While they were talking, Zack indicated he wanted to buy one of the trees. The clerk wrapped the tree in paper and put it in a bag proudly proclaiming The Christmas Shoppe.
As they climbed into the car, Zack asked, “Was there anywhere you had in mind for dinner?”
Sondra shook her head. “I’m at a disadvantage. I don’t know this area at all. You’ve done a great job picking so far. I’ll leave it up to you.”
She watched the surrounding traffic for a few minutes and then turned to him. “I have to admit that if this trip has done anything for me, it’s to remind me how human I am. I’ve been almost invincible in the courtroom, but those thugs and the ice storm last night reminded me that I’m as human as anyone else.” She turned to the window again and sighed. “It was Nikki’s request, though, that reminded me first.” She turned back and caught his gaze. “I was a sister and a daughter before I was ever an attorney. Nikki reminded me how strong those ties are.”
Zack nodded and stared back at the road. “Things like that remind us that we aren’t here for long. The family ties are the ones that matter. Your clients will come and go. The laws change. Family doesn’t.”
He glanced at her, reached over to softly squeeze her fingers in a comforting gesture. “I believe the guys who were after you the other night were random. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He released her fingers to move the visor to block the setting sun’s glare. “DC isn’t a safe community. The area is crawling with criminals, and it doesn’t help that the whole area is declared a gun free zone. The criminals know there isn’t anything citizens can do, and the police are so busy investigating murders that they hardly even bother to investigate anything else.”
Sondra shuddered. “I guess I didn’t really appreciate living in Utah until now.”
“DC isn’t all of the East Coast. There are a lot of safe communities here.”
“I’ll stick with Utah, thank you very much.”
“And I’ll stick with San Jose.”
As much as she understood their marriage was a temporary convenience for both of them, hearing him announce his intention to continue living as he always had was a clear reminder that this farce was never going to be anything else.
She stared out the window and wished she’d never taken this unexpected trip to DC. Then she remembered Nikki and her problems and realized her own problems paled in comparison. She was donating a little over nine months to help her sister in her quest to add a child to her eternal family.
The time would be over before she knew it, and Zack could go on to his software engineering and she would go on helping families break into pieces. The pride she felt in making sure her clients got their fair share in a family break up seemed vainly shallow. She wondered if he despised her for her career choice.
Determined not to let her depressed thoughts interfere with the last few hours together, she pushed them away and concentrated on enjoying her time with him. They stopped at a quaint restaurant similar to the one they’d eaten at the night before.
As they walked in the door, he said, “This was one of my mother’s favorite places.”
The walls were covered with antiques and photographs. Sondra glanced over the room and then turned to him. “What was your mother like?”
He pulled out his wallet and showed her a picture of their family. Since he looked the same in the picture, she assumed it must’ve been taken shortly before his mother died. The picture included Zack, Jade, and his parents. He had a separate picture of Jade and her family, which appeared to be recently updated.
“Mom was an incredible person.” His eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at the image. “She loved life. She was very artistic and loved mosaics. One of the mosaics she created is hanging in the library at BYU Idaho. It depicted Joseph Smith and the first vision. A couple of the stones in the picture were from the Sacred Grove.”
“What an honor for your family.”
He nodded. “It’s also a great reminder that any of us can add to the beauty of the gospel. We were happy she was able to see it hung before she died.”
“How did she die?” Sondra’s voice was soft, hesitant.
“We were skiing on a fresh slope and an avalanche hit.”
“Were you all there?” This time, her voice held horror.
Zack nodded. “Jade and Dad haven’t been able to ski since, but I feel closer to Mom on the slopes. I always felt like it was her time to go. She had fulfilled her mission and was needed on the other side.”
Sondra stared at him a moment. “How have you been able to see it that way?”
“When I was serving in Afghanistan, I saw too many miracles not to believe that there are angels with us every moment of every day. There is a protection afforded to each of us until our mission is fulfilled. When it is, there are no powers on earth that will keep us here.”
“That perspective must give you a lot of peace.”
“It does, and given the amount of nightmare scenes I lived through, I need the peace I’ve been given.”
