Liz: Lucy asked that I stay.I have a car on the way for you.Driver’s name is Mina and she’s in a silver Camry.She’ll take you back to the beach house and then to a hotel near the airport.All expenses have been covered.I am so very sorry, Claire.This is the most fucked up Christmas I’ve ever experienced.
Claire’s tears returned.She brushed them away and typed a response.
Claire: Only because I fucked it up.I appreciate everything, Liz.Everything!You are an incredible person, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.For everything.
CHAPTERTHREE
JAY
Jay Avery flipped the switch, then stepped back to examine his tree—ten feet of beautiful Blue Spruce wrapped in over two thousand tiny white lights.An upgrade from last year’s seven-footer, it created a warmth their living room lacked in the daylight hours.With a click of one remote, he broke the room’s silence with the sound of Frank Sinatra’s voice.Another remote brought the fireplace to life with a loud whoosh.Satisfied with his seasonal display, he headed toward the glass bar cart in the corner.And now, for a cup of holiday cheer.
"It's a little warm for that, don't you think?"
His wife’s voice startled him when she entered the room.He turned and zeroed in on the leather briefcase in her hand.
"Not when it's Christmas Eve,” he answered.
"Listen, the hospital just called?—"
"Hope, you just walked in the door a few hours ago,” he snapped.
"I really don't have time to argue with you," she said, checking her watch.
Jay rolled his eyes."Of course you don't.You just pulled a sixteen-hour shift."
"It's not like I have a choice here, Jay."
"That's where you're wrong.You do have a choice.You can pick up the phone, call them back, and tell them to get someone else."
"They're my patients.They need me."
Her cell phone buzzed, ringing the bell on further escalation.
"Dr.Hanks," she answered.
Jay turned away and stared out at the world beyond their high-rise windows.City lights blurred as he focused on her reflection.He listened as she rattled off a string of directives mixed with medical terminology.Three words came to his mind: brilliant, brazen, beautiful.His wife embodied all three.Yet the aura she wore when she slipped into her white coat always raised the same question: who the hell is this woman?Her detached professionalism sharply contrasted with the captivating physician who had stolen his heart six years earlier.The dark-haired, skillful surgeon had saved his best friend’s life.It all began innocently enough: phone calls, flowers, dinner.Within a year of their first meeting, they shared closet space.Another year passed, and after months of negotiations, he finally convinced Dr.Hope Hanks to add one more specialty to her name—wife.
The last twelve months had tested their marriage in ways he’d never imagined.With the Chief of Staff on the verge of announcing his retirement, rumors swirled that Hope would be tapped to be his replacement.Her fifty-hour work week had bounced up to sixty.She had unlimited enthusiasm when it came to the hospital.When it came to their marriage, however, Jay doubted she had the energy to save what feelings—if any—still existed between them.
Of course, Jay wasn’t blameless.Business pulled him away from her numerous times.But one monumental difference between them remained: At the end of each workday, he still wanted to rush home to Hope and their life together.Yet when he turned the key, he rarely found her waiting.
Hope ended the call and headed toward the door, digging through her purse for her keys.
"I'm not sure what time I'll be in.I might grab a few hours there before my morning shift."
"In your office?Or Brett's?"
He kept his back to her, watching for a reaction in the window.
"Wow.Nothing says Merry Christmas like abject jealousy."
She was almost at the door when Jay finally turned around and spoke.
"The hospital won't shut down if you don't go in.But you know that, right?You know the world won't stop if you don't show up."
"My world will," she shot back as she slammed the door behind her.
Now alone, a tiny smirk curled its way around the corner of Jay’s mouth.In addition to being a top-notch surgeon, his wife excelled with deadly one-liners.At one time, it infuriated him.Now, it amused him.At times, he tried to agitate her on purpose just to see what she'd throw back.Any excuse to have some sort of interaction.Most nights, they fell into bed without a word.And he couldn't remember the last time they’d been intimate.
