Scrooged by Vi Keeland
Rubbing my hands together, I stared out the window for a bit to gather my thoughts before turning to him again in an effort to be cordial. “So…where are you headed?”
“I have some quick business to take care of before I head home to Cincinnati for the holidays.”
“To your wife and kids?”
He gave me a funny look through his glasses, like the answer to that was none of my business. “No, actually, I live here in New York. My parents are in Ohio.”
“I see.” I offered him my hand. “I’m Meredith.”
He took it. “Adam.” The warmth of his hand amidst this cold night felt better than a warm cup of Christmas cocoa.
“I’m sorry for unloading everything onto you like that.” I blew a breath up into my blonde bangs. “I’ve had a major streak of bad luck lately.”
He shook his head. “There’s no such thing, beautiful.”
His use of the word “beautiful” made me feel flush.
“What do you mean…no such thing?”
“No such thing as bad luck. You’re in control of most things in your life, whether you know it or not.”
Narrowing my eyes, I said, “How can you say that? No one is in control of everything.”
“I said most things. The old lady who fell asleep with her head on your shoulder? You should’ve never let that happen. I mean, how can you have not known your watch was being removed? You should’ve been more vigilant. I will admit that Santa grabbing your ass and the cat dying weren’t your fault. Shit happens. But the rent issue? That probably could’ve been avoided if you think back hard enough. I bet you’re spending money you don’t have, am I right? Money that could’ve gone toward rent. That Louis Vuitton purse had to have cost two grand. If you can’t pay your rent, you shouldn’t own a two-thousand-dollar bag.”
I clutched my Louis Vuitton Pallas bag defensively, even though he was partially right.
This bag cost twenty-five hundred, to be exact, jerk.
How dare he tell me what I can and cannot own.
“You think you know everything? This was a gift from my boyfriend. I didn’t buy it.”
He smirked. “The one who’s proposing at Rockefeller Center under the tree?”
I swallowed. “Well…ex-boyfriend. The one who will not be proposing to me under any tree. I’d had this stupid fantasy that he was going to ask me to marry him this year. We’d kiss under the tree at Rockefeller Center…and he’d bend me back in a dramatic dip.”
He laughed. “That sounds like a scene out of a cliché, old movie—the dramatic dip. Not sure that happens in real life, beautiful.”
Stop calling me beautiful, gorgeous.
“Yeah, well…none of that will be happening because he dumped me for one of my friends, actually—right around Thanksgiving. I suppose that was my fault, too?”
His expression darkened. “Ouch. I’m sorry. No…not your fault. He’s a douche. But it wasn’t bad luck, either. Sounds like he did you a favor. I’d say that’s good luck that you dodged a bullet.”
I kind of liked that rationale. “You’re right. I suppose that’s a good way to look at it.” I sighed and gazed out at the snow falling before I asked, “What about you? Do you have a significant other?”
Before he could answer, the car skidded on some ice. I instinctively grabbed onto Adam. To my mortification, I realized my hand wasn’t on his leg. It was on his dick!
Whipping my hand off of him, I cringed. “Uh…I’m sorry.”
My hand had lingered long enough to confirm that he was definitely packing.
“Apparently I have a magnet on my crotch, seeing as though it’s not the first time this morning you accidentally made contact with my groin area.”
Shit.
I cleared my throat. “That’s right…it was an accident.”
“Sure, it was.” He chuckled then changed his tune when he got a load of my ashamed face. “I’m just kidding, Meredith. Jeez.”
Something about hearing him utter my name in that deep voice did things to me.
Blowing out a breath, I tried to change the subject. “Anyway…you were saying…”
“I wasn’t saying anything. You were being nosey and wanted to know if I had a girlfriend or a wife. Then, before I could answer, you grabbed my crotch.”
I wouldn’t even dignify that with a response.
“I’m single,” he finally said.
My jaw dropped open. “Really? Why? You’re attractive…successful…what’s wrong with you?”
He bent his head back. “God, you sound like my mother.”
I smiled. “Well, we both have a very good reason to wonder.”
He looked contemplative, then shocked me when he said, “Actually, I was in a long-term relationship in my twenties, and she died of cancer. I haven’t really wanted anything serious since. So…”
That left me speechless…absolutely gutted. How heartbreaking. “I’m so sorry.”
He just stared at me for a bit. “Thank you.”
“Goes to show…you never know what people have been through. I guess there are way worse things in life than getting kicked out of an apartment.”
Adam nodded in understanding, and things fell quiet. The snow was falling so hard that you could barely see out of the windows.
I sighed. “I’m not sure either one of us is going to make it out of town tonight.”
“Where did you say you’re headed after court?” he asked.
“I didn’t…say where I was going. But I’m scheduled to take a quick flight to Boston. My mother lives there. I’m spending Christmas with her.”
“Will she be grilling you why you’re still single, like mine does?”
“Umm…probably not.”
“See. Your luck isn’t so bad after all. Your mom will at least let you have a peaceful holiday.”
I was a little embarrassed to admit the truth, but, hey, what’s there to be embarrassed about after you’ve grabbed a man’s junk? I turned to face Adam and swallowed my pride before speaking. “My mom won’t be bugging me about being single because she thinks I’m still dating Tucker.”
Adam quirked a brow. “Tucker? I figured he was a douche for dumping you after four years and dating your friend. But now I know he’s a douche—one with a bad, frat-boy name.” He chuckled. “Tucker. What the hell are you doing still pretending to date that tool anyway?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. I haven’t told anyone at work, either. Our framed picture is still on my desk. I guess at first I didn’t want to say it out loud because it hurt too much. But now…” I looked down at my lap. “I’m not sure why I’ve kept it to myself. I suppose I’m embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed? What the hell do you have to be embarrassed about? You didn’t do anything wrong. You need to put that shit behind you. Get rid of doucheface’s picture on your desk. You never know, there might be a whole slew of bachelors waiting for you to finally cut ties with that dick so they can ask you out.”
I scoffed. “Yeah. I’m sure the line is out the door.”
I felt Adam looking at me, but kept my eyes from meeting his. Eventually, he sighed. “Where do you work?”
“On 68th and Lexington, why?”
He looked at his watch. “Is your office closed today for Christmas Eve?”
“No. It’s open. But not many people are in. Basically a skeleton crew. I took a vacation day.”
Adam leaned forward and spoke to our driver. “Change of plans. Need to head back uptown and stop at 68th and Lex. We’re making a quick stop. Keep the car running and wait for us, and I’ll make it worth your while.”
The driver looked in the rearview mirror. “A hundred dollars extra for the stop.”
“A hundred bucks? Where’s your Christmas spirit? I was thinking more like fifty.”
The driver shook his head. “My kids sucked the Christmas spirit right out of me, along with the cash in my pockets. A hundred bucks. Am I turning around and Mr. Franklin is going to buy me a nice bottle of twelve-year-old Christmas spirit, or am I heading to drop you both off?”
Adam glanced over at me and our gazes caught. He considered his options while looking into my eyes, then spoke to the driver. “Fine. A hundred bucks. But I’m going to be late, so you need to step on it.”
Our driver suddenly yanked the steering wheel to the left and the car started to fishtail. I grabbed onto the oh-shit bar above the door and held my breath until he regained control. The crazy man had just swung an illegal U-turn in the middle of New York traffic in a snowstorm. My heart was hammering inside my chest. “What the hell? Why is this lunatic taking us to my office?”
“Because you need help taking the first step. We’re getting rid of the picture on your desk.”