“I believe that.” She reached out to clasp Zack’s hand as the hostess came to lead them to a table. She dropped his fingers and fisted her hands at her side, trying to hide the tremor that ran through her as she touched him.
They spent the meal discussing their jobs and the weather, safe topics for their last evening together. Sondra was especially careful to keep things light. She didn’t want Zack to imagine she had any other motive than the one she gave for their sham.
Since they had both booked the early flight the next morning, they didn’t stay out late. Sondra couldn’t meet Zack’s eyes when they stopped at her door. A lump settled in her throat, and she didn’t trust herself to speak.
The past couple of days had been busy enough to stuff her feelings, but this good-bye at the fake honeymoon suite felt final. This would be the only vacation time she would share with him. The thought weighed heavily. She fumbled with her card and managed to slide it through, hoping Zack wouldn’t notice her shaking fingers.
The door closed behind her with a solid thud. She dressed quickly, not wanting to spend any time in front of the mirror. Seeing her own reflection would only magnify her sorrow. She piled her pillows up as back support and climbed into bed, determined to spend a few minutes checking the email she’d neglected. She glanced through the messages on the first page, relieved to see there wasn’t anything urgent. At the top of the second page was an announcement for the Firm’s annual Christmas social.
Sondra stared at the wall a moment, her heart speeding up with anticipation. Maybe this didn’t have to be the only time they spent together. The party was the Friday evening a week before Christmas. She forwarded the message with a short note. “This would be a perfect opportunity to introduce you to our clients. Can you attend?”
She chewed nervously on a nail, then stopped and drummed her fingers instead. She was meeting with Mr. Wellingford on Monday. It wouldn’t do to have her nails bitten down. That wouldn’t fit with her professional image, and she didn’t have time to have her nails repaired before her meeting.
After fifteen minutes of waiting, she decided Zack must’ve turned off his phone. Either that or her message had gone to the junk pile. She sighed, flipped off the lights, and arranged her pillows. She’d talk to him in the morning.
* * *
Three days hadn’t been long enough to adjust. Jet lag made the five am wake up feel like three. Sondra yanked the brush through her hair. Not hearing from Zack had disturbed her sleep more than she’d like to admit. A successful attorney shouldn’t be so affected by this complicated relationship. Tears surfaced. She wanted to blame it on the snarl she hadn’t worked out, but that would be a lie, and another lie piled on top of the others didn’t fix them.
A soft knock at her door let her know Zack was ready. She opened the door and lost herself in his eyes. What did he want? She closed her eyes and took a calming breath.
“Do you want to drive?” he asked.
She shook her head. She didn’t want to admit it, but the traffic around DC was unnerving. She didn’t like to travel the snarl around I-80 and I-15 unless she had to, and most of the traffic here seemed to be just as bad. “No. You can do the honors.”
He flipped the keys and caught them, his eyes on her. He stepped over and grabbed the suitcase she’d bought Thursday. The mechanical tree he’d bought peeked out from its retail bag.
“That wouldn’t fit?” Zack asked.
“I didn’t have the heart to stuff him in with my clothes. I thought he’d be good company in the cabin.”
“As long as he doesn’t break out in song. That might slow us down at security.”
“I made sure he was turned off.” Sondra huffed, insulted that Zack would assume she wouldn’t remember something so basic.
He held up his hands defensively. “I was just making conversation. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Sondra reached down and patted the soft felt tree. “Don’t insult my buddy.”
“Okay. Okay. I didn’t know you were so attached.”
They stopped at a drive through and ate in silence. Sondra didn’t feel eloquent so early in the morning, and it appeared Zack suffered the same malady.
They had a few minutes to spare at the gate. After they found a spot to wait in, Zack excused himself and talked to the clerk.
Sondra was feeling like a zombie. Some distant part of her awareness reminded her that she should be wondering what Zack was discussing with her, but it was only a whisper of an idea. The rest of her brain wanted to be in bed. The only pillow available was her dancing Christmas Tree. She positioned the bag on her lap and promptly fell asleep, her head on top of the tree.
