opened the Durango door and Piper jumped in and hopped onto the passenger seat. Kelly paused a second before turning the key to start it. She could’ve sworn she heard someone say her name just then. And she could have sworn it was Andi.
***
As soon as Kelly got home, she plopped down on the sofa and dialed Elise before she could chicken out. In two rings, Elise answered.
“Merry Christmas, Kelly! What a delightful surprise.” Elise’s cheery voice on the other end made her relax immediately.
“And Merry Christmas to you, too. I wanted to call and wish you the same. I saw all the snow there in New York on the news and thought of you. I assume you’re all warm and cozy holed up in your apartment during the storm.”
“Thanks for thinking of me. And yes, I’m all warm and cozy here. I have a lovely fire in the fireplace, too. Did you have a good Christmas?”
“Oh, yes. I just got back from a great dinner with my friends Shawn and Carrie. They’re the ones I took Andi to meet while she was here. Anyway, we had a great time and I ate too many Christmas cookies. How about you? Did you have a nice Christmas, too?”
“Yes, I did. Andi was here, as usual. In fact, she left only a few minutes ago.”
“That’s nice. I’m sure you had a wonderful day together. How is she, by the way?” Kelly hoped she slid that question in casually.
“She’s fine. Working hard at the gallery and all. She’s got a lot on her plate right now, so she’s staying busy. How about you? Are you staying out of trouble?” Elise laughed.
“Oh, yeah, you know me. I rescue the damsels. I don’t get into trouble myself. At least not much…” Kelly laughed. “Well, I don’t want to keep you. I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas. Oh, and if you need help with all those books and things after you get them down here, let me know. I’ll be glad to help. I’m great at grunt work.”
“Well, thanks! I might take you up on that…Kelly—”
“I better go. Listen, when you see Andi again, tell her I said hi. Be sure to let me know if you need help with the books and all. Merry Christmas!”
Kelly hung up before Elise could say anything else. From the tone of Elise’s voice, Kelly figured she didn’t want to hear what was coming next about Andi.
Chapter Twenty-one
VALENTINE’S DAY HAD COME and gone. Spring was on its way in southwest Florida, meaning the rainy season was around the corner. For now, the skies were blue, the birds were singing, it was warm during the day, and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind why so many snowbirds were still there and wouldn’t leave till the beginning of May.
Yesterday, Elise had called Kelly to ask for help unpacking and invite her to stay for lunch. There were boxes filled with books, all needing a home on the shelves. Kelly had agreed and now she was once again turning into Elise’s driveway.
There was another car in the circular driveway. Elise hadn’t mentioned anyone else being there. Perhaps she had recruited another friend to help unpack the boxes. She pulled into place beside the cute little red Subaru Crosstrek.
She knocked on the front door. While she waited for someone to answer, she looked back at the driveway to check out the car again. As the door opened, she looked back. It was not Elise standing there, it was Andi. Her hair was longer and sat on her shoulders in waves. Other than that, she looked exactly as Kelly remembered. Kelly’s mouth started to go dry as her stomach rolled over. Although her legs prepared to make a U turn, run to the car, and leave, her feet betrayed her by keeping her rooted to the spot. Seconds ticked by as they locked eyes. Kelly forced herself to glance back toward the driveway, breaking their eye contact, as she took a breath. “I’m here to help Elise with her books.”
Andi waved Kelly into the house. “Hi, Kelly. Aunt Elise is in her office. You know where that is, so I’ll let you show yourself back. I’ll be in in a few minutes. Can I get you something to drink? We have Pepsi, iced tea, and ice water.”
“Thanks, a Pepsi would be great.” Kelly followed her into the kitchen. “How’ve you been?”
“Fine, and you?” Andi asked as she handed Kelly the bottle of soda and placed a second one on the counter.
“I’m good. Well, I’ll go see what Elise is up to, then.” Kelly twisted off the cap and lifted the soda bottle in salute. “Thanks.”
***
Andi watched Kelly’s back as she walked down the hall toward Elise’s office. She hadn’t realized how seeing Kelly again would make her feel. The minute she saw her standing in the doorway, she was so glad to see her she wanted to throw her arms around her and hug her close. She couldn’t, not after all those months of nothing. She forced herself to remain motionless. She’d have been devastated if Kelly pushed her away. Her throat had nearly closed and she had a hard time even saying hello to her without it coming out as a squeak. Instead, she fell back to sounding business-like, which might not have been such a good idea.
Kelly’s cool attitude toward her was all her own fault. Deep down inside, she knew it. What if Kelly doesn’t care for me anymore? Leaving like I did could’ve killed whatever we might’ve had. If so, I can’t blame her. That’s all on me. Or I could’ve been wrong about the whole thing and she was just being nice to me. Now that my divorce is final and I can pursue my life as I choose, I know I want Kelly. It’s time to find out if she wants me.
