Christmas in Bruges Read Online Free Page B

him, to be with him, to make up for lost time.
    â€œRemember my Uncle Ross? He fought in World War II,” he continued without waiting for an answer. “He told us kids they had great parties on the ships. That’s all I remember him saying. When I got back, I went to visit him. He had Alzheimer’s by then. He told me a story about how one night he and his buddy were sneaking back into camp after partying in town with the locals, and their guard shot his buddy by accident. He’d never told that story before to anyone, but he told me. ‘I’ve often thought about that night,’ he said to me. You see, the pain never goes away, no matter how old you get. It’s no wonder the suicide rate is so high among vets.”
    The carriage pulled up in front of James’s hotel, and they climbed down, waving off the driver’s apologies. “It wasn’t your fault,” Paula insisted. “And you got us back safely.” He wished them a merry Christmas before driving off.
    A light snow was falling. She’d been so engrossed in James’s story, she hadn’t noticed it.
    â€œI’m sorry,” he said. “Can we do that boat tour tomorrow? I think I need to be on my own right now.”
    â€œOf course. We can do it at noon. And I mean what I said. I don’t know much about PTSD, but I’m willing to learn. I know what you said last night, but you’re still James to me, and until I saw you again, I didn’t realize just how much I missed you.”
    He kissed her then, on the sidewalk in front of the hotel doors, and she knew that she wasn’t making a mistake. That she was up for whatever this meant. She loved James, always had, always would. Love was never enough, she knew, but because of love, she would help him find peace again.
    She left him to watch her leave, as she’d watched him leave the night before. She felt too restless to go back to her hotel and so went to the bistro instead, only to find that she wasn’t very hungry. She decided to order some soup and wine before pulling out her e-reader. But she didn’t feel like reading any more than eating, and she stared at the words uncomprehendingly.
    â€œYour friend isn’t with you this evening,” the owner’s wife said, bringing her the tab and a chocolate wrapped in gold paper.
    â€œNo, he wasn’t feeling well.”
    â€œThat’s too bad. Especially on Christmas Eve. Christmas dinner is at five o’clock tomorrow. I hope he’ll be well enough to join us then.”
    â€œI hope so too,” Paula said and, having a sudden urge to cry, left without saying goodbye.
    ***
    Paula arrived at the dock at a quarter to twelve. The captain wished her a merry Christmas as he fuelled the boat. Big flakes of snow fell from a leaden sky.
    People showed their tickets and boarded, but there was no sign of James. Had he slept in?
    â€œGetting on?” the captain asked her.
    â€œMy friend’s not here yet.”
    â€œNo problem. There’s another boat in half an hour.”
    â€œI’ll wait,” she said and watched as it pulled away, cameras already flashing.
    At 12:15, she pulled out her cell and searched for the phone number he’d entered. She called. A message came on:
The customer you are trying to reach is not available. Please try again later.
    At 12:20, she tried again, and yet again at 12:25. The boat returned.
    â€œI think my friend must’ve slept in,” she said unnecessarily to the boat captain. He smiled at her uncomfortably, as if he knew she was being stood up.
    She watched the boat pull away again, and this time she called the hotel and asked to be transferred to James’s room. The phone rang, and a woman answered.
    God, was that why he hadn’t shown up? She hadn’t expected that.
    Moments later, she realized the woman was the chambermaid. No, James wasn’t in his room. He’d left an hour ago. Enough time