by MJ Masucci
Is he angry? I hope he doesn’t think Xander had anything to do with it. He hates him enough.
I don’t think so. He made no mention. I can’t text anymore the flight attendant asked everyone to shut off their electronic devices. I will text you when we get home. Love you.
She continued to lie on the couch until Riley hopped up on her stomach and started to purr. He was hungry, and she was sure that if she didn’t feed him soon, that he and Boomer would start scratching her carpets.
After she had fed them, she went into her room and looked in the mirror. Her dress was a wrinkled mess, and her hair had loosened and was hanging in ringlets around her head. She began to remove the pins in her hair and take off her makeup. Then she went in for a shower after removing her dress, but the look on Xander’s face when he saw her told her that it had been the right choice.
Ava spent the rest of Sunday alone, ignoring all texts and phone calls except from David to say they had safely gotten home. She was feeling sorry for herself and wanted to crawl into bed and be left alone. Instead, she forced herself to study. It was the first day of December, and the bar exam was coming quickly. Her laptop was sitting on the coffee table, and she decided to go online and do some shopping for Christmas, at least it would keep her mind off other things. There were a lot of people to purchase gifts for especially her niece and nephews. She took delight in watching them open up their gifts on Christmas morning.
Usually, everyone would stay at her father’s home and open gifts early that morning. He would purchase a ten to twelve foot Christmas tree for the foyer that you would need a ladder to decorate the top. She loved the holidays and hoped eventually she would have her own family with whom she could celebrate.
Late for work on Monday as she overslept, she was fortunate because Jacob was also late. Nicole had been sneezing, and he and Sandra took the baby to an early morning doctor’s appointment. It turned out to be a slight cold, but it seemed to rattle him.
He wasn’t his usual jovial self, and she decided not to joke with him to pull him out of his worried mood. She took a few folders off his desk and went to her desk to work. She checked her emails and was shocked to see Xander’s email address pop up. It was from him, and she wondered after what she told him why he was contacting her. Her hands started to shake as she opened the email.
Ava,
I don’t know why you hate me so much. I would never hurt you.
Xander
Was he kidding? Maybe she should forward the email he wrote to her to jar something loose in his head. How could he possibly forget what he wrote to her? Did he think she was just going to let that roll off her back? She wasn’t going to be his doormat not matter how much she loved him. She deleted the email and went back to work. But she couldn’t concentrate or focus on anything. She did very little from the time he sent her the email until she went home. Jacob wasn’t in his office, and she used the master key to leave her work on his desk.
The week seemed to speed by, and before Ava knew it, it was almost the weekend. The gifts that she ordered from the internet were piling up in her living room. She had a couple of short coffee outings with Tim, but she still thought he was acting strangely. He seemed to be scared all the time. He asked her to his parents for the holiday, but she said she was going to go to Georgia. He almost seemed like he wanted her to ask him to come with her and that wasn’t going to happen.
The truth was that Tim was getting more worried about the instability of his supplier. Several times he failed to show at the designated spot on Saturday. He also noticed that he scratched at his chest more than once when they were together. Tim needed to keep his supply going since the guy he was using to sell at the colleges had been asking for more and more each week. It was so that Tim didn’t even have to risk getting caught by security by selling at the school anymore. The rest of the supply was sold on Fridays by one of the area clubs, usually Ember.
He had a few close calls the past couple of weeks, and it was making him realize that he needed to move his operation to another place. The police seemed to be patrolling the area lot more steadily than they had during the warmer months. He had amassed many thousands of dollars in cash and was looking to invest in something legitimate. Ava was not receptive to his advances and even the little gifts he bought her didn’t seem to sway her. He needed to do it on his own if he was going to win her.
He still hadn’t gotten any free time to reinstall the applications on her phone. He was flying blind and had no idea if she was dating anyone. She used to open up to him, but after the applications had been removed from her phone, she seemed to become more secretive. It made him wonder if she suspected he had been the one to put them on her phone. If she did, then it was only a matter of time until she figured out that he had sent spoof emails to her and Xander. At least Xander was tucked far away in California with a girlfriend.
Xander was delighted that his time in California was finally coming to an end. He would be stuck here for the Christmas holiday but come the first week of January, and he would be able to move back to New York. He would be living in the apartment he lived in when he was last in Manhattan. It was a good omen that the person living in the place his dad owned had decided not to renew the lease and it would be empty by the end of January. His dad offered it to him.
The apartment held a lot of memories for him with Ava, but he hoped to connect with her again and eventually make new ones. He knew he had a long road ahead to get her back. Unfortunately, he would be living with his parents for the first three weeks of his return, and that was going to make him nuts. Even though Peter had softened his approach, he was still hard on Xander at times. But he knew now that his father was pulling for him to get back with Ava.
He spent a quiet Christmas with Lidia and Brett. He missed the snow and all the things around Manhattan that made Christmas special to him. Lidia suggested he go to the beach one last time before he left. He declined saying that he preferred the cold weather to the warm sand. Just about the only thing he would miss about California (besides his sister and Brett) was surfing. He had gotten pretty good at it, but there weren’t too many places to surf in New York.
