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“That was more than just a fight,” Duke said, trying to steady his voice. “Did you have to show her the morning paper?”
Serena shrugged. “I really didn’t come over here to show her the article about you and that Kristina woman. I came over here to see how she was doing since she lost the Christmas decoration contest.”
“Is she really that much of a sore loser?”
“Duke, it was never about her winning.”
Duke nodded his head. “She said that. So what’s it about?”
“It’s about the money she would have won,” Serena said, then she shook her head. “Or more about where it goes when she wins.”
“So where does it go?”
“To the Child Victim Fund for kids who have lost both their parents.”
Duke’s mouth dropped open. He felt like a world-class ass.
Chapter 9
“Well, you’re absolutely miserable without him,” Serena commented, standing in the doorway of the department store changing room.
Looking in the three-way mirror, Macy shook her head at Serena’s reflection. The morning of Duke’s holiday party was girl time at the mall. Monique brought Maylen along with Lucia because the baby hadn’t been feeling well lately, and Mo wanted to keep an eye on her. Macy brought Gia, who insisted that Serena come. Serena had to come along to give her two cents whenever necessary. After brunch, Gia took Maylen to get their nails done while the older women tried on clothes. Lucia was so tired just from the ride over to the mall that she’d fallen asleep in her stroller, giving Monique a chance to try on a few dresses, as well.
In a skintight black velvet dress that showed off a figure that would rival any pinup girl, Mo stood next to Serena and was nodding at her comment. “She’s right, you know.”
Macy was trying on a dress. The bench in the changing room was filled with different dresses in different styles and different colors. Nothing seemed right. She only needed to look at her friends’ frowning faces each time she opened the door to know that each dress wasn’t the right one. If it didn’t hug her body too tight, it made her look too matronly. It had been a week since she had that horrible falling-out with Duke. He had the nerve to question her friendship with Lawrence when he was going to allow the world to think that he was the father of Kristina’s unborn child. She knew that the whole thing with Lawrence could easily have been cleared up with a logical explanation, but with the way he reacted toward her, he didn’t deserve one. But it still didn’t help how she was feeling now. What her friends were telling her was the truth.
She not only looked miserable, but she felt miserable, as well. Every morning she woke up with her heart feeling heavy. It ached. Duke had spent only one night in her bed and already her sheets felt empty and cold without him.
“Thanks a lot,” she said drily into the mirror.
“It’s Christmas Eve,” Monique said cheerfully. “And tonight you get to see Duke after your ban...”
“I didn’t ban him exactly,” Macy quickly said.
Serena snickered. “It sure sounded like it to me.”
“Either way,” Monique said, laughing, “I know he can’t wait to see you.”
Duke had honored Macy’s wishes by not trying to see her for a week. It gave her time to think. Perhaps working closely together since Thanksgiving had blurred her thoughts. She needed space, and this time apart allowed her to prepare for Duke’s party. But she couldn’t secretly help but wish he would have disregarded her banishment. If he was so eager to see her, he would have just come over, no matter what she said. And being the stubborn person she knew she was, she wasn’t about to see him before tonight.
Since she knew his hours at the station, Macy was able to get in and out of his house when he wasn’t there. Everything was set for his big party this evening. She hadn’t kept track of who was coming, since it was an open invitation to the whole town. Macy banked on a lot of families not trying to come, thinking it was already going to be full. She also banked on the fact that it was Christmas Eve and most families already had plans. Macy had every caterer in town on call. She figured a few hundred orders of everyone’s best dishes on the hour would keep the steady flow of guests satisfied.
Macy smiled at Monique and nodded toward her gown. “I like that dress for you. If you’re not careful, you and Pablo are going to have another baby before the year is up.”
“Are you ignoring what I’m saying?”
“Of course not,” Macy said in a sarcastic tone. “Look, this time apart for Duke and me is good.”
“Good how?” Monique and Serena chorused.
“Good because
this is the way things are going to be when he leaves,” Macy said with a shrug. She ran her fingers along the bustline of the red dress as she looked in the mirror at herself. She missed Duke desperately. She missed seeing his dimples when he grinned at her. She missed hearing his deep voice with its heavy accent when he was trying to be charming. She missed hearing about Mao.
But Macy also thought about the brighter side of Duke not being around her.
This week, she was able to get in and out of stores without someone stopping the two of them for Duke’s autograph. Of course, while the hounding in public ceased, the hounding from her children increased when she came home from work. MJ and Gia wanted to know where Duke was and when he was coming back. It is better this way, she told herself.
