I called Janice first and asked her to issue my apologies to everyone…to all the people I’d stood up this morning and then I asked her to cancel and reschedule everything else for the rest of the day.
~
CHAPTER SEVEN
~
ROBYN
Two days after I told Aaron we shouldn’t see each other anymore, I saw Jeffrey waiting near the front door of the offices as I walked out in the afternoon. He was standing next to the open car door and I looked around to see if Aaron was behind me. I wasn’t sure I was ready to face him yet. Not seeing him, I said,
“Hey Jeffrey! What’s up?”
“Good afternoon, Miss Robyn. How are you today?”
“I’m as good as always,” I told him with a smile. I reserved my heart ache for when I was alone. No one else needed to suffer for my bad mood.
“That’s good to hear. Miss Robyn, I’m here for you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Mr. Winters asked me to pick you up….”
“Huh uh! No way. Who does he think he is?”
“May I explain?” Jeffrey said. I felt bad for interrupting him…and doing exactly what I’d just said I wouldn’t do…taking my mood out on him.
“I’m sorry. Yes, please go on.”
“He asked me to tell you that he has had an epiphany. He no longer cares to be an ogre and if you can find it in your heart to give him one more chance he would like me to take you shopping. If you agree, he’d like you to buy whatever kind, color, style or designer label outfit that you feel comfortable in. He asked me to add that even an elf costume will suffice. Then, also only if you agree, he will pick you up himself in his own car at seven this evening. From there he will drive you to Eleven Madison Park for dinner and then to the Metropolitan Opera house for a showing of Le Nozze Di Figaro.”
I was staring at him as he talked. The longer he went on, the more my mouth fell open, I think. I finally realized it was hanging open and I closed it.
“I’m finished, Miss,” he said. “Just waiting for your response now.” He looked like he was trying hard to keep a straight face. Damn him! Damn Aaron! I wanted to say no. I wanted to show him that I wasn’t this easy. I also wanted to see him. I missed him so badly that my heart physically ached. At last, I walked over to the car and looked up at Jeffrey and said,
“He better just hope I don’t find any elf costumes still for sale.”
Jeffrey smiled and said, “Yes ma’am.” He closed the door behind him and as he knew I liked, once he slid into his seat he lowered the partition between us.
“Did he really call himself an ogre?” I asked Jeffrey.
With as straight a face as he could muster he said, “More than once, Miss.”
“I have one more important question,”
“What’s that, Miss?”
“Will there be other patrons at Eleven Madison Park and Le Nozze Di Figaro tonight?”
“I believe it’s one of the most popular restaurants…and shows in the city, Miss, so I’m sure there will be.”
“You know what I mean, Jeffrey. Did he buy it out? Is he still hoping to sneak me unseen around the city?”
“No Miss, I reserved the table and bought the tickets myself.”
I smiled then, Aaron was going about it strangely…as usual, but he was trying. That was what mattered most. I know that most women would have just told him he was out of chances….but I wasn’t most women.
***
Jeffrey took me home after my shopping spree. It wasn’t actually a spree, but it did cost Aaron two months of what my rent cost me. I hadn’t meant to spend so much. I wasn’t out for revenge or anything. It wasn’t going to make a dent in his wallet either way. I got out of the bath and put on all my creams and essential oils and then I wandered into my bedroom and looked at the cornflower blue Chanel skirt and blouse lying across the bed. I reached down and ran my hand across the smooth fabric. When I’d tried it on at the store, I hadn’t wanted to take it off. It fit like a glove and even if I’d had something special made I didn’t think it could have felt any better.
I slipped on the shirt and buttoned up the white pearl buttons. When I finished that, I looked into the mirror and appreciated the way it hugged my curves on top. It was fitted at the waist, and when I slid on the matching skirt that fell loosely to the tops of my thighs and decided I’d never worn anything so flattering. My eyes looked startlingly blue against the color of it and I found my usually not-vain-at-all-self excited at the prospect of Aaron seeing me in it.