Ava couldn’t believe it was finally December twenty-third. It was almost as if the holiday had snuck up behind her. She zipped her suitcase and pulled it off the bed, ready for her flight at 4:00 PM from JFK. There were so many gifts for the children and her family that she had shipped them down last week. She would have needed three suitcases to carry everything. As she was picking out last minute things late last week, she didn’t know why but she bought a set of cuff links that she knew Xander would love.
On the way out of the store, she saw a bottle of his cologne and purchased it so she could smell it all the time. When she came home, she stuck the black velvet box with the cuff links in her panty drawer. It was possible that one day they would be friends and she would give them to him.
The airport was crowded, and the flight was just as bad. She ended up being sandwiched in coach between a woman who continuously cracked her gum and a man who kept elbowing her every time he moved; to top it off, the man smelled like sauerkraut. She couldn’t get out of her seat fast enough when the plane landed. She told herself that next time she flew before a holiday she would spend the extra money for first class. She could afford to treat herself once in awhile.
Upon entering her father’s home, she smelled Natalia’s apple strudel in the air. She looked up at the tree her father had in the foyer. It must have been fourteen feet tall and was so high you could stand at the top of the stairs and to top it with the star. Felice had decorated the home with lights and figurines. The railings were adorned with gold garland and red bows. She couldn’t remember the house looking so festive since her mother had died.
Her father greeted her with a glass of wine, which she politely declined. She had only had a couple of drinks in several months, and she planned to keep it to the minimum. Because the house was going to be full of family, she went to the pool ho
use to stay. Her father put up no objections since this became her normal place to stay when she visited. The pool house was dark and she went to the bedroom near the kitchen. The boxes she had shipped were sitting in the room waiting to be opened. She unpacked her clothing since she would not be leaving until Sunday. A short time later David entered, shuffling and stumbling into her room then falling on the bed.
“Are you drunk?” Ava asked.
“I sure am, last day of work for the rest of the week. Give your brother a kiss.”
She got off the floor where she had been sitting and kissed his cheek. He reeked of vodka, some berry flavored vodka.
“That’s it, how about one right here?” He gestured to his lips.
She leaned over, and he pulled her onto him holding her against his body. She pushed against him and then bit his chin so he would loosen his grip.
“Owww, that hurt.”
“What the fuck are you doing, David? We talked about this.”
“Yeah, but can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“Go to your room. You’re drunk and not very good company right now.”
“Oh, excuse me, princess,” he said as he rolled off her bed and got up on his feet. She heard him go into the living room and within minutes he was snoring.
She spent the rest of the night wrapping gifts for her family. When it was time to go to bed, she went to wake David. He had been asleep for over three hours. His eyes fluttered open as she gently shook his shoulder.
“What time is it?”
“It’s almost eleven. Why don’t you go to bed?”
“I will if you join me.”
“David, you’re impossible.”
“What would be the harm if you slept with me one more time? It could be my Christmas present.”
“No. Remember the last time was one and done. You promised.”
“Promises are meant to be broken.”
“Sorry, not this promise.”
He dragged himself off the couch and went to his room. He left the door open, and she looked away as he stripped himself out of his suit. She went to her bedroom and closed the door turning and almost tripping over the boxes and bags of gifts she had just wrapped. She got undressed and put on her flannel Christmas motif pajamas, decidedly un-sexy. It was chilly, and she needed their warmth.
The next morning she woke up and stretched. It was Christmas Eve, and she would see the entire family today. Her father always had a party and invited many of the people he was friends with besides the family. She knew that might include Vance Albridge. Vance’s family were friends with her father and had been for many years. She had gotten over what he had done to her, but she would never forgive him. If he came with his family tonight, she would be civil but ignore him for the most part.
She got out of bed and went into the shower. When she turned the shower off, she heard the shower in David’s bathroom running. She was still pissed at him for last night. She quickly dressed and started to haul the gifts out of the bedroom, piling them on the kitchen table. He came out fully dressed with a sheepish look on his face.
“Ava, I’m sorry about last night. Please forgive me.”
“You need to stop doing that to me. We had sex, and it was a one-time thing. I didn’t lead you on, and I don’t expect you to make advances at me.”
“I know. I was stupid. I just can’t turn off my feelings like a faucet.”
“Just please be aware and don’t use the excuse you were drunk.”
He held his arms open for her to come to him. They hugged, and he kissed the top of her head.
“That is some haul you got there. Did you buy the store out for the kids?”
“No, this is for everyone including you. We usually open some gifts on Christmas Eve after everyone leaves and then the rest on Christmas day.”
“Oh, I was going to give you my gift now. Or do you want me to put it under the tree?”
He went to his room and brought out a small box wrapped in Christmas paper. She held it in her hand debating whether she should open it now or wait until tonight. She tore at the paper and saw that underneath it was a jewelry box. She opened it to reveal emerald stud earrings.
