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He might even spend aday at the vineyard in Tuscany. The small villa there was comfortableand cozy and he could do with some relaxation. The holidays had nevermeant anything to him. For the first twenty-five years of his life,it had passed without him noticing.
His earliest memorieswere of being left alone mostly with some banged-up toys given tothem by some do-gooder. When he was ten years old, his old man hadleft him pretty much on his own, which had suited him fine.
The place would becold – so much so that he would dress in several pieces ofclothing. There would be nothing much to eat, and on top of that,he’d be guaranteed a beating for no apparent reason.
Now that things hadturned for the better and he could afford anything he wanted, itstill meant nothing to him. His company would be closed for theholidays, until January sixth, something he’d found itdifficult to agree on, but he’d been made to see reason.
His staff work hardduring the year and giving them time to spend with family boostedmorale and fostered a better working environment. The old man hadtried to get him to come and spend the day with him, but he’dlaughed at that.
“I’d endup tempted to kill you.” He had told him sardonically. “So,for both our sakes, it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
Tossing the rest ofthe drink down, he put away the glass and made his way upstairs. Heknew the ugly memories would ensure he was going to be battling withnightmares for the rest of the night.
*****
He was gone. Shedidn’t know whether to be pleased or not. Hillary had told herin passing that their boss had gone to Europe and would be gone for aweek. He was due to return two days before the holiday. Just in timefor the Christmas party.
She didn’t needto see him. The various press releases going out for the differententities were well received and the previously beleaguered airlinewas getting a much-needed makeover.
There was somethingbrewing with regards to his personal life and she was trying toprepare herself for it. She’d left the gallery on Saturdayafter telling herself and Michael she was tired.
Her visit to hermother had brought some sort of perspective and she’dconcentrated on spending time with her. It’d been enjoyablewith her mother being more coherent than usual, but Allison knewbetter than to expect that it meant she was getting better.
Last night, as wellas Saturday night, hadn’t gone so well. She’d been havingerotic dreams concerning her boss, a man who would never look twiceat her, one who was so despicable he was juggling two women at thesame time. Which of them had he taken home, she wondered bleakly.
Not that she caredone way or the other. He was her employer and was definitely offlimits. It was just a crush, even though she was too old to be havinga crush. She was thirty-two, for crying out loud. She didn’tneed this kind of complication in her life. So, it was good he wasn’tin the building or even in the country.
*****
“You’retoying with the very expensive lobster.” Michael pointed outmildly.
“I offered topay for my portion.” She reminded him equally mildly.
“Considering Ihaven’t seen you in close to a year, I very generously offeredto pay for the entire thing.” Lifting his head, he lookedaround the dining room, buzzing with exclusive clientele. He noddedat an acquaintance before turning his attention to the woman satopposite him. “You seem distracted for want of a better word.”
“I was thinkingabout the holidays,” She lied.
“Ah.”Picking up his glass of wine, he took an appreciative sip. He’dbeen away for so long that he’d forgotten what good wine tasteslike. “I know how you love to go all out. What’s on themenu this year?” He asked teasingly.
“The usual.”She looked at him as she picked up her own glass of Chardonnay. “I’mthinking of making Mama stay with me for the two days –Christmas Eve and Day.
It’s going tofall on a Friday – so we’ll have the Thursday and Fridaytogether. Based on how she behaves or adjusts to the change, I’mthinking of letting her stay and we go to service on Sunday. Thetherapist said that changes can affect her treatment.”
He gave her asympathetic look as he scooped up a piece of baby asparagus. “It’sbeen a rather rough few years.”
“That’sthe understatement of the century.” She said with a laugh.
“Your mother isa strong woman and she passed down her strength to you.”Reaching over, he put his hand over hers. “I’m hoping toinvite myself over for dinner.”
“Trying to runaway from your ex?” She asked him knowingly.
“To say theleast.” He acknowledged with a grimace. “She has thisthing now where she wants to ‘talk’.”
“Any idea whatthat’s about?”
“I’vebeen putting her off and saying I’m busy catching up withthings.”
“Perhaps shewants to rekindle old flames.” She suggested.
