Christmas Wishes Page 4

  Ally took a drink, giving herself a few seconds to come with something to say. She was dying to ask Sydney more. To confirm that she was interested in women, but Ally chickened out.

  "So, what advice was Clarke talking about?" she asked instead.

  "Hmmm?"

  "Clarke said that you took his advice." Ally didn't miss the way Sydney's cheeks darkened.

  Sydney ran a hand through her hair, her gaze moving to the windows and the busy sidewalk outside. "He..." She reached for her drink, tracing her fingertip along the rim of the glass. "Clarke thinks I should think about dating a younger woman, and I'm sorry that he thought that's what we were doing here. He's drunk, and when he's like that he has no filter. He's much more tactful during the day."

  "And why does he think you need to date someone younger?" Ally asked, somehow keeping her voice level.

  "Ugh. I was complaining about getting older when he was talking about having my fiftieth birthday party. I'm forty-five by the way."

  "Why was he talking about your fiftieth then?"

  "He wanted to have a party now, to celebrate twenty years in business, but I'm so busy right now with work and the shelter that I suggested waiting until we'd been working together for twenty-five years. Then he got a bit carried away and started talking about a joint party for my fiftieth. He knows how much I hate celebrating my birthday, never mind that milestone."

  Ally took another drink, still processing what Sydney just said. She was forty-five. Not that Ally minded. This wasn't a date after all, but if it was, would Sydney care that she was fifteen years younger than her?

  Ally dared herself to meet Sydney's eyes. "And dating someone younger would do what exactly...?"

  "That's what I said. He thinks he gives the guys he dates a confidence boost, but I don't need that. Not that I know what I need. Like I said, I'm not great with relationships."

  "I think you need someone who will let you work, since that's what you love, instead of trying to get you away from it."

  Sydney stared at her, and Ally was the one with flushed cheeks now. Maybe she shouldn't have said that, but Sydney was looking back at her with a half-smile. At least, Ally hadn't offended her.

  "I think," Sydney said, finishing what was left in her glass, "That the right woman would make me want to work less. I've never met anyone who even tempted me to take time off, to come home early, and that has nothing to do with age. Clark was... Clarke was just being Clarke."

  Ally swallowed. She had no idea what to make of all this. Sydney was sitting across from her in a gay bar, and she wasn't straight, but Ally still didn't think Sydney was interested in her. She didn't know if it was her age or because they worked together at the shelter, but Sydney wasn’t really giving her any reason to hope.

  "Do you want another drink?" Sydney asked, taking her away from her thoughts.

  "Yeah. Sure. It's my round though." Ally pushed herself out of the booth, walking towards the bar in a daze. This was not how she thought tonight was going to go. Not that she was complaining. It was just a surprise. She still couldn't believe Sydney had agreed to go to the movies with her, never mind all this.

  Ally rested her arms on the bar, replaying their conversation while she waited to get the bartender's attention. Part of her wished she was gutsy enough to say something, to let Sydney know that she was interested, but she knew there was no point. They were from two different worlds.

  "So," Clarke said, appearing from out of nowhere. "Where did you two meet? At the shelter?"

  "Yes." Ally wasn't the only one who could do short answers.

  "And who asked who out?"

  "I asked Sydney to the movies, and she suggested going for a drink after." Ally caught the bartender's eye and ordered their drinks.

  Clarke swayed into her, their arms brushing before he stood up straight again, leaning against the bar. "Sydney can be difficult. You might as well know that up front, but she's a sweetheart deep down. She's my best friend, and she deserves to be happy. Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? That's a sure sign it's time to go home."

  Ally paid the bartender before turning to Clarke. "Am I her usual type?"

  Clarke looked her up and down. "No. She usually dates women she knows through business, and she's definitely never dated anyone as young as you."

  "You don't know how old I am."

  He took a step back and gave her another once over. "Twenty-nine."

  "Close. Thirty."

  "Yeah, she's never dated anyone more than three years younger than her."

  "But you think she should," Ally said, taking a drink.

  "It was just a suggestion."

  "Even though that's not the kind of woman she normally dates?"

