Page 10 of A Season of Second Chances
"I'd love to," she says, seeming to be happy that she's been asked. "If that's okay with you."
"It's more than okay." I stand up, lifting Alana into my arms. "Right, Alana?"
"It's so much more fun decorating with everybody than by ourselves." Alana throws her arms around my neck, and over her shoulder, I catch Joy's eyes again.
There's a desire there, whether it be a desire to be out of this situation or stay in it, I'm unsure. I got it wrong the last time, I can't trust myself with this one. I'm going to have to wait and see how things play out.
Whatever happens over the next few days while she's stranded here, I know one thing for sure, having Joy back in Pine Ridge, even temporarily, is waking up a part of me I thought had gone to sleep a long time ago.
And I'm not sure if that's the best thing or the worst thing that could happen.
Seven
Joy
I'm back up in my room, after promising to help decorate the tree. Opening my laptop, I try once more to log on to the wi-fi, but there's not one bar, much less enough for me to sign on. Grabbing my phone, I figure I can maybe hot spot, but again, there's very little service.
Frustrated, I shoot off a text message, hoping that it'll go through to my boss.
Me: Alex, I'm so sorry, I barely have service to send this text. I've almost got the presentation done, but I don't know how I'm going to send it. They've declared a state of emergency.
Alex: Never mind, Joy. I need it today. We'll deal with this when I see you in office after Christmas.
My stomach drops as I read the message. He's upset, and so am I. I've worked on this presentation for months. This is supposed to be one of our biggest clients if we can get them to sign. Tilting my head to the side, I wonder why Alex isn't anymore upset about this. Granted, he was rude earlier, but what is he planning to do if I don't show up?
Scrolling through my contacts I find a friend from the office, Monica.
Me: Hey Monica, I know you're probably super busy, but I have a question if you have a minute.
Monica: OMG Joy, are you okay? we heard that you're stranded!
Well at least Alex hasn't lied about where I am, I guess.
Me: I'm fine, luckily I got picked up off the road from someone I knew in high school. Right now I have no service except for texts, but Alex doesn't seem to be freaking out too much about the Patterson account.
She doesn't answer for what feels like way too long, and when she does, the anger makes my blood boil.
Monica: I don't know how to tell you this, but I feel like I need to be honest. He's had Brittany working on a presentation for Patterson too. He was going to choose his favorite when the two of you showed up.
That motherfucker. I've been working on this for the better part of a few months, and he's had someone else competing against me? This is a betrayal I haven't felt in a long time.
Me: Thanks for letting me know, Monica. I appreciate it.
Monica: I have no doubt that yours would've been better.
But that doesn't make up for all the hours I've spent that I'll never get back. And after seeing Winter with Alana, I'm beginning to wonder if all those hours even matter.
Two hours later I'm heading down to the lobby, dressed in a pair of black leggings and a festive Christmas sweater. I took the time to put on some makeup and curl my hair. It's probably stupid. No one will even notice, and I have to think about who I'm actually doing it for.
Winter.
It doesn't matter that I left him, he's the only person who's ever made me feel like I was important, and I need that more than anything right now.
"Dad, there's Joy."
Alana's voice makes me almost want to cry. There's such excitement in it, like I'm someone special just for showing up. When was the last time anyone was that happy to see me? Probably Winter back when we were dating. That thought hits me right in the middle of my chest.
"Hey," I say, smiling as I approach them near the massive tree in the lobby. It's at least twelve feet tall, bare branches just ready for whatever kind of ornaments and lights they have available for it. I haven't decorated a tree in at least seven years. I've just never embraced the Christmas spirit like I should, but I'm really excited about this.
