Masquerade Part 3 by Valerie Francis

Author:Valerie Francis [Francis, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780994014177
Publisher: Fifth Hammer Books, Inc.

Chapter 7

Colin had intended to spend Christmas Eve at the office, but the ongoing renovations had made the house an unsettling mess. Flooring and baseboards had been hauled up, the wall between the family room and living room had been partially removed and the main floor bathroom had been gutted. Dust was everywhere, sheets covered the furniture and there wasn't a Christmas decoration in sight.

Now, looking out the kitchen window at the fresh layer of snow that had fallen during the night, he changed his mind. With crisp winter air and a pale blue sky, the day was made for sledding with the family in Central Park, or skating and hot chocolate. Maybe even a carriage ride like they used to do when the kids were small. Then when they came home, they could put up the tree.

He grabbed his work phone and dialled Henry's number.

"Hello?"

"Henry, it's Colin."

"Yes?"

Ever since the bathroom incident, their relationship had cooled to little more than a chilly tolerance of one another. Not that it bothered Colin much. "I'm taking the day off," he said and popped two slices of bread in the toaster. He'd never punched a clock with Staadt Publishing, and in the past few years had barely taken a vacation. This call was more of a courtesy than anything else, which is why the silence on the other end of the phone caught him off guard. "Henry? Hello?"

"I'm here."

"I'm not coming into the office today," he repeated and took a butter knife from the cutlery drawer. Another prolonged silence. "Is there a problem?"

"I guess not."

He twisted the top off a jam jar. "You guess?"

"Bit surprising, that's all. Your desk's kind of piled up."

"You're kidding me, right?" He threw down the butter knife in frustration.

"Take it easy, Colin . . ."

"Oh, I'll take it easy, don't you worry about that. I'll be spending the day with my wife and children while you're at the office trying to convince Staadt to cough up a larger advance. But then, that's why they pay you the big bucks, isn't it?" That was probably hitting below the belt, but he didn't particularly care. "Let me know how it goes."

There was another pause on the line. "Actually," said Henry, "I have plans. I won't be in the office today."

Colin shook his head in disbelief. This was too much. "I'm hanging up now. See you in a couple of days." He ended the call and threw his phone on the counter. Maureen and the kids were still asleep, so he had time for a short run to burn off the tension. He'd chosen his marriage over the game and today was the day he'd start making things right again.

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