As he closed the door in her face her only thought was incredulous! Shocked to the core, Grace returned to the street below and shrank into the driver’s seat of her car. She stared for a moment at the window on the second floor where he lived. No longer alone, he entertained someone- perhaps a new girlfriend? They were wining and dining and she had interrupted at an inconvenient moment. His words, not hers and all she could recall as well were the look of wide eyes as he went back inside- to her!
“Ok, fine! I don’t need him,” she fumed and turned the ignition. She secured the small pot of hot chicken soup into a box on the passenger seat. Then Grace peeled out of the parking lot and headed to her own apartment five miles down the road. Her thoughts raced in her head. She could feel the flush of heat upon her cheeks. How dare her best friend, Eve, of the cosmetic display, prepare her to look good, only to be turned down this way? How dare Eve suggest that she check in on Brad to see if he felt better from the flu? He even didn't take the soup!
Didn’t Eve realize that ever since their initial conversation two weeks back in the elevator, when he told her that he really liked her, that he’d been on her mind over and over again? No, Eve did realize and only tried to help. It might have worked if Brad was not with that other woman. He might have appreciated the kind effort and the knockout way she appeared. Things might have developed along, enough for Brad to ask her out on a first date.
After Grace returned home, she tried to settle down to sleep. She tried not to think about returning to work at Macy’s the next day and possibly see him across the aisle.
"He probably thinks I’m desperate for a date," Grace sighed, "Perhaps he might sale me a tie so I can go hang myself in the ladies room."
The next morning, as the employees gathered behind their respective counters, she noted Brad come up the aisle, with an elderly woman on his arm, dressed divine in expensive attire. As they arrive to the mens section, she kissed him on the cheek.
“I’m going to the jewelry section to find your father a new watch and then I’m joining your aunt for late breakfast across the street. She plans to show me around New York since you are still on the mend. It won’t be the same without you, but I know you must work. Thanks again for a terrific birthday dinner last night. It was a feast and I loved just sharing it with you alone.”
“I’m glad. It meant everything to share time alone with you too. I’ll catch up with you later, Mom,” he smiled and watched her go to a different part of the store. Next, he looked over Grace’s way and ignored the fact that she ducked under the wooden counter, cowering from view. He ambled up to it and tapped lightly on the top. He saw her face red with embarrassment and he couldn’t help but smile down at her.
“You, too, caught me by surprise last night. The gesture of the soup was very kind, but as you now probably realize, I was entertaining my mother. I wasn’t prepared to explain about you yet. If I had taken it inside, she’d asked a million questions about a relationship that hasn’t even bloomed.”
“Oh?” Grace replied and found courage to rise up to face him. How handsome he appeared in his dark suit and blue tie that almost matched his gorgeous eyes. She gulped, “I wasn’t sure what to make of things. I thought you threw away us out the window. I feel stupid.”
“Don’t,” he said and took her hand, “Like I said before, I like you Grace-quite a lot. You’re the best thing to light up my life ever since I’ve arrived to New York two years ago. I’ve met a lot of women, but they weren’t for me. This city moves at a fast pace and sometimes they did too. You're not like them. You're kind, a good listener, and very considerate. I’m simply a hometown guy who likes taking things slow. I promise to introduce you when the time’s right. Say about date twenty-five. That’s plenty of time for things to develop between us, all nice and proper.”
“Date twenty-five, huh?” Grace smiled so brightly that she felt she outdid the skylights above. He smiled too and squeezed her hand.
“Yeah, that’s about right. It will be Christmas by then and since my parents live in Florida, we might have to take a special trip to see them. That will be a terrific time to make an announcement. I can just feel it,” He said and then laughed, “Besides, I’ll have a promotion into management by then, enough to buy several things, like a bigger apartment and fine jewelry. And then you can chat things up with my mother very seriously!”
Grace gulped hard. Her heart beat grew faster, but the suggestion he made about their future and the twinkle in his eyes made her feel quite giddy. He returned to his post in the tie section. She felt speechless and wasn’t sure if she could continue working the day as she should. In her mind, she now counted down for Christmas, with the twenty-five proper dates behind them, and imagined that gorgeous man sitting beside her as they made their way down to Florida. Now it seemed worth having a door closed in her face. Her past alone was behind her and the future seemed wide open!
