Saving Forever - Part 3 Read Online Free PDF

Sorry. Bus crash and won’t be getting out of here for a long time. New shift is coming in and we are short staffed.
    She replied: NP. Come by after if you want. Hope the crash isn’t too bad.
    Outside, snow fell in heavy flakes that sparkled in the dark with the help of the hotel’s parking lights. The roads looked slushy and a big mess. The snowplow trucks probably couldn’t keep up with the amount of snow coming down. Charity shivered and turned the heat up a bit higher in the room. She was glad she didn’t need to be outside tonight. Hopefully her Dad and Elijah would be careful later, or even just stay at the hospital if they were too tired to drive.
    Her phone began dancing and buzzing against the desktop.
    Julie! “Hello.”
    “Merry Christmas, sweetie!”
    Charity smiled. “Merry Christmas to you too!”
    “How’s the weather in Atlanta? It’s snowing to beat the banshee here.”
    “I know. I’m in New York.”
    Julie screamed. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’d have had you over.”
    “I figured you were working. I wasn’t planning on coming but I need to meet with the building guy tomorrow morning for my Dad’s gala and the only available flight was yesterday.”
    “So you’ve been stuck in a hotel all day?”
    Charity laughed. Only her friend would worry more about her than she did herself. “Actually I had dinner with my Dad and Elijah last night.”
    “Thompson tradition?” Julie was referring to Charity’s mother’s fondue.
    “A slightly modified version, but yes.”
    Julie whistled. “I thought you were on the rocky road with both of them.”
    “I was. I am. I…” She blew out an exasperated breath. “You got ten minutes?”
    “I have all the time you need. I’ve a feeling it’s going to take longer than ten and I’m dying to know what happened.”
    Charity dropped down on the bed and got comfortable; this was going to take a while. “You want the good news or the bad?”
    “Oh no. I’m not sure. Wait! Don’t start anything. Let me grab a glass of wine. I’d drive over to you – are you at your hotel? Or…” She giggled and then whispered, “Or someone else’s place?”
    “Have you been drinking?”
    Julie giggled again. “It’s Christmas and I’m off work today and tomorrow. Simon and I visited his folks, then mine and now we are relaxing. They say the storm’s supposed to continue through most of the night. Hold on a sec.” A cork popping sounded and a moment later she picked the phone back up. “Okay, I’m ready. Even sitting by the fire. So tell me everything. Start at the beginning.”
    “I was in my Dad’s office at the hospital and offered to make dinner. I don’t know why, but I did. Dad left and the next thing I know, he’s back with Elijah and telling me that Elijah’s coming to dinner as well.”
    “Did Elijah know you were there?”
    “I don’t think so. He looked surprised and ticked at the same time.” But he still looked hot. “But he agreed to come. Probably because of my father.” She wished she had a glass of wine now. A bottle of water just didn’t feel the same. “I went shopping yesterday morning and picked up stuff from the butcher. He talked me into this great little gourmet set that’s like a fondue but without having to deep fry stuff. Anyways, I also did a bit of clothes shopping and then headed over to my Dad’s place. Got everything ready, and we ate there.” She stopped talking, waiting to see if Julie would get mad at her for stalling. She didn’t have to wait long.
    “So what happened? Elijah and you made up, right?”
    “First my Dad and I had a fight.”
    “Oh no.”
    “We had a doozy. Threw everything on the table while Elijah was there. Then he left. It was pretty awful.” She filled Julie in on the argument and that they actually made amends. “Then, just when I think we are actually going to be on comfortable speaking terms, Elijah tells him that he’s been seeing me!”
    “No!”
    “Oh yeah. Dad