Page 9 of The Holidays with Dr. Mitchell
“Girl,” she said with the dramatic annoyance she usually held when her daughter, Addison, was arguing with their youngest, Isabel. “We need a goddamn vacation.”
“Honey, you’re always on vacation,” I laughed. “I know so because I’m usually babysitting for you when Jim whisks you away to your castle in England.”
“I mean a girl’s vacation. Just the ladies,” she said.
“Is Jim irritating you?” I laughed.
“No more than usual,” she chuckled. “I don’t know what it is. I’m just at my limit. I’m sick of hearing Izzy and Addy fighting nonstop and Jim pacing the floors every time a deal goes sideways. I’m just burnt.”
“I heard that big merger didn’t go through, which surprised me because Spence thought he had that thing nailed down.”
“The whole thing was a bust after they found out about that company’s embezzlement shit,” she confirmed. “It’s all good now, but days like this make me want to get away with my girls.”
“We can always steal the yacht and leave the kids with Carmen and my dad?” I teased.
“Why don’t we meet for coffee tomorrow? I miss you, and the two of us haven’t hung out by ourselves in forever. I want to have coffee at a cute little hole-in-the-wall diner on the beach and watch the sunrise.”
“That sounds awesome,” I said, feeling Avery return to reality again. “There’s an adorable coffee shop and bookstore down by my gallery that’s cozy inside and out. I’ll see how early they open.”
“Why haven’t I heard about this little gem before?” Avery questioned with a laugh.
“Because, like you said, it hasn’t been just you and me in a long time. We’re forever doing dinner dates with our husbands, or I’m trying to soak up my rare time alone with Jake.”
“We can’t let marriage kick our asses like this,” Avery said. “Seriously. We’re getting caught up in the trap of the mundane.”
“We’re just living our lives with our husbands and kids,” I chuckled. “Shit, you must’ve had a really shitty day.”
“It’s been rough. I’m dealing with a frustrating woman in my clinic. It’s hard because we all love her and understand the situation she’s in with her marriage and the abuse, but every time she leaves the guy, he speaks these big, beautiful words to her, and she falls for it. It’s a tale as old as time, I guess. After all these years, I shouldn’t be surprised, but it gets to me every time.”
I frowned. Avery founded a women’s shelter to help those looking to leave domestic violence situations, hoping to help them start over and providing a safe space and numerous resources. I was so proud of her and her work because I couldn’t imagine how difficult it must’ve been to pour out all that love and support daily, constantly trying to help others.
“Okay, after I get home, I’ll look the place up. If nothing else, we can do lunch. I will be at the gallery tomorrow anyway while Carmen and my dad take Kaley to the museum for the day, so it’ll be perfect.”
“Sweet. Love you, Ash,” she said.
“You too, babe,” I said, and then we hung up.
I stood before the stove,stirring the Bolognese sauce I’d made to prepare John and Kaley’s favorite meal. They loved spaghetti, and when their dad worked his 48-hour shifts at the hospital, we cooked the food he despised. I still couldn’t believe Jake hated spaghetti. He always acted like it was equal to eating dog food.
Oh, well. It was truly his loss because my sauce was delicious, so he could suck it.
“Momma?” I heard Kaley say, her voice sounding like she had a stuffy nose.
After placing the garlic parmesan bread in the oven to broil, I turned, “Yeah, baby? Dinner will be done in about ten minutes, so go wash up and tell your brother.”
“I’m scared,” she said.
I turned to see her glassy eyes filled with a bit of panic, “What did John say to you now? Halloween is over, and so is the time for spooky stories.”
“I can’t breathe in my nose,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I walked over to her, seeing her nose and sinuses oddly swollen.
I pressed around, feeling hard nodules in her nose, and then I tilted her head back.
“Ow, Mommy,” she said while I pinched my lips to avoid laughing at this wildly unexpected turn of events.
“You have a jellybean stuck in your nose, silly,” I said, gently pushing on her nose, and a green jellybean dropped out of it.
