good about that, about spiriting her away for romantic evenings, taking her out for nice dinners, and away for the occasional weekend. He even sent her flowers sometimes for no particular reason. It was an art form keeping the romance in their relationship when they worked together, and had ample reason to either disagree or simply get bored with each other. But somehow they never had, and Liz was always grateful for the efforts Jack made in that direction. “I thought about Amanda Parker this afternoon while Jamie and I were making cookies. I hope that jerk doesn’t make trouble for her, after the hearing today. I just don’t trust him.”
“You have to learn to leave your work at the office,” he chided her, and then poured himself another glass of wine. He pretended to be better at leaving his work behind than she was.
“Was that your briefcase I saw chock full of work in the hallway, or did I imagine it?” she teased him and he grinned.
“I just carry it around. I don’t think about it. It’s better that way.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” She knew him better than that. They chatted for a while, and then she went in to make dinner. They lingered at the table that night, talking to the kids, and laughing with them. They were talking about silly things that had happened in years past, and Jamie added to the conversation and reminded them all of when Grandma had come for Christmas and insisted they go to midnight mass, and had fallen asleep in church, and all of them got a fit of the giggles because she was snoring. It reminded Liz that she was grateful her mother had gone to her brother’s this year. It was hard having her on holidays, she told everyone what to do, and how to do it, and she had her own peculiarities and traditions, and she always gave Liz a hard time about Jamie. She had been horrified when he was born, and called it a tragedy, and still did whenever she had the opportunity, out of Jamie’s earshot. She thought he should be sent away to a special school, so the other children didn’t have to be “burdened” with him. It made Liz furious each time she said it. Jack just told Liz to ignore her. What her mother thought about it didn’t make any difference to them. Jamie was an important part of their family, and nothing in the world would have made them send him away. The other children would have been outraged if Jamie had left them. And it still made Liz angry every time she heard her mother say negative things about him.
Peter helped Jamie put the milk and cookies out for Santa, as he did every year, with a dish of carrots and a bowl of salt for the reindeer, and a note that Jamie dictated to him, reminding Santa about the bike, and urging him to bring some really great stuff for Peter and his sisters. “Thank you, Santa,” Jamie dictated finally, and then nodded with satisfaction as Peter reread the letter to him. “Should I tell him it’s okay if I don’t get the bike?” Jamie asked, looking worried. “I don’t want him to feel bad, if he didn’t bring it.”
“No, I think it’s okay like this. Besides, you’ve been so good, I’ll bet he brings it.” They all knew he was getting the bike he wanted so badly, and couldn’t wait for him to see it on Christmas morning.
Liz tucked Jamie into bed eventually, Megan was on the phone as usual, and Rachel and Annie were giggling in their room trying on each other’s clothes. Peter left for Jessica’s after he helped Jack set up the bicycle for Jamie. Liz was busy cleaning up in the kitchen and organizing dinner for the next day. Carole had gone to drop something off at a friend’s, and Liz had told her she’d clean up after dinner. It was a peaceful, happy evening, filled with the spirit of Christinas, and Liz and Jack were enjoying the prospect of the holiday and a long weekend. They worked hard, and enjoyed the time they spent with their children. They were just walking slowly upstairs hand in hand when Amanda Parker called them. Megan took the call, and Liz went to speak to her, and as soon as she picked up the phone, she could hear that Amanda had been crying. She could hardly talk.
“I’m so sorry to call you on Christmas Eve … Phil called a little while ago, and …” She began to sob as Liz listened and tried to soothe her.
“What did he say?”
“He says if I don’t tell you to unfreeze everything, he’s going to kill me, he says he’ll never give me ten cents of support, and the kids and I can starve for all he cares.”
“That won’t happen and you know it. He has to support you. He’s just trying to scare you.” And he had, very successfully. Liz hated cases like this one, where she had to watch a client she liked being abused. Some of the stories Amanda had told her early on had made her shudder. He had browbeaten and terrorized her, so much so that she had waited years to leave him. And now she was just going to have to tough it out while he threatened her, and they got her the kind of support she deserved to get from him. But Liz knew it wasn’t easy for her. Amanda was a perfect victim. “Don’t answer your phone again tonight,” Liz said quietly. “Lock your doors, stay home with the kids, and if you hear anything suspicious outside, call the police. Okay, Amanda? He’s just trying to scare you. Remember, he’s a bully. If you hold your ground, he’ll back off.”
Amanda didn’t sound convinced when she answered. “He says he’s going to kill me.”
“If he threatens you again, we’ll get a restraining order next week. And then if he comes near you, we can have him arrested.”
“Thank you,” she said, sounding slightly relieved, but not enough. “I’m so sorry to bother you on Christmas Eve.”
“You’re not bothering us. That’s what we’re here for. Call again if you need to.”
“I’m okay. I feel better now. Just talking to you helps me,” she said, sounding grateful, and Liz’s heart went out to her. It was a hell of a way to spend Christmas.
“I feel so sorry for her,” Liz said to Jack when she walked into their bedroom afterwards. She’d been talking to Amanda on the phone in the hallway. “She’s just not equipped to deal with that bastard.”
“That’s why she has us to defend her.” He had taken off his shoes and was wandering around their bedroom in stocking feet, silently chortling to himself about the gift he had bought her. But when he glanced at Liz, he saw that she was looking genuinely worried.
“Do you think he’d really dare hurt her at this point?” she asked him. Phillip Parker had hurt his wife a long time before, but they had been separated for quite a while.
“No, I don’t. I think he’s just trying to intimidate her. What does he want now? For us to reverse today’s order?” Liz nodded. It was exactly what Jack had expected, and didn’t surprise either of them. “He can sing the blues on that all he wants, we’re not reversing anything, and he knows it.”
“Poor Amanda. This is so hard for her.”
“She just has to tough it out and get through this. We’ll do fine for her, and he’ll get over it. He has more than enough to give her a decent settlement, and support for her and the kids. He can cut back a little on one of his girlfriends if he has to.”
“Maybe that’s what he’s afraid of.” Liz smiled, and looked admiringly at her husband. He was taking his shirt off, and as always, he looked incredibly handsome to her. At forty-four, he still had a strong, athletic-looking body,
