Chapter 8
“Hey, you decent?” Leo asked as he softly knocked on Macy’s door.
“Yeah,” Macy said before she put on her flip flops. “Come on in.”
Leo opened the door and frowned almost immediately.
“That’s what you’re wearing?” he asked looking at the blue jeans and t-shirt she had on.
She looked up at him and shrugged.
“What’s wrong with this?” she asked. “And why do you look like you are about to have high tea with the queen?”
“Brunch mani pedis are as important and high tea with the queen,” he said in a soft voice. “You think I just put on a House of Fraser shirt because all my other clothes are being laundered?”
“It’s just brunch with Randy, Leo. It’s no big deal,” Macy said shaking her head. She was about to walk out of the room when Leo held her shoulders.
“Really?” he asked. “I sent out themed invites.”
“Yeah…to the two of us. Me and Randy…no one else is going to be here.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. That doesn’t mean you can’t dress up for the party.”
Macy rolled her eyes.
“It’s a brunch with friends.”
“Yeah…organized by me. Which means that we get to dress up,” he said as he walked over to her closet. She rolled her eyes and exhaled loudly. She did not understand why he was so persistent on the dress code. “This is what you need to put on,” Leo said as he held a sexy sling V-neck halter dress.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit too much?” she asked and he shook his head.
“Have you seen yourself…I mean, you straightened out your curls and your make-up is popping, but that outfit? No way.”
“Leo…I at least did the hair and makeup,” Macy started before he went on as if she had not said anything.
“Plus, you should see what Randy has on. And I will not be memorializing this day with two people looking gorgeous and one person looking like she just stepped out of a Camp Anderson bus.”
“Fine,” Macy said in a defeated voice. Sometimes she hated the fact that she had introduced her best friend to Randy. Those two had way too much in common. “Give me a minute. I’ll be there soon.”
Leo smiled and walked out of the room.
“Don’t take too long,” he said as he walked down the hall.
She changed out of her jeans and T-shirt and put on the dress Leo had picked out. She looked at her reflection and smiled. Leo was right. The dress was the perfect match with the look. She walked out of her room and made her way to the living room. She gasped silently when she saw Randy. Leo was right. She looked amazing in her purple sleeveless bodycon dress and silver colored stilettos. And her hair was hanging on her shoulders in luxurious waves – something she was not used to seeing.
“There she is,” Randy said smiling. “You look amazing.”
“Me? Have you seen yourself?” Macy asked and Randy smiled.
“So, this is nice. Having the three of us taking some time off all at the same time,” Leo said as he offered her a plate.
“Yeah, it’s great,” she said in a soft voice.
“You look exhausted though,” Randy pointed out and Leo nodded.
“She pulled a double shift yesterday.”
“You really need to cut down on the hours you spend, sweetie. I mean this two job thing is hardly working out for you,” Randy said.
Macy took a bite of her crisp turkey bacon before she shrugged. “I need something to keep me from thinking about everything,” she said. “It’s easier to keep busy than talk to Victor right now.”
Randy and Leo exchanged a knowing look.
“Trouble in paradise?” he asked and Macy sighed before taking another bite of her bacon.
“I guess you could say that…I mean, ever since that day I told him that you gave me those forms to apply for a permanent position, things have been weird.” She shook her head and bit her lower lip. “I mean he is not the only one who wants to follow his dream here, right?”
“Yeah. I remember you mentioned that he chose being a fire fighter over his family’s interest, right?” Leo asked and Macy nodded.
“And don’t forget his inheritance as well,” Randy said as she looked at Macy who looked confused.
“I am pissed off and frankly a little disappointed.” She turned and looked at Leo. “This is why I have always preferred a good fuck over all this drama.”
“Okay, I think I’ve heard enough,” Randy started as she looked at Macy who was sipping on her juice. “This is what you need to know. You are your own person, Macy. You are the only one in charge of your own fate. And you deserve to be happy as much as the next person.”
“Yeah, I do, don’t I?” Macy said.
“Yes, you most definitely do. And if he loves you, he should not be a jerk about everything. Because if he is, you should not be giving him the time of day,” Randy said.
And just like that, Macy knew what she needed to do. She had to go and face Victor rather than ignore him. And there was no better time to do so than the present.
*****
The silent treatment Macy was giving Victor was a little too much to bear. He loved her. That much he knew and even though he was against her taking firefighting seriously, it was important to her. Almost as important as it was to him. And he was not going to be the one to stand between her and her dream. He was still lost in thought when he heard his doorbell. He made his way to the front door and opened it. A sigh escaped his lips when he saw Macy standing there in a more than revealing dress. She looked sexy…maybe a little too sexy. The dress she had on might have been loose fitting, but her curvy body was still well defined under the rolls of fabric.
“Macy…hey,” he said when he finally found his voice. But as much as he tried to, he could not really take his eyes off her. She looked sexier than ever. And maybe it was what she was wearing and the fact that she had worn her hair differently…or the simple fact that it had been a few days since he saw her but either way, she looked beautiful. “Did we have plans?”
She shook her head and walked into the apartment. He sighed loudly and closed the door.