She stared at her hands again, realizing she was clutching the Pepsi bottle like a lifeline. She knew she had to talk to Kelly. Placing the bottle on the counter, she rubbed her hands together, as if to warm them. What if Kelly doesn’t want to talk to me? What if she has decided the poor little rich girl could just go…? Well, that wasn’t a nice thought, but I must face the possibility that it could be exactly that.
Lunch was almost ready. Andi picked up her soda bottle again and took a sip as she wandered down the hall to Elise’s office. As she walked through the door, she could see how animated Kelly was, talking to Elise about building the bookcases. Her aunt was equally animated, clearly excited about how great her office looked now, as they placed Elise’s books and other things on the shelves. Even as they opened the boxes, Elise was practically dancing around.
“You know, it looks even nicer in here than I’d originally envisioned it. I have no idea how you come up with your designs for things. All I can say is that you’re a genius.” Elise opened another box of books.
Kelly was blushing. Andi smiled, finding that quite endearing.
“Thanks,” Kelly said. “I enjoy the design part of making things almost as much as the building part. It’s great to see someone enjoy what I make as much as I enjoyed making it. I hope you continue to be happy with them for a long time.”
“Oh, believe me, I will. I’ve already called Gladstone to tell Carrie I’m glad they sent you to me.”
Quietly, Andi said
, “I am, too.”
“Thanks,” Kelly said, keeping her eyes on Elise. “It was my pleasure. I’ve made a new friend as well, Elise. You’re an easy person to work for.”
Andi watched this and realized Kelly was not referring to her. In fact, she seemed to be ignoring her. She hid the tears that began to sting her eyes by taking a sip from her soda again. She decided the next thing to do was to finish making their meal. Lunch she was good at, so she would go back to the kitchen and finish making it, then get through the rest of Kelly’s visit the best she could.
She watched Kelly and her aunt chatting away like old buddies, with Elise showing Kelly the various awards she had received over the years and some of her favorite books as they placed the treasured items on the shelves. Kelly appeared to be genuinely interested, not simply humoring her. Andi knew in her heart that Kelly was as sweet as she seemed. None of it was an act. She was herself all the time. So why was Andi feeling shut out of the conversation? It was her. She’d done it to herself. She had shut herself out by sitting there like a lump.
“So, is anyone getting hungry?” Andi asked them.
“I sure am. Another half hour and I think we’ll be ready,” Elise said.
“Great. Give me about ten minutes heads-up to finish everything, then come on out to the lanai.” Andi headed down the hall to the kitchen. As she told herself before, lunch she could do.
***
They had a pleasant meal with ordinary chitchat during which Andi’s whereabouts for the last few months wasn’t mentioned. The conversation stayed on topics of Elise’s office, her bookcases, and the weather, of course. Everyone in Florida talks about the weather. As the conversation waned, Kelly stood, thanked the women for lunch and prepared to leave.
“Thanks again for coming and putting things up on the high shelves for me. I’m not extremely fond of ladders.” Elise gave Kelly a hug, leaving one arm around her as she waved the other one to include the whole office. “This is marvelous! I’m literally ecstatic about how my office looks now. I’m going to love working in there all the time.”
“Does that mean you’re planning to move here shortly?” Kelly asked.
“It’s definitely in the works. I merely have to execute the plan,” Elise said, grinning at Kelly. “I’m sure now it won’t be long. It helps a lot knowing I have this lovely office to work in, with all my things here. Those bookcases made all the difference in the world.”
“I’m glad I could make that happen for you. It was a great project.”
Andi hung back, watching. “Thanks for coming to lunch.”
“Thanks for making such a delicious meal and inviting me.” Kelly made every effort to avoid looking directly at Andi for more than a brief glance. Trying not to run, she quickly got into the Durango and wasted no time starting the engine and leaving.
Kelly realized that she’d been almost holding her breath since she saw Andi at the front door. As she pulled out of Elise’s driveway, she let out a long sigh and shook her head. Andi could still do it to her, simply by standing there. Yep, she still had a thing for Andi. Unfortunately, it seemed abundantly clear Andi didn’t feel the same about her.
As she drove, she thought back to the fun evenings having pie and coffee, the dinner with Shawn and Carrie, and the kiss on the beach. Maybe that was only Andi having fun. She couldn’t go on caring for and being around Andi. Today, she’d clearly demonstrated that she no longer cared about her. For her own good, it was finally time to cut the ties. The next time Elise invited her for lunch, she’d make sure Andi wouldn’t be there. At least that’s the plan right now.
***
As Kelly reached the end of Elise’s driveway and turned onto the street, Andi made a sudden decision to run out and flag her down to talk to her. Kelly apparently didn’t see her, though, and drove away. Andi felt the tears begin to sting her eyes again as she ran back into the house, past Elise standing by the door with her mouth open, and straight to her room. She threw the door shut, sat down on her bed, then lay on her stomach and began sobbing her heart out into her pillow.
She felt silly and heartsick at the same time. I’m acting like some brokenhearted teenager, heartsick that Kelly might never care for me again. Despite how foolish she felt, she let herself sob into her pillow until she gave herself a headache.
