Holding Her Breath (Indigo) Read Free Page B

said something completely idiotic so he wouldn’t have to get even angrier.

Chapter 3: Christmas Cheer.
Sort of.
    Whitney woke up early Christmas morning. The first thing she did was go to her window. She hoped for a white Christmas even though she didn’t really expect one. She closed her eyes and pulled back the curtains. When she opened her eyes and saw the frostbitten lawn, she sighed. No snow. Just a cold, gray morning.
    It was cold near the window. She shivered a little and reached for her fuzzy yellow robe, which was draped over the post of her four-poster bed nearest the window. She heard her personal cell phone ringing—she’d promised to turn off her BlackBerry on Christmas Day after Jo threatened to hit her over the head with a rolling pin—and she went over to retrieve it from her night stand. Erika. Of course.
    “Hi.”
    “Am I the first person to wish you a merry Christmas?” Erika asked.
    “Yes, you are, Erika dear.”
    “Good. I thought you probably hadn’t left your room yet. I bet I woke you up.”
    “Maybe.”
    “I don’t know how you get up for work in the mornings ’cause you sure don’t get up if you don’t have to.”
    Whitney grinned. “Why should I get up for no reason? And I was awake, for your information.”
    “Yeah, uh-huh. When did you get up, then?”
    Whitney rolled her eyes, but laughed before answering. “About five minutes before you called.”
    Erika laughed. “See?”
    “Yeah, yeah. You know me too well. How are things with the fam?”
    “Great. They all asked about you.”
    “Same with mine. They miss you for some crazy reason,” Whitney said. “It’s been forever since you came down here with me.”
    “Yeah, I need to go down there soon. How’s that brother of yours?”
    “He’s good. And engaged.”
    “I know. And you know I’m kidding. For now. He knows where to find me if they break up.”
    “Sure,” Whitney said. Erika and Devon were both huge flirts.
    “Aunt Cheryl riding your last nerve yet?” Erika’s tone indicated that she’d guessed the answer to that question.
    Whitney tapped her fingers against the window pane as she answered. “Oh, she’s well past it. Again with the man and the marriage and the babies and all that. As usual.”
    “You know, she might almost have a point. A year is a long time to be single.”
    “You should talk. You’re almost single. And your boyfriend lives with you.”
    “Hey. Don’t you start on A.J. It’s Christmas, after all.”
    “Ha. Right. Anyway, the only thing on my mind right now is making partner. You know that.” Whitney was on the partnership track at her firm and making good progress toward that brass ring.
    “You know you’re going to get it.”
    “I sure hope so,” Whitney said with a sigh, thinking of her supposed mentor who was overseeing her progress on the partnership track. Kim. That woman lived for Gibson and Grey, and she didn’t have much patience for things like mentoring. She only did it because all junior partners were required to mentor senior associates on the partnership track.
    After Whitney got off the phone with Erika, she tightened the belt of her robe around her waist, slipped her phone into her robe pocket, and followed her nose down to the kitchen. The scent of cloves blended in with the scents of vanilla and ginger.
    Jo had probably been in there at least since five that morning like she was every Christmas. Jo’s hair was covered with a red scarf, and she wore a purple sweat suit that had streaks of flour across it. The apron she wore hadn’t saved her outfit from the streaks. She was wiping her hands off on a dish towel when Whitney walked over and kissed her cheek.
    “Merry Christmas, daughter,” Jo said.
    Whitney hugged her and laughed. “Merry Christmas, Mother.”
    “Grab that apron and start chopping the vegetables for the stuffing,” Jo said, nodding to an apron hanging from a hook near the pantry door.
    Whitney grabbed the apron and tied it around