Read Online A Magical Christmas by Heather Graham - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Heather Graham
Ads: Link
were high. What he didn’t understand was that it was easy to be at a high level one morning every three weeks. When she was solely responsible for mornings every single day, day after day, was when it got tough. He was great at stepping in once in a while—then wondering why she complained when he was so damned perfect at the same tasks.
Was she just incompetent? Or was she simply worn out?
Or was she still simply so angry that nothing he could ever do would be right?
He was definitely on this morning. Not only was breakfast going, lunches had been made. And he was already in business mode, showered, dressed, immaculate, and disturbingly attractive.
Julie was, in contrast, in her threadbare corduroy bathrobe. She hadn’t hopped into the shower yet; she’d been too concerned about waking him up before the kids could rise and find him on the sofa. Her hair was everywhere. Jon looked like a million bucks. She in turn looked as if she should be shot and put out of her misery.
Sometimes
, a voice taunted her,
it might be easy to understand why your husband had had an affair
.
It wasn’t an affair. No matter how angry she could get with him or herself, it couldn’t actually be termed an affair. It had been a one-night stand. And if Jon’s accounting of it was true, it had been a rather pathetic evening at that. Maybe what had hurt the worst was that he’d been with a woman who had claimed to be one of her best friends. And maybe what had hurt even worse than that was the fact that she’d only found out about it a few months ago because Jon had accidentally told her. The incident had occurred nearly seven years ago, when they’d separated for a few months. Jon couldn’t begin to understand how she could be so angry with him now for what had happened then. She couldn’t begin to make him understand that it all had to do with trust. Her trust in him had been shattered. She’d never know again when he was telling the truth. She’d never know if he had told her all the truth. And that wasn’t their only problem, of course.
Life
was their problem. Yes, he made good money, but it didn’t mean that she shouldn’t have the right to pursue a career as well. They’d separated the first time because it seemed that they couldn’t get out of debt, with him working in the D.A.’s office. But his work still kept Julie from managing to get to her own job—in adental office, back then—with enough frequency to maintain employment. Jordan had been sick with a virus that had caused all kinds of complications; she had spent her time running ragged between the hospital, home, work, and school, and trying to keep things halfway normal for Christie while she was at it.
She’d lost her job, and she’d asked Jon to leave the house. Just until she could pull herself together. And she’d pulled herself together; he’d taken on his new high-paying job as a defense attorney, and she’d gone to real estate school.
Ashley had been born, possibly a result of the very first night that Jon had come home. They’d laughed a lot; they’d drunk champagne and made all kinds of promises for the future. He’d failed to mention that Jennie Scott, one of her best friends from way back when they’d all gone to school together—
who’d been trying to convince her that Jon was awful and the only way out was a divorce
—had, in the meantime, been consoling Jon for his wife’s neglect.
Jon, still talking, the receiver wedged between his shoulder and ear, was buttering toast at the same time. Julie felt his eyes on her. There was no warmth in his green gaze this morning.
She wondered if she’d managed to destroy last night what was left of their marriage, and she wonderedif she cared. But if she didn’t care, she wondered why she felt a stirring of jealousy watching her husband. He was a handsome man. A successful man, an attorney. And this morning, he looked like Mr. Mom.
If only the help had come a little more often.
If only he
Was she just incompetent? Or was she simply worn out?
Or was she still simply so angry that nothing he could ever do would be right?
He was definitely on this morning. Not only was breakfast going, lunches had been made. And he was already in business mode, showered, dressed, immaculate, and disturbingly attractive.
Julie was, in contrast, in her threadbare corduroy bathrobe. She hadn’t hopped into the shower yet; she’d been too concerned about waking him up before the kids could rise and find him on the sofa. Her hair was everywhere. Jon looked like a million bucks. She in turn looked as if she should be shot and put out of her misery.
Sometimes
, a voice taunted her,
it might be easy to understand why your husband had had an affair
.
It wasn’t an affair. No matter how angry she could get with him or herself, it couldn’t actually be termed an affair. It had been a one-night stand. And if Jon’s accounting of it was true, it had been a rather pathetic evening at that. Maybe what had hurt the worst was that he’d been with a woman who had claimed to be one of her best friends. And maybe what had hurt even worse than that was the fact that she’d only found out about it a few months ago because Jon had accidentally told her. The incident had occurred nearly seven years ago, when they’d separated for a few months. Jon couldn’t begin to understand how she could be so angry with him now for what had happened then. She couldn’t begin to make him understand that it all had to do with trust. Her trust in him had been shattered. She’d never know again when he was telling the truth. She’d never know if he had told her all the truth. And that wasn’t their only problem, of course.
Life
was their problem. Yes, he made good money, but it didn’t mean that she shouldn’t have the right to pursue a career as well. They’d separated the first time because it seemed that they couldn’t get out of debt, with him working in the D.A.’s office. But his work still kept Julie from managing to get to her own job—in adental office, back then—with enough frequency to maintain employment. Jordan had been sick with a virus that had caused all kinds of complications; she had spent her time running ragged between the hospital, home, work, and school, and trying to keep things halfway normal for Christie while she was at it.
She’d lost her job, and she’d asked Jon to leave the house. Just until she could pull herself together. And she’d pulled herself together; he’d taken on his new high-paying job as a defense attorney, and she’d gone to real estate school.
Ashley had been born, possibly a result of the very first night that Jon had come home. They’d laughed a lot; they’d drunk champagne and made all kinds of promises for the future. He’d failed to mention that Jennie Scott, one of her best friends from way back when they’d all gone to school together—
who’d been trying to convince her that Jon was awful and the only way out was a divorce
—had, in the meantime, been consoling Jon for his wife’s neglect.
Jon, still talking, the receiver wedged between his shoulder and ear, was buttering toast at the same time. Julie felt his eyes on her. There was no warmth in his green gaze this morning.
She wondered if she’d managed to destroy last night what was left of their marriage, and she wonderedif she cared. But if she didn’t care, she wondered why she felt a stirring of jealousy watching her husband. He was a handsome man. A successful man, an attorney. And this morning, he looked like Mr. Mom.
If only the help had come a little more often.
If only he
Similar Books
