Chapter 12
Twelve
Angela hadn’t realized the work involved in cleaning up the show.
When they were done with the food and drinks, she had to set aside the tables and chairs and displays.
As she disassembled the display boards, she cursed her screwdriver.
She wished she had a powered one; anything to make this go faster.
The faster she worked, the more mistakes she made which ultimately made her fall behind further.
She looked at her watch; eleven o’clock.
She felt like she was never getting out of there.
The other volunteers were doing their best as well, eager to go home to their families.
As she left the building, she and Christine were the last ones out.
“You were fantastic tonight, Angela,” Christine told her.
“Thank you. I enjoyed it.”
“Michael was right. You are perfect,” she said as she walked to her car.
Michael.
Angela felt a pang in her stomach. It was too late to go see Michael. By the time she’d get there, it would be too late. She just couldn’t show up at his door at all hours.
Michael had been patient. He had waited for her. He spotted her as soon as she came out the door. He was glad to see Christine walk over to her car in an opposite direction. He finally had Angela all to himself. She was fiddling with her keys, carrying a box, her hip holding it against the car.
He walked over to her. She jumped at the sound of his steps; it was dark and she was alone.
She turned around to see him. He didn’t say a word.
He just took her box and sat it on the hood.
He pressed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her intensely.
His kiss was like nothing else; she couldn’t get enough of him.
She drew him closer to her. Her tongue in his mouth, she pulled his shirt up, his warm soft stomach warmed her fingers; a sharp contrast to the night’s cool air. She felt him strongly against her.
“I just wanted my kiss,” he said, barely breathing.
“That’s...all you...want?” she said, between kisses.
She knew this was almost the point of no return. If she were to go any further, she could not think logically and might do something foolish.
“I think....we better stop,” she told him, breathless.
He realized she was right; he had just wanted a kiss. They couldn’t take this anywhere further; this was not the place or time. And he was not exactly prepared; the condoms he did own were nowhere near and probably expired.
He threw his head on her chest, in desperation.
“You can’t get a girl all worked up like that. It’s just cruel,” she teased.
“You’re cruel,” he joked.
And then, he walked away reluctantly.
“Angela Jenkins, you are going to be the end of me,” he yelled out as he made his way back to his car, leaving her wanting more.
Angela spent Sunday pacing back and forth at Krysta’s, waiting for his call.
“We’re going to the park. Wanna join us?” Krysta asked her, spraying sunscreen on Madison.
“I think I’m just going to stay in.”
“C’mon, it’s a gorgeous day,” Krysta insisted.
“I’m good here,” she said, eyeing the telephone.
“What’s wrong with you? You always want to go to the park.”
“I’m just not in the mood.”
“Is this about Michael? About last night?”
“Um... no,” she lied.
“I know you. You’re waiting for his call.”
Angela couldn’t deny it.
“Don’t. You call him. He probably doesn’t even have your number here.”
“He’s a resourceful guy.”
“C’mon.”
“On second thought, let’s go to the park right now.”
She didn’t want to call him; she wanted him to call her. She was a little stubborn that way.
Angela organized her desk and checked her e-mails.
The office was quiet that morning. Monday mornings always were, people were always late coming in.
Angela had come in early as usual. She wanted a distraction.
She was a little disappointed Michael hadn’t called her.
She debated calling him. Maybe Krysta was right.
Maybe he didn’t have her number. But yet again, in her experience, what Michael wanted, Michael would get.
Maybe she had played too hard to get and he was finally fed up with her.
Maybe he had second thoughts. She was driving herself crazy with all these thoughts and decided to focus as much as she could on her work.
She had spent all morning making calls for another fundraising event she was quite excited about.
She had enjoyed the art show and she had the confidence to undertake something even bigger.
The more she took on, the more energy she had.
She took a break, to eat a late morning snack; a low-fat cranberry granola bar.
She looked absently out the window; the sky was grey; another gloomy Monday.
She certainly hoped she would get over her foul mood soon.
She wouldn’t think about Michael; he had probably taken what she had said to heart and was giving her the time she needed.
In time, maybe he would even forget about her.
What he felt for her could easily be simple sexual attraction; she really wasn’t the type to lose her self in purely sexual relationships.
She stared at the poster on her cubicle wall; a little white kitty hanging on a rope for dear life with the caption ‘Hang in there’.
I will, she told herself. She finished her granola bar and was still quite hungry.
Luckily, it was lunch time soon and she would make her way to the deli restaurant on the ground floor.
The phone rang and snapped her right out of her thoughts. Another supplier pestering her about supplies he could offer her a discount on.
“Just send me your brochure and a list of corrected prices. I’ll take a look at it.”
Christine walked over and stood by her cubicle, waiting for her to finish her call.
“Yes, thank you. I’ll let you know.” She hung up the phone and turned her attention to Christine.
“Hi, Christine. What can I do for you?”
“Well, actually, there is one thing you could do for me.”
Angela listened intently.
“I have this piece from the art show this past weekend,” she handed her a canvas wrapped in brown paper. “I’d like you to deliver it for me.”
“I thought everyone took their pieces with them,” Angela told her.
“Well, this contributor forgot it, I guess.”
Angela took the package. “No problem. I’ll do it after lunch.”
“Actually, I was wondering if you could do it right now.”
“But I was just going to get some lunch. I can do it right after.”
Christine suddenly became quite bossy. “Actually, it needs to be done right now. The address is written on it”
Well, that was that.
