Bittersweet Revenge Read Online Free PDF Page A

food department, one of her favorite places. 
     
    There were samples galore, everything from fruit cake to puff crèmes and assorted tiny cups filled with various foods to taste. As always, Alison purchased a few things to take home for her pantry, knowing some of the items might disappear during the holidays. 
     
    Something reminded Alison that she had not opened her envelope that held her bonus from the law firm. How could she forget that? She opened her purse and there was the envelope, but she decided to postpone the event for later, perhaps afraid she would be disappointed standing right here in the middle of the gourmet section of Macy’s. 
     
    She had too many things to carry and went for a taxi rather than trying to take a cable car home. Within a short time, she was settled in to her warm apartment, glad she had turned the heat up as it was snuggly inside.
     
    There were no messages from Rick or anyone else. A moment of sadness flashed her heart, but she dismissed it quickly. After all, he’d told her that she wouldn’t hear from him for a few days over Christmas. And she was not going to intrude in his life with his family, not now. It was too soon. 
     
    Alison and Brenda had brunch together the next morning, catching up on events since Thanksgiving.
     
    “Ali, you look so in love that I could scream. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You look radiant, gorgeous, not that you didn’t before, but now? Wow? Have you heard from him? When will you see him again?” 
     
    “Okay, Bren, one question at a time. I don’t know when I will see him. He took his children to Vermont to meet his parents and sister and her family for the Christmas holiday through New Year’s. He sent a text message when he arrived safely back in Boston. And Saks delivered his gift of this.” 
     
    She showed Brenda the brochure for the bottle of Angel perfume Rick had sent her. Both swooned over it. 
     
    “It’s been a very intense month for both of us. We never expected to be US, okay. He had a trial, and even though it went very smoothly and he didn’t have to burn the midnight oil, it was stressful and demanding. And then we fell in love and it was not stressful but was very demanding. The man is a perpetual motion machine, sexual like you wouldn’t believe, and neither of us got much sleep. We stayed in his hotel room and at my place, had dinner out and ordered in, spent weekends in bed and doing things fun in the City. We had a wonderful month of December and then, poof, he was gone. Our time together was probably the equal of a couple starting to date and six months later spending every minute together.” Alison took a deep breath.
     
    “We haven’t talked about a future because of the holidays and the break apart. But I already know that for us to have a future together means that I will have to go there. Rick isn’t going to leave his practice or family to live here, we know that. So I’m already thinking about that if presented with such a conversation.” 
     
    Brenda looked at her friend thoughtfully.
     
    “Good, at least you aren’t closed to it. I’m glad to hear that, was afraid that you would not even consider it, the job, the home, etc.” 
     
    “All of that is window dressing if one has a good relationship with someone, right?” Alison laughed, knowing she’d gotten to Brenda. 
     
    They said their goodbyes but not without Brenda extracting a promise from Alison to attend the New Year’s Eve party at Brenda’s. It was not couples, so that made Alison feel more comfortable and she agreed to go. But she knew it would be quite a memory to be there and not have Rick there this time.
     
    The week went by more quickly than Alison wanted it to only because she was enjoying the time off. When she finally had opened the envelope that sat in her purse for over a week, the bonus from her company, she’d done a double take. Her bonus for that year, based on performance only, was $10,000.