Choices by Sara Marion Read Free Book Online Page A

paint splotches. She was apparently out and about taking landscape photos that day and didn’t want to dirty up any other outfit.
     
    “Knock, knock!”
     
    Paxton glanced up and saw Ryan peeking his head into the door. “Hey!” She smiled and silently thanked him for the distraction down memory lane.
     
    “I brought coffee!” He opened the door and brought the drink carrier with two large coffees.
     
    “Thanks, I may need it. I didn’t sleep well at all last night.”
     
    “Your nightmares come back?”

    Paxton heard the concern in his voice. He knew that Paxton sometimes had nightmares about Ella’s death. Even though she worked through her feelings, every once in a while the nightmares popped up. “No, not the nightmares, just Jack.”
     
    “Did he call you again?” He sat in the chair in front of the desk.
     
    “No. Duke saw him when he went to his conference in New York. He drove up to Bridge Heights. He said that Jack is seeing Kenleigh.”
     
    “Ouch. You doing okay?”
     
    “I’ll be fine. I knew that he wouldn’t wait forever. I just took too long to forgive him.” She gave a tiny smile knowing she was lying to the outside world saying she was fine when she was really torn up inside.
     
    “Well, I’m here if you need me.”
     
    “Thanks, how did it go here at the gallery yesterday?” She needed to change the subject away from Jack otherwise she wouldn’t be able to hold the breakdown away.
     
    “Good, we were busy actually. Today we’ve got two field trips scheduled,” Ryan said looking at his calendar on the phone.
     
    “Yeah, I saw that. Should keep us busy, the kids love the ‘I Spy’ game with Ella’s pictures. That was a great idea.”
     
    “It was wasn’t it?” Ryan laughed. “They go nuts when they find the objects.”
     
    Paxton laughed. She remembered the first time they introduced the game. It was a week after they opened when a teacher wanted to bring her kids in. In each room they had to find something in the collection and put what picture/painting they saw it in.
     
    “Oh, Duke also got us invited into art charity event. It’s on the 28th this month. They are going to auction a few pieces that Duke is donating to them. The invitation is for two people. Duke said that we should go. It could be good publicity for us.”
     
    “I have no plans after Christmas. When were you thinking of flying out?”
     
    “I’m looking at flights now. Trying to find some good prices but with the holidays everything is so expensive.”
     
    “Let me know what you find and I will give you my half for it.”
     
    “Ok.”
     
    “Well, I have a few things I want to do before the doors open as well,” Ryan stood up. “See you in a bit.”
     
    Paxton nodded and smiled as Ryan left her office. She looked at her computer and began her search for flights. She only had about twenty minutes before the gallery opened, about an hour before the kids would start arriving.
     
    ***
     
    It was halfway through the day and Paxton was already exhausted. The first set of students just left. Ryan offered to cover for a bit with Madeline, their new receptionist/greeter. Paxton decided to pick up lunch for everyone. She went to her office and called an order in to the restaurant on the other side of the mall. It would be a short walk to get it but she needed to escape the gallery and the haunting memories the pictures invoked.
     
    She enjoyed the sunshine as walked through the mall parking lot. Since she had called ahead, she wouldn’t have to wait on the food for too long. They told her it would be about fifteen minutes. She took her time soaking up every ray she could. It was days like these that she was glad she had a glass wall on the side of the gallery. She could enjoy the outdoors without really being outdoors. She wasn’t surrounded by concrete and obscure window views the hospital used to give her.
     
    After paying and collecting the food, she took her time getting back.