Their Unexpected Christmas Gift by Shirley Jump

Author:Shirley Jump
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-08-13T15:11:39+00:00

* * *

The afternoon passed in a blur of emails, files, phone calls, diaper changes, bottles and visitors. The inn was a busy place during the day, guests in and out, meals served, housework done. The dining room was transformed for the impromptu birthday party for one of the guests, and the scent of cake fresh from the oven kept tempting Vivian out of the office. She tried to avoid Nick, but she found at least a half a dozen excuses to go into the kitchen. A glass of water. A paper towel to wipe up a spill. A new bottle for Ellie.

Every time, he greeted her with a smile that made her heart flip. As if he was genuinely glad for the interruption. They chatted a little, mostly small talk, then Vivian used the work excuse to duck back into the office.

She buried herself in the pages before her, the documents she was supposed to read. But it wasn’t enough to forget Nick—

Or the big decisions that were waiting for her soon. Al had been the first to ask when she’d be back in the office full-time. “That court date is going to be here before you know it, Viv. We’re going to need all hands on deck if any of this goes south before then.”

She’d mumbled something vague, then hung up. Ellie, on her back in the playpen, was watching her hands wave back and forth. Happy, content, warm, fed. Looking up at her aunt with trust and belief. You can either choose to believe in yourself the way your baby does, or choose to believe the doubts that are whispering in your ear.

How could Vivian leave her? With the state, with a nanny, with anyone?

But how could she keep her? And do it all herself? Or manage to juggle motherhood and a busy career?

Vivian was just about to call the client with a status update when her phone rang. Sammie’s number lit up the screen. Vivian nearly dropped the phone, fumbling to answer it. “Sammie. Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” There was the sound of passing traffic behind Sammie’s voice. “How’s Ellie?”

Was her sister on a freeway? Hitchhiking? Frustration and anger trumped Vivian’s concern in that moment, though. “She’s fine. We’ve been watching her. What were you thinking, leaving her here?”

“Who’s we?”

“Me and Nick, the chef at the inn. He’s the one who found her in the kitchen. It’s a long story. But she’s fine.” Then Vivian’s anger ebbed, and her worry for her little sister returned. For so many years, it had been the two of them against a world that was always upside down. Outside, the air held a December chill, and Vivian wondered if her sister was cold, alone, hungry. “And you, you’re okay?”

A horn blared. A beat passed. “Yes. I just...needed some time to clear my head.”

Vivian bit off the first comment about being a responsible parent that came to mind. If she kept lashing out at her sister, it would only make Sammie more distant.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.