Dust of Snow by Indra Vaughn Read Free Book Online

for the coffee.”
    “That’s all right.” He didn’t have to take me
out to dinner for that . “Anytime.” I was about to turn away
when I asked him, “Did you buy your Secret Santa gift yet?”
    “I did. I’m looking forward to the party next
week.”
    “Me too,” I lied.
     
     

FOUR

     
    “I KNOW WHO’s behind the gifts,” Patricia blurted as
soon as we sat down with our salads for lunch the next
Wednesday.
    “What? How? Who ?”
    She laughed a little when I clasped a hand in
front of my mouth at my startled outburst. A quick glance around
assured me no one seemed to take any notice, apart from maybe
Ashley, who held my gaze for a second before he returned to what
looked like a lunch meeting with his team of sales guys. He wore a
dark-blue suit with a pink shirt underneath. His broad dark-red tie
was done up in a trinity knot, which made my mouth go a little
dry.
    “I promised not to tell.”
    “What?” I snapped my attention back to
Patricia. “Wait, seriously?”
    “Yes, but only because you didn’t seem so
bothered anymore lately. I told him he had until the end of the
week to come clean, and then I’d tell you anyway.”
    “O-kay?” I processed this information while
stabbing at the good bits in my salad. It was true I wasn’t as
bothered since the gifts had stopped, although truthfully I’d
missed them a bit. Apart from the flowers. I didn’t miss those . “This guy, he’s not making fun of me?”
    Patricia shook her head, arugula leaves
sticking out of her mouth.
    “Is he someone I would like?”
    She shrugged but didn’t meet my eyes.
    Huh. Interesting.
    I continued to chew that over for the rest of
the day, trying to discern who was keeping an eye on me at work,
but all I seemed to manage was to make people wonder why I kept
eyeballing them. It stayed on my mind all evening and well into the
next day, until I bumped into David while I grocery shopped for
Thursday dinner with Mother.
    “Hey, Greg,” he said sheepishly. He looked
good. Familiar, in a way that warmed me a little. I had caught
sight of him from a distance once or twice, and I’d always made
myself scarce, afraid of how I’d react. I wasn’t entirely sure what
I was feeling in that moment, but I smiled at him anyway.
    “Hey. How have you been?” Too
formal ?
    “I’m good.” He rubbed the back of his neck,
looked at his feet, the contents of my cart, and then, finally, at
me. “I’ve been hoping I’d run into you one of these days.” My face
must’ve betrayed something, because he straightened and gave me his
boyish grin. “You look good, man. Don’t lose any more weight,
though. There’ll be nothing left of you.”
    “Right.” I laughed nervously. “Well, I should
probably—” I pointed over my shoulder.
    “Hold on. Will you meet me for a drink? Maybe
tonight? So we can catch up.”
    “Why?” I blurted before I could stop myself.
I let go of the cart and wrapped my arms around myself. Why were
supermarkets always so damn cold?
    David’s jaw flexed and he stuffed his hands
in his pockets. “Because I’d like to hear from you. How you’re
doing, and maybe, you know. Talk.”
    “Um, yeah. I think that could be nice.” I
phrased it like a question even though I didn’t mean to, and David
sighed.
    “Look Greg, I know I made a mistake. I’m
trying to make up for it now. I just want to see if we can’t
reconsider our relationship.”
    Reconsider? I hadn’t heard from him in over a
year. But he wanted me back? My stomach summersaulted and my mouth
went completely dry.
    David huffed a breath when I didn’t say
anything and leaned closer. “I’m putting myself on the line here
for you, Greg. It’s not easy for me either to admit I was wrong.
Will you come for a drink with me, or not?”
    I blinked at him rapidly as my chest became
uncomfortably tight. “I… I can’t. I’m meeting Mother.”
    He glanced at my cart and his face twisted.
“Of course,” he said. “It’s Thursday.