Chapter Twenty-two
ANDI HEARD HER AUNT knock softly on her bedroom door before opening it.
“Oh, sweetie, is there anything I can do?” Elise sat on the bed beside her and stroked her back softly. “I feel awful for you.”
“It’s all my fault.” Andi sat up and reached for a tissue to dry her reddened eyes. “I shouldn’t have cut her out of what was going on. I should’ve trusted her and told her how I was feeling about her and why I had to go back.”
“Maybe it isn’t too late. Unless I’m mistaken, Kelly still cares about you. I saw how she looked as you walked into the room. I definitely saw something there. She might’ve acted like she did because you hurt her feelings. Think about how long it’s been since you had contact with her.”
“I did what I thought I had to,” Andi said, wiping her eyes. “At my age, you’d think I’d know better. I feel like I’m back in junior high or something, instead of being old enough to have kids in junior high. Good grief.”
Elise laughed softly. “I think everyone acts like a teenager when love’s involved. I still say it might not be too late. If you really care for Kelly, you should call her, go see her if she’s willing, and explain the whole thing.”
“I’m not sure I should do that. I don’t only want Kelly as a friend again. I want to see if we have a chance for more than that. I’m not looking for pity for the poor girl who was going through a breakup. That night at Shawn and Carrie’s, I saw what a wonderful relationship they have and I realized I want that. I knew then that I could have that with Kelly if I gave it a chance. Thanks to what I did, it might not be possible anymore.”
“There’s only one way to know…call her. What’s the worst thing that could happen? You can’t be any worse off or more miserable than you are right now, right?”
Andi looked at her. “That’s probably true.”
“Call Kelly and talk to her. She’s not a mean person, so she’ll probably agree to hear your side of the story. And once you get a chance to explain it all to her, she might accept your apology for your lack of communication. I’m assuming you are planning to apologize, right?”
“Of course, I am. I owe her that much. The way things were today, though, I doubt she’s ready to listen to an apology from me. She seemed like she was in a big hurry to get away after lunch.”
“I have a feeling she’ll listen, at least. If given a chance you two could start over again on a different footing. This time you’re both single and it’s a whole new ball game.”
“Aunt Elise, you always know what to say. You’ve been right there every time anything happened to me my whole life.” Andi sighed. “And here I am, pushing forty hard, and you’re still there saying the right things. What would I do without you?”
“I already told you that I plan to live forever, right?” Elise laughed and wrapped her arms around Andi even tighter. “I’d love to see you with a partner you love and who loves you in return like you deserve. I think Kelly could be that someone, if you let her.”
Chapter Twenty-three
KELLY’S PHONE RANG. SEEING Andi’s number in the display window made her stomach clench, so she let it go to voicemail. Less than a minute later, the message notification dinged. She debated whether to listen to it or delete it. She decided to listen.
Andi’s voice was almost a whisper. “Hi Kelly. We didn’t get a chance to talk today and I’d like to explain to you what’s been going on. I’d also like to ask you to forgive me for being a bit of an idiot. No, I was a complete idiot for not even saying goodbye before I left last year. Please call me.”
Kelly listened to the message twice. She couldn’t believe this. What could A
ndi possibly want from me now? She hit the delete button on the message and tossed the phone onto the sofa table. She sat there for a few minutes, staring into space. Should I call her back? Maybe I should face her and put an end to it all. Or what if Andi does have an explanation worth hearing? As she reached for her phone to punch in Andi’s number, her phone rang again. It was Andi, again. She picked up.
“Kelly, I’d like to talk to you in person. I need to explain some things to you and we didn’t get any time to talk while you were here today.”
“That’s okay. There isn’t much to say. After all, we haven’t talked in months. You’ve been busy, I’ve been busy. I don’t think there’s much to talk about.”
“That’s not all. There’s more. Can we have coffee somewhere and talk for a bit so I can tell you about it in person…like we used to?”
“Look, there really isn’t—”
“Please,” Andi pleaded.
A deafening silence hung between them until Kelly sighed. “Look, I don’t know what you want from me. Things have changed and it’s not the same now.”
“I know it isn’t. I also know it’s all my fault. If you don’t want to see me again after we talk, well, I’ll understand and accept that. Please, can I just have a few minutes of your time?”
“All right. Why don’t you come over here? We can have coffee while you talk and I listen.”
“When?”
“How about now?”
“Now? Okay, give me a few minutes and I’ll be right over. Thank you.”
As Kelly spooned coffee into the coffeemaker she shook her head, wondering what in the world Andi could possibly have to say to her. She steeled herself for what could be coming. Andi could have gone back to her ex and wants to explain that to me in person. Or she realized that a relationship is out of the question and wants us to be friends. Or…what? Who knows? Maybe having Andi come here wasn’t such a great idea. Meeting on my own turf where we could talk in private seemed like a good idea as I said it. I hope that wasn’t a mistake. The only thing I can do to protect myself is to keep my distance, both physically and emotionally. The table in the kitchen nook will take care of the physical part. The emotional part will be a lot harder.