  "She's in a rut," he said with a shrug. "She could use someone younger to snap her out of it."

  "Anyone of any age could do that."

  "True."

  "But you prefer older guys," she said, looking past him at the man he was with earlier.

  "I do."

  Ally nodded. So much new information to process. “I better get back to Sydney."

  "Enjoy your night."

  "You too." Ally weaved her way through the crowd, and met Sydney's eyes as she walked back to their table.

  "That couldn't have been good." Sydney's eyes never left hers as she sat down. "Thanks for this."

  "You're welcome, and he was just curious."

  "About what?"

  "How we met. Who asked who out."

  Sydney groaned. "He can be such a pain in the ass. I'm sorry."

  "No. It's fine. I just told him the truth. That we met at the shelter, and that I asked you out."

  "Except you didn't. Not on a date anyway."

  Ally took a long drink. This was the part where she could say... What if this was a date? "I asked you out to the movies, so technically it's true. I thought you might want to be the one to explain to him that this isn't a date. You know, when he's sober."

  "Hmmm. That's a much better idea than dealing with it tonight." Sydney brought her glass to her lips and took a sip.

  The moment was gone, and Ally had to let it go. This wasn't a date. Sydney would never be interested in someone as simple and ordinary as her. Friends was the best she could hope for.

  9

  Sydney didn't know why she was at the bar waiting for another round of drinks. She should really go home. She was tipsy, and even though Clarke had already embarrassed her, she was somehow still enjoying herself. When she left her apartment, she hadn't been sure how tonight would go, but she never expected to still be out with Ally hours after the movie had finished.

  If she could just keep her attraction to Ally in check, she'd be fine. All the touching had stopped once the movie was over, and thank God for that, because Sydney didn't trust herself now that she was drinking wine.

  She couldn't start anything with Ally, not that she thought Ally would really be interested in someone so much older than her. Sydney needed to finish her community service hours, and that meant seeing a lot more of Ally. She didn't want things to get awkward between them if she'd made a pass, and Ally wasn't interested.

  Sydney carried their drinks back to the booth, dodging a group of women who were dancing beside the bar, and just as she sidestepped one of them, she noticed her ex, Donna, walk in. Sydney turned away before Donna could see her and returned to their booth, leaving their drinks down and wiping her now sweaty palms on her jeans.

  Just when she thought her night couldn’t get any worse, Donna had to show up. She shouldn’t have been surprised. This was why she always turned down Clarke’s offers to come here. Running into your exes was almost guaranteed. Why did it have to be Donna though?

  Sydney slid further into the booth, right up to the window, throwing another glance towards the bar. Donna’s back was to her, but Sydney knew it was her. She hadn’t changed at all in the last five years. Her blond hair might have been a few inches longer, but she still wore the same killer skirts that showed off her
legs. Sydney hated to admit it, but she looked great.

  “Thanks,” Ally said, lifting her bottle before taking a drink. “Did you see Clarke leave?”

  “Hmmm.” Sydney propped her chin up on her hand, letting her hair that was tucked behind her ear fall across her face.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” Sydney's eyes darted over towards Donna again.

  Ally turned around to get a view of the bar. “Because you keep looking over there, and I'm getting the impression that you'd rather be anywhere but here. You've practically disappeared into the corner there. Unless you're ready to call it a night? I'm happy to if that's-"

  "No. No. It's not that. I'm actually having a really nice evening." Sydney found herself smiling despite the uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. She shifted back towards the middle of the seat so she was across from Ally again.

  "What is it then?"

  Sydney sighed. "My ex just walked in."

  "Ah. Messy breakup?"

  "You could say that." Sydney took a sip of wine. "I was supposed to be away on business. I'd left for the airport and just as I was getting out of my cab, I realized I'd forgotten my passport. So, I went back to my apartment, and there was Donna, in bed, with a competitor of mine, a mutual friend. I hadn't even been gone for an hour..."

  "Oh my God." Ally was leaning forward, her hand resting on Sydney's forearm for just a second. "That's awful.”

