Page 23 of A Holly Brown Christmas
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. Always.”
“Do you want your marriage to be over? All these years, I thought you and Mom were happy. I don’t understand what happened or why you both chose to do this now.”
“Lucas, it’s not like you and your sisters are small children. You’re adults and shouldn’t be taking this so hard. Do I want my marriage to be over? No! I had no idea your mother was going to just pick up and leave. She’s always complained a little about how much I work, but she sure as hell doesn’t mind the perks of me working those long hours. That woman spends money the second it’s made!”
“Okay, but…don’t you think the two of you should sit down and talk? Everything is getting out of hand. Plus, when are you planning on coming home? You mentioned taking a brief vacation, but now with this whole yacht thing, it feels like you’re going to be away much longer. And where exactly are you?”
“Again, Lucas, you’re not even paying attention. The flyer clearly states that the marina is in Miami, and the contract has a Miami address as well. I’m beginning to wonder if you can handle all of our company contracts. You’re not being very observant.”
“I’m very observant,” Lucas replied through clenched teeth. “When it’s important, I go over every word with a fine-tooth comb. But this nonsense you and Mom keep throwing at me is wasting my time! Now, when are you coming back?”
“Oh, I don’t plan on coming back until after the first of January. Start the new year fully rested and all that. Don’t worry. We have a great team who can handle everything while I’m not there.”
This was worse than he thought, and now he wasn’t sure what to do.
Should he call his sisters?
It wasn’t like he didn’t speak to his sisters, but they had busy lives and young kids, and he didn’t want to burden them. Especially when he had no idea what they should do.
Holly.
She had been really easy to talk to this week, so maybe she wouldn’t mind sitting down with him again and helping him work things out, like figuring out what to say to his sisters or coming up with some plan to get his parents in the same room to deal with their issues.
“Listen, Lucas, I need to go. Look over that contract because I need to sign it tomorrow. I’ve already dealt with the financing, but it’s all the other stuff—the maintenance, amenities, extras, warranties on the yacht itself that I need to make sure are in order. You can just text me with a yay or nay. We’ll talk soon! Bye!”
And just like that, the call was over.
While the phone was still in his hand, he pulled up his conversation with Holly. He missed her last response because he had a call come in, so he was reading it now for the first time.
Holly: That would be fine. I wouldn’t want to disturb any of your plans. Just tell me when you’re leaving and I will get there before you go.
Frowning, he felt like there was a tone to her message. Was she annoyed with him because he asked her to come to the house on the weekend? That didn’t make sense since she was all about volunteering and doing whatever he needed her to do.
“Okay, let’s see what this is about.”
Lucas: Hey! Sorry, just seeing this. Are you mad at me? I kind of get the feeling you’re mad.
“Now I sound needy.” Groaning, he put the phone down and rubbed his temples because he felt a major headache coming on.
When the phone dinged, he quickly picked it back up.
Holly: Nope. Not mad. Just let me know what time tomorrow.
Yeah. She was mad. He just had no idea why, and texting wasn’t going to get him any answers. It was almost five and he was basically done for the day. He could look at his father’s stupid contract later. Right now, he wanted to make sure he and Holly were okay.
Grabbing his things and putting them in his satchel, he walked out of his office and walked down to Holly’s. She was sitting at her desk with her hair up in a ponytail, a pair of glasses perched on the edge of her nose, and she was biting on a pen. She looked adorable, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate that observation right now. Instead, he gently knocked on the door and smiled when she looked up.
“Hey! How’s your day going? Ready to call it quits?” he asked, doing his best to sound casual and relaxed, even though she was eyeing him warily.
The look she gave him was brief before she returned her attention to her computer. “Just finishing up some reports. Is there something you need?”
“Actually, there is.” He stood directly in front of her desk—in front of her—and waited for her to look at him again. When she did, he said, “I’d like to know why you’re mad at me, because I can tell that you are. If I did something to offend you, then I’m sorry. Honestly and truly sorry. Upsetting you is the last thing I want to do.”
Holly simply blinked at him for a few moments before she visibly relaxed. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s not you. I just…” She shrugged. “It’s just my own thing and I’m in a mood. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
Then, thankfully, she smiled.
