Chapter 54: A Valentine's Day Visitor
February 14, 1995—Valentine's Day. New York's dusk was veiled by fine snow, softening the red-brick façades of Greenwich Village.
Bruce had everything ready for his first Valentine's with Grace; he only needed the clock to strike before driving over to pick her up.
Suddenly the doorbell rang. Bruce opened it and, startled, asked, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at college? And... how do you two know each other?"
Outside stood Jocelyn—his sister who ought to be thirty-five miles away at Rutgers in New Jersey—and, to his amazement, Rachel.
"I only remembered you lived at 90 Bedford Street," Jocelyn said, "but forgot the exact apartment number, so I asked at the café where Rachel works."
Rachel added, "This young lady walked in asking if Bruce White lived upstairs. When I learned she was your sister, I brought her up. Anyway, back to work for me—she's all yours. Oh, Bruce, your sister's adorable!"
Rachel smiled at Jocelyn and headed downstairs; Jocelyn called after her, "Thanks for walking me up, Rachel!"
Bruce ushered Jocelyn inside and sat her down. Noticing her gloomy mood and the unannounced visit, he put water on for tea and gently began to ask what was wrong.
"It's snowing—did you drive?" Bruce took out a cup and a tea bag.
"Yeah." Jocelyn sank into the couch, fingers fidgeting with her coat button. "The roads were clear, so having a car makes the trip easy..." Her voice suddenly spiked with fury: "If I hadn't come back early to surprise that jerk, I wouldn't have caught him ice-skating at Rockefeller Center with some cheerleader!" She jerked her head up, eyes rimmed red.
Bruce, pouring hot water, froze for a second, then realized she meant Mark—now her ex.
He set the steaming cup in front of her. "What a scumbag—cheating on Valentine's Day?"
Jocelyn glared at the cup for a moment. "Cheating on Valentine's is no worse than any other day. He's dead to me. A guy isn't hard to find."
Bruce gave her a thumbs-up. "College sure gave you some perspective. That's the spirit—good for you, Jocelyn."
"Not college—I've always been practical," she retorted. "Anyway, what are you and Grace doing tonight?"
"I booked a restaurant and a hotel—wasn't planning to come back," Bruce answered.
"Don't change your plans because of me. Go ahead; I'll watch your place for you."
Bruce studied her. "You sure you don't want company? You could stay with Mom and Dad."
Jocelyn waved frantically. "No way. They'd grill me about not being on campus, and they never liked Mark—if they hear he cheated, it'll be 'We told you so' for hours. Go! Don't keep Grace waiting."
"Mom and Dad wouldn't—" Bruce paused. "Fine, we just saw them at New Year's... Look, leaving you alone here feels wrong. Come downstairs—three friends of mine are hanging out tonight, including Rachel. Stay with them and head up to sleep when you're ready."
Jocelyn's eyes lit up. "Great! I already like Rachel—she's gorgeous. With friends that pretty, how are you not tempted?"
"Rachel's beautiful, but I've never hit on her—we're just friends." Bruce struggled to detach a spare key, then shrugged. "Forget it; Rachel's apartment has a spare. Ask Monica later—she's Rachel's roommate."
Bruce put on his coat, grabbed Grace's Valentine's gift, and motioned Jocelyn toward the door.
Still on the topic: "Hard to believe you're immune—if you weren't dating Grace, I'd wonder about you."
"Hey! After the new car I gave you at New Year's, show your big brother some respect!" Bruce raised his voice playfully.
Downstairs they stopped at Monica's door; Bruce knocked, and Phoebe opened up.
"Wow, Bruce, who's this?" Phoebe asked, friendly curiosity dancing in her eyes.
"My sister Jocelyn—call her Joss. Joss, this is Phoebe, and that's Monica." Hearing Phoebe, Monica wandered over; Bruce introduced everyone.
Phoebe and Monica welcomed her inside. Jocelyn whispered to Bruce, "No wonder you're immune—surrounded by women like this, your standards are sky-high!"
"Cut it out," Bruce whispered back, then told the girls, "She's back from college early and crashing at my place, but I'm staying with Grace tonight. Mind if she hangs out till bedtime?"
Monica smiled at Jocelyn: "Of course—tonight's our girls' night." She rolled her eyes at Bruce: "We know we don't have dates—no need to rub it in. Get out of here!"
Bruce grinned sheepishly. "Sorry—no offense meant. None of you have eaten yet, right? Take Jocelyn and Rachel to dinner—my treat." He handed Monica his credit card.
Monica snapped the card between her fingers with a flourish. "We'll eat well—and maybe find somewhere fun to go after."
"It's all yours—just don't go too wild; she's still in college."
Outside, Bruce spotted Jocelyn's shiny red Honda Civic beside his own car. He started the engine; tires crunched softly over the thin snow as he drove toward Grace's law firm.
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