  Sydney nodded. "That was five years ago, and this is the first time I've seen her since she handed back her keys a few days after I walked in on them. Instead of just apologizing for cheating, like a normal person, Donna felt the need to lecture me on my work ethic, telling me that I'd basically driven her to cheat."

  "What??"

  "Yeah. So, that's Donna." Sydney stared out the window, avoiding Ally's gaze. She couldn't look over at the bar again either. It was definitely Donna, and she had no desire to catch her attention. "Are you leaving?" Sydney asked as Ally slid out of the booth. She must have had enough of Sydney's drama, wanting to get out of here before Donna spotted them.

  "No. Move over."

  "What?" Sydney asked, sure that she'd misheard her, but Ally was already sitting beside her.

  "I know you shouldn't care what she thinks, and maybe you don't, but right now, I think I should be your girlfriend."

  Sydney turned to face her, taking another sip of wine. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, Ally. That's really not necessary."

  "And if it didn't make me uncomfortable? If I wanted to do this to get back at her?"

  "Why though? You hardly know me.” Was it Sydney's imagination or had Ally's eyes darkened? They'd definitely just flickered down to Sydney's lips.

  "No one deserves to be treated like that." Ally's hand covered Sydney's on the table, her thumb brushing across Sydney's. "And I wouldn't feel the slightest bit of remorse about letting that woman believe that I was your girlfriend even though I hate lying. What she did was awful, and I can't even imagine what that must have been like."

  "To be honest, I wasn't even close to being devastated. I knew I should have been. We were together for years, but I guess I didn't really love her. I was just offended, more than anything, that she had the nerve to carry on behind my back. Oh shit. She just saw me."

  "Donna?"

  "Yes."

  Ally leaned in a little closer, brushing a lock of Sydney's hair behind her ear. A chill ran through Sydney's body as Ally's fingers lingered. "Is she coming over here?"

  "I don't know." Sydney took a breath, willing her voice to remain steady. "I don't want to make eye contact again."

  "What should we do? Do you want to go over to her? Get out in front of it?"

  Sydney sighed. "I don't know. I don't really want to talk to her."

  "What if I kissed you?"

  "Hmm?"

  "That would be something I would do, as your girlfriend, and it might keep her from coming over here," Ally said, a smile on her lips.

  Sydney blinked. How was Ally so calm? Sydney swallowed, glancing down at their hands. Ally's was still covering hers on the table.

  "Unless you'd rather just leave?"

  Sydney met her gaze, those blue-green eyes on her, waiting for her to say something. She slid her hand away from Ally's, and she didn't miss the disappointment that flashed across Ally's face.

  Sydney inched closer, tilting her head as they both leaned in. Sydney's eyes fluttered closed as she reached her hand up to cup Ally's cheek. This was a bad idea. Sydney knew that, and for once, she ignored that logical voice in her head.

  She kissed Ally, softly at first, but as soon as their lips met, there was a spark, a surge of desire, and Ally kissed her back, parting her lips.

  They were still in a bar, so they didn't get carried away, as much as Sydney wanted to. She dropped her hand, dazed almost as she met Ally's eyes.

  "Do you think she saw us?" Ally asked.

  "I don't know." Donna was the last thing on Sydney's mind. Her eyes never left Ally's, her hand on Ally's leg now, giving her a lopsided smile. "And I don't really care."

  Ally laughed as she reached for her beer. Sydney watched her take a drink, reminding herself that tomorrow they'd have to deal with this. They could blame the alcohol, but Sydney knew she was in control right now. Tipsy, but in control.

  "I hope you don't think I'm taking advantage of you," Ally said, still smiling. "That I got you drunk so I could make a move."

  Sydney returned her smile, until it hit her that Ally wasn't drunk. She'd had non-alcoholic beers all night. Ally knew exactly what she was doing, unless she just felt sorry for Sydney, and that thought made her stomach drop.

  "Hey," Ally said, resting her hand on Sydney's knee. "You okay?"

  "Yeah." Sydney didn't have time to think about Ally's motivations. "Donna's heading this way." Sydney ignored her, returning her gaze to Ally.

