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It had been a week.
A solid week of silence.
Totally unlike her.
And I knew if she was sick or something, Marnie would have texted to let me know. I would have taken her chicken noodle soup like I did last year when she had a bad cold and laryngitis. It had been comical when she’d sent me the video from the doctor’s office of her attempting to talk. She’d sounded awful. I’d even gone to pick her up and drive her home so she wouldn’t have to wait around for a ride. I didn’t want her getting sicker because she was so stubborn.
I kept an eye on the clock while my client, Dr. Allen, and I finished up our meeting. He signed the papers I’d drawn up, and I set them in his file to be sent out in the morning. He leaned back in his chair with his third cup of coffee my secretary had brought in midway through the meeting.
“Lucas, I have a proposition for you.”
I looked at one of my favorite clients. Dr. Allen was in his mid-fifties, recently divorced. I’d been working with him since I’d been hired at the firm. He was easy to deal with, knew what he wanted, and didn’t want to stand over my shoulder all the time. “What’s up?”
“What are you doing for Christmas?”
I steepled my hands on my desk.
“Listening to my mother dissect my life choices over a catered meal.” He looked amused at my words. “She gave up cooking holiday dinners a couple years ago when she hurt her back carrying groceries up the icy driveway.”
“Can I tempt you away?”
“Wouldn’t be that hard to do.” I laughed easily. “I can work over the holidays, not a problem.”
I picked up my notepad, ready to jot down whatever notes were necessary on whatever he needed.
He put his hand up.
“No work involved. We’re going to Europe over Christmas, and my villa in Curaçao will be empty. I thought maybe you could use a break from snow.” He finished his coffee and set the empty cup on the edge of my desk. “I hear we’re in for a rather snowy Christmas.”
Curaçao.
Images of turquoise waters instantly filled my mind. I’d seen ads but had never been.
“Wow.”
“It’s just off a private stretch of beach. Modern villa, all the amenities. Private gated community. I have a small staff which I can have stay on hand, if you’d like. I’d hate for it to be empty over the holidays. It’s a beautiful place. Maybe you and your girlfriend would like to go.”
Girlfriend?
It took a moment to realize he’d seen the photo on the ledge behind the desk of Abbie and me at my graduation and made a simple assumption.
Girlfriend.
No.
But I had Abbie.
And that was even better.
He brought the place up on his phone and showed me a picture.
I took the phone from him and looked at the beautiful glass house. Clear blue sky. Hints of a sandy beach. I could hear the ocean from there in my mind.
That was it.
Sold.
“I’ll take it. Thank you so much for the offer.” I handed his phone back. “Can you email me those photos?”
