Page 34 of A Reindeer Wish for Love
Chapter 17
Clay
This Year
When I glanced at thecalendar in my new office, weeks had passed and with the money I made from my work, I had managed to get an apartment with my same old roommates, but a new position at another law firm.I was the head of the Artificial Intelligence division of a competing company with Halifax and Mason.
The department sounded like a science fiction movie, but it was far from that.
The title had a sound of importance, but what was most important was the salary.Now I could breathe and all the sacrifices I’d made in that year had paid off.
I had left Halifax and Mason without fanfare going on a year without hardly anyone noticing except Halifax, and the only reason he paid attention was because his lawyers were losing more cases than usual.The truth was out, they had lost their AI guy as they referred to me.After a year of working my ass off hardly anyone knew my name or remembered me.However, what Halifax thought had been a demotion with salary prepared me for this moment, and this time where I could command the income I needed and wanted to thrive in this economy.
Perhaps not even Mason remembered my name or the cute guy wearing the Tom Ford suit, because I never heard from him.And I had to wade through my loneliness and heartache alone.Not quite alone because I did have Marty and Tyler, and I’d met a new friend in Cole who had set me up with connections were I had been able to leave Halifax and Mason.
Mason hadn’t contacted me, nor had he tried getting in touch after I’d resigned.However, I did get a great recommendation letter from the law firm which proved I wasn’t hard to find.I heard Mason had returned from California and Europe with a new boyfriend.There was plenty of gossip to go around.I even heard Mason had divorced his wife, and it had been a messy divorce.Aren’t all divorces messy?I thought.
I couldn’t divorce my emotions from Mason.After a year, I was still trying to work through how I’d been abandoned after he’d confessed to loving me.If it hadn’t been a holiday maybe I would have had a chance to forget, but now with Christmas coming once more, the thought of Mason occupied my thoughts.
I had been ready to leave my office and celebrate the new apartment and the holidays with Marty and Tyler when I received this invitation from someone in Halifax and Mason’s firm.Someone sent me an invitation to their annual Christmas Party.The invite said come dressed as your favorite Christmas character.
When I arrived at our new apartment, minus the old cat who decided the ferial life was best for him, I was met by Marty and Tyler.When I opened the door the aroma of a fresh pine tree had the apartment smelling perfect for the holiday season.
“Look what I’m cooking tonight.And I’m making homemade eggnog for Tyler.”Tyler had come from one of those small rural towns where they made things from scratch and baked their own bread.
With my new job, things had changed in our lives.I had my own room and so did my friends.The space was large and modern and there were two ensuite bathrooms and showers.The place was out of Homes and Gardens, with a terrace as well as security.
“Look what I got today,” I said with excitement.Marty glanced over at me.“A Christmas invitation to Halifax’s and Mason’s party.”
“You’re not going, are you?”
“Of course, I’m going.Do you think I’ll miss my chance to look Mason in the eyes and tell him what I think of him.”
“It wasn’t all his fault, Clay.And you’re doing much better now than when you were working at his law firm.”
“That doesn’t matter.He took my heart and dashed it against the rocks and shattered it into unrecognizable pieces that even now I can’t put together.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Clay.You were warned.You can’t blame someone else for your heartaches.Only you can control that.”
“What if Tyler left you for another man?”I knew he would understand now.
Marty raised his knife, the one he was trimming the raw steak, and he furrowed and narrowed his eyes.“I’d cut out his heart,” Marty declared before Tyler strode in.
“Whose heart are you cutting out now besides mine?”Tyler asked, and leaned and kissed him on the cheek.
“Only yours, baby,” Marty said.
Tyler smiled and glanced at the steaks Marty had prepared.“We’re eating high on the hog as my mother would say to my father when he’d gotten a raise.”
“Seriously, Clay has an invitation to a Christmas party.”