  "Sydney, I thought that was you." Donna stood beside their table, looking as glamorous as ever.

  "Donna." Sydney couldn't bring herself to say nice to see you. It wasn't. "How are you?"

  "I'm good. Great, in fact. I'm here with my wife, Brittany. She's at the bar with a few of our friends. And who's this?" Donna asked, as if she'd notice Ally for the first time.

  "This is Ally. Ally, Donna."

  Donna shook Ally's hand. "Nice to meet you."

  "You too."

  Donna's attention was back on Sydney. "I see you traded me in for a younger model."

  Sydney opened her mouth, but Donna kept talking.

  "Not that I blame you," Donna said with a smirk. "I did the same thing." She threw a glance over her shoulder, towards the bar.

  Sydney's jaw clenched, and she felt Ally's hand on her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.

  "Anyway," Donna said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I don't want to interrupt. It was good to see you, Sydney. Enjoy your night, ladies."

  Sydney exhaled once Donna's back had turned and she was halfway to the bar.

  "Wow," Ally said, shaking her head.

  "Hmm." Sydney took a drink, swallowing down her anger.

  "I hope the women you've dated since are nicer. She seems like a piece of work."

  "Actually, I haven't dated anyone since," Sydney said before she took another drink.

  "Really? I thought you said all that happened five years ago."

  "It did. A little over five years ago." Sydney met Ally's eyes. "What?"

  Ally shrugged. "Just surprised. That's all."

  "I threw myself into my work. My long hours got longer, and I haven't met anyone else that really caught my attention." Until now she wanted to add, but Sydney wasn't drunk enough to be that truthful. "What about you?"

  "What about me?"

  "Well, I assume you're single if you're here volunteering to kiss me and pretend to be my girlfriend." Sydney couldn't keep a playful smile off her lips.

  "Yes. I'm single. For the last... Two years? Yeah, just about two ye
ars. I had a few semi-serious relationships in my twenties, but nothing since."

  "How old are you?"

  "Donna's comment get to you, huh?"

  "Just curious."

  "I'm thirty," Ally said, finishing her drink.

  Sydney did the same. Wow, she really was taking Clarke's advice. Fifteen years.

  "How old did you think I was?" Ally asked.

  "Early thirties."

  Ally nodded. "Clarke guessed twenty-nine."

  "He asked you?"

  Ally shrugged. "It came up when we were chatting at the bar."

  Sydney shook her head. She'd kill him. That was tomorrow's problem, though. She needed to figure out how tonight was going to go first. She said the first thing that popped into her head. "Do you want to get out of here?"

  "Really?"

  "Yeah. I can't stand being in the same room as Donna anymore."

  Ally's cheeks darkened, and she looked everywhere but at Sydney.

  A heat crept across Sydney's neck and then her cheeks. She cleared her throat. "Oh. You thought..."

  "Sorry." Ally was sliding out of the booth. "That's my fault. I shouldn't have assumed. I didn't mean... I'll just go." She reached for her gray winter coat and put it on.

  "Ally, wait." Sydney shot out of the booth, bringing her own jacket with her. "Do you want to come back to mine? We should probably talk."

  Ally hesitated, doing up the buttons on her coat instead of looking at her. When she finally did look at Sydney, she said nothing, reaching for her hand instead, leading them to the door. Sydney took that as a yes, but she had no idea if Ally was still playing the part of her girlfriend and putting on a show for Donna or if she wanted this night to continue as much as Sydney did.

  10

  "Can I get you a drink?" Sydney asked her as she took Ally's jacket and hung it on a tall, wooden coat rack inside the door. "Water? Sparkling water? I'm afraid I don't have much to offer you in the way of non-alcoholic drinks."

  Ally tried to focus on Sydney as she followed her down the hall and into the enormous open planned kitchen living room area. Ally didn't know why but the walnut floors and exposed brick walls surprised her. She knew Sydney's apartment would be fancy, but she thought it would be more marble and gold trimmings than the wood that featured throughout, giving the apartment a homely, almost rustic feel. It still looked and felt expensive, and Ally did her best not to gawk, knowing her entire apartment would fit inside this room.