Page 14 of In the Gray

Not even bothering to look at him, I begin to head toward the back of the store where they keep all the Christmas decorations. For whatever reason, everyone at work seems to think it’s a great idea to exchange ornaments every year. Since I’m forced to participate, I go out of my way to find the most absurd and ugly ornaments I can. Last year, I picked up one shaped like a pickle and was pleasantly surprised when I discovered there’s a tradition about hiding the pickle in the tree. It’s good luck or some horseshit. Either way, it was a lot of fun teasing our sixty-year-old receptionist, Nancy, about playing hide the pickle. It couldn’t have been more perfect, which means I need to up my game this year.

“You probably should’ve brought Lizzy along. I’m horrible at gift giving,” I admit. His abrupt halt causes me to stop as well, turning to face him as he erupts with laughter. My hand lands on my hip as I roll my eyes. The man is always laughing. No one is this damn happy all the time. “What?”

He shakes his head, his laughter subsiding as he walks over to me. “You don’t think that’s something you should’ve told me before now?”

My lips curve into a crooked smile as we begin to walk again. “I needed someone to drive me around so I could get my shopping done.”

Every year I wait until the last minute to finish my Christmas shopping, and no one ever wants to take me. When Spencer asked me to come with him today, I decided to use it to my advantage. I had planned on helping him find the perfect gift for Cat, though.

Only now, I realize I have no clue how to do this. I’ve never gotten a gift from a boyfriend at Christmas. Partly because I haven’t had a boyfriend since high school. The only examples I have of the kind of gifts a guy should get a girl he’s dating come from books and movies. It’s always something like a nice pair of earrings or a pretty necklace, and those seem so boring and cliché to me.

My back stiffens as he wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I look over at him out of the corner of my eye. “Come on, admit it, you wanted to hang out with me. You want us to be besties.”

“If you don’t get your arm off my shoulder, I’m going to break it.”

He snickers and quickly removes it, but not before the heat of his body has a chance to seep into my skin, leaving a longing ache on my flesh. Ever since the night I slept in his bed with him snuggled around me, I’ve had a horrible time sleeping. That night did a number on my mind and body. It took me weeks to shake the cold feeling of loneliness. The last thing I need is for him to confuse things again.

“All right,” he says, rubbing his hands together. “I’m not going home empty-handed, so we need to think of something. What would you want a guy you’ve been dating for almost two months to get you for Christmas?”

My eyes snap over to him. “I thought we already established I don’t do the dating thing.”

He scoffs, scratching at his jaw as he nods his head. “Yep, I got that message loud and clear.” He pauses to give me a pointed look, his lips pressed as though he’s agitated, but there’s a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “But…humor me. If Cat were out helping someone pick out a gift for you, what would you want her to tell them?”

“Fine,” I relent with a huff, my eyes shifting forward as we enter a new aisle. “I’d want her to tell him to get me something personal. Something that symbolizes a special moment between us or something he knew would be meaningful to me. I wouldn’t want the type of gift being purchased for hundreds of other women.”

When my answer is met with silence, I turn my head. He’s regarding me in a way that makes me feel so uneasy—like he’s studying pieces of a puzzle, trying to see the full picture.

“Wow,” he says, blowing out a breath as he rubs the back of his neck. “That’s a lot of pressure. Pretty grand expectations from someone who claims to be an awful gift giver.”

I shrug a shoulder. “You asked me what I’d want someone to do for me, not what I would do.”

Spencer

Lori hasn’t even looked at the menu. She must come here often enough that she doesn’t need to. I, on the other hand, feel completely out of my element. I’ve never had Thai food before and have no clue what any of this stuff is.

Once we finally found a nice gift for Cat, I asked Lori if she would like to get a bite to eat. To my surprise, she said yes, but only if I let her pick the place. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Now, I’m wondering if she purposely picked a place she thought I wouldn’t like.

“Something wrong?” She smirks at me, leaning back on the booth as she crosses her arms.

I shake my head. “Nope, everything looks so good, I’m just trying to figure out what I want.”

She huffs out a laugh as the waitress steps up to the table with our drinks. My eyes frantically scan over the menu again, hoping to see something that sounds edible. There’s certainly no way I’m eating raw fish. Once the waitress places our glasses on the table, she asks if we’re ready to order. I look up, considering pointing at something randomly on the menu rather than admit I’m clueless.

“We’ll both have an order of the beef Pho with your thin noodles, and we’d also like four spring rolls please,” Lori says.

The waitress nods and writes down the order before grabbing our menus and scurrying away. When my gaze lands back on Lori, she’s wearing the same smug expression, watching me as if she’s waiting for my objection.

I quirk an eyebrow. “Did you just order for me?”

“Yep.” Her answer is matter of fact, no apology or explanation.

“What if I don’t like Fuh?” The word comes out butchered, despite my efforts to pronounce it the same way she did. When she bites down on her lip to keep from laughing, I no longer care about being embarrassed. I’d gladly make a fool of myself to get her to laugh. “What the hell is it anyway?”

“It’s good. That’s all you need to know. Trust me, you’ll like it.”

I smack my lips. “Okay then.”

She watches me with suspicion as if she’d been expecting more of a fight from me. There’s no point in arguing, it’s not as if I had the slightest clue about what to order. Anyway, I kind of like that she ordered for me. From what Cat has told me, Lori can be very motherly and overbearing, but only with the people she cares for. Maybe I’m starting to win her over.

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