Page 24 of Doctor Knows Best


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“Let me guess,” he said, rattling off a bunch of reality shows.

“Yes! Am I that obvious?”

“Not at all. I’m just a science nerd, and my favorites come on tonight, too. I never watch in here, so you can have the bedroom TV, and I’ll take the living room.”

“Perfect. Except what does that say about us? Our first night living together and we’re watching separate TVs?”

“Well, we had a pretty hectic day. We went to church with my family and you had to meet all the pseudo relatives, we ate a meal that could choke a pig, and then we moved in together. That sounds like a substantial day.”

Laughing, she got on her knees on the bed and put her arms around him. “I’m exhausted. I can’t wait to put my Mickey pj’s on and zone out.”

“Go for it. I will too.”

They got into their comfortable clothes, Jason showed Lily how to use his remote, and with the flashing lights of the casino shining in the bedroom window, and a light snow falling again, their life together began.

Chapter 6

That week, Jason worked at the garage to have a little extra for Christmas. On Monday night, Jason came home to a fully decorated Christmas tree, compliments of Mrs. Fairchild. Suzette had braved the streets of Detroit to help Lily erect and decorate the tree. Giving the apartment her seal of approval made Lily happy. She’d even asked Poppy for a donation of Jason’s favorite ornaments when she found the courage.

He sniffed the air and said, “Yum.” A hunk of beef roasted in the oven, and Lily had prepared a caldron of mashed potatoes.

“Are you hungry? I made enough food for a week,” she said, frowning. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“I love roast beef, and I’ll take sandwiches to work every day.”

“Are you sure you’re not angry that I took over?” Lily asked, standing next to him as they looked at the tree.

“Not at all,” he exclaimed. “It’s time for me to start making my own traditions with my woman. It’s a beautiful tree. Thank you.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“Go about your usual routine,” she said. “I think I changed enough around here for the first day.”

“I’m pretty laid-back, believe it or not. I come in after school or work, take a shower, put my sweatpants on, go through the mail, and get something to eat.”

“Well, go right ahead,” she said. “The only difference is today when you come out of the bedroom, I’ll be here.”

He kissed her and left the room. Looking forward to starting a new book, a fiction book that wasn’t a law case, she curled up in the chair by the window to read. The lights of the casino shining in were already something she looked forward to at night, the rhythm of the city now part of her evening.

Letting her imagination go, Lily thought of the positives of living there with Jason. Besides being with him, her commute to school would be cut down to a fraction of what it had been. Taking the bus would eliminate parking fees. The downside would be her having to get a job. Tutoring paid well and would be squeezed in during the school day. She’d done it in the past when her father had cut her off because of an imagined subordination.

That week, Lily shopped with her mother one day, and girlfriends on another. She forced herself to study for the bar, just seven months away. Nothing was going to stand in the way of getting that license to practice law.

By Christmas Eve, their routine was down. Her friends had warned her not to get into the habit of cooking every night because he’d expect it from her when school started again. So after the roast beef, she deferred to his old way of dealing with meals, which suited her fine. Simple things that only required heating in the microwave, or takeout from the diner down the street.

How they’d spend the holiday was brought up in conversation during the week.

“What should we do about Christmas?” Lily had asked.

“My family usually gets together on Christmas Eve to exchange gifts and go to midnight mass, and then if we want to, we stop by over at Maria’s on Christmas morning for coffee and pastry and to watch the kids open their gifts. What about your family?”

“We open gifts in the morning, and then my mom makes a big deal over Christmas dinner,” Lily said, already smelling a conflict.

“Well, how about we spend Christmas Eve at my folks’ house and then go back and forth between the two houses the next day?”

“That sounds terrible,” Lily said, grimacing. “We don’t need to go to my parents’ in the morning. Let’s stay home, and then we can drop by your sister’s house later and then on to Suzette and Herbert’s for dinner.”

“I don’t want to upset your parents any more than they already are,” Jason said. “At least for the first Christmas, we can be amenable to what they want.”

“Well, after this, we’re making our own traditions,” she said, determined. “I hate the idea of running all over on a holiday. When I lived at home, I didn’t even want to come out of my room.”

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