I stand there like an idiot holding a twelve-inch salami in one hand and a block of cheddar in the other. “But you said you were going to put a request in.”
“I know, and I talked to my boss about it, but it’s not a good time.”
My heart is sinking as he stands there eating one of the apples I bought for the pie. I can already see where this conversation is going, and I wish I could press the pause button and just make it stop. Disappointment is like a snake. It slithers in slowly. You can see it coming out of the corner of your eye, but you fear looking directly at it. Like if you don’t look at it, maybe it will turn and slither the other way. Away from me. It doesn’t though. It comes straight on, its tongue snipping out quickly, and attacks.
“I have to go out of town. I’m sorry, Evelyn. There’s nothing I can do. I tried to get out of it.”
I grab the frying pan off the stove, haul it back, and slam it into the side of his face. He crumples in a heap and drops the apple I had gently inspected in the produce aisle earlier, hoping to make him the perfect pie.
I shake my head. He’s still standing there, chewing. My quick fantasy of acting out my wrath on him dissipates.
Anger and disappointment are still there, though.
“Michael, it’s Christmas.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I talked to my mom. She said she would still love to have you. You don’t have to be alone. And I’ll be back the day after Christmas. The meeting is on the twenty-third. I am not going to even attempt to travel on the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth, so I had the agent book me back on the twenty-sixth. It will probably still be a nightmare, but at least we’ll have the day after Christmas together.”
Oh, yeah. At least there’s that.
I would rather ram a pitchfork up my ass than spend Christmas alone with his family. I will sit here by myself and watch Halo as he plays with the ribbons on the wrapped presents and attempts to knock the tree over. I may even let him, just for the sheer entertainment of it. And cleaning it up will give me something to do.
Michael pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head. “Ev, I know you’re upset and I’m sorry. You know how important this is. I really tried to get out of this, I swear to you. I’ve just worked so hard on this project and securing these contracts. I want the commission. It will help us so much. Please, understand.”
I encircle his waist and hug him back. I do know how important it all is to him. I’m not blind to how hard he works, how driven he is. I admire it most of the time, thankful he’s not lazy or an underachiever. I just hate how it has slowly torn us apart.
“It’s all right, Michael. I’m just disappointed. I was looking forward to a few days of real quality time with you. But you’re right. I’ll see you after Christmas, and we can celebrate our holiday then.”
“Good. Thank you for not throwing a fit over it, babe. I can’t deal with anymore stress right now. I’ll have a really nice present for you when I get back.” He squeezes my ass and let’s go of me to grab a soda from the fridge.
“I think I will stay home, though. I’d rather not go to your parents without you. It doesn’t feel right.”
“Okay, I’ll let her know. She’ll probably be glad to have two fewer people to have to cook for. We’ll visit them during the week or something.”
I nod, hoping he forgets that visit. “All right.”
“So New Year’s Eve. We’re still going to the VIP show for the band, right?”
I roll my eyes. I have never seen or heard Storm’s band play. I didn’t even look them up online. I want to be surprised when I finally hear his music, get to see him on stage doing what he does best. I want to enjoy every moment of what he does. Michael, however, has been a fan of the band for five years, unbeknownst to me. He can’t wait to see them play live, and I feel guilty and sick about it. How would he feel if he knew one of his favorite guitarists was chasing after his girlfriend?