Christine walked away and thanked her as she left.
Jeez, what a taskmaster.
It was very unlike her. Angela figured she must be having a bad day too. It was Monday after all. Maybe she too, had come on the verge of amazing sex with the man of her dreams, and was bitterly waiting for his call.
She grabbed her purse and the wrapped canvas, and headed to her car.
She decided to take the stairs to get a little exercise on the way.
She would stop by the restaurant upon her return.
Thankfully, her stomach wasn’t gurgling yet.
As she got outside and she noticed the deep grey sky, she remembered she left her umbrella by her desk, and was not too pleased with herself.
After she settled in her car, she searched for her map book and looked at the address on the package.
Her heart skipped at beat; Michael Bowman.
Well, she certainly didn’t need her map book.
She knew exactly where she was going. She looked at the wrapped package.
It was Sacha’s picture. Did he not care at all; to just leave it there, and not take it with him?
He had said it was for her; was he not planning to give it to her?
Maybe it really did have no meaning to him; maybe their whole relationship had no meaning. She didn’t know what to think.
Occasional rain drops splattered on her windshield as she drove; a little faster than usual.
Her thoughts on Michael, she became angry and upset.
Maybe she had imagined everything. Had he ever told her he loved her or had any feelings for her at all?
She browsed through her mind for the slightest word or action indicative of love or affection.
He definitely wanted to get her into bed; there was no doubting that. But did he want more?
She almost ran a red light, and stopped at the last second, screeching her breaks and propelling herself forward.
“Settle down, Angela. You are going to kill yourself or someone else.”
She took a deep breath and went on ahead when the light turned green.
She turned on her windshield wipers. She hoped she wouldn’t get caught in a heavy rain; she drove a little faster all the while thinking, she couldn’t wait to see Michael and give him a piece of her mind.
She turned onto Stouffville Road; she had made this trajectory quite a few times before.
Although she had just scolded herself, she still couldn’t settle down. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was going to say, but she would definitely finally be open with him. Should she tell him she loved him? She shook her head. She couldn’t imagine doing that.
She turned onto the circular driveway in front of the house and made her way to the back of the garage where there was plenty of space to park. The rain was fierce and soaked her as she made her way to the entrance. She barely rang the bell and Ellie showed up at the door.
“Come in dear. Let’s get you out of this rain,” Ellie and Dot motioned her in.
“Leave your shoes on,” Dot urged as she walked her into the house.
“I’m so glad you finally made it,” Ellie told her.
“You were expecting me?” Angela asked her, confused.
“Michael is right outside.”
“What’s he doing outside, in this weather?”
“Well, it did come on rather suddenly didn’t it? We weren’t expecting it,” Ellie explained.
They walked her briskly past Michael’s office and the study to the back door, Dot was barely able to keep up. They walked on the pathway towards the garden. Angela clutched her package hard against herself to keep it dry, getting soaked in the process.
As she walked through the arch, her heart warmed. Flower petals were strewn on the pathway leading up to the gazebo where Michael was standing by a small table covered in white linen. A candle in a large tall glass glowed brightly against the dark background. She ran towards him.
“What are you doing? Are you crazy?” she asked, her wet hair plastered against her head, her delicate laced bra evident through her shear soaked blouse.
She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her. He certainly wished his romantic lunch had gone more according to plan.
“The weather didn’t cooperate,” he told her, smiling that mischievous grin of his she couldn’t resist.
He looked amazing, dressed up in the same crisp blue suit he was wearing when she had first met him.
“I must look awful.”
“Trust me…” He bit his lip. “You look fantastic.”
He reached for her package and set it on the table. “Thank you,” he told her. “I told Christine I absolutely needed this right away.” He reached for her hand and brought her closer.
“Didn’t you take it with you after the show?”
“I did but then I brought it back. We needed a ruse.” He smiled at her, making her want him even more.
“So everyone was in on it?” They both looked over to the arch where Ellie and Dot were standing, getting soaked, eyes wide open.
“You can go now,” Michael yelled out. Dot reluctantly followed Ellie, her shoulders hunched.
He wanted Angela all to himself. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She reached up and wrapped hers around his neck, feeling the warmth of his skin.
“I wanted you here to finally tell you something.”
She looked at him, eager.
He mustered up all the courage in him, and finally gave her his heart.
“I love you, Angela.”
Her heart pounced. Her stomach was in knots, a lump in her throat. She could barely contain her emotions.
“I l-love you too, Michael. I’m crazy about you.”
“I know the feeling,” he said as he leaned his head down and his lips searched for hers; opened and ready. Their tongues danced. Angela pulled him against her. She propped herself on the table.
“Whoa.” He backed up a bit. “Angela. Wait a little bit.” He took a step away from her. “I was planning a nice romantic lunch but...” He looked at the deep grey sky. The heavy raindrops pounded loudly on the gazebo rooftop.
“It’s ok. I’m not hungry.” She gave him a wicked smile.
“I want you to know I can wait for you. I understand you don’t want to jump right into this,” he told her “If you don’t feel right about it, I can wait. I’ll wait as long as you tell me to wait.”
“I’m just not sure how long I can wait for you,” she confessed as she pressed against him and circled the buttons on his shirt.
“Oh, you be good now,” he told her.
With those words, she kissed him again and all her doubts and reservations just flew away. Kissing him felt right; right as rain. And as it turned out, Mondays weren’t so terrible after all.