Read The Christmas Wife for Free Online Page B

he’s very nice and, uh…”
    She trailed off and Hattie stared at her expectantly. 
    “He loves me too,” she finished weakly.
    “He doesn’t seem very nice,” Hattie said.
    “He is,” Claire said.  “Now, finish up your nuggets and
vegetables.  There’s a lady coming this afternoon to play with you while Deacon
and I work on wedding stuff.”
    * * *
     
    “Hello, Hattie.  My name is Denise.  It’s nice to meet
you.”  The young woman knelt down and smiled at Hattie. 
    “Hi, Denise,” Hattie said.  “Do you like playing cars and
trucks?”
    “I love it,” Denise said.
    “Really?”  Hattie said doubtfully as she eyed the woman’s
dress.  “You look like you play with dolls.”
    “Hattie,” Claire said sternly.
    “What?  She does.”
    “I do like playing with dolls but I also like playing with
trucks and cars,” Denise laughed.  She held out her hand, “Why don’t you show
me your room and we’ll play in there?”
    “Okay,” Hattie took her hand.  “Bye, mama.”
    “Bye, honey.  I’ll be in Deacon’s office if you need me,
okay?”
    “Okay.”
    Claire watched as Hattie led Denise up the large staircase
and disappeared down the hall.  She walked to Deacon’s office and knocked
lightly at the door before opening it and poking her head in.
    He was sitting behind the massive desk, staring at his
laptop and he motioned for her to come in without looking up.  She sat down in
the leather seat across from his desk and waited patiently as he typed for a
few minutes before closing the lid of the laptop.
    “Hello, Deacon,” she said.
    “Hello, Ms. Brooks.”  He opened a leather journal and
produced a pen from the drawer.  “Let’s get started, shall we?”
    “Of course,” she said.  She crossed her legs and smoothed
the wrinkles from her jeans.
    “Good,” he said.  “What is your full name?”
    “Claire Victoria Brooks.”
    He wrote it neatly at the top of the page.  “And your age?”
    “Twenty-eight.”
    “Your parents’ names?”
    “Samantha and Brian.”
    “Your relationship with them?”
    “My mother died in a car accident when I was sixteen and I
haven’t spoken or seen my father since I was eighteen.”
    He paused and looked up from the journal.  “Why not?”
    “He’s a raging alcoholic with mental health issues,” she
replied.
    He wrote it down in the journal before continuing, “Any
siblings?”
    “No.”
    “How old is Hattie and what’s her full name?”
    “She’s seven and it’s Hattie Victoria Brooks.  Victoria is a
family name.”
    He scribbled more notes.  “What about Hattie’s father?”
    “He left when Hattie was less than a year old.”
    “Why?”
    She shrugged.  “He didn’t enjoy being a father.”
    “I see.  Were you married to him?”
    “No,” she said.
    “Were you born and raised here?”
    “Yes.”
    “Where have you traveled?”
    “I’m sorry?”  She frowned at him.
    He set his pen down and gave her an impatient look.  “What
places have you travelled?  I enjoy travelling and it would make sense that I
would be attracted to someone who did as well.”
    “Oh.  Well, sorry to disappoint you but I haven’t been
anywhere but here.”
    He stared at her in surprise.  “You’ve never left the city?”
    She shook her head.  “Not yet.  But now that I have some,
um, money, I’ll do more travelling.  I want Hattie to see the world and
experience different cultures.”
    He stared for a moment longer at her before looking down at
his journal.  “What’s your favourite food?”
    “Sushi.”
    He twitched.  “Mine too.”
    “Hey look at that – finally we have something in common,”
she said cheerfully.
    “Indeed.  Did you graduate high school?”  He asked.
    She rolled her eyes.  “Yes, I graduated high school.”
    “What jobs have you had in the past?”
    She sighed and sat back in the chair.  “Deacon, as much fun
as this game of questions is, why don’t I just tell you a little bit