Page 37 of Through the Snow Globe
Diana’s eyes stung as she stood there frozen, wondering if she were still dreaming somehow. Then the bathroom door opened and Linus took a step before noticing her standing there in her pinstriped pajama pants and soft pink tank. When had she put these on? Last she remembered, she’d been wearing the pants she’d spilled coffee on during her interview.
He stopped humming and looked at her. “Well hello, sleepy girl.”
“You’re here,” she said, letting out a small laugh. “We did it! We made it!” Relief poured over her as she threw herself in his direction. His arms encased her and she breathed in his minty scent. Pulling back, she shook her head in disbelief. Were her eyes deceiving her? “It’s Christmas and you’re here! I can’t believe it! You’re awake!” Perhaps the accident they’d been in hadn’t been so bad after all. She wasn’t sure how they’d gotten here afterward, but there must be some reasonable explanation.
“Christmas?” His head flinched back slightly. “What are you talking about?”
Diana swallowed as her heart sank like an anchor in the ocean. “It’s not Christmas?”
The look on Linus’s face confirmed that it wasn’t.
But it had to be. Mrs. Guzman had said one more day. That was all Diana got with the one she’d loved and lost. “It’s December fourth?” she asked.
“That’s correct. Why are you acting so bizarre?” His brows furrowed.
Diana felt like crying. “Um, well, I . . . I have to pee,” she said quickly.
“Of course. That explains everything.” Linus stepped to the side and gestured for her to go into the bathroom. “The loo is all yours,” he said with exaggerated politeness. He got this way when they were upset with one another. He wasn’t the type to fight back. Not usually at least. Instead, he got overly civil.
Diana didn’t budge. “I’m sorry about last night, Linus.” Her last night was when they’d been driving home to make love. Linus’s was December 3rd when he’d suggested they get married three weeks from now. His family would all be in town, and it would be perfect. Diana rolled her lips together, choosing her words wisely. “Maybe we can, I don’t know, spend the day together. You can call out sick and I’ll do the same. We can lie in bed like we used to. We can beusagain,” she said, remembering their car ride from last night.
“Us?” Linus didn’t seem to know what she was talking about. He was the one who’d penned the term about them, though. “What doesusmean?”
Diana swallowed thickly. “You know. When we finished each other’s sentences and stayed up late talking all night long. When we slept in on the weekends. We’ve been so stressed lately. We’ve barely spent any time together.”
“You’vebeen stressed. And I’ve tried to spend time together. It’s you who’s been too busy,” he pointed out, continuing with his exaggerated politeness. He hadn’t accepted her apology yet, she realized. Yesterday he’d let the whole conversation from the night before roll off his shoulders, but today his demeanor seemed different.
“Well, I’m not busy right now. Let’s just blow off the whole day and stay here, where it’s safe and warm.”
This made Linus chuckle. “Safe? We live in Snow Haven. We’re as safe as it gets. And today is your big meeting with Mr. Powell, remember? You’re up for that promotion you’ve been talking nonstop about for the past month. The one that you’ve been using as an excuse to not plan our wedding.”
“It’s not an excuse. It’s a reason.” And it was a good one. Diana wanted the promotion. It was the next goal on her upward path. Shouldn’t Linus want her to follow her dreams and succeed?
“You deserve that promotion, Di,” Linus said. “You’ve worked hard for it. And you’re a shoo-in. Let’s just get through this day, and then we can talk some more tonight.”
She stood there, looking at him and trying to memorize every freckle on his face. Then she moved toward him to give him a hug, but Linus stepped away. Diana swallowed. “Oh. Okay.”
He scratched absently at the side of his face. “I, uh, have to get ready for work. I’m meeting with a new distributor this morning. And you have to pee, remember?” He smiled sheepishly.
She’d said she was sorry, but he still looked hurt. “Right,” she whispered. Then she continued toward the bathroom and closed the door behind her, trying not to cry.Don’t cry. Don’t cry.What was the point of a second chance—er,third chance—if Linus didn’t want to be with her?
She used the bathroom and then stood in front of the mirror, washing her hands. She took an extra moment to run a brush through her hair. After that, she splashed some cold water on her face while her mind raced. She was only supposed to get one more day, but she’d gotten two. Why? What was she supposed to do differently?
She stepped out of the bathroom and watched Linus as he pulled on a pair of khaki pants and looped the belt around his narrow waist. “Can we at least have lunch today?”
He glanced up, but didn’t meet her eyes. He was obviously still harboring hurt feelings. Maybe he was wondering again if she regretted accepting his proposal. Maybe he was still regretting proposing like he’d said on the very first December 4th. “It’s okay, Di. It’s not like we’ve never argued before. We’ll talk tonight after you get home from Rochelle’s birthday drinks.”
“I’ll skip drinks with Rochelle.”
Linus stopped what he was doing and looked up. “She’s your best friend. You’ve been blowing her off a lot lately.”
Diana’s lips parted. “No, I haven’t. I just saw her a couple nights ago.” But that was Christmas Eve in Diana’s reality, not the one she wasn’t currently living.
“Go to your meeting with Mr. Powell. Have drinks with Rochelle. We’ll see each other tonight,” he reiterated as he completed the last button on his lavender-colored shirt. She’d just picked that shirt up from the dry cleaner right before his accident. He loved freshly pressed clothing, and those goofy ties of his. The one he was currently looping around his neck had little dogs on it, just like yesterday.
What could she say right now? Telling Linus she’d rather be with him than her best friend made her look like a jerk. “I’m just sorry if I’ve made you feel unimportant in my life lately. I’ve been a lousy fiancée and I know that. I love you, though. I want to do better.”
Linus stepped toward her, leaned in, and kissed her cheek. It was brief, but she closed her eyes and soaked up the sensation of his lips on her skin. “I love you too. We’ll talk tonight, okay?”