“I saw these in town and thought they would match your eyes.”
She hugged him and realized that he must have spent a lot of money on them.
“Do you want to open your gift now or tonight?”
“Now, please,” he said as he held out his hand.
She dug through the bags and found the one with his name on it. It was a small bag with weight to it. He pushed the tissue paper aside and pulled out a watch box. In it was a diver’s watch that she heard him talking about at the engagement party. He slipped it on his wrist and clicked the band.
“Ava, this is expensive. You didn’t have to spend that kind of money on me.”
“You’re my brother, and I love you. I can spend money on you if I want to.”
They hugged, and he kissed her cheek telling her how great the watch was. He helped her carry all the gifts up to the house. There were so many that they had to make a couple of trips. The floor surrounding the tree was disappearing as she added to the gifts her father and Felice had already piled there. Who knew how much stuff Michael, Alicia, Walter and Brooke would bring.
That evening her father and Felice invited over twenty people to join the family and celebrate Christmas Eve with them. There was plenty of food, and everyone congratulated David and Ava for graduating from law school. Several of the people were attorneys and threw questions at them about the law. Ava began to tire of them asking her questions and escaped to the library for some respite. If it hadn’t been such a wintery evening, she would have gone outside on the porch.
She sat resting on one of the large leather couches. Eventually, David joined her trying to escape the barrage of questions. They hid there for awhile until she heard Brooke calling her. She peeked her head out the glass doors and spotted her sister coming towards her.
“Brooke, what’s the matter, are you alright?”
“Yes, fine. Everyone is starting to leave. Do you want to say goodbye?”
She gave David her hand to get him off the couch, too, and they all said goodbye.
“Can you two take the kids upstairs to change into their pajamas before we open some gifts? I’m exhausted, and so is Alicia. Jackson has been fussy all day.”
“Sure. Come on, David, let’s take our niece and nephews upstairs.”
He wrinkled his nose at that.
“Stop that. Brooke and Alicia are exhausted. I’m sure you would be if you were almost seven months pregnant.”
“Glad I’ll never have to find that out,” he mumbled as he took Mikey’s hand.
They got the children changed, teeth brushed and faces washed. It was some feat since they were all excited about Santa coming. William clung to her as she carried him downstairs and when Walter reached out to take him he pulled away.
“Nooo, want Aunt Ava,” he whined as he wrapped his arms around her neck.
“We are sending him home with you, Ava, since he loves you so much,” Walter said.
“I’ll take him.”
They sat the children down on the floor in front of the tree and let them open several gifts. Then the adults opened several gifts, and the rest were left for the next day. There would be plenty more when Santa came.
Ava woke David early. He was bleary eyed and not happy to get up this early on a day off. She kept shaking him until he sat up in bed and told him to get dressed. He pulled on some sweatpants and a sweater so they could make their way up to the main house. Her father wanted the whole family to be there when everyone opened gifts.
There were even more gifts than the night before and the children were in a frenzy playing with toys already opened. They were handed new presents of more toys. Two hours later when all the gifts were opened, William and Elizabeth were asleep in a pile of paper. Jackson was quietly sleeping in the bassinet near the kitchen. Ava sat on th
e stairs watching them sleep while the other adults and Mikey had hot cocoa and tea in the kitchen. David had already gone back to the pool house to take a nap.
She couldn’t take her eyes off her niece and nephew as they slept. They looked like two little angels. It made her sad that she wouldn’t have this experience with her own children. She felt the tears starting to well up and waved her hands in front of her face to dry them.
She enjoyed the rest of the week with her family. The town had a Christmas parade and festivities at night throughout the week. David took her to lunch, and they watched movies just like in September. He wore the watch he gave her all the time, never taking it off even when he showered.
On December twenty-eighth, her last day in town, her father took the whole family to dinner. For the first time since the engagement party, she had a glass of wine. She needed it after spending almost a full week with her family. She would be glad to go back to New York to her quiet apartment.
Chapter 27
“Would you hurry up already? We are going to be so late,” Sam said.
Ava pulled her coat off the hanger and was slipping it on as she and Sam headed down the hall to the elevator. It was already 9:00 PM and the party had started two hours ago. They were heading to Nico’s loft. He was notorious for throwing the best New Year’s Eve parties. Ava hoped that she would have fun, but she knew that she usually did.
They entered the loft to the party in full swing. Robert had just arrived, too, coming over to hug Ava and kiss Sam. Nico took Ava by the hand to introduce her to his friend, Christos, who was dark and handsome. He had slicked backed inky black hair and dark almost black eyes. His olive complected skin was so smooth she didn’t see a hint of a whisker. He took her hand and kissed it, running his fingers over her skin. He gave her tingles up and down her back.
Christos pulled her onto the dance floor, and they danced to several songs before she was out of breath and begging for something to drink. He took her hand in his and walked her over to the bartender. She decided to forgo drinking tonight and asked for a seltzer with lime. He ordered a vodka and cranberry.