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“The what?” Duke leaned in closer, just in case he hadn’t heard correctly.
Mario chuckled. “Ask Macy about it.”
“Ask Macy what?” Macy asked, appearing in the doorway. Their eyes met and Duke felt his heart flutter and sink to the pit of his stomach with excitement. It had been a while since he felt this kind of exhilaration from eye contact with a woman. He liked the way she lowered her lashes and blushed. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as if to help distract herself. “The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party,” MJ answered for everyone. “You have to wear the ugliest sweater you own, and if yours is the ugliest, then you win.”
“Duke, you don’t seriously want to go to that, do you?” It was the first time all evening Gia had said a complete sentence in front of him. She still had her phone in her hands, but her friends were gone. She’d changed into a pair of baggy sweats and her face was devoid of any makeup, reminding him even more of her mother. “Mom!” Gia shrieked with widened eyes. “You can’t let Duke embarrass himself like that! It’s one thing if Dad does it, but one bad picture could ruin his career!”
“Hey, I’m just finding out about this.” Macy leaned against the door frame, her arms folded delicately across her chest. “Mario, would you go home and quit causing trouble around here?”
“Okay, okay. Kids, walk me out.”
And finally, they were alone.
Duke breathed a sigh of relief. He had enjoyed spending time with everyone, but it was the first time in three straight days that he hadn’t
spent the whole day with her alone. The percussion-filled beat of a Milly Quezada song filtered through the speakers.
“Ah, the Queen of Merengue,” he said with a smile. “What do you know about this?”
Macy shrugged. “I know a little somethin’.”
“I’ve wanted to do this with you all day.” He walked to her and extended his hand.
She took his hand and allowed him to pull her against his body. To the beat of the music, he moved their bodies as one in a slow dance. “You know how to merengue?”
“I’m Dominican,” Duke responded simply.
Macy grinned and rolled her eyes. “I’m not even going to question that.”
They danced for a few minutes. He could feel her heart beating and was sure she could hear his heart as she laid her head on his chest. Each step she took, right to left or back and forth, just sent images in his mind of how good things really could be between them. He meant what he said when he told Pablo that he wouldn’t mind staying here. Something about Macy made him feel at home. The music stopped, but they stood together in the growing moonlight.
Macy looked up at him, batting her lashes. “My kids loved you. You even got Gia to speak with her mouth and not her Twitter.”
“I loved your kids. They’re great, and you’ve done a wonderful job with them.”
“Thanks.”
“Have you opened your present?”
When she shook her head no, her hair released the intoxicating scent of coconut. “I was waiting until everyone went home.”
“You should open it now.”
“I can’t with you watching.”
“I’ll wait out here and you let me know if it’s okay.”
In protest, Macy wrapped her arms around his shoulders and molded her body against his. It killed him to peel her off, but he did and turned her around by her bare shoulders. “I’ll be out here waiting.”
Grudgingly, she turned and disappeared inside. Duke went back to the lounge chair and stretched his long legs. He thought about how he really could get used to these warm Tallahassee nights during the holidays. This time last year, he was wearing a wool coat, gloves and a scarf just to keep warm. He’d spent the holidays reporting. And last year he’d made a promise that he was going to get back home to Mao for the holidays. If he wasn’t working.
Sure, he was working somewhat this season, but it was different. He was with Macy. His thoughts got lost in all the things he wanted to do with her. Time passed into minutes. After a while he realized Macy hadn’t come back out. He wondered if she’d fallen asleep. Was he supposed to have let himself out? Curious, he got up from his lounge chair with a moan and went to the door; it was slightly open. He found Macy curled up on the end of the couch staring at the television, crying.
Panic surged through his veins. Her eyes were bloodshot red, and her nose matched. “Did I do something wrong? What is it?”
Sniffling, Macy untucked her legs from her position in the couch. She clicked off the remote control and slowly walked toward him. “I can’t believe...”
“Was it wrong?” Duke smacked himself upside the head. “That was so stupid of me. I’m so sorry I didn’t...”
