CAMI SITS DOWN WITH a cup of hot tea in front of her. I have a cold beer in front of me.She doesn't waste time, and looks me straight in the eyes as she starts talking. "What embarrasses me most about that night is that I was warned, and I still walked up those stairs with you. For a long time, I looked back and kicked myself again and again. Then I realized that Joel came out of the deal. I needed to tell you that. It was stupid on my part, but I got Joel, so I refuse to take anything back."I've thought about that night repeatedly, too. We were at my house and I grilled steaks. I refilled her wine glass one too many times. I wanted in her pants and I thought only with my dick. It was one night of many that I had with women. Kept having until a few months ago. No excuses. I'm a shitbag.I can't say all this, though. "I hear what you're saying and I know I've apologized before, Cami, and I know it's not enough. I have no excuse." I give her a side grin. "Well, you're hot. It doesn'
IT'S NOT UNTIL MONDAY that I can put plan B in motion. It also sucks that it's a short week because of Thanksgiving. Danny will fly out to her parents' house on Wednesday afternoon. I need to make the most of the time I have.I call Jeff's cell in the afternoon."Did she toss them in the trash?" I ask. These are the first words of the conversation."Give me a minute," Jeff says and, about two minutes later, he's back. "What's going on, Van? I told you not to hurt her."Jeff's a nice guy and I've never heard his current tone before. "I'm trying to fix things. Did she keep the flowers?"Jeff sighs into the phone. "They're next to her desk. She read the note and excused herself for a few minutes. Look, Van, she cried. She tried to hide it, but I've seen the signs a million times in my wife. Danny also asked me to drive her to the airport on Wednesday.""I'm taking her to the airport," I snap."She told me that was the original plan, but now it would be better if I did it."Danny i
THE NEXT MORNING, I work out for two hours before showering and heading to the tavern at eleven. The first thing I notice is the transformation the place has gone through. Christmas decorations are everywhere. An enormous decorated tree stands in an alcove by the fireplace. It depresses me. Christmas always depresses me.The first Christmas after my mom died was hard. Joel and I made frozen pizza and watched games on television. No tree or decorations. My mom loved Christmas, and spoiled us no matter how old we were. Losing her in a car accident took the holiday spirit right out of us, and pizza and ball games became the norm. Joel and I kept up the "do nothing" tradition until two years ago, when Cami came into his life. I stayed in my room and let them have their holiday together, only coming down for the dinner Cami prepared. I ignored the minimal decorations that Cami insisted on, and went back up to my room as soon as I could. Last year, they invited me to their house, but I didn
DICK-FACE DECIDED NOT TO press charges, so there was no bail. My brother and sister-in-law are on a list of people who are not speaking to me, Danny being at the top of that list.I work out Saturday morning and run into several teammates. They can barely control themselves, and laughter breaks out every few minutes. I'm not laughing. I have no idea what came over me the night before. I barely remember my fist connecting with Dick-face's face. I do remember Danny yelling at me.How many times can one guy fuck up?I'm betting on a million, so I have a long way to go.I head home and swim laps in the indoor pool. My brother and I loved this house, or at least we did until my mother died. The love for the place returned slowly for me, but, by that time, I was an adult and the only running around I did was on a rugby field.Thinking about my mother doesn't help my current state. A twenty-seven-year-old man who seriously misses his mommy is pathetic. Punching a guy in the face is pathe
I DON'T HEAR FROM Danny the whole the weekend. When I arrive at work on Monday morning, I'm in good spirits. An hour after I open our headquarters, I walk out of my office in time to see Cami carrying Lilly in one hand and a large bag in the other. Joel, holding a fake Christmas tree, is right behind her. I recognize the tree. I'd given the two of them some of Mom's decorations when Joel moved out. The tree was the one that went in the pool house, for the winter swim party we always had when we were boys. I'm guessing it's now the team's tree.I walk over and hold the door wider for Joel."Thanks," he says after he's inside. He rests the tree on the floor. "Where should it go?" he asks Cami."Here, by the window," she tells him, and places the bag on the counter. She unbundles Lilly from her pink coat and hands her off to me. I remain silent as I take my niece and give her a kiss on the cheek.Joel hefts the tree again and moves it to Cami's designated spot. Cami opens the bag that
THROUGH TEXT MESSAGES, I arrange my date with Danny. I plan to take her to a steakhouse out of town, because my brother and I own the one in town. I don't need to impress Danny with the knowledge that I'm a business owner, because she's fully aware of it. Hell, the only thing I think she's ever been impressed with is my accomplishments on the rugby field. Having a date where the end product is a kiss at the door is different altogether.Neither of us work on Friday, so I'm taking her out Thursday night. As the week progresses, the weather turns nasty. It's not much better on Thursday. It heats up about ten degrees, which brings it to the low forties. This just about guarantees that the first snow of the season is moving in.I arrive at Danny's door ten minutes early. The sun, or what there is of it, is going down, and things on the weather front aren't looking good. The forecast said the snow would hold off until tomorrow, so I'm trusting that they know what they're talking about.D
AFTER WE ARRIVE AT the restaurant, I help Danny out of the Rover and place my arm around her waist. She insisted on leaving her jacket behind, and I don't argue. We have about twenty feet to walk and it will be warm inside. Even so, I take my sport coat off and wrap it over her shoulders. It's not much, but I don't want her freezing before we get inside. She's a bit wobbly on the heels and this makes me smile. I like that she went out of her comfort zone tonight.The steakhouse is warm and Danny hands the jacket back to me. The place is decorated for Christmas and I do my best to ignore it. The restaurant isn't crowded. I reserved a nice table in the corner, but we pretty much have our choice."Do you mind if we sit at a table by the window? I love the snow," Danny says as she gazes at the tables by the windows.I know she loves the snow, but I'm not sure exactly why. I'm more of a spring-summer guy. My dislike for being cooped up is one of the reasons, and the holidays are the othe
DANNY'S IS BACK TO being uncomfortable as soon as we enter the room and have a few feet separating us. I set the wine on the table and take the cake from her."I need a few minutes," she tells me as she turns to the bathroom door.I snag her hand and she looks back over her shoulder. "Wine, dessert, and only as far as you want to take this. I'm glad you're here, but there's no pressure."The panic in her eyes fades a bit, and then she gives me a grin that goes straight to my dick. "Don't worry, lover boy; I'm putting the pressure on you."I release her hand and watch her enter the bathroom and close the door. I grab two water glasses and carry them to the table. This is how my dates usually end, but this is Danny, and there's so much more at stake. She comes out of the bathroom, minus her shoes, which she's holding by the straps in one hand.She lifts them slightly. "I couldn't it take anymore."I gaze from her lips to her bare feet and walk closer. "You look beautiful in the dre