The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans Page A

security?”
    He glared at her, then looked back at me. “It’s your fault, Elise. You’re the one who ruined our lives. You have no one to blame but yourself.” He turned and walked away. Two days later I was still in the hospital when Dan filed for divorce.

CHAPTER
    Nine
    Today I overheard Zoey and Cathy talking about Nicholas. It’s not what they said about him that hurts. It’s what they were implying about me.
    Elise Dutton’s Diary

Mondays were always the hardest days at ICE. Invariably there would be some crisis that had occurred over the weekend: lost luggage, a canceled flight, a broken-down bus, or any of the thousand things that can go wrong when traveling with groups. That doesn’t even include the things our students did. Like the time three of the boys were arrested in New York for dumping soda on people on the sidewalk below the hotel.
    This Monday was no different. It began with our usual staff meeting and Mark ranting about a phone call he’d received over the weekend from a parent whose daughter claimed she had gotten pregnant on one of our trips. The mother had concluded that it was all our fault. I had to contact the teacher who had chaperoned the excursion and tell her what had happened. She already knew. The mother had already gone after her as well, threatening her with a lawsuit and assorted calumny.
    I had just hung up the phone with the teacher when Zoey brought in a package and set it on my desk. All she said was “Here.”
    Happy for the distraction, I unwrapped the paper, thenopened the box. Inside was a beautiful, ornate hand mirror. It was oval-shaped with a twisted handle. The frame was tarnished silver that looked almost pewter. I opened the note.
    Elise, Happy Day 7
    Thank you for an enlightening weekend. I’ve sent you a new mirror. Hopefully it works better than the one you’ve been using.
    —Nick
    P.S. This is an 1807 antique. The metal is silver. The woman at the antique shop said the best way to clean it is with a cup of white vinegar, a Tbsp of baking soda, and a pinch of salt.
    “So what did you get today?” Zoey asked.
    I held up the mirror. “A hand mirror. It’s an antique.”
    “It’s pretty,” she said simply, then left my office.
    About a half hour later I went out to use the bathroom and was in one of the stalls when Zoey and Cathy came in together. It was soon obvious that they didn’t know I was there.
    “So what do you think of all this?” Zoey asked.
    “All what?” Cathy replied.
    “Elise’s sugar daddy.”
    “Good for her,” Cathy said. “She needed something. Have you met the guy?”
    “No. But I’m not looking forward to it. You know whatthey say, the amount of money a guy spends on a woman is in inverse ratio to his looks. He’s probably some fat, bald guy with ear hair.”
    “At least he’s rich,” Cathy said.
    “Rich doesn’t make a man hot,” Zoey said.
    “No, but it can hide a lot of ugly,” Cathy said, laughing.
    I was furious. I was about to say something I would no doubt regret, but I calmed myself down. I waited until they left before going back to the office. When I got to my desk I looked up Nicholas’s law firm’s number and dialed. A professional voice answered. “Derr, Nelson and McKay.”
    “Hi. I’m calling for Nicholas Derr.”
    “Just a moment please.”
    The music on hold was Rachmaninoff, which I knew only because I was an Eric Carmen fan. A half minute later a young female voice answered, “Nicholas Derr’s office. This is Sabrina speaking. How may I help you?”
    “Hi, Sabrina. I’m calling for Nicholas.”
    “Mr. Derr is in a meeting right now, may I tell him who’s calling?”
    “It’s not important. This is Elise.”
    There was hardly a pause. “Elise Dutton?”
    I was surprised that she knew who I was. “Yes.”
    “Just a moment, please.”
    I was on hold for less than ten seconds before Nicholas answered. “Elise.”
    “Nicholas, I’m sorry to bother you.”
    “I’m pleased you