Welcome! This week we have another episode of "The House-Sitter's Country Christmas." Thanks for stopping by. Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales.
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Once she hit
the street, Laura paused, sucking her lower lip between her teeth. What had she
done? She’d blown off Christmas with the man she loved. Damn!
She never
considered herself bad-tempered. Her mother had reassured her she had the
sweetest temperament of any of her five children. But since she’d been seeing
Craig Banley, Jr., she flared up at the smallest slight.
Her conscience
pricked. She’d always criticized him for his short temper, and here she was,
stomping around like a regular spoiled brat. She chuckled. Craig had cornered
the market on spoiled brats. She’d been working on him nearly a year and he’d
improved. What could have prompted her to take on his bad habits?
As she ambled
toward Broadway to catch the subway, she recalled his silly concern about how
the temperature of her house. He’d put off visiting, taking her to beautiful
hotels on pristine North Shore beaches all summer. Or to the mountains. He’d
rented a glorious mountain retreat where they had total privacy –at least for
ten days, while George took his vacation.
But Christmas
was coming, and the holiday in Pine Grove was glorious. She sighed as she pushed through the turnstile. She’d done it. Faced off with
him. And now the most stubborn man on the planet had planted his feet firmly
and wouldn’t budge. And she’d have to spend the holiday alone.
Tears gathered
in the corners of her eyes. How could she love such a man? Craig could be sweet
and generous to a fault. But he was set in his ways. At the bus station, she
found a quiet corner and called George, Craig’s right-hand man.
After fumbling
around for words, emotion stole her breath.
“Don’t worry,
Miss Laura. I’ll take care of it.”
“Can you,
George? You know how he is.”
A chuckle on
the other end of the wire gave her hope.
“Indeed I do.
And I thought you were wiser.”
“So did I. I
don’t know what happened.”
“Don’t worry.
Go ahead with your preparations. Craig will be there, if I have to tie him up
in a straitjacket.”
“Oh, good.
Thank you. Oh! I don’t mean about the straitjacket.”
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Love it, especially the restraint. I recall some of this, at least I think I do. Looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteI love that she's questioning in her mind why she's with him, but her heart can't deny she wants to be.
ReplyDeleteLove this line so much-- After fumbling around for words, emotion stole her breath. Great excerpt. She is at a loss as to how she "lost it", and you perfectly describe her puzzlement and anguish.
ReplyDeleteI love the straightjacket line!! I am so hoping for these two. Great job!
ReplyDelete