Read Online The Christmas Party by Carole Matthews - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Carole Matthews
Ads: Link
far away,’ Lance offered.
The thought made her blood chill. ‘So it’s signed, sealed and delivered then?’
‘Pretty much. A few i’s to dot. A few t’s to cross.’
Her husband had an over-casual look fixed to his features and she eyed him suspiciously.
‘There has to be a catch, Lance, otherwise you wouldn’t sound so edgy. I know you.’ There was a pain behind her eyes that hadn’t been there previously and, despite the comfort of their chauffeured car, one was now developing in her neck to match. ‘When exactly do they want you to start this crucial role?’
Lance cleared his throat; she knew it was a bad sign. It was the sound that said somewhere a nail had been struck firmly on the head. After years of marriage all her husband’s annoying little habits were deeply ingrained in her psyche. This was one of them.
‘Saturday,’ he stated flatly.
‘
Saturday?
’
‘I’ve had Veronica book flights. The e-tickets are on my desk in the study.’
‘But it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow, Lance. Saturday is Christmas Day. Who in God’s name moves home on Christmas Day? I’ve ordered a sixteen-pound turkey from Fortnum and Mason for our Christmas lunch.’
‘Maybe we can still eat it before we leave for the airport, sweetie.’ Lance looked wounded. ‘It’s an evening flight.’
‘You expect me to pack and be on a flight to New York the day after tomorrow and still have time to cook a turkey? I don’t think even that Nigella woman could manage that feat.’
Lance shrugged. ‘You know the form, honey. You must be used to it by now.’
That was true enough. She was used to upping sticks at a moment’s notice, but this time she wanted to dig her heels in. ‘What about I stay here for a few more weeks and then follow you when you’re settled?’
If she was here for a little while longer, she might be able to tie up one or two loose ends that she needed to.
‘No, no, no. I want you with me, by my side, honey. Where you always are.’
He patted her again and she felt like screaming. He struggled to manage without her now. They both knew that. Even before she had suggested it, she knew Lance would never allow it. Where he went, she had to go too.
‘It will be good to get back to New York,’ she said. Though in her heart she didn’t feel that at all.
‘Washington DC,’ Lance corrected quietly.
‘DC?’
Lance merely nodded in confirmation.
‘Why DC, in heaven’s name?’
Lance swallowed his bourbon. ‘That’s where the project is based. If that’s what the company wants, who am I to argue?’
‘You’re the chairman. Can’t you do it from here? I thought this new office of yours was supposed to have all the very latest in space technology – satellite link-ups, video conferences, beam-me-up-Scotty machines? They’re all terms I’ve heard bandied about liberally in the last few months. I know you’ve got them.’
‘We’ve been here for a few years now,’ Lance noted. ‘That’s a lifetime in Fossil Oil terms. Isn’t it time we had a move? Don’t you feel restless?’
‘I like it here.’ Melissa could feel herself coming perilously close to tears.
‘You hate it here.’ Lance charged his glass again. This time when he gestured towards her with the bottle, she nodded.
She downed it too quickly, the fiery liquid burning her throat and threatening to make her cough.
‘Every year you complain about the summer, then you complain even more about the winter. You hate the service and the fact they never put enough ice in your drinks. You hate the food. You’ve never once tried steak-and-kidney pudding.’
‘Just because I don’t eat steak-and-kidney pudding, Lance, it doesn’t mean I haven’t grown to love England. In my own way.’
‘Not two weeks ago you were so sick of the rain, you said it was like permanently living under a power shower.’
She’d hoped he hadn’t remembered that. ‘I’ve bought a new umbrella since then,’ she protested
The thought made her blood chill. ‘So it’s signed, sealed and delivered then?’
‘Pretty much. A few i’s to dot. A few t’s to cross.’
Her husband had an over-casual look fixed to his features and she eyed him suspiciously.
‘There has to be a catch, Lance, otherwise you wouldn’t sound so edgy. I know you.’ There was a pain behind her eyes that hadn’t been there previously and, despite the comfort of their chauffeured car, one was now developing in her neck to match. ‘When exactly do they want you to start this crucial role?’
Lance cleared his throat; she knew it was a bad sign. It was the sound that said somewhere a nail had been struck firmly on the head. After years of marriage all her husband’s annoying little habits were deeply ingrained in her psyche. This was one of them.
‘Saturday,’ he stated flatly.
‘
Saturday?
’
‘I’ve had Veronica book flights. The e-tickets are on my desk in the study.’
‘But it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow, Lance. Saturday is Christmas Day. Who in God’s name moves home on Christmas Day? I’ve ordered a sixteen-pound turkey from Fortnum and Mason for our Christmas lunch.’
‘Maybe we can still eat it before we leave for the airport, sweetie.’ Lance looked wounded. ‘It’s an evening flight.’
‘You expect me to pack and be on a flight to New York the day after tomorrow and still have time to cook a turkey? I don’t think even that Nigella woman could manage that feat.’
Lance shrugged. ‘You know the form, honey. You must be used to it by now.’
That was true enough. She was used to upping sticks at a moment’s notice, but this time she wanted to dig her heels in. ‘What about I stay here for a few more weeks and then follow you when you’re settled?’
If she was here for a little while longer, she might be able to tie up one or two loose ends that she needed to.
‘No, no, no. I want you with me, by my side, honey. Where you always are.’
He patted her again and she felt like screaming. He struggled to manage without her now. They both knew that. Even before she had suggested it, she knew Lance would never allow it. Where he went, she had to go too.
‘It will be good to get back to New York,’ she said. Though in her heart she didn’t feel that at all.
‘Washington DC,’ Lance corrected quietly.
‘DC?’
Lance merely nodded in confirmation.
‘Why DC, in heaven’s name?’
Lance swallowed his bourbon. ‘That’s where the project is based. If that’s what the company wants, who am I to argue?’
‘You’re the chairman. Can’t you do it from here? I thought this new office of yours was supposed to have all the very latest in space technology – satellite link-ups, video conferences, beam-me-up-Scotty machines? They’re all terms I’ve heard bandied about liberally in the last few months. I know you’ve got them.’
‘We’ve been here for a few years now,’ Lance noted. ‘That’s a lifetime in Fossil Oil terms. Isn’t it time we had a move? Don’t you feel restless?’
‘I like it here.’ Melissa could feel herself coming perilously close to tears.
‘You hate it here.’ Lance charged his glass again. This time when he gestured towards her with the bottle, she nodded.
She downed it too quickly, the fiery liquid burning her throat and threatening to make her cough.
‘Every year you complain about the summer, then you complain even more about the winter. You hate the service and the fact they never put enough ice in your drinks. You hate the food. You’ve never once tried steak-and-kidney pudding.’
‘Just because I don’t eat steak-and-kidney pudding, Lance, it doesn’t mean I haven’t grown to love England. In my own way.’
‘Not two weeks ago you were so sick of the rain, you said it was like permanently living under a power shower.’
She’d hoped he hadn’t remembered that. ‘I’ve bought a new umbrella since then,’ she protested
Similar Books
