Holiday Hearts by A. C. Arthur Read Free Book Online

but I’ll be going now.” Keysa walked away and to her surprise Ian let her.
    Standing in front of his building she was prepared to hail herself a cab when one drove up as if on command. Stepping inside she closed her eyes for a second then prepared to rattle off her address, but the music playing on the radio made her stop.
    It was that Nat King Cole song again.
    The cab driver pulled away from the curb, driving through Detroit’s morning traffic on his way to the suburbs. Keysa leaned back against the seat, listening to the lyrics of the song and became lulled by its classic melody.
    The next thought came to her quickly and before she could re-think her decision she was giving the driver instructions to take her to her mother’s apartment. If he hurried she’d have time to speak to her mother before she left for work. Even though Ian wasn’t on her favorite person’s list right now, some of what he’d said last night was undeniably true. Her mother’s life should not dictate hers. Why shouldn’t she spend the holidays with her father? At least his family was willing to really celebrate the holiday instead of the cool dinner and conversation she and her mother usually shared at a restaurant on Christmas Eve, and the brief phone call on Christmas Day. Neither of them had made any real plans for the holiday since Keysa had become an adult. Watching old movies with Ian last night, seeing his tree all lit up and the gifts lined beneath had brought home a loss Keysa was sick and tired of living with.
    At the apartment building, she leaned forward to pay the driver but he waived her off.
    “Take care of your business,” he’d said in a voice that was familiar.
    She was about to argue with him, but realized she had to hurry if she wanted to catch her mother. So she caught a quick glance at the driver’s license tapped along the dashboard committing his name to memory as she dashed out of the car and ran across the sidewalk. Later when she arrived at the office she would contact the cab company and send payment to him for the ride. Right now, she slapped her hand against the elevator button and waited impatiently for it to arrive.
    Mary Donovan opened the door already dressed in slacks and a purple blouse.
    “Good morning,” she said with a smile. “Isn’t this a surprise. I thought we were meeting tomorrow for dinner.”
    Keysa leaned in, kissing her mother’s cheek and stepped inside the apartment. It was the same apartment her mother had moved them to upon the divorce, with little changes being made in furniture and curtains along the years. It still smelled of White Diamonds perfume, which was her mother’s favorite, and coffee.
    “That’s what I’m here to talk about,” Keysa said turning to her mother. Mary was still a very attractive woman with her dark brown hair and eyes a lighter shade of brown than Keysa’s.
    “Why didn’t you ever remarry?” Keysa asked suddenly as Mary closed the door.
    Her mother had a shocked look on her face as she walked into the living room. “Wow. Where did that come from?”
    “It came from years of not knowing why you chose to cut yourself off from living,” was Keysa’s reply.
    “Keysa, are you feeling okay?”
    Keysa sighed. “I’m feeling just fine, mom. I just have some things I’d like to get off my chest.”
    Mary took a seat on the cream colored couch and crossed her legs. “Then please do so,” she said waving so Keysa would also take a seat. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
    “I want to talk about my father and the Donovans.”
    Mary looked as if Keysa had told her she wanted to talk about the Russian Mafia instead of her paternal family.
    “You divorced dad because of his family, of how you thought his family felt about you. But when he tried to convince you otherwise you didn’t care, you just left. I need to know why you would do that. Didn’t you love him?”
    “This happened years ago, Keysa,” Mary said brushing a hand