Sondra’s foggy brain was just beginning to register a strange mechanical version of “Jingle Bell Rock” accompanied by jerky motion on her chin when her pillow was unceremoniously removed.
“Where’s the off switch?” Zack’s voice was a hiss.
Sondra blinked uncomprehending eyes for a moment, and then the angry glares of the other waiting passengers broke through her fog. “It’s on his back.” She groped her way to the small switch. The abrupt end of noise almost gave sound to the glares she was getting. “Ooops. Sorry.”
Zack’s lips twitched as he fought back a laugh.
His humorous response brought up a bubble of laughter from Sondra. Soon they were laughing so hard tears were streaming down their faces. The other passengers had given up trying to quiet the annoying couple and instead moved to give them some room.
After they’d had a chance to catch their breath, he said, “It’s probably a good thing I found us seats together in the back of the plane.” His glance took in the other passengers moving to board. “We don’t seem to be anyone’s favorite at the moment.”
“I’d promise to be good the rest of the flight, but,” and she giggled again, “I don’t know if I can.”
He grinned and grabbed her hand as they followed the last of the passengers to board the flight. They ignored any glares directed their way as they moved to the back of the plane.
Their shared laughter had changed their mood, and they talked in whispers through the flight as they discussed everything from what they had done during the past sixteen years to life plans to politics and religion. By the end of the flight, they felt like they’d been able to span the years.
After they landed, Zack and Sondra settled into the shuttle and continued their animated discussion until Sondra’s stop. For a moment, Sondra reflected on how different this ride was from the one a few days before when her only company was a person too interested in his virtual conversation to even bother with any kind of interaction. Zack made sure she was safely in her car and watched her drive off before he went back to wait for the next shuttle to carry him back to the rental agency. As he normally did, he’d left his Humvee in Park City.
* * *
Sondra crawled into bed and rolled over, exhausted from her long weekend. Her cell phone jangled from the dresser. She peeked at her clock. Nine on a Sunday night was an unusual time for a call. Hesitating a moment, she reached for her phone. “Hello?”
“Hey. This is Zack.”
“Oh. Hi.” She couldn’t stop the warm feeling that swept over her at the sound of his voice.
She tried to concentrate on what he was saying as he continued, “I could’ve texted, but I wanted to be sure we connected before you went back to work tomorrow. I just found your message from yesterday. How come you didn’t mention it today?”
“I’m afraid Mr. Jingles threw me off.” Sondra admitted.
“He did have a way of commanding attention, didn’t he?”
She nodded and then realized he couldn’t see through the phone. “Yes, he did.” She laughed. “So I’m assuming this is in regards to the annual Christmas party?”
“It is. I’d like to come. How are you going to announce our marriage?”
“I confess I’m not very creative. What do you suggest?” she asked.
“Well, I don’t think my black eye will be gone by then, so I thought we’d say you punched me and threw me over your shoulder and dragged me to the nearest courthouse.”
“That will never do. Cari, my administrative assistant, would know I wouldn’t want to ruin my nails by punching you out. I’ll say I found you in a gutter and you begged me to take you in.”
“She’d believe that?”
“Well, I do have a soft spot for strays,” she admitted.
“I didn’t know you had any pets.”
“I have some sort of mutt. I named him Dewkiss, but my brother-in-law, Brad, thought that was too insulting for a dog. I shortened it to Dewk. I think Dewk’s part lab because he chews on everything. After he chewed through a couch cushion, I decided to finish my fence so he could stay outside.”
“Did he do any damage this time?”
“No. One of my neighbors, Scott Steele, had taken him hunting with his dogs. It was a good weekend to be gone. He’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Winter hunting?” Zack’s disbelief sounded loud and clear.
“He has a friend who owns a ranch in southern Utah. He provides chukars for year-round hunting,” she explained.
“Aren’t those about the size of a quail?” he asked.
“Yes, they are. Scott swears they’re the best tasting bird alive, but I haven’t tried one yet. Knowing he had to make the effort to kill it himself kind of ruins the dish for me.” Sondra wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“I’ve tried chukar a couple of times. It doesn’t taste quite like chicken, but it isn’t greasy like duck.” He paused a moment and then continued. “I have to say taking Dewk was generous of Scott. Are you sure he didn’t have a different motive?”
