chapter 3: Saving CHRISTMAS manor

The Drive

It was 9:30pm when Ben arrived home to his condo. He was on the top floor of a 15 story Frost Marley condo building, and had bought the place three years ago after he made his first major takeover for the company. The condo was modern and overlooked midtown Manhattan. From his window, he had a direct view of the entire city. Despite the hustle and bustle below, his place was quiet, which he liked. Sometimes he just needed to get away from the noise. While he moved away from Virginia when he went to college to get away from the quiet, he sometimes longed to go back to the rural silence of his home. He would never admit it to himself, but he missed the country.

He missed being able to see the stars, and see the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. His family lived near Virginia horse country in the Shenandoah River Valley. As a child, he never appreciated the gentle rolling hills, and vast amounts of land, around which he had grown up. Plus, horse country was breathtaking. As a kid, he and his brother spent many an afternoon helping their mother volunteer at a horse rescue farm near where they lived. He had learned to ride a horse before he knew how to walk. Horses were quiet gentle animals who generally had a great sense of character, and they could provide you all the support in the world you needed. Sometimes, he preferred horses to people.

As the marriage conversation started occurring more frequently, Ben’s mind was more focused on home. He hadn’t seen his family in three years, and hadn’t seen the horses in longer. He knew Katrina would never leave Manhattan, and would never in a million years entertain getting married in Brooklyn, much less Virginia. He loved New York, but he had been wishing he could get away more and more lately. So, while this business trip required a lot of prep work, he was actually looking forward to the quiet of this small Massachusetts town. He just needed some fresh air.

His strategy was simple. He would close the buy-out deal as quickly as he could. He would get Mrs. Parker to see reason, offer a fair price for the manor, and finish what he came to do. He knew Mrs. Parker was attached to the house, but it was a simple matter of numbers at the end of the day, and he knew she simply couldn’t afford to keep the house.

He was thinking this might take a day, maybe two at the most, and then he would take two days all to himself, before going back to New York City for Christmas. He had booked two nights at a great ski lodge up the way, and was going to just hang out, sleep, ski, and explore. He had not been inclined to tell Katrina his plan, and while he felt guilty about it, he just needed some time to himself. He knew that if she came along, she would find the best hot spots, and party all night. He also knew she would call the glitterati, and his vacation would end up all over the internet. He hated his personal life playing out online, but Katrina always said, any press was good for business.

It was a family motto. Her father had done the same thing when she was growing up. Every time he was out with one of his three ex-wives, he would call the paparazzi. It didn’t matter if they were having a nice romantic dinner, or getting into a major fight, cameras were there to capture every moment. As an insanely influential man, it certainly didn’t hurt business, but it couldn’t have been easy on his spouses. Living in a fish bowl was not a way to live, and if Katrina and he got married, he would have to set up some boundaries. People’s lives can’t be lived through social media posts, contrary to popular societal belief.

At 10:30pm, Ben finally sat down with his pad Thai noodles from his favorite Thai restaurant with an IPA in hand to catch the end of the Rangers game. Winston, his loyal Great Dane, sat down next to him, laying his head on Ben’s lap. One of Ben’s favorite things to do was watch hockey with his faithful companion, and Winston agreed. He loved spending time with his dad, without the mean lady around. The game was tied in the third period. Their goalie was on fire tonight, and had made 35 saves so far. It was the end of the third period, and just as clock ran out, the Rangers scored winning the game. Too bad, Ben missed the goal, as he was fast asleep on the couch, with Winston cuddled up next to him snoring.

Thanks for reading! Until next time...All my healing love,

K.