Free A Trip Back to Snowy Pines (Book II in the Christmas Village Trilogy) by Lisa Pendergrass Page B

things going on with us that make it
impossible for us to be together. I wish you could just respect
me.”
     
    “Lola, I’ve been married four times. You were
there for three of those. I’ve been in a dozen other equally
destructive relationships. Some of them I couldn’t get out of fast
enough when I realized they’d gone bad and others of them I fought
tooth and nail to hang on to. But they all had one thing in common.
At least one of us wanted out. Chris looks miserable and so are you
so that tells me you two don’t want out. So why don’t you pick up
that phone and call him back before he gets too far away and spend
Christmas with your husband and your son.”
     
    “Mama, I love you but you really don’t know
what you’re talking about.” Lola said angrily. “I’m going to
work.”
     
    “I thought you were off till tomorrow
afternoon. Aren’t you working the night shift while Ethan is gone?”
Nightshift nurses made slightly more money so Lola was picking up
some shifts while Ethan was gone for the extra money.
     
    “I am, but I have a patient… a little girl
who was in a car wreck and she’s by herself. Her mother was killed,
her father’s in critical condition and she had surgery today. I
promised I’d check on her.” Lola said, grabbing her handbag and
keys.
     
    “Take a coat.”
     
    “It’s 73 degrees outside.” Lola argued.
     
    “The weather is going to break eventually and
when it does it’ll hit quickly. Mark my word.”
     
    ***
     
    “What are you doing here girl? I thought you
were off till tomorrow night at 11:00.” Asked Abby, one of the
respiratory therapist from the pediatric floor.
     
    “Yeah, I swapped with Hillary so she could be
on dayshift while her kids were out of school. But the little girl
in 732 had surgery to set her wrist fracture today. I promised I’d
check on her.”
     
    Abby wrinkled her brow, and studied Lola with
dark brown eyes. “And where’s your little boy?”
     
    “He’s skiing with his dad.” Lola answered,
looking down at a chart, but not really seeing.
     
    Abby snapped her head around, her springy
black curls whipping around her smooth brown skin. “Please tell me
you two didn’t go through with the separation. That is not the kind
of man you separate from voluntarily.”
     
    Lola shook her head. “We’re just taking some
time.”
     
    “Hmmhmm. Sounds like a mistake to me.” Lola
heard her muttering as she walked away and Lola headed down the
hall, wondering if she was right.
     
    She opened the door and found the olive
skinned brunette girl asleep with her arm heavily bandaged. Florrie
Gentry had seen more tragedy in the last 48 hours than she’d
probably seen in her entire ten years of life. Lola checked her
chart and then sat down beside her bed. She realized as she sat
there, that with Chris and Ethan gone, she had nowhere else to be.
It was an unsettling thought.
     
    Three months ago everything in her life had
been so set… so settled. She’d really been happy, truly happy and
sure of things for the first time ever. And then the rug had been
pulled out from under her. Suddenly it felt like things were being
tossed at her, decisions having to be made, choices forced on her
that she’d never thought she’d have to choose. But then she looked
at Florrie Gentry and she knew that her choices were nothing
compared to what Florrie was facing… especially if her father
didn’t come through.
     
    “It hurts.” Florrie whispered softly from the
bed.
     
    Lola jumped to her feet and reached for
Florrie’s good hand. “Where does it hurt?”
     
    “Everywhere.” Florrie answered, her lips
trembling. “You’re Lola. You came back to see me.”
     
    “I did.” Lola answered softly.
     
    “How’s my dad?” She asked groggily.
     
    “I haven’t heard anything, but I’ll check on
him for you.”
     
    Lola made some calls while Florrie drifted in
and out of awake and asleep and learned that he was still listed