“Well…” This time Sondra paused, trying to think of a diplomatic way to finish the sentence, “he has proposed a couple of times.”
“Any reason you haven’t said ‘yes?’”
A vision of a lifetime with Scott left her shuddering. “He’s not my type.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s more the way his looks make me feel. And when he’s taken me out, he’s checking out the other women. It’s not something I’d ever get used to, and my experience has been that anything that irritates you before you get married gets worse after.”
“Your work would lead you to that conclusion.” His voice sounded wry.
They spent the next few minutes throwing outlandish ideas at each other. Finally getting serious, Zack suggested, “Why don’t we stick close to the truth? Then it’s not so hard to remember.” He paused a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. “How is this for a story? We met on a flight to Washington, DC. After searching for years, we realized our perfect match had been someone we already knew. Not wanting to waste any more time, we rushed to the nearest available clerk, got our license and got married. We plan on spending the rest of our lives making up for lost time. How’s that?”
Sondra thought for a few seconds, trying to see holes in the story and also wishing fervently that it was true, and then agreed. “I think that will work. We’ll figure out the divorce details later.” She rushed on, “I’ll let everyone at work know tomorrow.”
“Do you want me to come in and meet anyone?”
“No.” The thought made her cringe, so she repeated, “No. I think the Christmas social will work fine. If you came into the office before that, someone might think we were trying to prove something.”
“Aren’t we?” Zack’s voice registered surprise.
Sondra puffed out an exasperated breath. “Yes, but we need to be strategic about it. If we’re too eager, someone might get suspicious.”
“Save me from the conniving mind of a lawyer.” This time, she could hear his amusement.
“I resent that.”
She could almost see his hands up again like they’d been that morning. “I was only teasing.”
“You’re forgiven. Just watch the lawyer jokes.”
“Okay. Okay.” She could hear the twinkle in his eyes and pictured his adorable dimple.
“The event is semi-formal and we will be mixing with our most important clients. Try not to say too much and stick close to me. I want our stories to match, so I need to hear what you’re saying.”
“You don’t need to worry if we’re sticking close to the truth,” he protested.
“Yes, but the truth has a lot of fiction mixed in.” Her voice took on a pleading tone. “Stay close, please.”
“Well, we will be honeymooners still. That shouldn’t be too hard.”
Sondra snickered. “Wouldn’t they be shocked at the kind of honeymoon we’ve enjoyed?”
“We’ll have to convince them otherwise, won’t we?”
That comment brought all kinds of unwelcome images. This farce was going to be challenging enough without fantasizing about how things might have been. Sondra cleared her throat. “Well, umm, will you be picking me up or do you want me to get you? We can’t come in separate vehicles.”
“I’ll pick you up.” They finished the conversation, and Sondra settled back into her pillows, her mind so full of images of how she wished her honeymoon would be that she was sure she wouldn’t sleep. Jet lag swallowed her up a few minutes later. She didn’t even remember shutting her eyes before her alarm rang the next morning.
* * *
Mr. Wellingford stopped in mid-sentence. “When did you get married?”
He might be old, but he was still sharp as a—“This weekend. Zack called to ask me to marry him, and we married in Virginia.” Sondra interrupted her own thoughts.
Mr. Wellingford’s brows drew down. “I don’t remember there being a temple in Virginia…”
Sondra managed to not roll her eyes. He acted like her grandfather, but she had to bite her tongue. He was too big of a client to offend. “We’ll have the temple ceremony when my parents return from Norway next year.”
Seeming to accept her explanation, Mr. Wellingford turned back to the topic they’d been discussing before he noticed her flashing rings. Cari hadn’t noticed yet.
Mr. Wellingford’s buy in was the one she’d worried about. He’d accepted her explanation without a moment’s hesitation. She crossed her fingers under her desk and hoped the rest of her clients and the other partners would fall into line as easily.
* * *
Sondra leaned back in her chair, stretched her arms above her head, and breathed a sigh of relief. The day had gone from one client to another with hardly time for lunch. She settled herself at the light knock on her door.
