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“That’s Graham?” Cordi asked, pointing her hand at him as he halted his approach toward the two girls.
Confused, Marta glanced between her friends, now seeing the serious expression that had taken over Graham’s face as well.
“Yes…” Marta said in a long, drawn-out syllable. “Have you two already met?”
“You said your name was Russ,” Cordi said, now directly to him. She felt confused, but worse, betrayed. “You lied to me?”
“No, I didn’t lie. Graham is my last name, Cordi. Russell Graham.” He was beginning to realize that this situation was going south, and fast. He had to fix this, but how? Maybe he had made a mistake, he realized.
“So you just let me believe that I had been stood up. Is that it?” she asked him.
Russ’s head hung slightly in shame, realizing how he had made her feel, which had not been his intention at all. His hand went to rub the back of his neck in a nervous gesture while he tried to think of what he could say to salvage this.
Marta and Jake stood by in awkward silence, watching the scene unfold together.
Russ moved forward, closing the distance between he and Cordi, but when he got to her, she took a step back. She shook her head no, and darted out of the kitchen, heading toward the coat closet where her coat and scarf hung. She was obviously planning to leave.
Marta, Jake, and Russ stood looking at each other with disbelief.
“Wow,” Marta said. “You really messed that up.”
Jake nodded in agreement. They stood quietly for a moment, not knowing what to say, as Tim Halperin could be heard singing, “I need a Miracle,” low on the living room speakers. Then, they heard the front door open and close.
Russ’s eyes went wide, and panic welled up inside him. Did she really just leave?
“I’ve got to go after her!” said Russ as he sprang into motion. He had to find her. He had to make this right. He needed a miracle.
Chapter 6
Cordi felt like such an idiot. Was this some kind of game being played at her expense? She had really liked Russ, and now? Well, now she didn’t know what to think.
She had taken a cab to get to Marta and Jake’s house that evening, and it was going to be a long wait or a long walk in the freezing cold. Now that she thought about it, it probably hadn’t been a good idea to just run out on everybody. It was an impulsive move that she already regretted.
“Cordi, wait!” She could hear Russ calling after her, or was it Graham? She didn’t know what to call him now, and wasn’t sure it even mattered.
She turned to see him jogging toward her, as quickly as he could in the snow and ice. When he caught up to her, he slowed, as though he were afraid he would scare her off once again.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Please come back inside. I’d like to explain myself if you’ll let me.”
The lights from the house and neighboring houses blinked, and their glow shone on his face as she looked up into his eyes. Could she trust the look of sincerity, or did Christmas lights make everything look pure and magical? She hesitated, not knowing what she should do, and began shivering as her breath formed a fog of ice crystals in front of her.
Russ shrugged out of his coat and moved to wrap it around her over her own. “Here. Please, it’s freezing out here. Let’s get you back inside where it’s warm and we can talk,” he said, hoping she would allow it and go back in with him.
At last, she conceded, and he wrapped an arm around her as he walked her back inside.
Once they got back in, he suggested they go talk in an empty bedroom. “Go ahead, and I’ll meet you there,” he said. “I’ll get us something warm to drink and I’ll be right in.”
When he came in with two cups of hot cocoa, he found her standing at the window, looking out onto the snow covering the front yard. She turned to see him and took one of the cups from him, letting it warm her hands.
“Why didn’t you just tell me who you were at the diner the other night?” she asked in a calm, resigned voice.
“I know it looks bad, but I wasn’t trying to deceive you. At least, not in a bad way. Wait, that didn’t come out right.” He was fumbling with what to say, and he had a feeling he was only making things worse. She said nothing, but her eyes widened.
He sighed, frustrated with himself, and sat down on the bed. “What I meant was, I just wanted you to feel comfortable talking to me, and I wanted a chance to get to know the real you without the expectations that go along with being on a date,” he explained.
“Expectations? How do you know what my expectations would have been if you don’t even know me?” she asked. “You know something, though? Maybe you were right, because the only thing I expected going into that date was to be disappointed. Turns out, I was right.”
Russ stood and went to her by the window. “Don’t say that. The truth is, I had a great time with you that night. I’ve just had a lot of bad dates, and didn’t know what to expect, myself.”