“Ms. Lytle?” Cari’s timid tone had her sitting up straight. She wasn’t normally like that.
“Yes?”
“I have a visitor for you.”
Sondra crunched her brows for a split second, then smoothed her expression. “I’m available.”
Scott Steele sauntered in and sat on the corner of her desk, as if he owned it. Deciding now was a good time to flash her rings, she wiggled her fingers to have the diamonds upright. They had slid slightly to the side, and she wanted the full flash affect for when she brushed back a non-existent stray hair.
Totally oblivious to her new rings, Scott went into a complete description of the bird hunt. She didn’t hear a thing until he finished with, “And then he puked the entire bird on my seat.”
Her lips quivered and she had to bite hard to stop a guffaw from exploding. He had purchased his truck last week and had bragged relentlessly about how much his baby had cost.
So much for that new car smell, she thought. Trying to drum up some sympathy, she asked, “What happened to the kennels? I thought I saw them strapped inside your camper shell.”
All of his frustration appeared on his face. “I was securing my dogs when yours broke loose. The door was left open because I’d just finished putting the gun case behind the seat.” He sounded petulant. “My dogs know better than to get in the cab.”
Sondra remained calm. “I didn’t ask you to take Dewk.”
“I thought you’d appreciate the effort.”
“Good effort.” She was frustrated that he hadn’t even noticed her sparkles. “I’m sure Dewk enjoyed the whole event.”
“Aren’t you even going to offer to pay the cleaning bill?” Scott ground his teeth in an effort to control his rage.
“Since you’re asking, I’ll offer, but it was your idea, and you’ve taken him with you before, so his behavior isn’t a surprise.”
“I keep hoping my dogs will rub off on him.”
“Good luck with that.” She touched her brow with her left fingers.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. “Are those real?”
“As real as the puke on your seat.” She felt a twinge of guilt when she thought about the stones. Cubic zirconia or not, the wedding rings were real.
“I didn’t know you were dating anyone. I never see you leave.” His shocked surprise would’ve been insulting had she not been expecting his reaction.
Sondra closed her eyes and took a calming breath, then she caught his eyes. “My house isn’t the only place I can leave from, but to be fair, I haven’t been dating anyone—until this weekend. I reconnected with someone I knew years ago and we decided to make it official.”
After witnessing Zack’s controlled rage, she watched with some amusement as Scott’s face filled with color and his mouth worked on a sentence he couldn’t quite spit out. Finally, he managed, “Don’t plan on my taking Dewk again.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t.” As he was marching out of the office, she called after him, “And send the bill to Cari.”
He didn’t look back.
After his abrupt departure, Cari swept in. “What was this about rings and bills?”
Sondra held out her hand and let the sparkles speak for themselves.
“Oooo. What beautiful rings.”
“Thanks. I got to choose them.”
“Thoughtful of him.” Cari skewered Sondra with her shrewd eyes. “I heard you’re not taking on your married name.”
“News travels fast. I thought you hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh. I noticed all right. I just didn’t know what you wanted me to do about the problem.” She jerked her chin at the closed door. “I was hoping you’d come and tell me about it, but apparently, my hopes were vain.” Cari was the only one bold enough to ask the question that was probably on everyone else’s mind, “What happens when your children are born? Are they going to use your name or your husband’s?”
Sondra felt the flush rise up her cheeks. She hated this ruse she was living. “I’m sure I’ll be using my married name in my private life.”
“Which is?” Cari prompted.
“Carlson.”
“Nice name.” Cari smiled her approval.
“I think so, too. It’s just too hard to make everyone in my official life make the change. I’ll stick with Lytle here.”
“Makes sense.” Cari sent her a penetrating look, as if she could see right through all the lies Sondra was living. Despite her questioning eyes, her voice sounded genuine when she said, “I wish you all happiness. When do we get to meet Mr. Carlson?”
“His name is Zack, and you’ll be meeting him at the Christmas social.”
“I can’t wait.” Cari’s face lit up in anticipation.
“I’ll bet.” Sondra turned to the files on her desk, finished with the conversation. Cari eased the door shut behind her.